Slums of Berlin IC

[SleepyBadger]

OoC Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?369674-Slums-of-Berlin-OoC)

You're almost back home from your daily walk when your commlink starts buzzing discretely. Not that your lifestyle would ever require daily walks. Your current budget does though. No work, no pay. And who would want to sit around in a sorry excuse of an apartment all day? Walking is still free at least, you tell yourself while instructing your comm to answer.

“They need a specialist team,” you hear your fixer say as you wave away the semi-transparent hologram of him appearing in front of you, in order to find the fingerprint reader opening your apartment door.

“What team? What for?” you ask.

“Simple job. Get in, grab stuff and go. You're in Berlin now, right? Are you in? They want to set up a meeting with Mr Johnson asap.”

The question is rhetorical and you know it. Of course you're in. There aren't too many jobs in Berlin to be had right now. Not for virtually unknown solo runners that is.

"Mr Johnson will be at the Two Happy Trolls at the Kaiserdamm in an hour. He reserved a room for you. The password is Marienkäfer. He also indicated that he invited others as well. Apparently the whole specialist team."

You already know the Two Happy Trolls from hearsay. The fancy pub was opened less than a year ago, yet it has already attracted enough wealty suits and prime runners to become famous for its discretion. So Mr Johnson must have enough creds to afford the place... or he must be foolish enough to use it.

And the virtual clock starts ticking...

[Jon D]

Bloodhound smiled to himself. Leave it to the german language to pick a name a password for a bar that translates to ladybug. Still, it was fairly high end, and a discretely armored business suit would provide the proper look to allow him to be seen without being noticed. A side arm to accessorize and he would be ready to go.

But just to be on the same side, he loaded some gear into the trunk of his car before he left, trusting that such a place as a runner bar would have decent security.

[Arilus]

Finishing her conversation, Atheris walked into her one-room apartment, feeling a pleasant tingling sensation as she passed through the ward encasing the magical lodge inside. Besides the few necessities, the room was littered with a variety of mystical items from several traditions. As always, she wished the fixer would be a little more specific. But it's not like she has the luxury of being too picky at the moment. As she tried to stay prepared in case someone tracks her down, she already had her gear on her. After a quick check, she resecured her home and headed for the nearest U-Bahnhof.

[Alberic Strein]

Karl ended the call, then opened a new one almost immediately.

"Hey dear. How are you? Hmhm? Shift is barely over right? Hm? No sorry I can't come tonight. You remember the guy I told you about a few weeks back? Yeah, the "that" as you say. He just called me, I got work. Listen dear... I might take me a while and... Well, if it's... Well, you know... If I don't come back, you know where to shoot, okay? Yeah... Yeah I'll be careful I swear. Nah, I don't need help, you've got your "legal" job, don't you? Do your thing and let me do mine. Stop worrying like that, you know me, I'm immortal. Yeah... Gotta go. Me too my love. Bye."

At least this way, if the fixer screws him over, Karl will at least die thinking that bastard will get a double barreled visit soon after.

Karl then returns to his small, very very small office which doubles as his appartment.

How did three people ever fit in here?

He changes his clothing, taking out his synergist business line and puts a cheap but clean poncho over it. He takes his telescoping staff and puts his gun in the trunk of his chopper as well as the stuff he can get away with carrying. You're never too careful.

Once he arrives at the pub, he will take off his poncho and put it in the trunk with the rest.

But while his bike drives itself to the pub, he searches for information about the pub, trying to find plans if possible, as well a the security procedures and to who's territory it belongs.

As he comes in sight of the pub, he scans it, and the surroundings, with his astral sight.

And then, depending on the results, he takes off his poncho, parks his bike, and goes in.

[TheMightyQuinn]

Deadman

*Pauusing a moment as his eye buzzes, Deadman runbs at the 'ware absently while turning the ringer down on his comm. There was always some weird connection with all the machines. His eye wasn't supposed to buzz. Evidently that didn't matter much to the eye.*

*Listening to the information on the job, Deadman gives a weary sigh when the fixer asks him if he's interested.*
"You know better than to ask that - if you're calling me it means you know I haven't worked in a while and i'll be willing to give you thirteen percent rather than the standard ten. Yeah. I'll be there."

