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GM: Posh
Players: Lost, Lucia, Posh, Scurry
Synopsis: The players are recruited by Posh to track down an absconding security rigger and especially the cyberterminal that he stole from work before he gets to an extraction team. With new decker Lucia, who comes up with creative ways to look for information how to locate the target while being unable to directly hack more secure systems, she gets crucial information that allows Scurry, Lost, and Posh to track him down. They take the place of the extraction team, and manage to knock him unconscious right in front of his security setup with powerful, cloaked magic, and leave without anyone the wiser, leaving the thief with quite a lot of explaining to do when the real extraction team shows up.Date: 9/28/2075
The word goes out, and Posh selects her favorite new meeting place, being that it's a convenient number of blocks from Dangerous Curves, and has a relatively minding your own business, working class crowd with enough white collar suitwearers as regular to make her not look too out of place when dressed to kill as Miss J, black sunglasses and Securetech suit. All of those that received messages know Posh directly, and she's there waiting, a waffle topped with a mountain of whipped cream in front of her, a little smile on her face.
Lucia comes in from the restroom, the squeaky door creaking loudly before it snaps into place against the door stops. The elegant lady flicks her hands once releasing a few drops of dampness, a delicate wipe of hands on her coat before turning on a heel. Her eyes light up as she sees the J she was waiting for. She walks slowly from the shadows of the dimly lit hallway toward the table. "Yeaa," she squeaks "I get a seat at the main table this time." A small smile breaks through her lips. "Expecting more today?" She asks, sliding into the booth, lifting the back of her coat to tuck under her.
The diner's as good a place as any to do business, but has the added bonus of having waffles. Lost arrives, shades on with a SecureTech Jacket thrown on over her street clothes and an olive drab messenger bag slung over one shoulder. Sliding into the booth, she nods in greeting to Lucia and then steals a glance at Posh's waffles before ordering a soykaf. Looking more properly at the J herself, Lost grins, shifting in her seat, "What have you got for us?"
Scurry returns to the diner, and slides into the booth. "Look, this is all very offensive to those of us who haven't eaten in fifteen years," He says, looking pointedly annoyed with Posh. An index finger taps the tabletop. "Waffles? Booths? Hello."
Lucia taps the plastic bench with a digit smiling as Lost and Scurry join the table, "Pleasant as always." She turns to Posh and leans into the table, 'So Miss Posh, though the waffles are pretty good, we didn't make this trip for the fried batter, whatcha got J?"
"I like to show off the combined effects of a syprathyroid and dietware whenever possible," she says. "To paraphrase Sophia Loren, all that you see I owe to waffles," she says, with a chuckle. "In any case," she says. "What we have is something relatively straightforward, but still rather delicate and tricky," says Posh. "You see, a computer with some very important research data has been appropriated by an absconding, disgruntled security expert," Posh says. "I know it's a bit of dirty work, but millions of nuyen went into what this guy stole," Posh says, looking around. "This is heavy stuff, but we're here to be enforcers. What we have to do is steal back the escapee's portable computer, leaving him to…well, wither on the vine. We are absolutely not to kill the escapee - the message my friend wants to send is how empty and desperate your life will be with nothing to trade," Posh says. "And, frankly, when he shows up empty handed to his new employers, they'll probably just ice him. In any case, I've managed to arrange a good payout. A hundred grand is on the books to get this guy back…it seems like his present employers are quite serious about data theft. And I don’t mean literal books, of course we’re all off the books, but you know what I mean. What's on that computer is probably worth far more…or at least, so long as it stays proprietary," she says.
"In any case. We know the meet location, and there was a missing vehicle as well, a simple company Americar. He went off grid just two hours ago. We've got to find ways to locate him, and we've got to stop him before he gets to where he's going with the laptop."
"Well I'm in," Scurry says immediately. His expression turns serious equally as quickly. "Why is this ass worth such a high sum? A corporate sec officer isn't really a dangerous target. Where is the anticipated risk?"
"So, find the target and steal his computer. Sounds easy enough…" Lost begins, pausing briefly before continuing, "As long as we find him before anyone else does, especially his new employers. With that much cred on the line, I'll imagine they'll want to get their hands on him fast. And they'll probably be willing to fight… for the computer, at least." She purses her lips thoughtfully, "So. Do we know where he was last seen? I'm thinking we can search a lot of possible routes from wherever he was to wherever he's trying to get way faster on the astral." Looking to Scurry, she grins, "He's not the one with any value, it's the data he's got."
Lucia twists her lips and turns to the other two runners, "Twenty-five is pricey, for something that you're describing as simple," she turns back to Posh, 'But of course this isn't that simple. What kind of countermeasures are in place? Any leads on where he was going with the stolen data? Any hints of who the client is?' she asks with a Cheshire grin.
"That's what I'm wondering," Scurry says, looking between Lost and Lucia. "Unless he also has some insane drones and this Americar is suspiciously well-outfitted, I'm suspicious. Unless time is simply that tight."
