GM: Vulcan Players: Kassandra, Frost, Aeden, Follower, Grim Synopsis: The runners are hired to stop a meeting cold. Date: September 17,2069 Hotel California The Meet The call is sent. Silk has contacted various workers and dealers in Denver, looking for the right mix of names and talent for a job out of town. She's been given a little of the information and so sends out messages, wiggling different parts of the web of contacts and people she knows. You are contacted by one of your handlers/friends/allys and told that there is a meet going down at the Loquacious Madman in the CAS sector. You are looking for a short elven woman at booth 4 for some out of town work. It should pay fairly well. Frost gathers his usual gear, then packs a backpack with things like rope, power bars, water, a large survival knife, a flashlight, and couple of lighters. This done he heads out of the Queen of cups and throws it all in his trunk, then gets in and heads to the CAS sector. Once there he finds the Loquacious Madman, and parks in the parkinglot. He turns to his passenger seat where a Japanese woman in a very nice suit has appeared. Silk will be waiting in the aforementioned booth, sorting through information on a large datapad. The elven woman sits quiety, the opaque curtain open so she can see and be seen. Outside on the dancefloor, revellers dance and frolic. Elves Gone Wild is filming tonight and so the club is at maximum capacity. Frost waits as the woman in the suit vanishes and he watches carefully through her perceptions as she enters the club astrally and looks around, the sight of wards makes him frown and then she returns to the car. "Guess I gotta go in person." he then steps out of his car, locks it up and leaves two watchers to report to him if anyone messes with his vehicle. He heads into the Madman and then looks around for the short elven woman at booth 4. Approaching the booth and nodding to its occupants. His ally spirit rests on his shoulder in the form of a small mouse, only visible to people on the astral plane, but keeping an eye out for her masters safety. To (Vulcan, Kassandra), Frost pages: Standard for my ally spirit, she has a held action almost constatly to poof back to her home metaplane if there is even a hint of danger. Aeden's things are all thrown into the back of his Roadmaster, and he rolls on down to the meet in the large diesel chugger, parking it off in an alley to keep the large vehicle out of the way of normal traffic. As the door opens, a nifty little set of stairs pivots out, and the dwarf steps his way down them quickly. He adjusts his long (well… not that long) coat, closes the door (the steps pivot back uner the vehicle when the door is closed), and walks around to the main entrance of the bar. It all started as a way to get between jobs. The occassional run here. The favor there. After a while he wasn't sure where the normal investigative work ended and the running began. He'd been getting more and more word on runs and less true investigative work through his contacts. Either way it kept the bills payed and he was eating better lately. Follower nodded as he spoke to the contact. "Alright. They can be expecting me then." He hung up and sighed. Last time he took an out of town job he'd ended up here in Denver. Though good pay always did end up winning him over. It didn't take him too long to get to the arranged meeting place via the rail and once he got inside he started making his way through the crowd toward the designated booth. It wasn't too hard to spot the contact despite the festivities that surrounded the area. As he moved in closer he spotted Frost. "Well at least there is a familiar face." He nodded to the man and slid silently into the booth. Clicking a name off her list, and then another based on data, Silk nods to Frost and motions to a seat. She clicks a 'call' button on her phone, sending a preprogrammed message to her employer to let them know the meeting is beginning. The dwarf hobbles a little when he enters the packed place. "Great… Lossa camera's an' drunk co-eds… This'll be fun," he mutters, and begins to weave his way through the crowd. He fails to move quickly, but does make decent headway, pushing along the sides of the crowd, and then following along the outskirts over to the booths. "Name's Aeden," he offers when he makes it over to them. After grabbing the few item's Grim believe's he would need, flashlights, glow sticks, food rations, extra pair of clothes, a survival knife he shoves them in his bag. Heading down to the CAS sector with his buddy on his way to work . Entering the club he spots the booth and continues to walk twoards it sitting next to Follower. He nods at the contact and then nods at Follower. Feeling very unconfortable of the huge crowd of people and noise around him. Silk nods to those she doesn't know, which is all but Frost. "Evening, folks. Grab a seat, order a drink if you need to. Our principle will be here momentarily. I've vouched ahead of time for you all, so I think we should be fine." She checks the message on her phone and nods. waving his hand and smileing "I dont drink,nasty habit". Grim says as he pulls out his bottle of pain killers of that witch he has become highly addicted too. Frost nods as he takes a seat, then smiles faintly "You wouldn't happen to have a wilderness survival chip in your old stores would you?" this comment is given to Silk "Out of town was fairly vague." he glances at the others assembled, returning the nod to Follower. Follower nods to Aeden as he approached. "You can call me Follower. Seems to be the common nickname." He smirks and then looks to the others that are converging on them. He slides a bit more giving them all ample space to have a seat. He leans over to Frost and whispers quietly. "Did you get that issue taken care of?" Frost shakes his head negatively to follower, but doesnt bother explaining what the comment was about. Smoke. It precedes him like a pall, and not the so-trendy pall of flavored, non-toxic NuBacco that the kids all like to smoke. A pall of death from real, honest go Dunk toxix stinkweed. "Good evening." Says the gentleman with the open collar and the black sport coat, his short cropped but fashionable hair almost shining in the darkness of the club. "This seat's not taken." Falloon offers a nod to Silk, of thanks. "Thank you for calling this meeting to order, I do hope its a short one." he flicks out his hands as if resettling his sleeves on his shoulders, the cigarette dangling from his lips. "Now, everyone, so kindly as to shut up." Swallowing his pain killers in a fashionable manner with out any water. Looking over at Follower he lifts the pills in his derection, "Want some?" Grim says to Follower. Falloon turns one eye to Grim. Frost watches the arrival of the employer, and remains quiet once the command is given, no sense rocking the boat this early on. Falloon smiles sweetly then, leaning forward… "Did you bring enough for the whole class?" He asks, in a tone that is so cool, butter might not melt in his mouth. Silk stays quiet, simply nodding her acknowledgement to Mr. Falloon. She folds her hands on the table and waits, the opaque shade shuttering them now from the rest of the crowd. Aeden sits down, and quietly listens as the details for the job are offered out, occasionally shifting a bit in his seat. «OOC» Falloon will give anyone with shadowscene players a roll. «OOC» Falloon says, "Also, Denver Politics." «Auto-Judge[]» Frost (#1680) rolls Intelligence for "-4 Defaulting": 1 2 2 4 5 «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Intelligence for "Mnemonic Enhancer 3, and all the spiffiness it entails.": 1 1 3 4 4 5 5 11 «Auto-Judge[]» Follower (#6503) rolls Underworld Politics for "-3 for using underworld": 1 3 4 «Auto-Judge[]» Grim (#6903) rolls Intelligence: 1 2 2 3 Silk lets the Johnson run the meeting. For her part, she watches the other runners to see how they take things and measure their skills at the meeting. She may or may not know what is going on, but she is keeping that close to the vest. Aeden glares a bit at the two who have seemed to catch the Johnson's eye, but keeps quiet. He turns his attention to the boss… there's money to be had, and this dwarf needs it. Follower shook his head at the offer of the pills and sat watching the J. He studied him for a moment, but there was no recognition of the figure from even passing mention. It looked like he was going in this blindly. He'd have to rely on the reactions of others to gauge this character. So far no one seemed to be shaken by the presence, however, and that always counted as a good sign. Frost remains quiet, and since he has no clue on who the J is, he simply relys on the fact that Silk is the best, and she would not be dealing in something that wasn't on the up and up, at least he hopes thats how she operates. Shrugging and shaking his head "Negative" Grim says to the Johnson. Falloon then holds out his hands. "I'll just take those until class is over, then…" He grins, tilting his head like the Cheshire cat. Keeping the smile off her face, Silk looks from Grim to Falloon and then back to the tabletop itself. She seems relaxed and not worried in the slightest. Grim look at Falloon in a beawilderd look. Follower looks to Grim. He was starting to get the feeling that he was a little green. "Just hand them over so we can get this underway. First rule in a meeting like this is that man is running the show. You take care of his interest and he'll take care of ours." Frost keeps his face expressionless, he makes little movements besides breathing, but his eyes flicker briefly to Grim and then