*Stepping inside his apartment long enough to water his fern and pull some dress slacks and coat, he sets the display on his jumpsuit to look like a nice tucked in dress shirt before he heads out the door to catch a cab. I stay in town much longer and I'm going to have to start looking for some wheels of my own.*

[Alberic Strein]

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1hit


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2 hits

[Maugan Ra]

Zephyr hangs up the phone and nods to himself in a contemplative fashion. A new team... interesting. One put together by Mr Johnson himself, no less. Most clients preferred to leave such work to the Fixers they contacted for the initial setup, so this already indicated a deliberate display of power and knowledge. Whoever this was, they knew what they wanted and had the information at their disposal to set things up properly.

Smiling slightly, the man in the grey suit changes his course and begins heading for the meet. Normally he would take a car, but it's not too far from where he happens to be at the moment anyway, and the exercise will do him good.

[Mr.D]

Ajax smiled as the call came in and his smile grew as it continued, ending it with an excited "Yeah, cool cool. I'll be there in no time" he basically danced across the room as he collected his 'work jacket'. Slipping the armoured coat on as he went out the door.

Work! IT's about time.. the thought of working with a team was a bonus to him too. Although perfectly happy to spend all his time in the company of his drones, biological company was nice too.

He opened the door to his Truck and slipped inside "Good morning beautiful... he announced as the dashboard sprung into life and the engine started to hum How are we today my darling? Good? Ready for work? I know you are!"since he usually worked in or near his van he knew all his gear was already packed up, besides he spent most nights out here tinkering "Let's just check on the boys in the back eh?" he brought a display into his view, listing the names and statuses of his personal team of war machines "Everyone is looking good! All locked and loaded, then let's go!" as the truck pulled away into traffic and he sets off for the rendezvous he took the chance to practice his German, by repeating the password to himself over and over "Marienkäfer,Marienkäfer,Marienkäfer,Marienkäfer..."

[SleepyBadger]

The owner of the pub is a fairly newly registered company called Bessere Welt GmbH (Better World Ltd), which seems to run similar facilities in other bigger German cities as well.
The outer walls of the Two Happy Trolls seem to be resistant to astral probes. You see a barrier in the Astral as well.

[Alberic Strein]

"Tsk."

Karl wished he had more time, but the fixer did say "as soon as possible"

He parked his bike, took off his poncho, and went to enter the pub.

[Arilus]

Emerging out of U-Bahnhof Kaiserdamm, Atheris followed her mapsoft's directions to the Two Happy Trolls. Seeing the pub ahead, she sat against a nearby building and projected, the city becoming a mere reflection of itself on the astral plane. Heading towards the building, she saw the telltale opacity of a barrier. She couldn't think of a good reason to try to force her way through, so she returned to her body. Feeling somewhat more secure in the knowledge that the meeting place had magical protection, Atheris headed in.

[TheMightyQuinn]

Deadman

*As the taxi rolls down the cramped streets, Nico stares out the window at the passing traffic. The cold grey streets and dark shadows that seemed to stretch forever. He could block it out with AR overlays, but that wasn't his style. The truth preferrable to lies after all.*

*When the taxi finally pulls to a stop, Nico authorizes the cred transfer and steps out with a sigh, buttoning his coat before walking through the door purposefully. It was time to work.*

*Moving up to the bar, he raps hard on the counter to get the barktenders attention before leaning close enough for only the two of them to hear - not hard over the ambient noise.*
"Marienkäfer. Which room?"

[Marius]

Rayner "hangs up" with the fixer and shouts, Yes! Finally! Which makes the people around him jump. He was barely able to contain his excitement during the call, he really needs the money and this is the first job he's got since he arrived to Berlin. Seems like Cat Sith made good on her promise of putting the good word for him on the streets. He runs to his apartment and tells Kamilla all of it while he gears up. So I don't know when I'll be back. Please remember to eat, I'll try to check up on your soon. The girl doesn't even look at him, she haven't look at anything in a long time but Rayner still can't get used to it. He get on his enclosed bike and takes off.

The pub seems too upscale for Rayner, he hopes that they won't charge him for the parking while he drops off his bike and heads for the door. He focus his senses a bit, checking the place from the other side. He hesitates a bit thinking if going in with his full gear is a good idea. The coat covers most of it but in a place like this, they'll notice for sure. Better safe than sorry, if they want me to leave them I'm sure they'll tell me. Entering the bar he moves straight for the bartender, mumbles the password and asked to be shown the way.

[Maugan Ra]

Zephyr steps through the door of the Two Trolls a moment or two after Rayner, his eyes taking on a visibly metallic blue tint in the gloom of an indoor environment. A quick glance around confirms that no one is about to ambush him, and he makes his way over to the bar.