Posh gives a shrug. "I know the client," Posh says. "The client wants to make absolutely sure the data is retrieved. It's worth a lot of money. If we don't do this well, or let him slip away and bust the meet…" She shrugs. "It's not like you can just hire a skiptracer with a Predator for this job," she says. "When you're talking paydata worth a /lot…/" Posh shrugs. "Let's just say no mistakes on this one, all right? My rep is on the line here." She grins. "Now, time is tight, and we don't know when the deadline is," she says. "Anyway. I have a contact with Knight Errant I might be able to ask a question of. Why don't I give him a call and see if he can find anything on the original transponder the Americar had, while Lucia does the same, but maybe in the public grid guide system?" Posh asks. "Don't try anything too risky, just the usual street cameras, that sort of thing. Find the right systems to interrogate," she says. "All right. I'm coming with you all on this one. Remember, he's a corporate security expert. He is equipped to have defensive drones. And he probably knows what to expect. So it's not that he's a valuable target himself, he's just not an easy target, and what he has is valuable. Hence the payout. And he'll be shooting to kill, while we can't. Does that clear things up for you, Scurry?" Posh says, a little teasingly.
<Auto-Judge[]» Lucia (#8162) rolls Corporate Rumors (to Posh):
2 3 4 11
«Auto-Judge[]» Lucia (#8162) rolls Street Rumors (to Posh):
2 3 3 3 4
«Auto-Judge[]» Lucia (#8162) rolls Gang Rumors (to Posh):
1 3
Lost grins as Posh breaks things down, "Ok then. As soon as we get some kind of general idea as to where this guy is, why don't we go see if we can't sniff him out on the astral, Scurry? Once we get a fix on him, we'll have to take out his drones…" The thought causes her to hesitate before she finishes her thought with a smile, "But once that's done, it shouldn't be too hard to knock him out, grab the computer, and get out of there."
"The payload, yes," Scurry says. "The waffles, no," He deadpans. "How do you think Air elementals will fair against drones?" He asks of Lost, arching a brow. "They don't have to win a direct contest, if you think about it— we could work in tandem to drive the drones to hit one another."
"Street cams, that is exactly what I was going to sniff out. I'm in.' Lucia says, pulling her deck from her bag. 'Contract is secured? mind if I start peeking things out now?' She taps her deck.
Posh says, "The only thing I mind is if we are doing this from my favorite diner," she says. "Let's separate and meet back at a jackpoint near the coffin motel," she says. "I'll be back with information from Sean. The question is, though, how are you going to find this guy in the astral?" asks Posh, a little curiously.
"Look, I always prefer to be creative," Scurry says. "If one of you can hack into his comm systems and reroute him temporarily, Lost or I can change our identities to the meeting agent— if we know what they look like— and just accept the data. Or pull a very convincing "But I'm the real one!" stunt double."
Lost considers Scurry's question for a moment, "If they're flying drones, maybe. Otherwise, I don't know… but what I do know is that I don't like drones." She makes a face, "In any case, we might need to come up with some other way to deal with the drones." Looking to Posh, she shakes her head, "We're not. At least not until we have a better idea of where he might be. But we know where the meeting point is, and we can at least assume he must have started for it roughly two hours ago, right? We can check out the meeting point and then just look around. We can cover way more ground moving at that speed, and we might just get lucky." Looking to Scurry, she ponders that, "Hmm… that might work, too. Although, I assume they're meeting at a specific time. So if we're there when he's there… his new employers will also be there. Right?"
"Not if we intercept them, change the meeting place and time for reasons unknown, and then take the data," Scurry offers.
Lucia puts her deck back into the bag, 'Wiz, I'm level for that J. Let's move back to the jack point, and find this guy.' She zips up her bag,
"Well… I'd prefer not to have to subdue a corporate extraction team if we can help it…" Lost says to Scurry, shrugging her shoulders, "If we can find him and get to him first, all we have to do is deal with his drones. Anyway… Let's head to the jack point. Once we have some more info, we'll figure out our next move on the astral, OK?" Looking to Posh, "Do you have transport lined up for us?"
"That's why we disguise ourselves as the corporate team /before/ he meets them," Scurry murmurs. "Anything else is going to depend on how he reacts." Scurry rises and moves to the door. "Who am I riding with?"
Posh nods. "That would be a hard sell," she says, thinking. "Wouldn't we have to change the meet location and such?" Posh asks. "It seems to me that if we were in a position to get his personal files like that - and they've probably been dead dropping contact info, maybe actually paper, then we could also just take his computer away from him," she says to Scurry. She turns towards Lost. "I didn't have transport lined up, no - but are there maybe few enough of us to go in Loretta?" she asks, /quite/ hopefully.
Lost fidgets in her seat for a brief moment, "The four of us can fit in Loretta, sure. And if we can get a bead on this guy, she can get us there /fast/." The dark-haired elf seems to be considers the possibility of endangering her precious car, but eventually nods. "Ok, sure. Just… be careful." She says to Posh, sliding out of the booth. She reaches into her pocket, produces a keychain with a key fob on it and holds it out to Posh.
Lucia kneels down on the ground on one knee, pulling her cyberdeck from her back bag she unconceals it from the dim lights of the secluded jackpoint, laying it on the ground gently. She begins pulling random plugs from the deck and begins to place one into her datajack and then gently plants the other one into the jack point from the deck. Lucia then presses a button on the cyberdeck and her eyes go blank; she's in the matrix.
A virtualized Fairy glistens in cyberspace as she comes into existence in the matrix. Electronic dust trails lines the small fairies path past icons and fixtures that within the matrix, she heads for the cities traffic camera nodes intending to take a peek.
