GM: Kassandra Players: Kassandra, Janie, Joker, Dante, Aeden Synopsis: The runners are hired to retrieve something from a downed chopper in the Platte River. Things go horribly bad. Date: October 23, 2070 River Run The Meet «Plot» Kassandra says, "Alrighty, hello and welcome to the plot. This is a Consent ON Plot so I need each of you to accept that now by stating "I consent" via the plot command (=I consent)" «Plot» Janie says, "Consented." «Plot» Aeden consents to ICC for ICA. «Plot» Joker says, "I consent" «Plot» Dante says, "I consent of course =3" The city is a hectic place, and even now more so. With the PCC's recent antics, travel has been disrupted and even some lives lost. A call will go out through the shadows that the fixer Silk is looking for some talent for immediate and possibly dangerous work. Those interested should make their way to the Wooden Nickle, a rather small sports bar in the CAS Sector. Janie confirms the invitation as she receives it, then checks her gear for what she should or shouldn't bring. The CAS isn't the most terribly security-obsessed place, but it's poor form to go armed to the teeth with unregistered weapons. She settles on a compromise, bringing a single gun she intends to leave in the trunk of her bike, while Athena will remain back at the Bastille with the other bike to come out and deliver what else she'll wind up needing. She /does/, however, take the time to empower her sustaining focus before setting out. The Wooden Nickle isn't quite a dive; rather, it seems a few steps up from such, and a few steps down from a chain restaurant/sports bar. The dark decor is decorated here and there with pictures and things nailed to the wall that show Native American and Cowboy culture, but in a tasteful way. Towards the back of the establishment a few tables have been shoved together to provide more room and a smallish woman sits at one end looking over a datapad, her clothing a mix of blues and blacks. The rest of the building is empty, not even a server in sight although the door is open. A few sounds come from the kitchen area as dishes are washed for the evening to come. Dante took notes on the info and set it aside for later. He set aside an hour or so for his daily meditation before getting things ready. He packed his essential gear and tucked it away in his Brumby before heading off towards the designated spot. He only carried his Ares with him hidden safely in his concealed holster, but he kept his Remington hidden under the seat of his truck. He parks a couple blocks away and opted to walk the rest of the way to the meeting. He looked the bar over nodded at it's appearance. some of the decor even reminded him of home. Joker leaves out early with no additions to his normal clothes besides a loose fitting, non armored trench coat, with one tomahawk and two shuriken hidden under it. Not technically legal, but sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do. It is a pain in the butt to walk, but with as early as he leaves he'll get to the bar about ten minutes early to see what he can see. Hood down he steps threw the doors, glances around, and without any beating around the bush picks the contact out of the empty scenery and heads for her table, hands deep in his coat pockets. On seeing the bar, Janie reconsiders keeping her gun locked in the trunk and slips it into the concealed holster under her trench coat. Better safe than dead, after all. «Auto-Judge[]» Janie (#4136) rolls Sorcery + 4 (Athena) + 2 (Totem bonus) + Sorcery Pool: 4 vs TN 6 for "F4 Enhance Aim spell into sustaining focus, threshold of 4 successes.": 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 10 10 = 2 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Janie (#4136) rolls Sorcery + 4 (Athena) + 2 (Totem bonus) + Sorcery Pool: 4 - 2 vs TN 6 for "F4 Enhance Aim spell into sustaining focus, threshold of 4 successes. (KP 1)": 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 = 0 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Janie (#4136) rolls Sorcery + 4 (Athena) + 2 (Totem bonus) + Sorcery Pool: 4 - 2 vs TN 6 for "F4 Enhance Aim spell into sustaining focus, threshold of 4 successes. (KP 3)": 1 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 8 9 9 14 16 = 5 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Janie (#4136) rolls Willpower + Sorcery Pool: 2 vs TN 2 for "Soaking M drain.": 1 2 3 3 4 5 5 5 9 10 = 9 Successes Aeden double checks the meeting information, making sure he knows just where it is located before setting out for the meeting. His equipment is stowed in the back of his roadmaster under a tarp, and he uses a combination of his knowledge of the sector and advanced sensor warning to avoid any mishaps of people getting a look in the vehicle's back. He arrives perhaps 5 minutes before the scheduled time in a rather large diesel-chugger. Moments after the vehicle stops and the airwaves are filled with vehicular sensor sweeps, the driver's door opens… and a set of steps swivel out from beneath the vehicle to allow for the dwarven driver to exit. He looks around the street, confirming with his eyes what the senors read, before beginning to waddle to the entrance to the Wooden Nickle. For those checking the place out before entering, there does not seem to be any drones, snipers, or errant spirits waiting to waylay you. In fact, it seems pretty quiet all things considered this afternoon, with light traffic both foot and vehicle. Inside, Silk waits at the table with the patience of a mountain, her eyes skimming something on her datapad: perhaps the meeting data, or a video game, or the latest from the antics on the Matrix. She will nod absently as people begin to enter, setting the device down and looking up to see who has made the trip. Joker returns Silk's nod as he places one hand on the back of a chair to slide it out for himself. Slipping into it he will quietly look around the place and generally just chill out till the talking starts. Dante watches as more people start to gather in the bar. He looks over to the woman setting by herself with the Data pad and nods politely as she glances his way. He lights one of his menthols smokes and makes his way over towards the table and leans against a near by wall. he keeps his eyes on the rest of the bar but well within earshot of the table. He smiles as he sees joker take his seat and gives him a light wave. "how's the head" he said with a slight chuckle There is a wonderful thing about an implanted image link… you can have things displayed outside of your normal field of vision. Way out past the edge of Aeden's peripheral vision, and yet still fully viewable, is a small circle not unlike what is seen in video game HUDs. In the center of it is a small white dot, and moving away from it is a small green dot, which represented himself, Aeden knew. The dwarf walks with a sense of urgency, but takes care to keep the bulky deck that hangs from a strap to keep from swaying too much. He can't have the cable running from it into his datajack come unplugged and stop giving him the vehicles sensor data, after all. Once he's inside the bar, he gives Silk a quick nod in greeting, and waddles all the quicker to the table when he realizes it's very possible he's the last person to arrive. Damned short legs. Janie nods at Silk as she seats herself. "Silk. It's been a while," she murmurs. "What's th'occasion?" Joker looks over at Dante against the wall and seams amused, responding in a friendly enough southern drawl, "Good. Little knock like that don't put a man down fer too long." once that pleasantry is done he lapses back into his customary silence, attention mostly on Silk. Silk responds with a faint chuckle and nod to Janie, remarking, "Chaos and profit, as usual." Once Aeden is seated she'll begin quickly, nodding to the table at large, "Thank you for joining me this afternoon. I'll be brief. I have an agent that needs assistance in retrieving several items from a downed craft in the Platte River. My information tells me that this craft has managed to float into the Pee Cee Cee's domain of control. Moreover, there are others interested in this craft as well." "Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to assist my agent in this recovery." She fixes Aeden with a glance and says, "Primarily, you'll be assisting my agent, while the other three," and with that she'll glance to Janie, Joker, and Dante, "will be providing cover and making sure you get in and out without trouble." "The payout for this job is 40,000 =Y=, payable on completion." Janie nods as she considers Silk's words, then waits for the others to ask questions or agree before asking her own. Joker remains quiet, thought interested. Dante Smiles at the words that silk chose to use and grinned even wider at the payout "sounds pretty strait forward. and if cover is the job I am assigned then I'm your shooter. I would like a bit of info about what I am aiming at though. for instance, are there likely to be any drones? and what kind of equipment is the others going after this little craft likely to have? if it is any milspec gear it could be troublesome for everyone involved." he takes a drag on his smoke and looks everyone over. so far he only recognized Joker and Aeden. he gave a nod to the later as he finally noticed him there. Rotating the datapad around, Silk hits a key