focus back on Falloon, he gives the Johnson what appears to be his full attentions. Grim hands them over peering down in a shamefull manner like he was about to cry. Aeden's gaze drifs back and forth between anyone who talks an who they're talking to, but otherwise, the dwarf stays out of things. Falloon takes the drugs, then pockets them. "Alright kids…" Says Falloon then. "Lets start with our ABC's of what we do here. I'm assuming you are A and B, Able Bodied, C Capable, D, Dependable, E, Efficient, F, Hard core mother fuckers of death and destruction." He waggles his eyebrows now. "If you're not, stand up and leave this table." Looking back at the J Grim says, "please continue, I'm sorry for the inconvenience!". Silk does not rise from the table. She does smile at the waggle of eyebrows and looks to the others at the table, to see if they will remain. Frost remains seated, and clasps his hands together in front of him on the table. He makes no comment about the ABCs, the fact that he does not get up is his answer. shifting a little bit and cuffing his hands togethor, Grim looks at evryone else expecting maybe one person to stand up. A through E were all a definite check. F Follower had to think about. He wasn't all about the mayhem as he'd seen some inflict, but when it came down to it he could definitely throw it down. His face told little about his thoughts, however. He simply sat quietly listening for more of just eactly what this job may entail. From experience he knew that the greater the risk the more loaded his creditstick. Aeden nods to the list, a little grin forming on his face. Oh, the dwarf may yet grow to like the man. He remains seated, leaning back in the chair a bit, to get comfortable, but leaves his arms crossed. Falloon grins then, leaning in. "English is over. Lets move on to Math. I always hated math. They said… there would be no math." he gestures with the cigarette now, rolling his shoulders in a slightly relaxed fashion, like he's having a good time at a party… "I see five of you. If five runners leave Denver at 14:00 hours and land in an undisclosed location at 18:00 hours, then travel at 35 miles an hour for 2 hours, then engage in an effort to procure local equipment, then travel another 2 hours at 35 miles an hour, to engage in a highly destructive spree of murder and mayhem on the agents of tyranny and oppression, then travel an additional hour at 35 miles an hour to meet an extraction ship… " A pause. "How will those five runners split a half million nuyen?" Ah math, her specialty. Silk smiles wryly at the math lesson and nods quietly, perhaps already spending the paycheck in her head. The elven woman glances to the others, seeing how this latest information sits. Grim looks around the table then back at the J and sighs. Falloon blows a smoke ring. It's an elegant thing, as he sits back to watch the others as they calculate what he just said. Perhaps translate it. Follower grinned. A question was asked and Follower took it as a term to speak. "That depends on the variables on if someone walks out early. You can count on me looking for my share." Frost lets some expression show, the slight lifting of an eyebrow at the amount, then the furrowing of his brows slightly causing a slight wrinkle on his forehead. The math is good, but the variables were not so good, that much money ment alot of damage needed to be caused. "What the hell does 100k each have to do with the time?" the dwarf asks. "I mean, I get the moving around part… but money's got nothing to do with how quick we mo-Oh." at that, he shuts up, and waits for the rest of the pitch. Falloon looks to Follower. "Head of the class, sir, Magna Cum On-yer-face." A pause. "Now, if one of you walks, one of you takes an errant round in to the back of head…" A glance to Aeden… "Then the denominator on that half million goes down, now doesn't it?" A pause as he sucks on the cigarette, bringing the cherry to brilliant life. "Now. This isn't easy country to cross, not like the parking lot at McBulletTown, nor as easy to traverse as your first warrens gaudy-slut's thighs. It's hard country. I'm paying very well for this mission because I need it done, I need it done quickly, and I trust that Silks' gonna send me the very finest in rapid-deployed, short term contractors for high-risk situations. Now, if you're not that, again. Stand up from the table and walk away." Aeden remains seated. "Long as we got somethin' that can get us across the land, I can get us there… presuming it's across the land, that is." getting a wierd feeling and looking around at the table, Grim sighs and leans in crossing his arms looking up at the J. Frost finally speaks "I'm good at causing mayhem and destruction on a fairly large scale." he says nothing more, just sits calmly and listens to the rest of the story. "om not the best in the brain field but you have a viehical ready for us right?"Grim says staring up at Falloon. Falloon snaps his fingers at Frost. "You. Translate for Spec-Needs ehre." Frost looks to Grim "We have to procure our own transportation, hence the 35 miles per hour limit, if we take an hour to find a vehicle, we have to go 70 to compensate." he looks to Falloon "That what you ment sir?" looking over at Frost "Aww I see, Thank you for explaining." Grim smiles turning his attention back to the J. Falloon shrugs. "Close enough for government work." A slight grin at his own funny. "Intrusion and Extraction are provided by local contractors. You will be provided basic ATV's upon intrusion. Your first order of business will be to procure local transport of a -specific- nature." Raising his hand Grim says "Im aboard sir!". Falloon then pauses, snapping his fingers and then pointing to everyone… "You can all drive, right? Like, cars or motorcycles, yah? I mean, cause this is gonna suck for you if y ou can't." Aeden perks up a bit at the mention of local transport. "What sort of nature?" he asks, nodding when asked if he's aboard. Frost nods "I'm good so far sir." Grim sighs "I cant!" looking around at the table. Follower had already had a pretty good idea of the group. He knew he could trust Frost. Aeden and Silk seemed to be seasoned. There was a little worry about the other and just hoped he could prove himself in the field. He'd hate to see someone lose their head in a less than metaphoric sense. He looked at the J when he asked if they could all drive. "I'm not good at high stress driving. I usually just take the rail or my feet." He looked at the others and shrugged. "Never had a great need for it." Falloon gestures to Follower. "You, you ride bitch." A pause as he looks to Grim. "You too. Course, thats going to lower your firepower level for the second half of the mission, so its up to your team mates if they want to take you." "well guys…its your decision" Grim says rolling his finger around the table. Falloon lights up a cigarette off the stump of the one he currently has. Chain smoker. Can you tell? He glances to Kassandra, an eyebrow quirking. "Short notice. It is what it is." Aeden looks at the Jay for a bit. "Less firepower? That's a bit excitin', but it also makes me wonder just what you're sendin' us out there t' do." Silk chuckles. She didn't answer about driving, but then, wasn't she in some race a while back? Maybe he knew that. The elf nods about short notice and remarks quietly, "I think we can compensate for some of the problems in the field. Maybe pack lighter. I can play with things and see what I can do." Grim nods at Silk. Frost nods slightly "Can we hear a bit more of the job before we make a decision on cutting people out." Falloon nods then, standing up. He eyes Aeden then, tilting his head to the side. "Whats that?" he asks, his voice going cold. "What the fuck is this? Are you bugged?" His face starts to contort in to a twist of fury. "What the fuck is this???" Silk goes quiet, watching the situation with a quiet caution. She looks to the others, and while she doesn't move their is something different about her, a very much fight-or-flight attitude. Grim looks around knowing the situation may lead to something, he then shifts alittle looking back at the J in confussion. Frost remains quiet, but the astral near him suddenly becomes more occupied. He makes no move or gesture, just mentally prepares for any impending confrontations. Follower watches quietly. Reaching into his coat. Depending on the situation what he pulls out could go one of two ways. Either he'll pull his lighter and have a smoke or pull out the pistol to protect the investment. nudging Follower's arm noticing his movement, Grim peers a eye of to Follower shaking his head slitly. Aeden holds up his hands in a sign of peace, trying to calm the man down and keep the camera's from Elves Gone Wild from pointing their way. He nods in their direction. "If someboy wanted the place bugged, it'd be bugged already," he says, trying to calm the shouting man down. "Just tryin' t' find out what it is you want gotten done," he says, voice slipping back to it's less-dignified drawl. «OOC» Falloon says, "Everyone, roll reaction, please?" «Auto-Judge[]» Frost (#1680) rolls Reaction: 3 4 4 7 9 «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Reaction: 2 3 3 9 9 11 «Auto-Judge[]» Grim (#6903) rolls Reaction: 2 2 4 5 «Auto-Judge[]» Follower (#6503) rolls Reaction: 1 2 2 3 5 «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls Reaction: 2 2 3 4 4 4 5 «Auto-Judge[]» Falloon (#3087) rolls 15 vs TN 2 for "I'm Jeremy Falloon.": 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 4 5 5 8 9 11 11 = 10 Successes The J's hand snatches out quickly, coming to a stop right