It is not hard to identify the others who have been called here much as he has - all move with distinctive purpose, and carry themselves with a kind of dangerous capability only the experienced can truly affect. He studies them quietly, even as he walks over to the room indicated by the bartender.

If we want to get some PC interaction going, anyone can feel free to notice the sharply dressed man watching them and respond appropriately.

[TheMightyQuinn]

Deadman

*As the bartender points to one of the back halls, Nico nods and turns to walk that way when he spots the likely candidates for his teammates*

*Well - never judge a book by its cover but at least none of them came in packing an assault cannon.
Waiting for one of the other runners to approach the door Nico nods ever so slightly*
"Marienkafer?"

[Mr.D]

Ajax pulls up outside the pub, he makes sure that he gets a space with room enough for he drones to deply out of the back Just in case....

His hand hovers over the handle of his combat axe for a second "They would probably find that a bit rude" instead he just picked up his HK, putting the strap over his head and slipping the gun under his jacket. He didn't attempt to hide it too well, he wanted people to know he was able to defend himself Just in case....

Outside the van he looked himself over in the wing mirror, pulling his cap low to hide his scruffy hair and straightening his beard before wiping his constantly oily hands on his dungarees. It was the best he could manage.

Entering the pub he makes his way straight for the bar, jumping onto a stool so that he can get the barman's attention he leans in "Marienkäfer, did I pronounce that right?"

[SleepyBadger]

You're all lead by the waiters to the back area through various corridors until you arrive in a small room with several lockers and cupboards at the walls. You can also see a few tables around with refreshments. There's another exit from the area through a kind of sluice gate very similar to what you can see at airports.
A tall elf dressed in a classic black suit is standing at the gate, waiting.
"Welcome to our humble facility, lady and gentlemen," he says. "I understand this is the first visit here for all of you, hence I'd like to explain our guidelines. No weapons are allowed to enter the meeting room. People with in-built models will have to use our neutralizers. Magicians will wear our special anti-mana helmets. We apologize for the inconvenience this might cause you but we're forced to do this for the safety of our clients."
He motions to the lockers at the walls.
"Your belongings will be safely locked away during the meeting," the elf continues. "Please tell me what type of neutralizers you will need. I'm also told that Mr Johnson hand-picked his next team this time and you don't know each other. If that feels more appropriate for you, please have a few drinks and introduce yourselves to each other."

[Maugan Ra]

"Always nice to deal with someone who understands the value of discretion." The man in the pale grey suit says calmly, artificial eyes scanning the room and the other occupants. With calm, careful motions, he opens his suit jacket and withdraws a heavy pistol from a concealed holster hidden underneath. The weapon is placed in one of the lockers, and the key stowed inside his jacket pocket, and then he nods to the elf. "I am extensively augmented, but without any installed weapon systems. I trust that will be sufficient."

That done, he turns to regard the other prospective runners. "I am Zephyr." He says, by way of introduction. "My specialities are combat, security and formal negotiations."

[Arilus]

As Atheris was being led towards the meeting location, she privately wondered if there was any significance to Marienkäfer or if it was randomly selected. Though many think of ladybirds as cute and harmless, many coccinellids are also fearsome predators that ruthlessly devour aphids and other sternorrhynchans from the moment they hatch.

She was shaken out of her reverie by the elf informing them of security procedures. She was ambivalent about the measures required. On the one hand, she would be completely at the mercy of her hosts. On the other hand, everyone else would be too. She briefly considered pretending to be mundane, but quickly discarded the notion. Any establishment that is this security-conscious likely had at least a mage and possibly some spirits monitoring astral space.

"I will require a mana neutralizer," she begrudgingly informed the elf while depositing her Predator and knife in a locker. Whatever device they had would not truly take away her Awakened abilities, as she had never read of a way to temporarily accomplish such a feat, but it would likely prove quite painful if she attempted to do so.

"I'm Atheris," she continued, turning her attention to the other runners, not bothering to state her talents. She did not like giving out such information to strangers, and any semi-competant runner could probably figure it out anyways. Before she had to put on the "anti-mana helmet," she wanted to get a look at their auras. Her AR feed disappeared from her vision as she shifted her perception and inspected the members of the potential team, only taking the time to look for anything obvious. She kept her "eyes" open for the astral security in the area as well; she was curious, but she also wanted to make sure she didn't trigger any alarms.