and a small holo-display forms in the air above the table. "The information on any other recovery teams is limited. They'll likely have air or water-craft to recover the vehicle, perhaps divers. The Pee Cee Cee's security is on high alert, so expect drones as your beginning opposition followed by cigarette craft or even larger watercraft with security personnel. Being on alert, they'll have fairly good armour, submachine guns or assault rifles, and magical support." Joker speaks up after a soft sigh, "DAmn." he mutters, studying the hologram intently. "I don't got no anti thermal armor, that is gonna be Hell. Hard to get that dreck short notice too." he shakes his head slightly, pondering as he continues gazing at the image. Janie nods. "An' if too much noise happens, th'PCC security forces'll be all over it like a feedin' frenzy." She tilts her head, pondering possible scenarios. "o'Course, th'other teams'd realize th'same an' may want t'keep th'noise down… At least, right up until they decide they've no chance at recoverin' th'thing an' figure not lettin' anyone else have it is a good consolation prize." Joker thinks over what Janie just said, then starts looking for a depth display on the area, "How far down is it anyway, full sunk, floatin how high from the water?" Aeden perks up when there is mention of drones. "You know how secure their network is?" he asks, his finger drumming a steady rhythm on the deck that is now sitting on the table. Dante's smile fades as he starts to think about several options. "Perhaps a distraction? throw off the location. if they don't know the exact location of the device maybe making noise is the best approach to staying quiet?" he suggests. "go to a position several clicks away from where we need to go and start makin as much noise as possible. unencrypted false info, or lightly encrypted, a couple explosions…that kind of thing. everyone out there will be drawn to that point and may even get in their own fire fight. while thats goin in we could slip in and get the hell outa there before they realize they are fighting a ghost" he says. it was only his first suggestion but it seemed decent to him at present. A few keystrokes change the display, giving a three dimensional cutaway of the Platte River. Silk remarks to Aeden as she makes the changes, "The PCC's network will be running military grade encryption, likely. The other teams .. that isn't clear." The image resolves into the cutaway of the river, with a small helicopter shaped icon sitting there. "It is sitting on the bottom of the river, but has slide down a ways. At this point, the river is roughly 23 feet deep after recent excavation." Joker looks slightly anoyed at the information he gets, "Means we'll have to dive down and get the stuff, was hopen some of it was above water. We got time to buy that kind of gear? I don't got any of that either." he looks down at the table, attempting to recall the running rates for diving gear. Silk remarks, "No, you will not have to dive." She indicates the dwarf with a hand and says, "My agent and this gentlemen will be doing the recovery. You'll be keeping them safe." Joker catches on and looks back up, seemingly a bit more satisfied with this arangement, "Ah, then that ain't trouble. Aeden nods a bit, "Yeah, figures about th' milspec crypto. Not unbreakable, but damn hard t' do right," he says after considering a few things. "I don't really think I got much in th' way of anythin' that can take out their stuff, either. I'd hafta spoof my way inta one of theirs an' make em shoot eachother down. Not somethin' yall'll wanna rely on, neither." Janie nods at Aeden. "Which is another thing: We'll have t'maintain comms silence," she points out. "Th'PCC'll likely be sniffin' every frequency f'r suspicious activity — like, f'r instance, encrypted transmissions they don't have th'keys f'r." "Got specs on th' Vee-Tol?" Aeden asks, taking a fairly safe guess after noticing the helicopter icon. "An' helpin' yer agent with what, exactly?" Dante nods "If I can see the drones I can make em disappear. I have plenty of AV ammo and my ranger arms should do well enough to keep you guys covered. May need some better cammo though to try and make myself as unseen as possible. unfortunately it is one of the few things I don't have just yet. It's on order" he says with a slight blush "seems like we got someone who can lead this already. that works fine with me. I will cover you to the best of my ability" he says with a nod A few more taps of the keys and the display changes, "This is a similar design to what you are going after. The security model of the Ares Avenger has most of the same features as the downed craft. Most of the changes are superficial. As for the other," Silk remarks, "You'll be helping them to remove 4 items from the craft approximately 2 meters in length each." "I mean, I know it's under water, an' all," Aeden goes on, "But I figure we're t' be bringin' it t' th' surface, an' fer that, ya need t' know stuff 'bout th' structural integrety, frame strength, an' a whole messa other stuff." Silk says, "It might be best to retrieve the items without bringing the craft to the surface." She waves a hand at that, "However, that is your decisions. I just provide the information and the payment. Are there any other questions?" Joker silently shakes his head, back to lounging comfortably. Dante simpky chimes in "Not unless you happen to have any spare cammo tarp or anything I can use to hide under. thermal dampeners would be ideal, but if not I would hafta make due with what I have." he says with a shrug. Janie looks from Silk to the dwarf and back. "I take it we've got a way t'identify y'r agent as well as verify our own credentials t'them?" she asks. "Ah, nevermind then," Aeden says. "Guess we're leavin' th' frame down there… jus' gettin' th' cargo. Probably easier that way. Yeah… got some more. You said I'm helpin' 'em recover stuff. Doin' what, though. They got a boat? Some kinda tilt-wing?" "They'll be waiting for you at Slip 7 at Overland Park in the Aztlan Sector, aboard 'El Orgullo'. They will have a pair of small underwater drones for your use. As far as additional supplies, I fear there is not any room in the budget for them; that said, I am confident that you have all the tools you'll need to do this job. You all come recommended." Joker nods his head once and slips from his chair, shoving it back under the table. He looks to all his fellow runners in turn, then asks, "Anyone able to spare a ride? Got to swing by the Mountain hill Apartments before we head that way, and I don't drive." He waits for an answer, hands shoved in pockets. Aeden frowns at the mention of underwater drones. "These things like subs, or some other kind tricked out t' be used under water?" he asks, his frown turning to a look more of worry. "I mean, I can do it. It'll jus' be easier if they ain't th' sub kind." Then he turns to Joker. "Depends on where that's at," he says. "If it ain't too far outta th' way, then yeah, I can probly swing ya by there." Joker glances at the dwarf and thinks for a moment, "You know where the red rock is, or the mustang ranch?" Dante kinda grins at that and gives a nod then "I just need to pick up some of my own equipment and then meet back up with you guys. I think I got just the gun for a support job." he says with a smile. "any where you guys want to meet up to discuss a plan of action? or just meet up at location? I would rather have my ducks in a row before getting into the hot zone though. and I don't suppose we have a way to get there as a group as opposed to going in multiple vehicles do we?" Checking the information, Silk remarks, "It says here that one is a sort of water propelled tube with little gripper claws. The other is a modified IWS DLK MK6 Utility Drone designed to drive around on the bottom of a river or waterway. They use them to repair dams and other water-soaked places." Aeden nods to Silk again. "Yeah, those'll work, I think. It's jus' been a long time since I logged hours on pilotin' subs. Denver ain't exactly ocean front… haven't had much need t' work with em. But I figure I'll manage." He glances at the others. "As long as we can get th' stuff 'fore hell breaks loose." Joker sighs and turns to walk for the doors, "I'll be there when I can." he says to the others, "Better get movin now." Joker leaves the others at the bar on his way back to the Mountain Hills apartments. He doesn't drive himself, so hails a cab and has to endure the smelly insides of public transportation for the trip home. Believing that he has all the intel he can get, Aeden heads out and grudgingly takes the role of chauffer, as all riggers seem to do. As long as he doesn't have to stray too far from the path to get from the Nickel to the docks, he doesn't mind, really. But he still gives off the air of annoyance, as all dwarves so easily portray on the trid shows and films. Joker runs up stairs to his apartment upon arrival to strip down and gear up, wishing he had got gear a little less conspicuous. All black under a big coat is just so cliche people can't help but think your up to no good. Once all his gear is securely strapped down and set up he heads back down stairs to hail another cab, this time on his way to the docks. Janie drives back to her saferoom at the Bastille while mentally going over her