beside Aeden's head seeming to pluck something from behind the mans ear. "I said what the fuck is…" A pause. "Oh. It's the datachip for the mission." he says, dropping it on the table. "Read it. Study it. Be at the airstrip. That your still here, means you committed to the job when you didn't walk away the first two times I offered." he nods to Frost then… "I don't ever ask a third time." Grim sighs as his shoulder's less tighten and lower to his normal posture. Frost looks to the man standing up, then the chip on the table, then to the other runners and Silk. He says nothing, just waits until someone picks up the chip and slots it. Follower pulls out his lighter and draws the cigarette pack from his breast pocket eying Grim as he draws a cigarette from the pack between his lips and with a quick flick of the lighter has it lit before returning the items to their place. Taking a strong draw from the lit cigarette he gives a nod. Seeing as Aeden was so anxious he decides to give him the opportunity for the first look. smirking a little too Follower Grim turns his attention back to the J. Ah, a good day, no one died. Yet. Silk retrieves a datapad, not her usual, and slides it into the center of the table so that anyone can use it. She nods seriously to the others and then looks to the room, the opaque curtains keeping most of the conversation contained. «OOC» Falloon says, "http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=106089619060512346088.000473d0e98659dea85a0&ll=39.675484,-114.724731&spn=1.166905,2.554321&t=h&z=9" «OOC» Falloon says, "This link should contain all the required bits of datas." Aeden dosen't react all that quickly to the crazed, he's convinced, Johnson. He's wired for Vehicles, not the meat-world. As such, the quick slight-of-hand magic trick takes him a little by surprise. He looks from the man to the chip and back and forth a second time, before slowly reaching out for it, cautious, as if afraid the damned thing will bite him. Falloon turns then for the curtained passage. Crazed? Yeah. That might describe Jeremy Falloon. Crazy. Crazy like a fox, but still fucking crazy. "I'll know when you're back." He says without preamble. "MccArron Field, 4 hours for departure." He puffs the cigarette then, tossing it in to an ash-can near the curtain. "Ahh-reee-var-deeeer-chie." "Bon soir," Silk replies automatically, letting the others look over the data. She sits quietly, letting the other runners get acquainted with what they are about to do. Frost watches the Johnson leave, then his eyes narrows slightly and he turns to look at Grim "So far you seem a liability, I'm going to take a risk and hope you prove me wrong. You follow others lead on this one, if you have an idea, you share it, but don't go acting without talking to someone else." he looks around at the others "Everyone got comms?" "no Prob, Ill do my part but ill listen to you, I know there is a target on my back for the person that may F up this run but im sure ill do my worth" Grim Nods at Frost and looks at evryone else. Aeden skims over the data quickly, making sure to get a look at the perinent information before sliding ir across the table to Frost. "Standard Personal Taccom. Not much range on it, but never really needed it that much," he says. Grim sighs while stretching "Am I the only one here afraid to fly?" he says as he slaps his hands down on the table. Frost picks up the chip and slots it in his pocsec he pulls from a pocket, reviewing the information quietly, he nods to Aeden as he hears the comm question response, then goes back to reviewing the chip. After he copies the information and routes to his pocsec, he passes the chip down the table to Follower "Also you think he will give me back my pills?" grim says looking at Frost. Follower nods. "We've all got to be together on this. We move as a group unless the situation would work better with diversions. We'll all need to be in agreement on the action. If one of us runs off to do our own thing chances are the rest will have a bigger paycheck at the end of all of this." He pics up the chip slotting it into the handheld unit he had retrieved from his pocket and looks over the data. Getting to know you Frost sits back a bit "Alright, what are we working with. I can drive bikes and cars with some skill, not an expert, but I can do it. I can also cause a lot of damage with magical means. How about the rest of you, what do you bring to the table?" Grim nods at Follower "Well im basiclly stuck to Frosts hip!" Silk stays quiet, nodding only at the question of whether or not she has a comm. She also will nod soberly to Follower's commentary, eyes flicking from one to another. She'll wait to see with interest what they have to say. "I cant drive any of the vihicals! Scratch that from my part.: Grim says playing with a string hanging from his sleeve. Follower pops the chip out and passes it to Grim. "I work better with my brain than any real heavy artillery or trandportation skills. More the get to vantage without being spotted and make sure that the information that needs to be known is known. In my line I've picked up a bit of skill in suppressing threats as well. I like to believe I think pretty quick on my feet and come up with a lot of secondary means of making sure the job is done while minimalizing friendly casualties." "Riggin's my area… cars in particular, but 'long as it's got more'n 3 wheels, I'm good," the dwarf says, frowning at anyone who makes 'another dwarf rigger' joke. "Pretty good at drones, too, but since we're bein' put out there, I don't think any of mine'll be dropped there. Might wanna take the deck, just in case, though." Frost shakes his head a bit, then looks to Silk "Did you get any prerequsites before calling people?" he frowns and looks to Follower "Smart is one thing, but frankly we need people that can kill alot of people fast." he looks to Grim "Can you kill lots of people fast?" Silk will chime in, "I've a wide assortment of useful talents, not the least of which will be chatting with the Shredders. I should be able to handle myself and deal with killing a lot of people fast." She shrugs to Frost and said, "There were certain prerequisites given to me, of which this team fills out admirably." "Well While I cant drive anything Im great at retrieving information from other and im a great negotiator, but other then that shooting someone will be my main role!" Grim Says As he looks over the chip. Aeden nods towards the elf when Grim chimes in with that. "I think we'll be leavin' the talkin' to her," he says. Frost looks to Grim "What do you have and what can you shoot? I'd feel alot better if we had a heavy weapons expert here." Legwork «OOC» Kassandra says, "I will check via .. oh, let's say Ocean. I want to see if I can determine what the Shredders need/are interested in" «OOC» Vulcan nods. Eti test, standard mods. «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls Etiquette + 1 vs TN 4 for "Contacting Ocean": 1 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 = 3 Successes "Negative with heavy weps bud, my Franchi SPAS-22 will be our best friend…I hope!" Grim says as he rubs his fingers togethor. Frost sighs a bit, and nods "Better than nothing I guess." he looks to Aeden "I hope we can bring some of those drones you mentioned, got something big and nasty as well as something small and recon like?" Follower says "The information says that the point we're going to has some old equipment laying around. I'm sure I can manage something with it. Might even be able to find something from the Shredders than will have a use that may otherwise be overlooked. Everything is circumstantial until it comes into effect." He shrugs. "I don't have any doubt in our capabilities pulling together nicely though." "If it's mounted, I'm good t' go with heavy weapons. Hand held…" the dwarf shrugs his dwarf-sized arms, "Not so much." «Auto-Judge[]» Vulcan (#3087) rolls 6 for "What does ocean know…": 1 2 3 4 4 4 «Auto-Judge[]» Vulcan (#3087) rolls 6 for "What does ocean know… KP 1": 1 3 4 4 8 9 "The shredders… the shredders… Well, from what I can tell they are your usual rez-trash, anti-indian in an anti-anglo world. They represent the only real dosh of civilization for nearly a hundred miles radius. It's really just the middle of no where. They get by on scavenging mining sites, extorting the Eureka Anglo Rez and generally being untouchable by Ute Law. Something about Anglos only being tried by Anglo courts, and the Shredders basically having the Eureka Rez under their thumb. They need the usual things. Fuel, liquid cash, guns and ammo.. but luxuries do real well out that way. I got a 300 percent premium for a small shipment of calhots." Aeden nods… and then shakes his head. "Got one that's armed pretty good… Machine gun an' all.. Lone Star drone. Sneaky, not so much. Got a spider that was all on the news from the Arcology 'bout ten years back, but no UAVs." Frost nods to Aeden "If it flies, lets try to bring it, how long can it run before its out of fuel? Thats going to be a consideration." "Ah sweet, thank you muchly Ocean. I've sent the funds through the usual channels, of course. Sorry to hear about Dawn, by the by. She was a good worker, shame that she had to jump to the corps." Silk makes sure the transfer of funds goes off without a hitch, mulling over the data. Aeden says "That's the real kicker… only about 80 or so klicks before it cuts out."" Frost nods "Alright, nevermind then." he then looks to Silk "Would it be wise to investigate the two groups? Might be a good idea to have a clue what we are up against right?" Grim looks over Frost "If it flies its