The city's traffic camera nodes are located in a pretty simple system. It appears to be Yellow rated, given that it serves the public and has the multitudes with their cars on there. Inside the Matrix, you can simply choose to be there, accessing the file, creating the 'space' around you as you 'go' to those servers instantaneously, and yet as if you were travelling in real time, taking a lightning speed tram, or a teleporter.
«Plot» Posh says, "sorry, it's Green."
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 1 for "(Security Value and Subsystem Ratings)":
1
«Plot» Posh says, "Security is Green-4. Access 7, Control 7, Index 5, Files 5, Slave 5."
The fairy zooms past the office building making a swift circle around the building once before hovering outside the broad doors. She pulls a small pouch from under the frills of her dress, pulling a pinch of dust between two fingers. She whisks a hand above her head, releasing the dust above her. Her body spins quickly in a blur from the size of a dime to a comparable humanid in a business suit, briefcase in hand she approaches the portal.
«Plot» Posh says, "You are clearly attempting to access the system."
«Plot» Posh says, "We do an Opposed Test. You roll vs TN 7, the Access Rating. You can add hacking pool to this roll."
«Plot» Posh says, "What is your Computer skill?"
«Auto-Judge[]» Lucia (#8162) rolls Computers + 3 vs TN 7:
1 1 2 2 3 4 5 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 7 vs TN 4 for "vs Lucia":
2 2 2 3 3 5 5 = 2 Successes
The system quickly notices that you are posing as one of the workers. ICs of reasonable power, pehraps not threatening to a pro decker but easily able to bounce you off to the system, start to coalesce: they look like similar G-Men, only burly and with little revolvers that you know are probably powerful enough here in the 'Trix. It looks like you might have to take a different approach.
Rather rapidly, your access to the server is denied, and your persona is booted back to the fairy. The G-Men seem to fold their arms, glaring at you disapprovingly, but there's a blessing in disguise: at the power you presented, they are programmed to overlook you, perhaps just as 'kids stuff.' Hacking the Gridguide is probably something many a teenager tries from their mom's basement.
With the green system apparently out of the question, though, Lucia still has options: she could consult a contact, or perhaps go for a different system that might have a different type of information.
The fairy in disguise flashes in a blur as the IC materializes, the suit falling to a heap below on the virtualized floor as she returns to a hovering Fairy above them. The suit dematerializes. She backs away slowly, light filtering through her persona before pushing against the pseudo ground with bent knees, pushing off of air with might she bolts back to the regional grid in a poof, now looking to access social sites the target might be a part of.
The Fairy poofs again back to a local grid, pausing to look it over, she floats with bent wrist against her hips, hovering slowly in place.
«Auto-Judge[]» Lucia (#8162) rolls Data Havens:
3 5 7 11
The local grid systems, that serve public information and such, are often very simple. It seems that the security officer had a couple social media accounts, mostly on casual hookup sites. Reasonably seedy, but not too bad. None of the public systems, however, but you were able to match his picture using biometric searches.
Secuhoneys, a site apparently for and by men and women in uniform, seems to be a place that he'd posted, and it and Corpmeet both seem to be relatively simple blue hosts.
The fairy materializes a pair of big green goggles from under her dress and places them over her eyes, moments later she grins under the big globs, then removes the goggles, dematerializing as fast as they were made.
She raises a hand to her ear, thumb extended like an antenna, pinky out like a receiver. Markus She whispers into her extended pinky.
Hoi bro, the fairy says as the link is connected. Got a favor to ask of you. she pauses briefly, Think you could crack into the Grudguide wiz like and search out this car for moi? She wipes her other hand on her skirt twice with an empty hand, pats her leg again and produces a cube of compressed data. She flings it out with a limp wrist. This should be enough to get you going.
"Wiz chummer but why don't you toss me a few grand for this one. Gonna have to dust off the big boy deck," is the reply. "Make it five grand and I'll have whatever you need done, wiz?"
The host itself for Secuhoneys is a relatively simple blue one, presenting as a thrumping nightclub with no bouncer, filled with uniformed partiers.
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 5 vs TN 4 for "vs your Computer":
2 2 3 5 8 = 2 Successes
«Plot» Posh says, "Roll Computers + Hacking Pool vs TN 5."
«Auto-Judge[]» Lucia (#8162) rolls Computers + 3 vs TN 5:
1 2 2 2 2 2 3 = 0 Successes
The fairy, still with a bent arm to her face, zips to her next target, Secuhoneys, to probe for the guard. Looking to create a fake account to get in. Seeking possible hangouts, safe havens, general areas of interest. She smiles as she approaches the node, blue, briskly rubbing her hands together before twisting her arms in interlacing digits, loudly popping her knuckles.
"Okay, Five gs, is that really the family rate these days, nino?" The fairy whispers, Do I need to call you more, is that what youre saying?'
«Auto-Judge[]» Lucia (#8162) rolls Negotiation:
1 1 2 2 10 15
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 5 vs TN 6 for "Negotiating vs Lucia":
1 2 2 4 4 = 0 Successes
"All right, all right frou frou," comes the reply. I'll do it for you for three kay. Give me the deets on the stolen car." There's only one more site that he's on, with a blue host: Corpmeet - it seemed like a prudent idea to turn away before a number of ICs disguised as revelers seem to come out of nowhere, demanding your ID. Seems like they've had some identity theft issues lately.
«Plot» Posh says, "Do you agree to 3000 for him hacking into Gridguide and locating the Americar for you?"