inventory and what she'll be needing from it. Not all that much, she concludes; most of her high-tech gear isn't going to be useful with a milspec-grade equipped op force watching for it, and in terms of firepower if there's need for more than her guns, the mission is likely hosed already. Just her guns, her wits and her magic, then — the way she likes it, in fact. Dante extinguishes his cig and waves to everyone before heading back out. He drives back to his apartment and makes a quick change out to his equipment. He puts his favorite rifle back safely in his room and instead grabs what looks like a brief case. He also grabs several differn't types of ammo and make sure they are all prepped and cleaned for the job. He loads in APDS in the weapons for now but keeps some spare AV rounds close at hand, as well as enough to reload as necessary. once he was all set he grabs his poly mask and decides to bring it along just in case. if anything it would least make it hard to identify him should they get spotted. that done he made his way to the docks in silence «Auto-Judge[]» Janie (#4136) rolls Disguise for "+4 Polymimetic mask. Not going for any look in particular other than "Not Janie"": 5 5 8 9 Border Crossing «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 5 for "Current Situation": 1 1 1 2 4 «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 5 for "Mystery": 1 1 4 4 10 «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Smuggling Routes for "Sneakiness into the Aztlan Sector?": 3 3 4 9 «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Car for "Cause I'm a dwarf, and this is probably a hoo-man car. Not really needed for the log, just to see how well I pull this off.": 2 4 4 4 5 5 Afraid that he might get blowed up in his armored roadmaster, Aeden decides that disgression is better than Valor… especially in Aztlan. So he borrows Dante's SUV for the trip. His driving is rather poorly done, but he manages to slip through a route that slips through a whole in the Aztlan sensor screen. He glances at whoever called Shotgun. "If it looks like I passed out, it's cause I went off t' deal with drones that might be tailin' us," he says, patting the deck tucked between the front seats. "Actually… why'd I end up drivin', anyway? It'd be easier fer me t' be scannin' things from th' back seat than with me drivin'." Dante shrugs from across the way "Cause I don't know the safe routes through here and I would likely get us killed in any kind of persuit. I can barely navigate this heap on the streets much less takin it across smuggling routes. you seem to be doin pretty good though." He said with a smile The Docks Ah, the Aztlan Sector. Actually, it is one of the nicer sectors in the city. Clean, upscale in many places, and with a certain lack of crime that the Aztechnology Security maintains with minimal effort; fear is an excellent deterrent. A short drive through the sector will lead to the Overland Park, Golf Facility, and Docks, a destination for the rich and powerful in the city. Well maintained greens that scream opulence greet you as you drive down the immaculately maintained streets and avenues that make up the complex. The docks are hard to miss as 'Dock Road' dead ends into a parking lot before the slips. Joker is hunched way down in the back seat so that his coat might make him look like some sort of covered package, rather than human, and waits for the car to reach the docks. Sighing he mutters something along the lines of Damned Vehicles. Janie leans back against the bench, deliberately relaxing. Little point in worrying - Aeden and Dante will do quite enough of that for all of them - and better to be ready to deal with the situations she /can/ deal with, instead. Aeden cruises around and eventually finds an out of the way place to part the SUV… somewhere that looks like designated parking for service vehicles, as he's sure it doesn't match up to the standards of golf facility's clientele. "We're here!" he sing-songs out, as if the group had been on a day-long roadtrip and had finally arrived at an amusement park of some kind. «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) has the GM Note "Tattoo: Increase Reflexes F6" by Wyldfire (#169) with the following information: ----------—[ Shadowrun Denver ]- =========================> GM Note On Dante (#1728) <========================== Date: Wed Feb 17 02:20:00 2010 Posted By: Wyldfire (#169) Subject: Tattoo: Increase Reflexes F6 ------> Text of GM Note <-----—- Page created a tattoo on Dante with 2 successes for quality. The tattoo was Enchanted by Annie with the spell Increase Reflexes at Force 6. 15 successes have been allocated to spell success, with 8 successes allocated to provide dice for drain resistance. The spell's drain will be 4D (in addition to any penalties). The tattoo was enchanted with 18 karma from Dante, with no additional karma spent to raise the effective force of the tattoo for dispelling purposes. Tattoo: This glimmering green snake curls around Dante's arm and wrist, the mouth open at his fingers, fangs bared and dripping with venom. The tattoo continues along part of his shoulder as well as a portion of his upper torso. «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Willpower + 8 (bonus dice) vs TN 4 for "Resisting 4D drain": 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 5 5 9 10 = 5 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Willpower + 8 (bonus dice) - 5 vs TN 4 for "Resisting 4D drain(karma1)": 1 1 2 2 4 4 5 5 17 = 5 Successes «Plot» Kassandra says, "Dante activates his tattoo with no drain. 1 KP used thus far" Joker pushes open the door and climbs out of the SUV with a sigh, straightening his coat so no weapons show as he knocks the door back shut with an elbow, "Well, honestly, glad that is over. Not a fan of cars." he takes a step away from the SUV to get his barings, then turns and starts to walk toward the docks. Dante nods as they arrive and smiles at the dwarf "Nice drivin. didn't even scratch the paint" he says with a chuckle. He leaned back for a moment, concentrating on the energies locked away in the ink of his tattoo, and wills it to activate. It takes only a moment and he sighs as he feels the energy run through him "Alright, all set!" he says before hoping out of the car "So, where to now?" Several of the slips have boats docked, mostly small affairs; the Platte isn't exactly the wide open sea. Still, those with free money like their toys, so you have smallish craft that are too small to call yachts and too big to call sailboats. A few fast-looking motorboats are moored here as well for those looking to water ski or just burn down the river at a rapid pace. The slips are each carefully marked in several places for clarity (and billing) sake, with Slip 7 to your left once you start out. 'El Orgullo' sits in her slip, the craft neither too clean nor too dirty. It looks well maintained, with no obvious signs of disrepair or abuse. A few shirtless men move about languidly in the dying embers of Denver's sunlight, their brown skin slick with sweat from earlier work. A female voice with a Mexican accent is speaking to someone you cannot quite see at this angle, asking about when they can take off. Janie gets out of the car and limbers up, glancing around casually to take in her surroundings - and check for possibly hidden observers. «Auto-Judge[]» Janie (#4136) rolls Intelligence for "Vision magnification, low-light, thermovision. Perception check.": 1 1 1 2 3 4 17 FOR JANIE: It takes a moment, but you'll pick out the tastefully decorated and partially concealed camera systems installed near the docks. There are two mounted cameras with a wide view of the parking area, and another that watches the entry to the docks. Janie rolls her shoulders, then turns and faces the van for a moment for support as she stretches her knees. "Multiple cameras overseein' th'entire area," she murmurs. Joker stops a little ways away from the van, having heard Jannie's words, and scans the area himself to try and spot them, hood pulled up to try and hide as much of his armor as possible. «Auto-Judge[]» Joker (#4235) rolls Intelligence: 3 4 5 17 FOR JOKER: With a moments concentration and looking around, you'll find the same cameras. «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Intelligence for "Cameras? Where?": 1 1 2 2 2 2 5 5 FOR AEDEN: They must be above your head. «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Intelligence for "where be these?": 1 1 2 3 4 5 FOR DANTE: You see nothing out of the ordinary. Aeden walks slowly… damned short legs… and follows the others as they walk around. He's out of his element here, and lacking the constant sensor-fed video game-esque HUD in the corner of his eye isn't helping. "It's a fancy place," he says, shifting his deck like someone would a messenger bag. "Real fancy, cause I can't spot 'em." He checks his deck to see if it's picking up any wireless signals out there… maybe to pinpoint the hidden cameras that the others refer to. Joker tries to figure what the cameras can take in, at the angles they are at, and watches them discretely to see if they move to cover more area. All of this is to check for blind spots, a way to get to the boat without being seen, and it's tricky business. Dante nods to himself though doesn't see where they are. He takes his time as he reaches