Assensing (Aura Reading): [roll0]: 4 Hits

[Jon D]

Before placing is sidearm in a secure locker, Bloodhound takes a moment to clear and safety it first, replacing the magazine in his pocket. He also places his fighting gloves there as well, just to be on the safe side, although when he got the bone lacing augs he was planning for, not having the gloves wouldn't matter as much.

When finished, he turns to the host, "I have no weapon augmentations, although I am combat enhanced." Helping himself to a cold bottle of water, he turned to reply to Zephyr.

"I go by Bloodhound. It is both title and descriptive, as I specialize in tracking and forensics, as well as combat."

[SleepyBadger]

Your host opens one of the cupboards and hands a titanium helmet to Atheris.
"Pressing this button will activate the field," he says.
There are two other awakened people in your team, and on the rest of them you can see various cyberware. Neither of them appears to be sick or diseased, and their inner excitement on the new job mirrors your own. To your mild surprise the elf in the black suit is not magically active... however you also notice two air spirits near the gates.
OoC: if you want more information on a character in particular, you will have to examine the person separately.

[Arilus]

Atheris accepted the helmet, though she was planning on waiting to wear and activate it until the group was ready to proceed to the meeting. She had learned what she wanted with her astral appraisal and shifted her senses back, comforted by the AR interface of her glasses reappearing in her vision. She was pleased by Bloodhound's stated specialties, as they were similar to her own but probably different in their mechanism. Now that she had a beat on the runners, she felt comfortable enough to inform them of her own skill set.

"I too am an 'investigator,' though my methods are magical and technological in nature."

[Mr.D]

Ajax is pushing some free food into his mouth with one hand and his gun into a locker with the other "Pleased to meet you. My name is Ajax. I'm a tinkerer. Drones and vehicles mostly." he says in his best German, hoping it doesn't sound too silly. After closing the locker he turns and smiles at the team and taking his cap off performs an exaggerated bow before putting it back on and grabbing something else to eat.


I'm not sure exactly how good Ajax's level of German knowledge makes him? His skill rating plus INT comes out at 11 so I'm assuming he's fairly competent?

[Alberic Strein]

Karl was not thrilled. To be precise, the level at which he was not thrilled by the prospect of letting go of his last weapon, his last line of defence could not be appropriately expressed in the German language. or any language for that matter.

He still -slowly- draws his telescoping staff and hands it over. Yes, yes that will be all. No I don't need a mana canceller, I'm no mage, thank you very much.

The rest of the team start introducing themselves. Oh yeah, that.

Well, it seems the run will have something to do with investigating.

"Karl. I worked as a private eye for a few years. Also, if there is value knowing something, then odds are I know someone who knows someone who is ready to sell the information. Oh, sorry, is this a non-smoking area?"

He says before pulling out a cigarette.

Karl, while excited (hey, first run!) is wary of the situation and actively takes control of his movements, his behaviour, trying to blend in without making a mistake and to prevent others from judging his intentions.

etiquette [roll0]
(see ooc) end result: 6 hits

[TheMightyQuinn]

Deadman

*With a raised eyebrow, Nico shrugs before disarming himself of his various weapons - none are anything the other runners hadn't seen before. Turning to their host, Nico closes the locker and pulls a pair of rapelling gloves over his metal hands.*
"Not much else you can disable on me. Nothing hidden for you to worry about, though I'm sure you've got MAD scanners to confirm that."

*With a shrug, he turns to the refreshment table and picks up a couple bits of food along with a bottle of water. Zephy. Atheris. Bloodhound. Ajax. Karl. Fascinating assortment. What kind of job would they be doing? They were professionals - otherwise they wouldn't be here, but whether or not they'd work well together remained to be seen.*
"Hoi. Handles Deadman. I specialize in infiltration, though I'm no dead weight in a fight. I just prefer to keep it from getting to that point. Ain't got no wiz powers to fall back on. What you see is what you get."

*Noting the snap as the lid to the water comes off, he takes a slow sip and looks around the room, his own obviously chrome eyes as hard to read as Zepyrs.*
"So, the question that comes to my mind - anyone have issues with setting their ego aside long enough to work together and not get killed. Ain't got no problem with it myself. Glory and fame don't pay the rent. Also - I ain't so good with people. Trying, but just not my strong point. Prolly don't want me negotiating with the Johnson. Just sayin."