«Plot» Lucia says, "I agree to pay 3000 to had Gridguide and locating the stolen Americar."
"You know what, honey?" Scurry says suddenly to Lost, slipping a handful of samples from a counter into his pocket as he applies lipstick. "Let's give it up. This whole affair." He waives a hand around to signify "all of this". "Do you think I could pull it off?" He glances up at Lost, wearing cherry red lipstick. "Maybe call myself Princess Coco. You wanna be my booker?"
Three sounds great Nino, thanks for the help. The icon smirks, Let me know if I can help you in anyway bro.
A few minutes later, you get a report back. <Uhh, there's kinda bad news. Well, the Americar was tracked to a parking lot out of CCTV view. It was left abandoned, apparently. Key fob inside. That car's a dead end, but without a transponder, or something pretty heavy, he likely isn't too far from there.>
"Thanks Markus," The Fairy fades from the grid as Lucia jacks out. She puts a finger to her throat, "Okay, Ive found the vehicle but it looks abandoned, anyone want to send some ghosts out to play hide and seek?"
Lucia says "Wiz, shooting over the last known over to your screen", She taps a few keys on the deck."
«Plot» Scurry says, "Posh, I will send an Air elemental to scour the area around the car with detailed information re: the driver."
«Plot» Scurry says, "They know because we share minds :)"
«Plot» Scurry says, "It's a mental connection."
«Plot» Scurry says, "I can share images and specifics to look for. Including license plate numbers, car type, profile, etc."
Lucia plugs back into the grid, thinking, lets surf. The fairy blinks into existence in a burst of digital steam. Secumatch. She bursts into another digital cloud of sparks and fades to the next locations in a flash.
Blue-3/10/10/9/9/8
5 - Trace-4 Shift
10 - Trace-5 with Killer-4
16 - Scout-4 Expert Defense
21 - Passive Alert
28 - Construct Shift
33 - Masking Ripper-5 Armor
40 - Trace-5 with Sparky-5 with Killer-4
46 - Blaster-5
52 - Active Alert
59 - Sparky-5
65 - Sparky-7
Corpmeet is another site that serves the public, a host connected directly to the LTG. It's filled with more fake profiles than real, although it does have a steady amount of legit traffic. It's the kind of thing no one would take too seriously, and the security is commonesurately lax. This system is blue as summer sky. (Access Rating: 3)
«Auto-Judge[]» Lucia (#8162) rolls Computers vs TN 3:
3 3 4 4 = 4 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#12424) rolls 3 vs TN 4 for "vs Lucia's Computers":
2 4 4 = 2 Successes
«Plot» Posh says, "Security Tally: 2."
«Plot» Posh says, "Since you are just trying to get information off a public server that's not very secure at all, all you would have to do is create a valid admin ID, to find our friend's account, since you have name, occupation, a picture, etc. and enough identifying details to figure out who he is."
Scurry will continue to shop for scarves with Lost .
Lost glances at Scurry with a slight grin, surveying the shade of lipstick he's chosen. "Hmm… might be a touch bright for your complexion, but it's not bad." As her fellow elf continues, she chuckles, "Princess Coco? I didn't know you had a dream of becoming a drag performer, Scurry." She teases, nudging the other elf with an elbow.
The area where Scurry's elemental tracked the car down to is sort of medium density residential. There is a sort of crash of architectural styles and building materials. A lot of the building are 3 and 4 story former townhouses that have been split up into mutual units, as well as lots of drug stores and pubs and small strips with parking lots. Sort of slightly depressing middle class safety, by 2070s standards. Still, it's a lot nicer than cheaper areas.
«Auto-Judge[]» Lucia (#8162) rolls Computers vs TN 4:
2 2 3 11 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Lucia (#8162) rolls 3 vs TN 4 for “hacking pool”:
2 4 4 = 2 Successes
Lucia is able to create an administrative ID on this simple system, but she can detect from the system responses that the security tally has elevated to 4. Next, all Lucia needs to do is execute a Search function (TN 3) in order to find the correct account to open up with the administrative ID.
The fairy fly's in a neon blue glow toward the node, the fairy spins in a blur and produces a drafting table in an instant before her. The table is lined with electric swirls and light as a piece of paper digitally flickers on its surface, one corner lose from the digital tape. The persona rests and elbow on the flickering corner and braces a chin against her tiny wrist, the other hand produces a pencil and feverously begins sketching on the paper (creating an admin account.)
«Auto-Judge[]» Lucia (#8162) rolls Computers + 3 vs TN 3 for "hacking pool":
1 1 1 5 5 5 8 = 4 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 4 vs TN 4 for "vs Lucia's Computers":
1 2 5 10 = 2 Successes
Moments after scribbling on the electric ether the fairy persona puts her pencil behind a pointed ear and rolls up the sketch, pulling the pseudo tape with a gratifying grin. The sketch rolled in one hand she launches it toward the node, the rolled up paper digitizing into a poof of sparks as it disseminates closer to the node, its information integrating with the system.
Lucia's able to break into the account of SecureUrHeart38, that of not very appealing young man who seems to be interested to get young ladies up to his pad to 'check out his sweet exposed' brick. Asides from that, there's an array of selfies, with himself and the occasional partner he's convinced to date him, in front of a brick backdrop. Indeed, it seems like he might be a touch of a fetishist, given the Italian dinners and the alarming sight of a pair of handcuffs, all with brick wall in the background.