easy to see, it could give away our pressense to the shredders. I mean if you want them coming for our fuel and ammo and stuff then thats fine." Aeden says "I'm thinkin' more 'bout the UTE Garrisons than the Shredders, my own self." "Possibly. Of course, the downside is that stirring the waters may alert them that someone is poking around where they shouldn't. Given that this meeting is in the middle of nowhere…" Silk trails off, spreading her hands. "Of course, I can guarantee you the moment we step in there land they will know we are there!" Grim says to Silk. Frost nods to Silk "Makes sense, I hate flying in this blind, but I'm going to trust your talents at picking talent." Glancing to Grim, Silk raises an eyebrow. "If that is the case, pray that we are better than they are." She nods soberly to Frost and says, "One way or the other, this is the hand we were dealt." "We have about three and a half hours. I suggest getting whatever you need and heading to the airport. Don't be late, we WILL leave you." Silk rises at that, moving to leave the booth. "Ehh I'm not an expert but they may not even try to harm us in anyway!" Grim calls as he watches Silk walkaway. looking back at the other's "I mean they will see we are armed and hopefully be smart about it and leave us be." Standing up "Well nice meeting you all and will see you in 3 hours" Grim says as he smiles and walks twoards the exit. Aeden shrugs. "Are we gonna try t' talk Vehicles outta the Shredders, or are we gonna try t take em?" «Plot» Vulcan says, " So, Elect someone, and tell me what the basic plan is? I've presented the obstacles. You present the way to overcome them." «Plot» Kassandra says, "Vulcan, we are ready to proceed." «Plot» Vulcan says, " Outline the plan please." <Plot» Kassandra says, "Our plan, in a nutshell, is to be little ghosts. We'll head to the site, take the vehicle to the Shredders. Negotiate and gain disguises and ATVs. Go kill some people. Run away afterwards." «Plot» Kassandra says, "I will, since Jeremy said we had a vehicle waiting, will bring things to negotiate/bribe the Shredders with" Follower looked at the woman who was about to leave. "Could't help but to overhear you on the phone. What did you find out?" "Ah. Well, the Shredders are some nice people, really, who would LOVE to have some of the better things in life that you can't just steal from random travelers. Nomads, I believe, would be the correct term. I'm hoping we can strike a good deal with them, because fighting them all would likely be a very short trip to a pine box." Silk shrugs at that. Frost nods to Silk "I think everyone here will agree to take your expenses out of the payout before its divided. Sound fair?" Aeden nods in agreement. Follower nods. "Always willing to help shoulder expenses. Doesn't matter if it's supplies or bribes." He looks around. "Guessing they'll have some destructive supplies as well. May need to bring a little extra. If they have explosives they may come in very handy. I'll shoulder that burdon if needed." Silk nods and smiles to the table, "Ah, that would be wonderful, thank you for that. Hopefully we'll get this taken care of in short order and move on to the harder part of the exercise. Well, besides not breaking down in the middle of the desert." «Plot» Vulcan says, " Kassandra, lay out, in broadish terms, what you're bringing for trade." «Plot» Kassandra says, "I will be bringing some ammunition, some survival gear. I will stop at a store when I leave here and pick up nicer blankets, foodstuffs, cigarettes, bath and beauty supplies (male and female), good coffee and liquor." «Plot» Kassandra says, "Enough to fill a large trunk" Frost leaves the bar, heads to the plane, and heads to the meet with his normal gear, a rifle, some ammo, a survival backpack, and a few of his flash paks and flash grenades On the plane McCarron Airfield, 1400 hours. Thats 2PM to you non military types. The non-descript white VTOL commuter plane sits on the tarmac. Its tailnumbers say its registered to an outfit in Carson City that imports and exports mining equipment for the Ute Nation, which gives it a good cover to fly juuuuuuust about anywhere in the nation. Aeden heads on out to the Roadmaster, shooing away the ganger that's eyeing it. He climbs in, and heads on to the airfeild where the pickup is supposed to happen. Shopping first, and then Silk is on her way to McCarron. She's already been packed for some time, and finalizes her gear selection as the van takes her to the airport. All of the gear is carefully stowed in military-style duffle bags, fully ready to be hefted, bound, tied, or whatever else needs to be done. Follower waits by one of the hangars for the rest of the group to show up. Checking his wrist unit for the time he moves into the open toward the plane that must be their designated ride in. He looks around as he sees the others arriving. The plane is sealed until everyone arrives in the area. Upon each persons arrival, the door to the cargo compartment will hiss open, and the ramp for boarding the twin engine aircraft will decend. Frost shows up with his gear, and ready to go. He did leave one thing at home though, his powerfoci was left at the Queen of Cups, with a note that it should go to Adam or Nine if he doesn't come back. Silk will snag a powered flatbed and drag the bags into the aircraft along with her own gear, whistling quietly. She has changed into desert-colored clothing like a hiker or camper might wear, a ball cap tucked firmly down on her head. Grim enters the airfiled walking over to stand next to Frost. Carrying all of the gear Grim brought with inside the backpack he throws down next to him. Including 5 Gallons of gas. "If we need the extra gas and if we can carry it. Or the Ute's will find it usefull, we can trade it." Grim says looking at frost. Follower moves forward boarding the plane. The same minimal equipment he always carries all stashed away in the secure long coat. Frost nods to Grim "Not bad thinking, perhaps you are useful for something." with that he heads into the plane and finds a place to sit for the trip. Grim follows Frost thinking to himself and smiling. Aeden parks the transport off in a decent enough looking spot, and slips his RC deck into his own duffel, along with his two firearms and a respectable amount of ammo for them. He scurries along up to the flat-bed when he notices it, and hops on, taking care to keep the duffel from clanging around too much. "I hate flying! I really do." Grim says as he shutters ans sighs. The pilot steps out of the aircraft. His cowboy hat is tilted at a jaunty angle, the spurs on his boots jangling to match. "Ahhhhhhaaaaaaghahgit! Get…. ON THE PLANE! Errrr…." http://www.artsboston.org/images/event/42791/goldthwait.jpg "This isn't flying. This is just getting by." Silk chuckles thinly and settles into a seat, strapping in. A satchel, backpack, and duffle are nearby, ready for her to grab: obviously personal gear rather than trade goods. "We can always Tranq-patch ya," the dwarf offers. "Naw Thank ya, im good. ill survive im sure." Grim says Frost straps himself in, his backpack near him along with his rifle. placing his backpack at his feet Grim grabs the belt and settles himself on the seat. Aeden climbs on into the plane, and moves to a seat, stowing his duffel before strapping himself into a seat. Flightline stomps down the isle, looking everyone over. "Ahhhhhhgnnnt! AHH'M FlightLINE and ImmmaGONNA be your (whispered) pilot (Back to shouting) FOR THIS FLIGHT! Errrk!" Follower takes a seat and straps in. "Listen kid," He speaks looking to Grim, "The flying is the least of your worries. Just keep focused and you'll pull through." Flightline twitches, then makes sure, by means of hitting soundly, that the overhead bins are secure. leaning over and wispering to Frost "I like this guy already!" Grim wispers. Frost arches a brow as he watches the pilot, then shakes his head again. He looks to Grim, and then just frowns at him "I'm hoping that steriotype about the best in thier field being slightly eccentric holds true here." Silk grins wide and looks around, making sure she is secure. That done, she'll start working on twisting her hair up into braids to get it up out of the way. She'll glance to the others and chuckle at some of the comments, not seeming at all bothered by the prospect of flying, commenting, "Hey, this plane doesn't have any holes in it. That's a plus." Flightline turns then for the cockpit, twitching as he does so. "Eerraaaah!" He says, eloquently enough, as he closes the pilots door. From the cockpit, there's a few muffled rraaaahs and eerrakkkhs, then the engines start to spool up. "Iv flew before I just dont like it" Grim laughs looking over at Follower. Frost reaches for his comm, then looks around "Shall we prepare coms on the flight, I'll let the lady choose the frequencies." The plane starts to taxi out, and from the cockpit. "Ahmmm LeaaaaaaaaaaaVEN ona jetplane… Don't know when I'll be bBACCCCCCCCCCCCK again…." Silk nods to Frost, checking her radio and the numbers programmed there. She'll read off several, "That'll be primary, secondary, and tertiary." Frost plugs the frequencies into his comm and nods Follower nods and checks his wrist unit punching in the numbers and puts in his earpiece. Aeden slips his Taccom out of his pocket at the suggestion, and plugs it into his datajack, flipping through the frequencies to line them up. Commlink-Aeden> Aeden says, "Gotcha here." Commlink-«Silk» "Blue, online." Grim looks at Frost then down the isle "Yo!! Piliot, do you have a ETA or should I just piss my pants now?!" Grim