in and grabs for his briefcase. "If I have to, I will see if I can have a decker friend of mine take care of anything he can find here. Just let me know if you think I should call him. there is a chance he may be busy on some new trix game though….he is kinda a geek like that" He whispers from inside the car «Auto-Judge[]» Joker (#4235) rolls Intelligence for "for can I figgure out blind spots, my peranoya wants to know.": 3 5 15 17 For Joker: You think you can find a way around the camera watching the entrance to the docks, though it involves swimming. You are pretty sure that the other two cameras, watching the parking lot, have wide angle lenses and you'd have to crawl under all the cars or something to not be seen. Aeden shrugs. "Well, they're th' ones hirin' us anyway. What do we care if we're on their footage?" he asks. "From what I saw, th'cameras cover th'parkin' lot as well as th'docks," Janie replies. "How relevant that's goin' t'be will depend on how well we do th'job…" There is the sound of footsteps on the dock and then a sharp female voice remarks, "Hey! Are you the kids for the tour or not? Vamanos, muchachos, we have places to be!" The woman is maybe five foot three with dark brown/black hair. She is dressed in a pair of blue jean shorts and a bright yellow top, one sandled foot tapping out a beat as she waits for an answer. Joker stairs at the woman, probably, for a moment from under his hood, then says simply, "Yeah, that's us." and heads past her towards the docks and the waiting boat, tired of wasting time. Janie nods at Joker and heads toward the docks as well. Aeden looks around, confused, and then shrugs before nodding. "Er, yeah, sure. That's us," He says before moving off to follow the others. Dante grabs his briefcase and waves with a light smile towards the woman. He locks the car and closes his own door before walking casually towards the boat. The Mexican woman leads you to Slip 7, not bothering to keep her voice down or act all spy-like. "Ok! You get on and we get underway. I have you back in time to go out clubbing later, si?" She motions towards the little ladder leading up to the boat, making a 'come on come on' gesture with one hand, muttering to herself in Spanish. Joker nods once again to the woman as he steps up to the latter and ascends quickly, stepping clear of the top to make room for the others. As he waits he'll study the deck for anything interesting, and maybe even take the time to do a head count on the people running it, is it just the woman? Dante flips the briefcase up over a shoulder and strides up casually. He figured it best to just play it cool at this point. He knew he was on camera, but the woman seemed to have things under control. He figured it was best to just play along "Sounds good, There is this place down town I hear has some excellent drinks for pretty cheap. Been meaning to check it out any way. I wasn't planning on it but you guys down after the trip?" He asks with a grin. Aeden climbs the ladder next, the difficulty given to the climbing from his short limbs countered by his physique. The fact that it's not a very far climb helps, too. Not one to play the social, pretend that everything is a-ok game, he keeps his mouth shut through all of the chit-chat. The deck has a few shirtless men roaming about, preparing the boat to head out. There are three on the deck currently, and there are the sounds of at least one or two more in the small cabin, presumably where all the controls are. The thrum of the powerful engines can be felt through the deck of the vessel as it powers up and makes ready to move out. All Aboard! The woman will bring up the rear, moving with the casual ease of someone who has climbed up on a boat before. "Prestar atencion, go stand somewhere out of the way for a few minutes, eh? We have to get out of the dock and that is boring, and you'll be underfoot. My name," she remarks, pointing to herself, "is Maria. I'm who you are sent to meet, si? Once we get to the place, we'll do this thing." Joker walks to one side of the boat away from any mechanical gismos and looks out over the water, waiting for this thing to get underway. It seems he doesn't have anything else to say for the moment. We'll have to try to avoid making you late for your engagement later," she replies in better English than people who don't know her as well as they believe they do might expect her to be capable of, then gets on the boat and somewhere out of the way. The people on the boat seem to be relatively competent, getting things underway without much fuss. Maria supervises by standing near the doorway to the cabin and listening, a practiced bored expression on her face. She'll stay quiet as the boat gets underway and away from the docks, and only then does she move forward and motion to everyone. "Alright, listen. Silk explained to you, yes, what you were supposed to do?" She continues without waiting for a response, "While me and him," she says with a finger point to the dwarf, "are busy doing what needs to be done, you keep the bad guys away, yes? Simple and we get paid!" Dante nods as he listens to the woman. "Sounds about right. If you get me close enough to the shore to jump out a little ways off I can provide sniper support for anyone getting close. I would be more useful if I am harder to see." he interjected Janie nods. "You do your job, we make sure you're left in peace to do it," she confirms. "You can count on us." Joker nods his head once from his spot by the edge of the boat. Maria considers Dante a moment and says, "We can do that, cabron, but I cannot say that we can get you /back/ on the boat if things go bad, you see? Choice is yours, though." Joker turns around and walks over to join Dante, "I can go off with him, I won't be too much good on the boat I'd bet, but it's yer choice, liddle lady." he adresses the spanish woman, "I'll be where ya need. But if he gets stranded, better to be in pairs." Dante nods in understanding. "if things go south I will follow along the river banks. if you can just pull in close enough I might be able to jump aboard without you stoping. so long as you slow down just a bit of course" he said with a smile "if that isn't an option then I will just try and hoof it as best I can. lets just make sure we don't leave enough of em to tail us if things don't go acording to plan eh?" he winked Giving a shrug, Maria looks to the party, "That is your call, chummers. I'll be under the water, so it is how you want it, no?" She looks to Janie and Aeden for their input, mentioning to Aeden, "We have the robots they told you about below deck if you want to look." Joker looks to his team mates and asks simply, arms now folded, "Where yall want me?" Dante looks to joker and then back to the other two after making his suggestions "What do you guys think?" Aeden smirks. "Yeah. I'll need some time t' link yer drones t' my deck, an' some more time t' get cozy with 'em." He looks around a bit, familiarizing himself with the boat. "Depends," Janie replies. "How do you weigh off your escape chances with him along against the added risk of getting spotted? Your call, Dante." Maria lets the party decide their fate, calling over a rather buff specimen of manhood to lead Aeden below deck whenever he is ready. Dante looks at joker and smiles "getting away wont be a problem. he is a lot quicker then I am and can go places even I can't reach. though I would like him to keep some distance. so it isn't so easy to spot either of us." Dante says, “You good to keep some space between us if you come with me, joker?” Joker nods simply and takes a deep readying breath, saying to dante, "Let them know when your ready to go ground side, I'll be followin yer lead. The situation is fine by me." Aeden follows the dude below decks, to go and prep the drones for work. "So, you got some kinda surface buoy that'll let me transmit under th' water, or some kinda hardline? I'd like t' keep th' wireless an' option, in case there's some drones flyin' around. I might be able t' add any drones flyin' around t' our side, if we're lucky. But I can't do that if I'm not set to broadcast." The man who brought Aeden down nods, apparently understanding English well enough. He'll break out a bouy for the dwarf and illustrate with a few economical gestures how it works. Shorebound The boat chugs along down the Platte, making fairly good time. There are a few other craft out on the water, though that number dwindles as you close on the PCC controlled side and as darkness falls. Whatever is going on in the cabin is enough to keep the river-based security away for now. About an hour in, the vehicle will drift towards the shore and Maria will motion to Dante and Joker, "This is close as we can get, hombres. Good luck." Joker looks at the gap and shakes his head slightly, then walks to the opposite side of the boat and says loudly, "Better stand back fer this one, see if I can make it out without gettin wet. He chuckles and waves his hand to indicate he wants a clear path. If and when he gets this he'll take off running across the boat fast as he can and launch himself toward shore. Janie shifts her perceptions to the Astral, looking around for non-physical observers while the boat holds off the shore. «Auto-Judge[]» Janie (#4136) rolls Centering vs TN 2 for "Centering against the magical background