Scurry's Air Elemental reports to him that it has noticed a pair of unnatural signatures, a powerful mage apparently entering the vicinity, just getting out of a vehicle, along with a presence that nearly 'isn't there.'
Scurry cackles at Lost's jab, flipping the synthsilk scarf around his neck with a practiced gesture. He's about to say something more when he pauses. "Psst," He murmurs quietly. "So, we have a powerful mage moving into the area around here," He says, pulling out his pocsec and tapping his way to a map to show Lost. "Or around here. And some sort of presence that is there but not exactly there? Like a vampire, you think?"
"Or something super cybered up?" Scurry asks with a frown.
Lost admires Scurry's scarf before glancing at the map on the PocSec. "Hmmm…" She muses, "I don't think it's a cyberzombie. Though I suppose that's possible. And… well, thankfully I've never seen a vampire up close and personal, so…" She shrugs helplessly, "I don't know, to be honest, but my money's on the mage being part of the corporate recovery team that's trying to get our mark. Which means… we need to beat them to the punch."
Commlink-Scurry> Scurry sends, « Team, we got a counter-recon moving in on our game. I repeat, shagbreath chillin on our homie. Let's get the 4-8-8 on this mofo. »
Scurry blinks, glances at Lost. "I think it's the scarf," He says before pulling it off.
Lost arches an eyebrow at Scurry before chuckling, "Come on… sounds like it's time for us to move." Clearing her throat, she switches to the commline, « Clock's ticking, if we have anything close to a hard fix on this guy, we should get moving. If we can intercept him before the corp recovery team, our lives will be a lot easier. »
The persona blinks twice thinking through the matrix to the comm of her team. A digitized voice, scattered vocals peeks through the channel, 'So, background on the chummer, a bit of a want-a be playboy, seems to go for anyone in heels and cuffs. His pad looks to be one of those spiffy hipster brick exposed joints, you scan?" The digital feed zips to a quiet silence.
Scurry extends his arm to Lost. "Darling, would you be my drunken conquest for this evening, at least until we get the read on our recon?"
Lost can't help but laugh, hooking an arm with Scurry, "Well, of course, dear." She responds, quickly switching back to the commline, « Wannabe playboy, huh? Might've been useful to know before he was in the wind. Any idea where he might be right now? »
« Still poking the light for him, nothing at this moment. Do either of you know of bondage clubs, in the area? Maybe with the exposed brick walls. » The digital distortion lifts from the line.
Scurry will stumble out with Lost into the streets. And stumble is the key word here as he works towards what is likely the security detail as keenly identified by Lost.
Lost shakes her head, laughing at Scurry as he stumbles. « Not really my scene. » She transmits, « Although… I think there's a place in Mission Hills that'd fit that description. »
« Great drek neighborhood, just moved there. Scanning » The fairy wisps off to search the grid.
Posh approaches Lost and Scurry from where Loretta was parked, having enjoyed a cigarette and a few calls to do other business from time to time, on the side. "So it sound like Lucia found that this guy's bolthole is likely to be exposed brick?" she asks. "Are you able to use your spirit to check everyone in the area? There's probably only going to be a handful of places like that.
«Plot» Posh says, "There are only about a dozen or so residential addresses that correspond to buildings in this immediate area, near the car, that have the exposed brick. This is a reasonable amount of time to have your spirit check where they are."
Scurry stares off into the distance for a moment, before he exhales. His breath forms mist in the frigid night air. "Elemental on its way," He confirms. "We should know immediately."
«Plot» Posh says, "Among the dozen or so addresses that your decker managed to narrow you down to, your spirit finds only one that has an occupant that is likely to be heavily cybered. It's on the second floor of an apartment building in a single A zone. Lucia finds in further pictures about the guy bragging about his 'sweet home setup: indeed, what we've got is a guy who'd planned and armed himself for extraction, and has some nasty toys to pull it off with. It seems that he keeps a Steel Lynx with an auto shotgun…/inside/ his apartment, judging by his proudest photograph. Riggers."
"This seems like a rather hairy one," says Posh. "What it appears we have to do is assault a man's home in an A zone, while he has a rather powerful defense drone, neutralize him, steal a computer, and get away without alerting the law," she says, turning to Scurry. "And we only have like twenty minutes to do it in. Well, what do you think?" she asks. "Do we do it the fast way - I get my gyrojets, blow up the drone, and we skedaddle in Loretta? Or do you have a better plan? I don't like that plan at all, by the way."
Commlink-Scurry> Scurry sends, « So. Here's the location. It's this specific apartment,s econd floor. Single building. He's a rigger through and through, and he's armed to the tits. There's some sort of… really big drone, I think, with some sort of auto-fire shotgun. Inside the apartment. We aren't going to be doing the extraction. »
Commlink-Posh> Posh sends, « Are you still sure? It's one man. And there's three of us, and two of us are powerful mages. I mean, I think that's why we were hired by this - we've already been able to find him. Come on. What's the best you can do against drones? We go invisible somehow, right? If I take drugs, I think I can also…literally take a drone out in hand to hand. »
Commlink-Scurry> Scurry sends, « Yeah but we also have a powerful mage and some cybered hulk-beast on their way. »
Commlink-Scurry> Scurry sends, « I have a better idea. »
Commlink-Posh> Posh sends, « What's that? »
The news of a drone is most unwelcome, and Lost frowns accordingly. "Definitely don't like the idea of making so much noise in this zone. And, well… there's not a lot you can do with magic against drones… other than toss lightning at them, I guess. I mean… this guy seems to be preparing for his extraction, but… considering his profile, he seems like the sort who'd fall for a honey pot… don't think there's time for that, though." She shrugs before looking to Scurry, tilting her head, "Any ideas?"