[Maugan Ra]

Zephyr raises one eyebrow. "I think I might be vaguely insulted that you actually needed to ask." he says mildly. "I expect some difficulties working together - none of us have met before, and doubtless each of us has our own preferred methods of operation - but nothing that cannot be worked around. "

Slowly, he regards each of the team in turn. "Given the nature of our capabilities, I would expect this mission to be somewhat heavier on the legwork than most. Which is quite acceptable to me, provided the pay is good."

He turns back towards the elf in the suit. "On which note, let us start this meeting. Keeping Mr Johnson waiting seems... impolite."

[Mr.D]

Ajax bursts into a short laugh "Ego? Yeah my ego is so massive I got dressed up all special!" he motions to his clothes, typically grubby his old denim dungarees covering his old shirt. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll all get along fine! We're all professionals right?" his tone in genuine and friendly.

[Arilus]

Atheris thought she understood the alias of Deadman. Besides the obvious glint of chrome, most of his body was shadows when viewed on the astral plane. She always found augmentation to that extent both unsettling and enviable. Unsettling because of how it eroded their essentia, envious because of the transhumanism it represented.

"I wouldn't dream of compromising operational efficiency," she replied in her characteristic technical manner, omitting the amendment of unless Snake sees information worth risking bodily harm for.

[TheMightyQuinn]

Deadman

*Nico shrugs and finishes off the water quickly, wiping the spot where his lips touched clean before tossing the bottle into the trash.*
"No need to be insulted. Told ya I'm not great with people. I don't play games and I don't tiptoe through a conversation. I have something to say, I'll say it and move on. I will say you're right - let's do this. I hate to keep my employers waiting. Tends to make 'em stingy."

*Stopping a moment, Nico holds out a hand for Atheris to go first. *
"Ladies first."

[Arilus]

"And they say chivalry is dead," Atheris replied with an ironic smile, finally putting the smooth metal helmet on and pressing the indicated button as she headed towards the gate. She wanted to be sure the device was activated before she passed the two spirits she knew would still be standing guard.

[Alberic Strein]

Karl enjoyed Deadman's valiant effort to make sure the team had some basic level of cohesion as a group and noted the reactions from his future teammates.

He sighed. Unlike Deadman, he was good with people and he knew it, but it was his first run and he had absolutely no idea how to react and what he could do.

"Before we go in, shouldn't we exchange numbers so we can communicate?"

That would be a plus. A team is always harder to treat with.

But anyway, whether his proposal gets a hearsay or not, he follows suit behind the rest of the team.

[TheMightyQuinn]

Deadman

"Numbers? Hm. Practical - I like that. Might as well do it now."
*Setting his comm to public, he shares his info with the others - a team had to trust each other to work together.Besides - he'd put money on the fact that every one of them was running under a false name. They were easy to ditch.*

[Arilus]

Atheris slowed her approach as she silently complied. She had a suspicion that their hosts would have some sort of electronic countermeasures running in the meeting room, but they would need to set up a communications system if they ended up accepting the job at some point anyways. She routed the commcode exchanges through her Meta Link decoy as she began setting up the architecture of a secure network. After a few moments and reassigning her encryption program, she sent out an invitation from her custom commlink followed by a key if the recipient accepted.

falsche_Schlange subscribes to Mr_Johnson's_Runners
falsche_Schlange invites you to Mr_Johnson's_Runners

Atheris had no intention of communicating through a public network, after all. That would be exceedingly easy to eavesdrop on. This way, someone would have to work to get through her firewall and then decrypt the ciphertext. A determined adversary would be able to penetrate the LAN, but at least it'd take them a while.

[Maugan Ra]

Zephyr considers for a moment, then shakes his head. "I would like to hear the proposed job first." he says by way of explanation. "No need to trade information until we know if this work is even worth taking."

[Arilus]

"Perhaps," Atheris contributed. "Unless discretion is your goal," she finished pointedly, figuring the subtext of the statement was plain enough. Without a private network, the prospective runners would only be able to communicate publicly. With one, they could speak to each other without the Johnson knowing, which could prove advantageous depending on what happened in the meeting.

[Alberic Strein]

"Is it?"

Answers Karl as he shares his number.

"The way I see it, the more people you know, the better off you are. It might be a long shot, but someone you met somewhere some day might one day have just the information you need."

He glances at Deadman.