count.": 1 2 2 4 5 5 = 5 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Janie (#4136) rolls Intelligence for "Astral perception. Vision magnification still counts, but lowlight and thermo don't really apply.": 1 1 2 3 3 8 11 The water in this section of the Platte is fairly deep .. in the center of the channel. It sharply gets shallower the closer to shore you get, with a depth of perhaps 6-10 feet once you are more than a few meters away from the ship and closer to shore. Joker (#4235) jumps with 8 dice with a 2 TN modifier and 8 effective Quickness. «Auto-Judge[]» Rolls: 1 2 2 3 4 4 10 11 «Plot» Kassandra says, "Joker manages a 7 meter leap and lands in the water near the shore. Wet feet. Pose that please." Joker hurtles threw the air and lands about a meater short of the bank, water splashing up around him upon impact. Luckily the only part of him that is actually soaked are his boots, and they're made to be waterproof anyway. He casually strolls up onto the bank, glancing around to see what he can see both thermal and otherwise, ears straining to hear danger above the engine noise of the boat. «Auto-Judge[]» Joker (#4235) rolls Intelligence for "come on ninja senses don't fail me now…": 1 3 5 10 «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 5 for "Mystery": 1 1 3 4 4 FOR JOKER: The only disturbance is that made by the boat and the ripples from where you landed. It seems quiet and barren here. FOR JANIE: The astral plane is pretty quiet here, with a few ripples left from the day and humans frolicking and leaving emotional debris. Still, it isn't enough to make it hard for you to see, and there doesn't seem to be any large organic beings around. Joker turns to watch the boat now, waiting on the bank to see how Dante makes it across. <Plot» Kassandra says, "Current IC time: 843 PM MST. Current weather: overcast, nearing the full moon, 25% chance of storms" Dante (#1728) jumps with 7 dice with a 2 TN modifier and 6 effective Quickness. «Auto-Judge[]» Rolls: 1 1 2 4 4 5 5 «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Athletics vs TN 6 for "keeping my rifle dry": 1 2 4 4 5 8 11 = 2 Successes Dante goes back to the other side of the boat same as Joker and lines up for the jump. He knew he was going to get wet, there was no way he could get all the way across…but at least he could try and keep his gun safe. He took his briefcase in his hands and took a breath as he prepared to make the run. He took off and lept forward with all his might…only to fall 2 meters short of the shore. He kept his arms raised in the air though as he landed and was able to keep the gun from dipping into the water. He waded through the river and up to the bank before setting his case down on the dry grass and wringing out his shirt. he looked at joker with a slight glare from behind his mask and shook his head "not a word…not a single solitary word" He turns back towards the boat and waves signaling he was ok and starts getting things set for getting in possition. Once Dante and Joker have ejected themselves from the ship it continues on, heading down the river a bit more. Maria remarks, "All right. We've about another half kilometer or more to go and then we have to anchor and head underwater." She looks soberly to Janie and adds, "Shouldn't take TOO long, I don't think, if the rigger can work the machines." While the tech crew starts sending the drones down, Janie heads to the foredeck of the ship and looks upward to the sky, checking one more time for astral or physical observers before calling down a mist spirit to conceal the boat from observers. «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Computers + Task Pool: 1 vs TN 5 for "Program this Script? Gotta get 3 for it to fit on the deck.": 1 4 4 5 = 1 Success «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Computers + Task Pool: 1 - 1 (Success) vs TN 5 for "Program this Script? Gotta get 3 for it to fit on the deck. (only using this one KP on it. Here's hoping!)": 4 8 20 = 2 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Janie (#4136) rolls Centering vs TN 2 for "Centering against BGcount, calling up a Force 5 Mist spirit.": 2 2 3 3 3 8 = 6 Successes «Plot» Aeden says, "1 kp spent, takes up 834 Mp ((Complexity 5 ^ 2) / successes), have 1000 Mp on the deck. Unfortunately, it takes a bit more than an hour to do." Joker looks around himself for a moment, then turns and starts heading inland, "We need to get in cover. We move together, hide separate. Yeah?" he keeps right on walking, no matter what Dante decides. «Auto-Judge[]» Janie (#4136) rolls Conjuring vs TN 5 for "Calling a F5 mist Spirit": 1 2 2 2 3 3 5 5 = 2 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Janie (#4136) rolls Conjuring - 2 vs TN 5 for "Calling a F5 mist Spirit (KP 4)": 1 2 4 4 5 10 = 2 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Janie (#4136) rolls Charisma vs TN 5 for "Soaking M phys drain.": 1 5 5 5 5 7 7 = 6 Successes Aeden sits below deck, programing in subscriber lists and familiarizing himself with the basic feel of these drones. He then gets a crazy idea, and begins to work on writing up a command script for the drones to follow. If the Submarine drone can look for it on it's own, Aeden can devote his time to just looking with the second drone. Or they can both look on their own, while Aeden keeps an eye on the sky for anything hostile. Dante nods and moves up with Joker being careful to try and stay low. he looks around to see if anyone may be around the immediate area. When they got near to the taller grass he stops and decides to lay low here, "I will tkae possition here, it will take me a little bit to set up my rifle so watch my back while you get into possition." He says. Janie nods once to Maria before raising her arms to the sky. Her hair darkens and curls as she draws on the Power, physical manifestations of her Shamanic Mask… And in response, the cool breeze begins to draw into a fog shrouding the boat and all those on it and shielding them from view. Joker walks away from Dante in the opposit direction of the boat, moving about 30 or 40 yards before he cuts back inland, going into the first layer of bushes to hide ther rather than beside his team mate. The young man helping Aeden will helpfully provide dimensions for his computations: approximately 1.5-2.1 meters in length, humanoid in build. You are looking for four of them. «Plot» Janie says, "Four services from a Force 5 mist spirit; first service is Concealment on the boat and its occupants as long as they and Janie remain in the Sky domain. This unfortunately does exclude the drones once they go underwater." «Auto-Judge[]» Joker (#4235) rolls Stealth for "how ninja can I be?": 1 2 2 2 4 5 Maria watches the fog roll in to obscure their movements, nodding soberly. At the mentioned distance, the ship slows and lowers its anchor, the chain replaced with something that doesn't make much noise at all as it drops. Dante can't really stay all that stealthy just yet, he had a little work to do. He kneeled down as low as he could and snapped open the clsps of his briefecase. he smiled seeing his rifle inside. It wasn't often that he got to break this out. He gets to work assembaling his weapon. It takes only about 9 seconds to finish the work and he closes the case and sets it aside. after the job was done he lays down in the tall grass and gets prepared. He scans the area through his scope looking for anyone who may be on the other shore or in the air above them. «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Stealth for "Become one with the grass….BE the grass!": 1 1 1 1 1 2 5 10 10 «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Intelligence for "anything that needs to not be there any more?": 2 3 3 4 4 7 «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 6 for "Test 1": 1 1 1 2 4 5 «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 6 for "Test 2": 1 2 2 4 7 8 FOR DANTE: There is nothing out of the ordinary, other than you've lost sight of the boat. Once the boat comes to a complete stop, Maria starts to head below the deck. She glances at Janie and says, "It should not take too long, I think, to do this. They will be coming in the next half hour to hour, tho, the others who scavenge here. They are many but not as powerful, I think, as we are." She flashes a quick grin and heads below deck. Janie smiles back. "Raw power isn't everything," she points out before turning back to scan the skies and river banks. "Skill, and the wit to use them right, are far more important." Joker lies low in the bushes, eyes on where he last left Dante. His ears are pricked for any noises that might happen around him, and after studying the spot where Dante was to make sure he'll remember it he lets himself start watching his surroundings as well. Below deck, Maria motions to Aeden and then moves towards the now open hatch, designed to allow one to dive or expel drones .. or other ordinance .. with no one the wiser. She motions with one hand in a grandiose gesture and then takes off her shirt, revealing a matching bikini top. She'll dive into the water moments thereafter, trusting the dwarf to send in the drones. Under the Sea! «OOC» Kassandra says, "Perception rolls, please, for Janie, Dante, and Joker. Aeden and Maria will be below surface and dealing with the issue" Dante trys to keep a vigilant watch on