Yells. Commlink-Flightline> Flightline says, "So kiss me and smile for me… Tell me that you'll wait for me, Hold me like you'll never, let me gooooooooooo. Cause Im leavin on a jet plane, Dont know when Ill be back again… Oh babe, I hate to go…" Aeden mutters, "Shoulda definately tried t' fly the thing myself…" Flightline's singing voice, it seems, is greatly improved by using his cyberware. Commlink-Follower> Follower says, "Check" Yelling again down the isle at the pilot Grim says "Roger that!" looking over at Frost "He said he dont know when we will be back again.?". Commlink-Snowman> Frost says, "Give your radio callsign please. Lets leave real names out of this." Flightline brings the engines to full power as he roars down the runway. No need to use fuel on a VTOL take off when you have a perfectly servicable runway right here. "Now the time has come to leave you, One more time, Let me kiss you, Then close your eyes, Ill be on my way, Dream about the days to come, When I wont have to leave alone, About the times, I wont have to say…" Then, as the next refrain starts, the plane takes to the air. "LEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVEN ON A JET PLANEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Frost looks to Grim "You do have a comm right?" Radio taken care of, Silk will start digging in her duffel to check her gear, beginning to pull on belts and other assorted gear onto her body. A knife here, a pistol there. She is mindful of the movement of the plane but otherwise doesn't let it bother her. Commlink-Stray Dog> Follower says, "check check" Grim leans in to Frost"What! Oh yah I do" raising his finger "hold on" Grim grabs his commlink out of his bag. Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "10'4" The plane banks out over to the west, settling in to a flight path and line. Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "Well this song his really really old, im surprised he knows the lyrics. Im surprised iv heard it before." Follower says "The classics don't die. They just get more novel." Frost picks up his rifle, testing the smartlink connection to his hand, making sure the scope is secure. After checking out the weapon he puts it down in a secure area and goes over his personal gear, his pistol, his taser, ammo for everything he carries. He does the required checks on everything, then goes to rest up, laying his head back, he adjusts the helmet tied to his backpack, and then tries to take a nap. Commlink-Flightline> Flightline says, "Good afternoon. I'm Flightline and I'll be your captain today. We're settling in to a cruising altitude of 37 feet for our flight through the Rocky Mountains. Please don't mind the rocking of the aircraft, it's perfectly safe. Mind the overhead bins and please keep a handle on all loose articles as we cross the ridges." As she preps, Silk watches the others, getting to know their tics and styles, habits and movements. She simply observes, letting her hands do the simple work of getting her ready. A flat box is the last piece brought out, but she won't open that at all, letting it stay closed as the plane moves about. Grim leans back in his chair and closes his eye's "A rifle, I was think of that but i couldnt hit a ute if he was sleeping at my feet with one of those!" he says to Frost. Frost opens his eyes, then looks to Grim "I suggest you check all your gear, then try to rest through the flight. We won't have time to rest once we arrive." Follower looks toward the cockpit. "Thirty-seven feet. That really doesn't seem right." He looks around and chuckles. "I'm going to take that as a joke and go with our comrad's idea and try to rest up. We'll need the energy." Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "I believe its for flying before any radar? Am I right?" Yeah. It's not a joke, as the plane lurches to one side, and out the window now pointing nearly 'down' the tree line blurs by. The plane rolls back to the other direction, the engines raising thrust as the plane now shoots down a long canyon, as close to the bottom as you can get without walking. Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "The standard radar picks up any traffic above 120ft. If you fly under it you are perfectly invisible." Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "Am I guessing right pilot?" Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "Or should I just shut up about saying this over the commlink." Commlink-Flightline> Flightline says, "Yes and No. The radar is a concern, but mostly, I just like to fly like this." Frost closes his eyes and lets his body roll back and forth against the harness holding him, he cant sleep really, but he can try to relax and enjoy the ride at least. Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "Oh key Dokey!" Silk similarly rests, eyes closed as she rocks along with the plane, braids swaying slightly as she moves. Aeden would get up… except for the chaos that is know as NOE flying. So, he remains strapped in. He does pull his bag out from beneath the seat, though, and removes a highly modified Ares Alpha, and begins to work it over a bit. Nothing major.. just making sure the thing will work properly. grabbing his bag from the floor and holding it in his lap so it dont slide to the back, Grim opens it and begins counting and going over his gear and ammo. Follower grins. "Also makes for a shorter drop in the event of a crash." He chuckled. "Nothing we can do except trust this guy knows what he's doing. So we might was well do that and hope that that extra baggage is secure enough that we're not going to get crushed before we get on the ground." He laid back into the seat shaking and trusting the industrial strength harness to keep him from falling lose. Frost tries to relax as best he can, ignoring everyone else and just letting his body and mind drift. His only conversations are with his ally spirit that rides on his shoulder, and even those are very breif. The elven girl stays quiet, her breathing slow. She seems at home on the rocking craft, as if she has done this a great many times. About an hour later, thanks to high speed flight and the relitively flat level ground of the path he takes, Flightline brings the aircraft to a hard stop, almost the sort of thing that makes you wonder what you just hit. It's hovering in the air though, slowly settling down to about 20 feet off the ground. THe door opens, letting the hot desert air rush in to the air conditioned cabin. looking at his belt strap and harness and the numerous rips and hole's in it Grim goes back to staring at himself in the blade of his Katana. Aeden ties the Assault Rifle into the seat next to him pretty decently, and then moves on to his RC deck. Not thathe expects to be using it much, but it's there in case. Following that, he too closes his eyes and enjoys the swayings of the ride. About an hour later, thanks to high speed flight and the relitively flat level ground of the path he takes, Flightline brings the aircraft to a hard stop, almost the sort of thing that makes you wonder what you just hit. It's hovering in the air though, slowly settling down to about 20 feet off the ground. THe door opens, letting the hot desert air rush in to the air conditioned cabin. Commlink-Flightline> Flightline says, "This is the part where we lighten the load." Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "Im not fat if your saying that!" Zipping back up his bag Grim Hugs it tightly hopeing he wont looses it. Follower unstraps himself and stands up. "Looks like naptime is over. Let's get to unloading and get moving. I do believe our timeframe just started." Eyes flicking open as they come to a stop, Kassandra looks around curiously and then nods as Flightline speaks, sitting up straighter in her seat and preparing herself to move out. Commlink-Flightline> Flightline says, "Watch the first step." "What are you wanting to loose Follower?" Grim leans in the isle looking at him still hugging his bag. Standing up and securing his shotgun and Katana to his side, Grim throws his back pack on and nods at Kassandra then to Frost. Follower just shakes his head. "Nothing. Hoping to gain quite a bit though. Frost reaches for his helmet, then settles it on his head securely. He unbuckles himself and grabs his backpack, putting it on, then slings his rifle across his back and settles it with the pack. Aeden unclips himself, and unties the assault rifle. He quickly returns the items to the bag stowed under the seat, and pulls it out, moving to the rest as quickly as his legs will get him there. "Bit high up," he says, glancing outside. Commlink-Stray Dog> Follower says, "Any chance we could get dropped a little lower. We have some breakables with us. Like our legs." Rising, Silk moves towards the open cargo hatch and the waiting supplies. She looks out at the drop and then to the others. "Get on the cargo palet, please?" She smiles to them and waits. "Yah Makes for a good time to have Titanium Bone Lacing am I right!" Grim laughs looking at Aeden. Commlink-Flightline> Flightline says, "If I go lower, I will send up a dust cloud that will be far too detectable." Commlink-Flightline> Flightline says, "20 feet is as low as I can go." Grabbing the side of the cargo palet grim settle's himself and sighs. Commlink-«Silk» "This is low enough." Commlink-Stray Dog> Follower says, "Gotcha." Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "Well Im ready!" Follower nods and climbs onto the crate. Aeden nods to the elf, and steps onto the palet, finding a nice, safe looking place to stick his bag and grab onto. Frost does as silk commands, climbing onto the cargo pallet and getting a secure hold on the mesh that keeps everything together Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "Lets hope my gas stays sealed!" Commlink-Flightline> Flightline says, "I have 20 more seconds of hover time. Please get off my aircraft." Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "Well you dont have to be so mean about it!" Once everyone is aboard, Silk will toss her pack and bag onto the pile and steps out the hatch into thing air, muttering to herself. The cargo pallet will rise as she turns and waves to it, beckoning it to follow. «Plot» Kassandra says, "Megakinesis" «Plot» Flightline says, " Granted. No roll necessary." looking over at Kassandra then Frost then Aeden Grim Waves "Im ready!" Silk smiles as she floats towards the ground, the luggage and assorted people moving down as well. She remarks quietly, mostly towards Grim, "THIS is flying." She laughs at that and checks beneath them, the supplies and runners floating with control towards the waiting ground. «OOC» Flightline says, "Kassandra appears, by her aura, to be a normal human being of the nobilis genotype." «OOC» Flightline says, "With no noted Magical ability." Frost watches Kass as they start to float along with the gear, although with his helmet on its hard to tell just who he is looking at. looking over at Silk in a angry manner "hehe!" as he hugs his shotgun and katana. On the Ground The plane veers off the moment its weight profile shifts, and takes off back the way it came, perhaps to circle around tot he extraction point. Where you are… is shall we say, rather sparse. What was once a missile silo is now a hole in the ground thats jutting upward with bent and rusted metal. «OOC» Flightline says, "Perception checks from all, visual" «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls Intelligence for "Perception Test": 1 2 2 2 3 5 5 «Auto-Judge[]» Frost (#1680) rolls Intelligence for "What do I see?": 1 1 2 3 3 Follower remains crouched as the pallet descends. «Auto-Judge[]» Grim (#6903) rolls Intelligence for "Perception Test": 2 2 2 5 «Auto-Judge[]» Follower (#6503) rolls Intelligence: 1 2 4 4 8 «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Intelligence for "No vis mods at all…": 1 1 2 3 3 3 4 5 «OOC» Aeden has a nifty Retinal Clock… I'll be our time keeper. Which, for that matter, what time is it? «OOC» Vulcan says, "1800 on the nose." Wrestling the dirt off himself Grim quickly jumps from the ground "Wow…What a experience, but I lost my pain pills. This is going to be a bad day!" «OOC» Vulcan says, "The clock has started." The pallet hits the ground and stops moving. Kassandra stays airborne a moment, rotating in the air as she checks around them. She'll lower all the way to the ground and move swiftly to gather her belongings. Follower looks ahead at something in the distance and points. "Something is out of place here." He takes a look around as he moves from the pallet. Dirty. Rusted. There is absolutely nothing here of any value. There are no ATVS, no supplies, no nothing. Have you been sold out? Found them "Haha Yes!" Grim says in excitment as he looks at his shotgun and begins blowing the dirt off of it to clean it out. Follower says "Anyone know where these ATVs are supposed to be?" We just droped out fo a plane, maybe we are not in the right spot! Grim says Frost frowns and climbs off the pallet, he looks around carefully Commlink-Snowman> Frost says, "I take it they will be hiden, we search for them thats what we do." Follower points against where he did before. "Over there. Look at that rock. It's not right. Think it may be worth a check." Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "Ok well any high spots to get a view of our terrain?" "Maybe in the control area of the Silo?" Aeden says. Frost switches his astral perceptions on, in case something is being hidden by ruth, he would see it this way. He looks at the rock, is it natural rock? Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "Well yah the silo would be our best option but it may be occupied!" Rock is rock is rock is rock. It's a dull innanimate object. Could be a rock. Could also be a 59 chevy bel-aire. looking over at Frost "Should I go climb the rock and get a look around?" Commlink-Snowman> Frost says, "Go check the rock out Black." Silk murmurs, pulling a cloak out of her backpack. "The desert has ears. Spread out, look around. Be on your guard." Her cloak in place, the elf will shimmer and vanish from sight. picking up his bag Grim hustle's twoards the rock. Follower holds up a finger. "I'll slip over and take a look. I'll call back my findings." Frost nods to Silk "Keep comms to a minimum folks, radios have better range than voices." «Auto-Judge[]» Vulcan (#3087) rolls 5 for "Mystery Dice.": 1 2 4 4 5 Follower joins in persuit of Grim. "woah.. don't go running in like an fool. That's how you get blown away." He whispers when he gets close. Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "The rock is further then i thought!" Grim wisper's back to Follower Frost order'd me too. Frost keeps his astral perceptions on, and searches the vacinity for signs of life that might be larger than small animals. Aeden shakes his head. "Shoulda brought the Drone," he says, but keeps moving around looking for any of the hiding places ATV's ought to be in. Follower nods. "Use a little discrepency though. We don't need to get spotted this early." Follower looks around and starts making his way toward it using whatever cover he can. «OOC» Vulcan says, "Stealth checks." «Plot» Follower says, "Going to sneak through to get a closer look" «Auto-Judge[]» Follower (#6503) rolls Stealth: 1 1 3 7 9 «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls Stealth for "+10 to roll vs. many senses": 3 3 3 4 4 5 «Auto-Judge[]» Frost (#1680) rolls Stealth: 2 3 «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Quickness for "Default.. I'm so gonna get seen.": 2 2 5 9 Grim places his shotgun and katana on the ground "After all the last thing we need is somebody spotting the gleam of my blade right!" Grim says to Follower. «OOC» Vulcan says, "Frost, pose being as stealthy as a sack of tin cans being towed by an ice cream truck." «OOC» Vulcan says, "Everyone else, pose as per norm." Frost moves around the gear, and trips on a rock, then catches himself quickly, he takes another step and dislodges a few pebbles that knock more rocks and make some fairly noticible noise. Finally he stands still and summons a F1 Watcher spirit, with orders to search within 500 meters of himself for metahuman life that is not part of the group. Silk isn't actually moving around much, although for many that would be hard to detect. She finds a place to lurk and listen, watch, measuring the wind and the fall of the sands around them. She uses her senses besides her eyes, the ruthenium cloak camouflaging her position as she plays guard while the others search. Follower looks to Grim. "Wrap it in your clothing to hide the shine. You may need them. But just stay close to the rocks and brush. You go that way and stay low." Follower moves to the left after directing Grim to the right as he maneuvers toward the awkward rocks. «OOC» Frost says, "I only want 2 hours max on it" «Auto-Judge[]» Vulcan (#3087) rolls 1: 1 The watcher spirit actually proceeds to bash its little brains in on a rock. Grim nods to Folower :right." It's tragic really, how stupid something with an intelligence of 1 can be when it botches. Aeden sighs, and sits down on the palet. "In th' middlea nowhere, an' got nothin around t' do…" He unzips this bag, and pulls out his Remote Deck, plugging himself into it, and scans around for anything it might pick up. "no metas here! No metas here! No metas here! No metas here!" Says the spirit with each repeated bashing. "Rock in way! Rock in way!" Frost dismisses the watcher spirit. Grim cocking his shotgun knowing that the spirit didnt see if anything was on the other side of the rock. A breath of air, little more, marks Silk. She stays still, minding the way the sun and wind play around her and making sure that she compensates for that; the cloak is a tool and toy, not a guarantee. She keeps her hands free of weapons and waits to see what the others find. Follower makes his way up to the rocks while holding cover and takes a closer look. Definitely not just rocks. «OOC» Vulcan says, "Perception, follower." Grim Pulls out his shotgun «Auto-Judge[]» Follower (#6503) rolls Intelligence: 1 2 2 5 5 The rock seems to melt away as Follower approaches and touches the odd pannel, revealing an electronic interface, a keypad requesting a code of some 6 digits long. Grim placing his shotgun at his shoulder Grim looks back at everybody then back to Follower "Ahah and thus the rock was a 69 chevelle or whatever you said!". Commlink-Stray Dog> Follower says, "Anyone happen to have any passwords on hand?" Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "Its a electronic pannel guys." Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "6 digits!" Commlink-Black Sea Sponge> Grim says, "I cant remmebr him saying anything about a password?" Follower puts a finger to his lips. "Keep communication through the link to a minimum." Grim nods to Follower "Right!" Frost shakes his head, then starts to move from the supplies towards the rock with the electronics. Silk pulls out the mission file quietly and reviews it again. She checks the subfiles and then smiles, toggling the tiny, almost hidden cypher. Over the comm she'll murmur, "640255". Follower listens to the numbers pushing them in as they are spoken. Grim still looking around the area closes in on Follower and looks about some more. There comes a sound of cracking seals. The 'back' of the rock cracks open, revealing that the rock itself is just a clever disguise for a shipping crate. Inside, are four four-wheeled ATV's with small luggage racks. Commlink-Stray Dog> Follower says, "Bingo. Step up and claim your prize." Grim Laughs "Shaweet Guys!" then waves evryone over. Frost moves over to the site of the rock-crate and nods "Alright, we need to move them over and load up the supplies." Grim Looks about the room "So shall we see whats in the crates?" Grim looks at Frost "Am I riding with you or who?" As he stares at Frost.Frost shakes his head "Try to drive one, it shouldnt be too hard. If things go badly then we move you to another one, but we need all the cargo we can carry." Saving the battery, Silk will rematerialize and start towards the ATVS, the garmet fluttering in the breeze. "Time time time. Let's load and get moving." Grim looks at frost quickly "umm you sure..Hehe. Im not the best driver…." Grim stars blankly at Frost. Aeden stuffs the Remote Deck back into his bag, and zips it up tight. Sang gets /everywhere/ if you're not careful. He starts to head over to the hidden crates, carrying only his duffle at the moment. "Yeah… gotta bunch to take and try to grease the wheels and gt the outfits we need…" the dwarf says when he's by the others. «OOC» Vulcan says, "http://content.eaglerider.com/Vehicles/Honda-ATV-Foreman.jpg" «OOC» Vulcan says, "these sorts of vehicles." Follower wasted little time climbing on and starting the ATV. "It's not hard once you know how to move forward. Just don't try to overdo it. Frost frowns at Grim "Give it a shot. Here, let me show you what is what." he getsures to the others "Start loading up, I'll give him a crash course." Frost explains to Grim what everyting on the ATV is, what makes it go, what makes it stop, what makes it turn, ect, ect Grim looking at evryone else "Pssh Ok! Lets do this then." looking back at Frost. Aeden claims one of the ATVs for himself, strapping his bag to the back, and tears off for the palet, wearily reading his eye's clock display. Four vehicles. Five runners plus gear. Silk hmms quietly and hikes back to collect the gear they have brought, dragging bags towards the vehicles. Follower says "Five of us. Four vehicles. If he's not up for the challenge I'll drive the fourth and he can ride with someone experienced in running these things."" Frost nods to Follower "Alright, you drive, but if someone goes down, he needs to know how to do it himself to take over." Grim looks at Follower "well I guess I can drive it, but if ya'll dont want me to ill be happy to shoot lead!" Grim nods "Alright Ill ride bitch Follower, lets do this." Follower nods and starts forward. Not at the fastest of paces, but still moving forward. "I'll be fine once I get the hang of it. But definitely he needs to know the controls. Too bad we don't have more time to spend for a course. Frost groans and gets on an ATV "He can watch as we move along, lets hurry." he starts up the bike then moves over towards the gear in order to load up easier. He then starts piling on whatever the ATV can handle Aeden climbs off his ATV and begins to move things over to it. "Whichever one has two needs light cargo… Think there's room for my deck on that one?" he asks. Grim ties his shotgun to his arm and straping the shotgun to his back "Ill watch you drive, ill have no problem learning it that way" He says to Follower. Silk saves her breath and energy for loading bags, the quicktie bungies going into place as the elf makes sure each vehicle has the right load .. not to heavy, not too light. She'll check the multi-function watch and nod. "Let's go." Follower started early, but still was a bit late on getting back to the supplies. Better safe while he adjusted it so it wasn't five runners and three rides. Still should allow time for supplies to be loaded on the others. After the supplies are loaded up he looks at the others. "Who's leading this little caravan?" «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls Intelligence for "I have survival as well, survival kits and Compass": 1 2 3 3 3 3 8 Frost finishes settling the ATV he is riding then points to Silk "I think thats our fearless leader for this." «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls Intelligence - 1 vs TN 6 for "I have survival as well, survival kits and Compass. Karma reroll kp 1/?": 4 4 4 4 7 11 = 2 Successes Silk finishes packing, glancing to the map that she printed on flimsy/paper so as not to run down her batteries out her. She takes a quick sighting around her, checking her compass and making a few notes. That done, she'll start up the ATVs. "This way, folks." Grim looks around "Hey who is leading…oh silk ok" Frost starts back up his ATV and then gestures to the others "I'll pull rear guard, lead on folks." «Auto-Judge[]» Frost (#1680) rolls Bike vs TN 5 for "Drive baby drive": 3 3 = 0 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Frost (#1680) rolls Bike vs TN 5 for "Drive baby drive KP:1": 1 2 = 0 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Frost (#1680) rolls Bike vs TN 5 for "Drive baby drive KP:3": 1 4 = 0 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Follower (#6503) rolls Reaction: 2 5 9 14 19 <Auto-Judge[]» Frost (#1680) rolls Bike vs TN 5 for "Drive baby drive KP:6 DAMN DICE!": 1 4 = 0 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls Car vs TN 5 for "Driving": 2 16 = 1 Success «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Car vs TN 6 for "Whee!": 1 2 4 5 16 = 1 Success Grim ludges with the quick movement of the bike. «OOC» Vulcan says, "Okay. So, on the first test, Frost (0), Follower (3), Aeden (1), Kassandra (1)" «OOC» Vulcan says, "Everyone give me a nother test. Frost, you're down that KP." «Auto-Judge[]» Follower (#6503) rolls Reaction: 3 4 4 5 11 «Auto-Judge[]» Frost (#1680) rolls Bike vs TN 5 for "I give up": 2 5 = 1 Success «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Car vs TN 6 for "Whee, part duex!": 1 3 4 4 14 = 1 Success «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls Car vs TN 5 for "Driving": 2 3 = 0 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls Car vs TN 5 for "Driving, karma reroll kp 2/?": 1 4 = 0 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls Car vs TN 5 for "Driving, karma reroll kp 4/?": 1 10 = 1 Success «OOC» Vulcan says, "Frost (1), Follower (4), Aeden (2), Kassandra (2)" «OOC» Vulcan says, "One final test." «Auto-Judge[]» Frost (#1680) rolls Bike vs TN 5 for "I give up": 1 2 = 0 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Follower (#6503) rolls Reaction: 1 4 4 5 5 «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls Car vs TN 5 for "Driving": 4 9 = 1 Success «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Car vs TN 6 for "Whee, part 33 1/3!": 1 3 3 4 13 = 1 Success «OOC» Vulcan says, "Okay. So. At the last round of tests we have: Frost (1), Follower (4), Kassandra (3) and Aeden (3)" «OOC» Vulcan says, "okay. Thats not good. You're behind scheduel when you pull in to visual range of the Mcphererson mines. A trip of roughly 2 hours took 3, because Frost was unable to keep the pace." Follower catches on amazingly quickly for an ineperienced driver and almost leads the pace a couple of times, but maintains control to stay back and to the right of Silk only lagging slightly at the end. Frequently he checks back to make sure the others are able to keep the pace. Grim bounce's around and leans with Aeden's motions trying to keep the ATV steady wile griping tightly to the side bars for support. Frost is having a very bad day today, first the rocks he tripped over earlier at the drop site, and now he can't seem to keep up with the rest of the group. Little things keep getting in his way, a rock here and there that shifts under the ATV and nearly causes him to run into a small tree, or the bush that he ran right into that he had to back out of cause it proved too thick to actually drive through. Time till liftoff: 5:02:01 Ah, the desert. Silk keeps a steady page on the ATV, negotiating over pitfalls and bad sand, loose rocks and strange lizard-things. The elf takes sightings off the compass and checks the map frequently, which explains her speed as well. Still, slow and steady win the race they say. Grim leans in next to Aeden "well thank god I didnt ride with Frost right, we would be way way back there!. The Shredders The old McPhearson Mines are up on a ridge line, a series of hulking, semi-abandoned corrigated steel buildings that have withstood the heat of the desert like troopers, where there is little moisture to rot them. A road leads up the hill side, a road littered with the hulks of wrecked cars, some burnt out, some more or less intact and being used as parts cars. An old water tower looks suspiciously like a watch tower now, with holes cut in the sides of the tank. Grim says to Aeden "I kinda feel bad for him, even from here I can see he looks angry." Aeden rides along at a fairly quick pace… but glancing over his shoulder, note's there are laggers… so he drops back a bit to keep the group together. Manuevering with a passenger is also a hastle, but he manages. He shrugs a bit. "Yeah, but better to have him with us than leave him behind…" Grim nods to Aeden "Yah it really is." Follower snaps at Grim and motions to zip it and points ahead. "We need to seem highly organized and serious before the dealing. We don't know how ruthless they are." Grim leans back on the ATV looking over all the cars, scanning them one by one. Follower looks over. "Make sure to save one of those gas cans. If we