Standing up straight, Scurry steps into the darker enclave of whatever is available— phonebooth/videobooth, alley, etc. He takes a moment with his hands centered on his stomach. After that moment, he exhales again into the frosty air. His words are sharp like the cold, and his hands move around him as if working with the physical mist his breath generates. His eyes are fully closed while he concentrates, his mouth moving quickly as his breath on the air condenses around him.
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Centering vs TN 6:
2 4 9 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Sorcery + 6 + 6 + 4 vs TN 6 for "Disguise Self F6. R6 power focus, 6 spell pool, 4 Air elemental.":
1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 10 14 = 2 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Sorcery + 6 + 6 + 4 - 2 vs TN 6 for "KP1 Disguise Self F6.":
1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 5 5 11 11 = 2 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Sorcery + 6 + 6 + 4 - 4 vs TN 6 for "KP3 Disguise Self F6.":
1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 10 11 = 2 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Centering vs TN 4:
1 4 5 = 2 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Willpower vs TN 4 for "Resisting L Drain":
1 2 2 3 7 11 = 2 Successes
«Plot» Scurry says, "6 succs on F6 Disguise Self. Full soak on L drain. Standing."
«Plot» Posh says, "Pose what your disguise is and what any of you are doing. It seems like you have approximately 20 IC minutes before the pair of people headed towards the target's address on foot, based on what it seems when Posh plugs them into her pocsec's mapping system, though they would likely break into a run if there were obvious disturbance from the address. It will take approximately 5 minutes brisk walk for everyone to get there."
Posh looks at Lost questioningly as Scurry disappears into the nearest convenient cubby.
The mist thickens around Scurry as if the physical spell were growing… thicker. He continues his chanting, bringing his hands to a full spread halt. The air congeals like the surface tension of plastic against water before it bursts, and all at once, the mist evaporates.
Scurry smiles back at Posh and Lost through the face of the security mage sent to safely extract the rigger. "Do you think you can distract the mage and the security guy while I work on the rigger?" Scurry asks.
Posh looks a little impressed at Scurry, as his spell reveals a completely different person. "Well," she says. "So what's the plan? Lost and I go and distract the extraction team?" she asks.
Lucia unplugs from the matrix, the fairy persona fades to nothing as she pulls the cord from her jack. She touches a finger to her throat, « Anything you guys think you need on my end? I'm going to huff it in your direction in the meantime. » Lucia finishes packing up her deck and bag, slings it over her shoulder and briskly walks to the meet.
As Scurry emerges as someone else, Lost hmms softly, "This just might work. If we can buy Scurry enough time, he should able to recover the target's computer at least. And that's all the client cares about, right? Knock out the target, grab his computer, and get out of there. This could work." She repeats, nodding to herself.
Commlink-Scurry> Scurry sends, « Well, I could use some backup. Magic only gets us so far, and the guy has mega guns. Someone to distract the extraction team, someone to help me. »
Commlink-Posh> Posh sends, « Tell me how the cybered target looked, Scurry, I could approximate their appearance, hair and eye color… »
Posh gives a smile to Lost, then to Scurry. "I think if we have the three of us, though, we've got a chance. Lost, can you go invisible?" she asks. "If we have a ten minute window, then we could have Lucia cover the building entrance while Lost stays invisible, and you and I pretend to be the extraction team, and we bust our way in. We take an opportunity to take him out quickly, nab the computer, and get the hell out of there, hopefully not activating the drone. Is that a workable idea?"
«Plot» Posh says, "If you agree, pose and like…mention and roll any prep, I'll save it to the log when I get back."
"Totes deal," Scurry says.
"Sure, just tell me where you want me." Lost replies, "As long as you can delay the extraction team, they shouldn't be able to spot me." That said, she takes a breath and moves to the relatively private area Scurry had cast his own spell in, out of sight of whatever foot traffic there might be around.
Commlink-Lucia> Lucia sends, « Cover the door, surrre. »
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Disguise for "+2 hair, eyes":
1 1 2 3
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Disguise for "+2 hair, eyes KP reroll":
2 4 4 5
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Disguise for "+2 hair, eyes KP reroll 3 spent":
1 4 4 17
The team reaches the entrance to the apartment building. It's middle lifestyle, so there's a rating 6 cardreader there, although no cameras or additional security. There's also panicbutton hookup in each of the apartments. Posh goes to work with her multitools, and tool laser on the card reader housing, to try and help the team get in quickly.