the area. He maintains his radio silence but keeps it on for the time being. never know when an emergency should arise and radio silence is kinda unnecessary «Auto-Judge[]» Joker (#4235) rolls Intelligence: 1 2 3 4 «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Intelligence for "what lives that should not for very long?": 2 3 3 3 3 8 «Auto-Judge[]» Joker (#4235) rolls Intelligence: 1 2 2 4 «Plot» Kassandra says, "Joker uses only KP, has none left for HOG" On the shoreline, Dante will catch the faint sounds of something moving along the well-used path, the very faint sounds of a small electric engine moving. «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 3 + 2 for "Sensor Sweep": 2 3 3 4 5 Joker lies motionless in the grass but for the movement of his head, slowly, to increase his field of vission. Clearly he's not new to the weighting game and is ready to sit things out until he has a target. Unfortunetly he has no target. Within a few moments, a balloon-wheeled drone comes into view, gamely zipping along at a sedate 5 miles per hour along the path. It's 'head' is little more than a sensor-laden dome that pans back and forth along the trail and the waterway as it moves. Joker will see if he spots something dangerous about the drone. If he doesn't, he'll let it zip right past unmolested and remain in hiding. «OOC» Joker says, "is it possible to roll perception to see if I see places where weapons could be on it?" «Auto-Judge[]» Joker (#4235) rolls Intelligence: 2 2 2 3 «OOC» Kassandra says, "You believe it unarmed." Dante tenses as he hears the drone moveing up and waits for it to get into his lign of sight. when He sees it, he keeps an eye on it and takes aim just in case. He follows the device with his scope but doesn't fire. He is waiting to see exactly what it is up to. He is ready to pull the trigger at a moments notice though. He looks over the machine for any signs that it may become hostile «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Intelligence for "this thing dangerous?": 2 3 3 5 7 10 FOR DANTE: You do not see anything that would be an opening for a weapon port, unless it is very well hidden. On the deck of the ship, things are very quiet. Then again, mystical and physical fog will blunt sound in many ways. Still, the seas are even calm as the guide and the rigger are beneath the water, doing what needs to be done. The drone, for its part, continues merrily down the path without stopping, continuing its job. Dante keeps an eye on the drone and an ear in it's direction, but he Decides that it isn't an Immediate threat just yet. He instead turns the majority of his attention to the area around him. He is looking for threats and living people. the drone didn't qualify as that at the moment so he lets it pass. Joker also scans the area again, figuring that drone to be the scout to something bigger and more dangerous. He doesn't like the situation, it's giving him a bad feeling. «Auto-Judge[]» Joker (#4235) rolls Intelligence for "come on now, big money, no wammies!": 1 2 3 10 «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Intelligence for "lets see what I can see.": 2 2 2 3 7 14 Things continue to be quiet as the little drone heads out of sight. Perhaps five minutes later the sounds of a rotorcraft can be heard overhead, though fairly high up and from the sounds of it, rather small. The vehicle seems to sound like it is further inland from the riverbank, flying fairly slowly. «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 4 + 1 for "Sensor Sweep": 1 2 4 5 11 Joker moves slowly, oh so slowly, at first as he starts to edge back further into the bushes. He gradually picks up speed once he is in a bit, though, and turns to start moving toward the sound of the noise, though at an angle that will both take him inland and back down streem toward Dante. The sounds grow louder now as the vehicle seems to be banking this direction, the churning air sound drawing closer. Up in the sky, you may catch the faint displacement of air from the rotors. «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 4 + 1 for "Sensor Sweep, active pings": 1 2 3 3 4 MEANWHILE, underwater, Aeden's drones and Maria head down to the wreckage, navigating their way around river fish and murk, the battered and twisted remains of the Aztechnology attack helicoper laying at an odd angle on the floor of the river. The Mexican woman kicks her feet, pointing towards the shattered cockpit and pointing at the drone. Joker will attempt to move into cover behind the largest, most solid object he can find, opposit side of the flying craft. It doesn't matter if it is a large rock, flimsy tree, or bush. As he searches for this cover spot he wishes to high heaven there were some kind of ravine to duck into, that would have been ideal for his plans. «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Reaction for "Default for the Sub… silly underwater vehicles.": 1 1 2 2 3 9 «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Car + Control Pool: 3 for "Whee!!!": 1 2 3 4 4 4 5 9 13 «Auto-Judge[]» Joker (#4235) rolls Intelligence vs TN 8 for "come on, what kind of bird are you?": 4 5 8 10 = 2 Successes FOR JOKER: Your best estimate is that it is a 1-2 autogyro type rotor vehicle, not unlike what Lone Star or Knight Errant use. Maybe a Yellowjacket, based off a story someone told you Beneath the waves, Maria moves to see if she can pry the door open into the craft, letting Aeden's drones handle clearing the cockpit glass. FOR DANTE: You believe it to be some sort of small helicopter. The sort used for news or traffic control Aeden moves back and forth from one drone to the other, maneuvering them along the way and evaluating how advanced he thinks their dog-brain pilots are. "Getting a bit cold for this kind of thing," his voice echoes over the intercom built into his deck to a likely empty cabin in the boat. Maria manages to open the side door to the craft, swimming inside with the agility of a selkie. She works on freeing the dead bodies of the passengers of the chopper, moving to let them float towards openings so the drone can get a hold of them. The helicopter gets closer, scanning the area around the riverside with its sensors. «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 4 + 1 for "Sensor Sweep": 1 1 2 3 5 Dante Watches the coptor and stays as still as he can. he readies his weapon to take aim on a moments notice. He waits for the time being until it shows signs of being a threat. if it starts to get too much sloser to them, He may have to take care of it. Joker remains in the shadow of whatever cover he found, trying his best to be invisible as he stairs up at the copter, ears still prict for other noises, but the copter has his attention for the most part. Once the drones have clear sight of what they're looking for, Aeden leaves their actions in the hands of the program he wrote. For a minute, at least. In that minute, he jumps out of the drone he's in and back into his body, to look around for anyone who might still be in the cabin. It is a fairly small chopper that looks like something out of a movie. It has one person in it, it appears, the nose-mounted machine gun panning as it checks the area. Two spotlights click on as it adds light to the area, looking to see who they can roust. In the cabin, the Hispanic man that was helping Aeden is there, watching his body. He raises an eyebrow. The man in with Aeden, David, nods and says, "Well, I think overall things are well. Your person on the top of the boat hasn't issued any alert yet …." And then Dante shoots. «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Rifles + Combat Pool: 7 vs TN 2 for "Well, here is for one less pilot in the world. Dante hates planes any way XD": 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 11 16 = 16 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 4 (Body) for "Pilot save": 1 3 5 14 «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 6 (Double.Vehicle.Body) for "Look! I am a fragile craft vs bullets!": 1 4 4 5 5 8 «OOC» Kassandra says, "While Dante poses, Joker, Dante, please pick a number between 2 and 12" «OOC» Joker says, "seven" Dante takes careful aim at the pilot. This one was not going any where. A small part of him peeked its head up at shooting someone he knew didn't have a chance in hell to defend himself…but it was quickly squashed by the side of him that knew what must be done in this line of work. He squeazed the trigger with practiced ease and let the bullet fly. It flew true and and he smiled to himself as the pilot's head simply was not there any more. The silenced shot only makeing a light "PAFT" as it did it's thing…but he was willing to bet there was going to be a lot more noise here shortly. he chambered the next round quickly and waited to see what would happen «OOC» Dante says, "4" «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 2 for "No exploding dice, generate a number between 2 and 12": 2 3 «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 3 for "Vehicle destruction test": 2 8 9 The shot was dead on and accurate, removing the pilot from the equation. Unfortunately, even with modern equipment, the pilot is rather essential to the operation of any rotorcraft. Also, being a small vehicle, there is limited space for things like fuel, and ammo, and explosive and messy chemicals. This isn't a trideo. The helicopter does not explode in mid-air or anything dramatic like that. It does, however, start coming out of the sky at a rapid rate. In fact, it is headed, given its forward and downward movement, very close to Dante himself! The helicopter slams into the ground with a mind numbing crunch, driving parts of it into the soft earth and setting off several sparks. Those sparks start a fire, and that fire begins to build…. «OOC» Kassandra says, "Dante, Athletics Test vs TN 8" «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Athletics vs TN 8 for "lets go squirrel blood don't fail me now!": 1 2 2 3 4 5 5 = 0 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Athletics vs TN 8 for "lets go squirrel blood don't fail me now!