can't get any explosives off of them I may need it." Grim looks and nods at Follower. Indeed. Silk is already slowing as they come to the outskirts of the settlement/ambush spot, making sure to keep her hands in plain sight. She'll motion to the others to stop as well, coming to a respectful stop at the edge of 'town'. She glances over, "Best behavior." That's all the warning she'll give, waiting to see if there is a welcoming party. Aeden rolls to a stop back and to the right of the leader… maybe 2 meters away, tops. Follower slowed with Silk and sits with his hands from the controls, but still displayed in non-aggression. Frost stops behind the others as he finally catches up. He remains quiet, but scans around for threats. From the tower, comes the bullhorned shout… "HOLD IT THERE, OUTLANDERS! HANDS IN THE CLEAR AND NO ONE GETS SNUFFED!" From up the hill, the sound of a massive deisle engine can be heard turning over. Grim looks back at Frost then to Follower. Leaning in and wispering to Aeden's ear "Did you hear that or am I crazy?" Silk is careful to keep her hands free and clear, keeps quiet. Her eyes flicker here and there, picking out the various locations where *she'd* put a sniper, a combat team, explosives to slow down someone. She waits for their hosts. Aeden leaves his wrists resting on the handlebars, but raises his hands to show that they're clear. "Yeah, I heard it. How make sure you're hands are empty 'fore you hold 'em up. No need in getting shot 'fore the job even stats…" Grim looking about as his slowly lifts his arms to his side's. Follower sits quietly awaiting the approach. It's up to them now to make the parlay. This was their turf and they were in control now. By all appearances he was unarmed though his pistol was tucked securely away in his coat. He raised his hands to show he held nothing. Frost keeps his hands firmly on the handlebars, and doesnt make any sudden movements or make any sounds. Down the road now, a rumble of tires on old road, and a dust cloud rising. A few motorcycles make their way down as the vanguard, before a fleet of unlikely vehicles comes along. They roar to a stop near the ATV's, about a hundred feet out, flanking the massive truck at the center. The cat-buss, the sedans, the crawfish… http://www.misterw.com/BM2002/bm466.html http://www.misterw.com/BM2002/bm428b.jpg http://surbrook.devermore.net/original/vehicles/postapoccar.jpg http://www.misterw.com/BM2002/bm420b.jpg http://englishrussia.com/images/more_mad_max_truck/1.jpg http://www.misterw.com/BM2002/bm489b.jpg Watching the variety of vehicles roar around them, Silk absorbs the intimidation tactics and keeps still, letting them put on their show for the rubes. She stays quiet and waits. Grim whistle's "how much do you think they want for the bus?" Grim Chuckle's Follower stands firm. Holding up his hands as he takes in the view moderately impressed with their fleet. Aeden can't decide if he should be scared of the traced, tank car, or if he should laugh at the cat-wagon. Discression, in this case, seems the wisest. He keeps as strait a face as possible, and locks his eyes somewhere that's not the bright yellow van. Grim looks at Adeden "Have you counted how many there are?". Frost sits quietly, his only response is to scan auras for any signs of awakened peoples. Grim looking about waiting for someone to attack or to approach tme, he calmly leans back into the ATV seat. A hatch in the top of the big rig opens up, and through it comes a man. By man, we meed human man who is the size of a troll. A small troll, but still imposssibly large for humanity's norms. "OUTLANDERS!" Calls the man, his face shrouded behind a black cloth mask, leaving just eyeslits. "OUTLANDERS! THE SMOKER SENT YOU! WE KNOW THIS! YOU COME WITH GIFTS FOR THE SHREEEEEDERS!" Engines roar in agreement. "This is good! For your gifts, the shredders will not kill you for being late!" Grim wispering to Aeden as he nudges him "That gas huh, yah good idea" he says as he quitley chuckle's. Oh good, things are looking up. No one has to die yet. Silk momentarily closes her eyes as something catches her attention, and she sends up a prayer. She'll wait for a lull in the roar of the engines and comments, "The Outlanders appreciate your gift of our lives, and hope that these gifts will suit your needs!" She calls out in a clear voice, speaking primarily to the large being but to all as well. "OUTLANDERS SMART! SHREDDERS ARE STRONG!" He holds up both arms as if to show the strength, bringing more roar of engines. Two of the motorcyles perform circular turns, spraying rock and gravel out as they do so, in typical 'look at me, I'm a jackass' fashion. "Stinky! Smoker! Approach and RECEIVE the gifts!" Two men, one gangly, one less so, one clearly a bodyguard and one a man of the mental side of things, approach, leaving the shadow of the cat-bus and walking across the expanse of the 100 or so feet between the groups. Grim looks about for the gas tank's. Silk holds her place and her tongue, watching the men approach and neither moving to help them nor hinder. Frost stays on his ATV, remains quiet, and basicly does nothing but watch. «Auto-Judge[]» Vulcan (#3087) rolls 1 for "Is Silk up or down wind?": 5 The dwarf takes the signs of good-meetings, and rests his hands back on the handlebars. he rotates his neck, streatching it out a bit, and looks around at all the silly vehicles. Stinky and Smoker approach, all eyes on them. "Ehh… yeah, so… whatcha got for us?" Asks Smoker, the more weasely of the pair, his glasses denoting him as he brains. "Did the Smoker sent you?" Asks smoker. This may be cause for confusion, but not for him. "Cause he said you was gonna bring us a bit of this, a bit of that… and you may want some rides. Now, we ain't much dispossitioned or ambulatory to wanting to help him, what on the accounta he got 3 of our best wags blown up an watered the gass last time. You best have some good shit man." Grim looks around for somebody to answer the small guy…. Nodding, Silk is careful in her answers; beginnings are dangerous times. "He sent us. I have a bunch of things for you. We have some gas, good blankets, survival gear." She points at various bags on the ATVs as she speaks. "Liquor, coffee, several cases of good cigarettes, candy, all sorts of shampoos and soaps and other stuff that they use in those high class hotels in Vegas. Bunch of double explosive ammo as well." Smoker eyes the group now, and the ATVs, the loads on them… "Brought any heaters for trade?" He asks, eyeing the weapons the group does clearly have. Aha. Silk says, "I could part with a few, but truth told we're gonna need them for what we need to do. But." She smiles at that, "I can get you as many as you want, of what you want." She motions to one of the pistols on her rig, asking permission with the look, the move of her hand to draw it. "Yeah, talks cheap, sugar." Says Smoker now stepping closer. "Lets talk though. What is it exactly you people are wantin?" He asks, looking the group over. "Well supplied. Good rides. Can't have come from far… Can't be going far on those thigns, either. Not bad for casual like ride, but not for long distance, and not for war-waggen." Follower sits watching the scenario unfold. Givin the class of these men she was the best bet anyway… give them something to look at. Silk shrugs, leaving the weapon where it is. Good cop bad cop, eh? Alrighty. The elven woman says, "Smoker has an errand for us and said you could help with better rides, maybe something that doesn't stand out. We brought this stuff, and you can have the ATVs for that matter if we can get another ride from you. As for what we're doing .. that's Smoker's biz. If he didn't tell you …" She lets the comment hang. Aeden cranes his head back to look at the sky, and stretch out the undersie of his chin. He stays quiet, though, letting the elf work her magic. "Better rides?" He spits to the side. "Yeah, I can spare you a couple'a wags, sure'n as we like whatcha got. Two ol' Fords with some plate and room in back fer yer halfer buddy ta stretch hsi legs. But gonna want good swag for em, cause they ain't cheap." "Better rides?" He spits to the side. "Yeah, I can spare you a couple'a wags, sure'n as we like whatcha got. Two ol' Fords with some plate and room in back fer yer halfer buddy ta stretch hsi legs. But gonna want good swag for em, cause they ain't cheap." Grim rubs his hands togethor popping his knuckle's. Sliding off the ATV, "Well, let's take a look at what we got and we'll see if we can come to a deal, eh?" Desert, talking guns and gear with heavily armed men. Ah, it's like she never left home. Silk will lead to the back of her vehicle to show the wares there. «OOC» Vulcan says, "Gimme an eti roll, any applicable spcs." «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls Etiquette for "Comp Skills? Black Market, Gear Value, Military Equipment, etc etc": 1 2 5 7 8 8 9 11 «OOC» Vulcan says, "Give me.. uh… one half of military eq" «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 3 for "Military Equip": 4 5 5 The negotiations are wrapped up pretty quickly. I mean, in the end, they don't REALLY want to fight the five in the middle of the desert. These are The smokers men, and they got good heaters.. and maybe some magic… and they got trade goods. In short order, what you brought, pretty much everything but the heaters on your backs, is traded over for the two old ford trucks which have been armored up with steel plate, knobby tires and what looks to be a pintle mount over the roll cage, allowing the firing of assault rifles as mounted. BE SURE TO PARENT THIS PAGE TO INDEX:LOGS