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Electronics B/R:
3 3 4 5
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Electronics B/R vs TN 6 for "reroll 1 (4 spent)":
1 3 9 9 = 2 Successes
«Plot» Posh says, "Housing off in 3 minutes"
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 1 for "Someone coming in or out? Another tenant?":
4
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Electronics + 1 vs TN 6 for "task pool, breaking in":
1 2 4 4 11 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Electronics + 1 - 1 vs TN 6 for "task pool, breaking in":
2 2 3 5 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Electronics + 1 - 1 vs TN 6 for "task pool, breaking in KP 3 (6 spent)":
2 3 3 5 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Electronics + 1 - 1 vs TN 6 for "task pool, breaking in KP 4 (10 spent)":
1 1 4 15 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Sorcery + Spell Pool: 4 vs TN 6 for "F1 Improved Invis.":
1 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 7 17 = 2 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Sorcery + Spell Pool: 4 - 2 vs TN 6 for "F1 Improved Invis. KP1":
1 1 3 4 4 4 5 11 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Lost (#4658) rolls Willpower + Spell Pool: 2 vs TN 3 for "Resisting M stun":
1 1 2 3 4 4 4 11 = 5 Successes
«Plot» Posh says, "Lucia is covering the approach. The door is defeated in a total of 6 minutes, leaving 9 minutes before the other team seems likely arrive; checking the astral with your air elemental confirms that expectation so far. There is no physical security at this location, and the team is able to ascend the stairs to the second floor, Lucia covering from a small park across the street."
Scurry follows behind Lost. His face, now unfamiliar, is settled into an unfamiliar expression as he lets POsh take lead.
Lucia approaches the building from an alleyway next to the apartment, she walks casually across the street to a bench opposite the entrance, with her face down, bag around her shoulder she plops lazily on the bench. Gently placing her bag on the bench under her arm and pulling her pocket secretary out in the same pose. She pulls a stick of gum from a breast pocket and sucks it between her lips, glossing them with a flick of her tongue. She brings a knee to her chest as she casually flicks through the small electronic device breaking her eyes only to scan the street.
Scurry knocks thrice upon the door.
Scurry really knocks, too. He's supposed to be here.
A voice speaks from the intercom. "Lazarus?"
"Here for the exchange," Scurry says, in the voice of another. "Here for another."
There's a moment's pause. "All right, you look like the image on the chip. Opening up. The other one with you?"
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 1 for "????":
16
«Plot» Posh says, "Oh my."
Scurry says nothing, but gestures to Posh with a nod of his head. He's all business. His eyes are flat.
The maglock of the door releases. It seems like entry is being admitted. "Come on in. I'm worried they might have sent a team after me. I've got protection here, before we bounce. I've got the goods, too."
Scurry enters the room, arms crossed. He takes out his pocsec as if to look at the time, but it serves a secondary purpose: tilted at the right angle, it provides POsh and Lost (behind him) the reflection of the surface in the front of the room. Advanced Shadowrunner Tactics.
Being invisible, Lost has to time her entrance, hugging close behind Scurry as the team is invited into the unwitting mark's apartment. « Get him to show us the computer, then we knock him out. Easy peasy… as long as his drone doesn't auto attack us or something… »
The drone is sitting right there in the living room, its bulk taking up a good quarter of the room, though it's not actually as big as its living, right there presence looks. "Pretty neat, right?" asks the security guy, a rather nerdy, balding human in his late thirties, total hipster. A nearby cyberterminal, clearly incongruous to the space, is set up nearby, right within plain view.
Posh says nothing at first, letting Scurry speak a little bit as she walks over, just like she's vaguely curious. "Not bad," she says. "We're not set up to bring that with us, though," she says, cooly.
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Etiquette + 4 vs TN 8 for "CTP2":
1 1 2 3 4 5 5 8 10 11 = 3 Successes
"No problem says the guy. "I just need about ten minutes to get ready, and then we can head, okay? This is my whole life I'm dropping here." He does indeed seem to be in the middle of packing.
«Plot» Posh says, "Unfortunately that would overlap when they are supposed to arrive just barely. You are early, after all."
"Your data is what matters now. If you comply, we will not only match an itemized list, we will provide superior equipment. We treat our people very well," Scurry emphasizes by lowering his head to gaze at the man.
"You've got it, just about ten minutes! This stuff is irreplaceable." It seems he's mostly gathering together his security notes, private information, nostalgic knick-knacks, the things that make a house a home. It seems that either Lucia will have to intervene to create some sort of delay to get the guy to leave, or you'll have to quickly take him down without rousing the interest of the drone.
«Plot» Lost says, "Any chance I can stunbolt him without the drone taking notice?"
«Plot» Posh says, "The drone is likely on his RCD. So that means if you can stunbolt him down without him alerted, that would be one approach."
«Plot» Scurry says, "And being invisible, you have the power of surprise."
The steel lynx, about the size of a small bear, almost shivers in the corner of the room, with the murderous anticipation of a pet pitbull.
«Plot» Posh says, "IN short, if you don't drop him in one, the drone is alerted and will remain alerted even if he is subsequently rendered unconscious."
«Plot» Posh says, "and the drone is armed with an underslung autoshotgun"
«Plot» Posh says, "Messy, here at close range"
«Plot» Lost says, "Hmm. BG 2 and I'm sustaining a spell. I don't really like those odds."
«Plot» Scurry says, "I'll assign my held spell to my air elemental"
«Plot» Scurry says, "For this turn."
«Plot» Scurry says, "Does BG add 2 for every 1 to the TN, or is it 1 for 1, and only 2 for 1 to drain?"
«Plot» Posh says, "BG count 2. It adds +2 TN to spell tests and drain tests."
«Plot» Scurry says, "K. What's his willpower?"
«Plot» Posh says, "4"
"Just a moment," Scurry says. "Client call. Take your time."
Scurry begins to speak quietly, in latin.
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Centering vs TN 6:
3 3 9 = 1 Success
Posh just tries to relax, settling into the 'supervisory' attitude that she feels is appropriate for her role as a false member of an extraction team at this point.