(karma 1)": 2 2 4 4 4 5 5 = 0 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Athletics vs TN 8 for "lets go squirrel blood don't fail me now!(karma 3)": 1 2 2 2 4 4 5 = 0 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Athletics vs TN 8 for "lets go squirrel blood don't fail me now!(karma 6)": 1 1 2 3 4 4 15 = 1 Success «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Computers + Task Pool: 1 for "???": 1 2 3 4 «Auto-Judge[]» Aeden (#5230) rolls Computers + Task Pool: 1 for "??? kp, the second!": 1 1 3 4 «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Body + 5 vs TN 3 for "this is gonna hurt…x_x": 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 5 = 6 Successes "Well, if things heat up, just hit this button here," Aeden points at something on the deck… a nice blue button, "An' talk into this here Microphone, and we can have some nice chit-chat while I'm off in the murky cold depths." Scattered chunks of lightly burning rotocraft come tumbling towards Dante from the wreckage some yards away. As the machine gun ammo cooks off and explodes, sending bits of shrapnel in all directions at some twice the speed of sound, Dante has the pleasure of seeing a rotor bisect a tree off to his left and part of a burning twisted metal that might have been a joystick land in the ground nearby. Dante smiles at another great shot…but the smile quickly fades into a look of terror as he notices the coptor heading his way. Too late to move and too frightened to do so any way, all he could do was watch as it crash landed so close to him. He flinched as parts flew past him and simply stared at the destruction in unmoveing "awe" as the realization of how close he came to seriously getting hurt dawns on him. He shivered visibly and just leaned back letting his head hit the ground with a thud. "That was way….waaaaaaay too close" he said outloud to no one. he needed a second to compose himself after that. Joker pushes to his feet and steps out of cover, sweeping the reckage for Dante, dead or alive. Upon seeing him vary much alive and unhurt, if a bit shaken, he quickly jogs the distence between them. If he gets there before Dante is up he'll reach down and jerk him to his feet, if he gets there after Dante is up he'll nudge him in a downstreem direction and start jogging that way himself. He does not talk. Aboard the ship, Janie looks some half kilometer back as the fireball erupts and says, "Oh hell!" She glances into the aether and checks for incomming spirits and magical beings, instinctively crouching down. Below deck, the man watching over Aeden speaks into the microphone, "We have, how do you say, trouble? There was a big explosion." Back on the shore with Dante and Joker, ammo pops and cooks off and the craft burns, embers leaping to tree and grass nearby. Aeden's hand is moving towards the activation button on the Remote Control deck when the explosion can be heard. If this were a trid flick, his had would be moving in slow motion as he looks to the man int he cabin. "What th'" he starts to say, just as his finger brushes the button, and his mind is pulled from his body into the captain's chair of his deck. "Hell?" his voice finishes, transmitting over the small speaker in the deck. The rigger quickly goes about getting status reports from the two drones, and then begins to actively scan the airwaves to find out what just happened. The two drones read five by five, while above, the airwaves are ALIGHT with activity all of the sudden as the PCC network registers the splash of one of their security vehicles. An all points is issued with security and fire prevention vehicles sent en route to its most recent location. Maria has finished moving the bodies out of the craft, making sure to move along with the drones to take them back to the boat. Dante jumps as he sees joker standing over him all of a sudden and looks at him a little surprised. He grins and chuckles nervously at first before he sees him signal to get moving. Dante nods and sits up quickly. he immediately picks up his case and ties it to his side with a length of shoe string. he then straps the rifle to his back and starts tailing Joker as they run down stream. His gun may get wet, but it was a risk he was going to have to take at this point. He may be able to dry it if they get to the boat quickly enough. right now though, his main concern was keeping up with the ninja "We're boned," Aeden says over the intercom. "I don't have anything t' counter all th' chatter up there. You guys got any kinda ECM stuff on th' boat? Or better yet, legal docs t' be in sector?" he asks, all the while moving back and forth from one drone to the other, doing everything in his power to hurry them along. David, the man with Aeden, remarks, "We have papers, yes, but not enough to keep them from searching us. It would be best to get the drones and Maria aboard and get out of here before things get worse." Joker motions Dante to hurry up and speads up, throwing himsel finto a full sprint, "Going to be on our ASs." he yells, and just him yelling shows how anxious he really is. "And my money is on them leaving us. So MOVE!" «Auto-Judge[]» Joker (#4235) rolls Athletics vs TN 4 for "for move move move!": 3 4 5 9 10 11 = 5 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Athletics vs TN 4 for "Quickness of 6": 1 3 3 3 4 5 5 = 3 Successes Joker starts to pull further and further ahead of Dante as he puts on the speed, both of them hurtling down the bank of the river. As he runs he yells back to Dante, "Use yer Com, tell them to bring the god damn boat in closer to shore, we're on our way." and with that he stops speaking, taking deep, rhythmic breaths. "There a quicker way t' hop back over th' border from where we're at? I seem to recall it takin' us more'n an hour t'get here." Aeden says, "Drones're a bit further up from here. You move th' boat, I'll tell ya if it's hot or cold. See if we can trim some time off of needin' t' stick around." The air screams like a tortured animal as the astral plane is rended open. A faintly translucent man in a feathered head dress and Pueblo Security Enterprise uniform appears near the flaming chopper flanked by a pair of small tornadoes. He glares about with baleful eyes, dropping to one knee and sniffing the air. Dante Takes off after Joker, though wasn't near as quick as the sprinting man. All the while as he ran he was hopeing and praying that Aeden had enough time to finish the job. One and then another body bag is pushed in through the cargo door as Maria climbs into the craft, shivering slightly from the chill. She slings wet hair back and frowns at all the noise on the screen and radios, looking to David. The Mexican man speaks into the comm to Aeden, remarking, "There isn't much a quick way out of here, not with the boat. The best we can do is drift back into Aztlan water space and hope they aren't happy to chase us. The girl on the deck said she is hiding us, but I do not think that will hold long…." «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 10 (gear) + 3 vs TN 4 for "Track": 1 1 1 2 3 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 9 = 8 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 10 (gear) + 3 - 8 vs TN 4 for "Track, karma reroll": 2 3 4 7 10 = 3 Successes Maria curses a string of profanity in English and Spanish, leaning down to help the drones in with the other two body bags. She says quickly, waving a hand in a negligent manner and voiding all the water near her, evaporating it with minimal effort. "Get us out of here," she remarks to David, who immediately turns to head up topside. Looking to a blank space in the air, she mentions, "Ask Guns to keep us hidden and I'll work on extra speed." Lastly she'll look to Aeden and says, "Not sure if you are making any EM noise, but might want to cut it out. We need to evade the PCC's system before they firebomb us or something." Joker keeps right on chugging, not looking back but just running. If Dante can't keep up he'll just wait till something bad happens then go back for the little guy. He has fallen silent, focussing on keeping his breathing and pounding feet steady. Aeden, back in his own body, simply nods. "I can turn off th' deck, but that'll keep me blind to networks out there. Not that I think I can crack their drone netowrks anyway… not while they're lookin' in our direction. Maybe if it was before they were lookin' out fer us…" With that, the rigger turns off the deck. "Dunno what I can do t' help out at this point. If we were on th' road, or in a tilt-wing, I'd be of some use. On a boat? Not so much." Dante just pounds his feet into the ground as he speeds off after joker. He was mentally kicking himself for not getting a bit closser to the excavation site before setting up shop. All he can do at this moment is keep moveing and hope to whatever deity that was listening that he could get to the boat before it sped off. Slamming the hatch to the cargo door, Maria nods grimly as the vessel begins to move cautiously under cover of Janie's spirit. "At this point, we are going to have to sacrifice your friends, I fear. We need to move out of here and without something to distract the locals, we're going to be in as much trouble as they are. I am not sure what happened, but …" She looks irritated. Not Good The air screams again, this time ahead of the pair of running runners. The Indian in the head dress appears again, this time holding a long spear. "HALT!" His voice is hollow in the air, but still carries a great deal of power. All around him, the wind begins to blow and churn, tossing leaves and laying grass flat. «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Intelligence for "what are you you son of a bitch?!": 1 2 2 3 10 11 Looking astral, Dante can clearly see the shaman in the astral plane, his spear glowing like a small sun. The man tilts his head, pointing the spearpoint at the runner and calling out, "You are engaging in unauthorized magical activity in Pueblo territory. Desist and fall to your knees or suffer the immediate consequences!" He is more powerful than you, you feel, and the pair of Force 6 Air Elementals flanking him do not appear to be slouches. Once you look into the astral they lock onto your dual status and move towards you. «Auto-Judge[]» Joker (#4235) rolls Magical Background for "please, for the love of god, let me know I can kill it!": 2 2 4 FOR JOKER: You heard once that if you threw salt on spirits it will run them off. ++++ Vulcan is here, uh oh «OOC» Vulcan says, "Just to be clear - I'm here to observe a tense situation that can and may well result in the deaths or incarcerations of Players. Kassandra is the GM, but as staff sponsor for this plot, I'm here as oversite. Any and all questions should be directed to Kassandra." Joker is stuck in a rock and a hard place here, and rather than do as the crazy native says, he plants his foot, changing his sprinting trojectory out toward the water. But, rather than splash threw the water, he runs about six meaters out On the water before jumping as far as he can into a dive downward. He seems to have forgotten his team member for the moment. «Auto-Judge[]» Joker (#4235) rolls Initiative with a result of 8. «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Initiative with a result of 23. «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 1 for "+28": 2 «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 1 for "+26 Elemental 1": 5 «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 1 for "+26 Elemental 2": 1 Dante watches as joker changes direction and does the same. he Pushes forward as hard as he can and dives in after him, no longer careing if his rifle gets wet at this point. <Plot» Kassandra says, "Initiative: Elemental 1 (31), Security Shaman (30), Elemental 2 (27), Dante (23), Joker (8)" «Plot» Kassandra says, "Elemental 1 follows its given order and manifests in front of Dante, cutting off his travel. That is the end of its action. Elemental 2 follows its given orders and manifests beside the shaman, two feet up and to the left. That is the end of its action. Shaman attacks Dante with his magical spear. Dante is dual natured. Dante can be attacked." «Auto-Judge[]» Kassandra (#9777) rolls 6 + 3 (focus) + 4 (CP) vs TN 2: 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 5 5 7 9 10 = 11 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Athletics + Combat Pool: 4 vs TN 6 for "well…here goes nothing…..": 1 1 1 1 1 2 4 5 9 9 9 = 3 Successes «Auto-Judge[]» Dante (#1728) rolls Athletics + Combat Pool: 4 - 3 vs TN 6 for "well…here goes nothing…..(karma 1)": 2 3 4 5 9 9 10 14 = 4 Successes The shaman doesn't speak a word, having practiced this with the borrowed elementals. They move on pre-ordered commands, moving to defend and head off the runner. The shaman leaps forward, screaming out a battle cry that falls flat in the air and jams his fighting spear towards Dante. Blood sprays as the blow gashes the man's very soul, reducing his well being and spraying blood onto the ground as a very real wound drops blood into the runner's eyes and lets the wind blow into his brain. «Plot» Kassandra says, "Dante suffers a Serious Wound. -3 Init, +3 to all Tns" Dante stares slack jawed as he felt the point of the spear hit him dead on. "dead" seemed to be a fitting explination for this scenario. He had no plan. no back up, no bright ideas. this looked pretty bleak. He had no other options. it was either join his anscesters in the sky, or just accept that he had pushed his luck a bit too far this time….the massive head wound was a bit of an obvious clue. He closed his eyes and let the energy drain from his eyes, slipping out of the astral. He also let the energy in his tat fade away. that chore done, the rifle on his shoulder slid off and to the ground, soon joined by his knees. He had hoped to accomplish more….but it seemes he was out of choices. Joker is running toward the water full tilt as Dante is hit, catching the hole scene. Without a word he again plants his feet, sliding across the ground before he has enough traction to start jogging back toward Dante. He doesn't sprint, but jogs toward him and the magic man, plus his tornados. Not an aggressive jog, but loose, his body language shows he might have already given up.. He remains unarmed. «Plot» Kassandra says, "Initiative, next pass: Elemental 1 (21), Security Shaman (20), Elemental 2 (17), Dante (13 — Surrendered), Joker (Out of actions)" «Plot» Kassandra says, “Elemental 1 — Maintains guard Elemental 2 — Maintains defense Shaman: Speaks, holds action The elementals stay in their positions, watching Dante closely and guarding the shimmering and translucent form of the Shaman. He speaks again, his words flat against the Real World, "On your knees, hands behind your head. If you make any aggressive move, we will deal deadly force. My back up will be here very shortly to take you away. If you understand, nod once. Failure to comply will be met with deadly force." Joker stops running, puts his hands behind his head, but does not sink to his knees. He nods once, but asks in a low, calm voice, "He dead?" his expression is impossible to see threw the hood and helmet, but his aura would be storming with rage, regret, and an iron backbone of calmed determination holding it all together. Dante looks over as he sees joker comeing over and just bows his head. he was pissed that he came back this way but he simply nodded his head. there wasn't anything he could do….he could cause a scene…but it would all end the same…well, aside with more of his insides on the outside….. The shaman glances to Joker, keeping a watch on Dante for any tricks, the deadly point of his spear still pointed at the runner. He says shortly, "He lives. For now." The threat is there in his voice as he watches you both, seemingly ready to wait forever for your arrest. In the distance, the sounds of high powered vehicles and dogs can be heard, and the sky is angry with the sounds of VTOL and Vector Thrust vehicles. Behind the shaman, the air shimmers as another form in PSE garb arrives from the astral, his head looking much like some sort of wolf. Joker sighs and moves as close as they'll let him before falling down to one knee. He can not, it seems, force himself to kneel completely to these people. "Good." he says simply, then is completely silent and still as he waits. The next few minutes will go by in a blur as PSE arrives in force via land and air. Mages and spirits will stand watch over the two runners as they are frisked and stripped. They are cuffed with titanium handcuffs designed to hold an angry cybered troll, and then magemasked (gagged, blindfolded, and having white noise pumped into their ears.) Any cyberware is shut down with the appropriate gear. That done, they are moved to a secured vehicle, their gear in another, and they are hustled off. Any attempt to resist is met with immediate reprisals. The Big Wrap Up «Plot» Kassandra says, "At this time, Dante and Joker were arrested by the PSE on a number of charges. Aboard the boat, Maria, Janie, and Aeden will use a combination of spells and spirits and elementals to make a very fast run for it underwater. The boat will be searched and released by PSE forces on the border of Aztlan/PCC as there is nothing illegal aboard and they have papers. Aeden and Janie will make it back into the Aztlan sector and can take the bodies to Silk, who gives payment and a sigh." «Plot» Kassandra says, "At this time, this plot is considered done, although fallout is being handled by Vulcan." Aeden grabs the SUV that he had ended up driving to the docks. "Well… guess I got another thing t' keep up now," he grumbles. «Plot» Kassandra says, "Aeden has the keys to Dante's Brumby. He can keep it until/if/when Dante resurfaces." «Plot» Kassandra says, "Silk will spend Joker and Dante's share, or what she needs of it, to cover any trails, make any bribes, and otherwise keep the rest of the team safe."