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Etiquette + 4 vs TN 8 for "Keepin' it cool":
1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 5 15 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Sorcery + 6 + 6 + 4 vs TN 6 for "Stunbolt F6 D Damage, 6 Power foci, 6 spell pool, 4 Fire elemental assist.":
1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 9 9 = 2 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Sorcery + 6 + 6 + 4 - 2 vs TN 6 for "KP3":
1 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 7 10 17 = 3 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Sorcery + 6 + 6 + 4 - 5 vs TN 6 for "KP4":
1 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 7 8 9 15 16 17 = 6 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 4 vs TN 8 for "Spell resist":
2 5 5 7 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 4 vs TN 8 for "Spell resist KP 1/10":
2 3 4 5 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 4 vs TN 8 for "Spell resist KP 3/10":
1 3 11 14 = 2 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 5 vs TN 6 for "Soaking":
2 4 5 5 8 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 5 - 1 vs TN 6 for "Soaking KP 4/10":
1 2 3 4 = 0 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 5 - 1 vs TN 6 for "Soaking KP 6/10":
2 2 5 9 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls 5 - 2 vs TN 6 for "Soaking KP 9/10":
1 2 11 = 1 Success
«Plot» Scurry says, "I win! ^_^ Stage that sucker up!"
The target, or rather, the person who stole the target, collapses suddenly to the ground as Scurry's intensely powerful spell, a Force 6 D stunbolt cast in an A zone, immediately alarms several nearby spirits. It's not going tobe long until there's a polie response, and while there's probably still a few minutes before the extraction team arrive, you'd better cleanse that sucker, and fast.
«Plot» Scurry says, "In addition, characters resisting Drain in an area with background count suffer a +1 Drain target number modifier for every 2 points of background count"
«Plot» Scurry says, "From MitS"
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Willpower vs TN 3 for "Resisting D drain":
1 1 4 4 4 13 = 4 Successes
«Plot» Posh says, "M drain. Pose needing a bloody mary."
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Centering vs TN 3:
2 3 7 = 2 Successes
«Plot» Scurry says, "L drain!"
Posh glances around, still looking very suspiciously at that steel lynx, which continues to just observe. Posh comms «It might not want me to go near to the computer. Lost, do you mind picking up the target computer» Posh indicates the computer in question, now backing away slowly from the unconscious rigger and the steel lynx.
"Dormi!" Scurry hisses through clenched teeth, drawing his fingers like a claw in a sharp motion before extending it to the rigger.
Scurry snaps his phone shut. "Dormi," He says.
Lost is impressed by the powerful spell Scurry works. She would nod to Posh, but it wouldn't matter, so instead she speaks aloud, "Ok. I'll grab the computer. Scurry, you're going to want to scrub that signature. It's time to bolt." She moves to grab the computer, « Lucia, the target is down. Hopefully we'll be clear before the extraction team gets here. »
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Sorcery + 6 + 6 vs TN 6:
1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 5 5 5 8 9 10 11 11 = 5 Successes
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Willpower vs TN 6:
1 2 3 4 5 16 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Centering vs TN 6:
1 3 23 = 1 Success
«Auto-Judge[]» Scurry (#1304) rolls Centering vs TN 6:
1 2 5 = 0 Successes
Scurry takes time to clear the signature from the spell, working under similar conditions while Posh and Lost clean house. "Can someone get the car ready? We literally have minutes."
With the computer secured, and the drone not awakened, Posh is a little surprised that Scurry was able to short-circuit the drone like that, but she's not complaining. «Well done» she comms. «Now let's get the hell out of here» And backing away from the drone nonthreateningly, she moves to leave, hopefully abandoning the man to have a very uncomfortable conversation with the real extraction team when they arrive.
Scurry follows hot on Posh's heels.
Commlink-Posh> Posh sends, « Lost, can you have Loretta pull herself around? »
Commlink-Lucia> Lucia sends, « Mmmhmmm, Streets scan normal. »
« Sure. » Lost replies as the team scrambles to leave the apartment. As soon as they're clear of the drone, she hands the target's computer off to Posh, producing her PocSec and commanding Loretta's AutoNav to bring the vehicle nearby. Hopefully there isn't much traffic. « She's on her way. I guess you're the best driver out of all of us, Posh… so you take the wheel. »
Lucia pushes off from the bench, grabbing her bag, she looks each way before crossing the street. A brisk walk to the pick-up spot.
Posh stops the vehicle and grins over Lucia, making sure Loretta's door open, giving a grateful smile to Lost. "Thansk for letting me drive…"
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Smuggling Routes + 1 for "task pool":
1 1 2 4
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Smuggling Routes + 1 for "task pool karma":
2 3 3 5
«Auto-Judge[]» Posh (#11342) rolls Car:
1 3 4 10 10
Lucia steps into the vehicle, bracing a hand against the frame of the door to push herself in. "All's good?" She grins to Posh.
Posh pushes on the gas and peels Loretta out, the awesome muscle sedan a class getaway vehicle indeed. Posh takes a few backstreets to make sure that any tails are dropped, and then contacts the client, putting them on speaker phone. «Ahh…thank you indeed. The target is secured. Payment authorized. Your teams are managing to solve quite a few headaches for me, Posh.» The call ends, abruptly, the accented voice on the other end having sounded quite satisfied.
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