"Let's say one day my fixer comes to me, he has a run which demands absolute discretion. Well, I might not be the perfect person for the job, but I got some of the needed skills, and I DO have the number of an infiltration expert on hand. So I get on the job and so does Deadman here, for example. Same for you, or any of you. I did tell you that I knew my share of people. If you one day need some inside information from an underground organization, well, odds are I can get you that info. Not free of charge of course, but eh, better than not putting your hands on the information, right?"

Karl shrugs.

"Long story short, all things considered even if we don't accept the job, being able to contact each other would still prove beneficial. And if we do take the job... The sooner we start acting like a team, the better. But eh, I'm arguing for the sake of arguing, I respect your choice. If you want to wait until we accept the job, or even refusing it, let's do just that."

Yeah right, the redhead adds in his own mind. If we had any opportunity to refuse, we wouldn't be here, having forgone all weapons and in the case of Atheris, willingly put some weird mechanism on our heads. Need is a marvelous motivation that excels at screwing one's sense of what is an "acceptable" risk, eh?

Of course, Karl had no idea of the state of the rest of his future teammates' savings. He was formulating an educated guess based on his own situation and the current events, as well as his past experiences with runners... Often as corpses that he would have to assess after their hare-brained scheme went south on them. Or their Johnson. Or both.

[Mr.D]

Ajax listens to everyone's talk and after Karl's little speech, patches into the comm network "Done!" he proclaims happily. Picking up a bottle of water he nudges Karl as he walks through the scanner into the next section "I like you, you're friendly."

[Jon D]

Sending a ping to the other commlinks, "Let's not keep our host waiting any longer shall we? Some of us need the work."

[Marius]

"Sorry for the delay but when you've to go, you have to go." He smiles at his not amused new partners and quickly removes his weapons, although not without some doubt. "Well, I'm new here, what're the odds of someone already trying to kill me? He hands them over to the elf. "Erm I don't know if those mana things work with adepts. I may need one if they do.
He turns to the others while he accepts the invitations over his commlink. "Hello, I'm Rayner." He feels that making another joke will probably make the others think that is even more amateur so he stays silent and follows them along.

[Maugan Ra]

"I am aware of the concept of networking." Zephyr says dryly. "My answer, and the reasons behind it, remain the same."

That said, he is content to wait until the meeting with Mr Johnson, idly calculating possible contracts and ways to enhance their rewards.

[SleepyBadger]

With a gesture your host invites you to proceed through the gates to the meeting room, one by one. As soon as Karl is on the line he motions him to stop.
"Please, sir, you will have to take an anti-mana helmet" he says. "I insist."

[Alberic Strein]

Oh yes, let me put your instant death hat, I'm lovin' it.

And what the hell was up with the whole "mana" thing? I can't use mana you dimwit!

"Oh well, if you insist."

Politely answers Karl as he puts the damn thing on his head and follows suit.

[Arilus]

Atheris turned to look at the elf when he commanded that Karl put on one of the helmets. She knew that he was Awakened, but she was unsure of how the elf knew, as he was certainly mundane. She figured that he must be in communication with a mage on astral overwatch. At least she knew it was wise to not try to pass herself off as a sleeper.

[SleepyBadger]

You move through the gates one by one. Interestingly you are still able to use your astral sight in the anti-mana helmets, although only to a very limited degree, because it feels hard to focus on it. You also think that trying to utilize the mana around you might not be totally impossible, but would most certainly put a heavy drain on your body.
On the other side of the gates you find a spacious meeting room complete with a round table and office chairs.
"Why, greetings!"
Near the other end of the room you see a small black-haired man dressed in a grey suit and a pink shirt. His smile appears to be disturbingly... artificial. Behind him two well-muscled trolls step in.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable," Mr Johnson motions towards the chairs and refreshments on the table.

[Maugan Ra]

Zephyr's pale blue eyes flicker back and forth for a moment as he assesses the room, the client and the bodyguards. Levels of threat, opportunities and potential courses of action are all assessed virtually on reflex, before he nods and sits down.

"Mr Johnson." He says politely. "Since you invited us specifically, I assume introductions are unnecessary. In which case... my contact suggested that this was to be a retrieval operation?"

[Alberic Strein]

See? Your damn thing doesn't work on me you idiots!

Karl goes ahead and sit, but not quite helping himself with the refreshments. RFID tags are easily ingested and their effects are very displeasing.

He bows to the Johnson, but does not open his mouth. In group meetings, it is better if there is only one speaker, it gives the illusion of solidarity. Meaning his is secretely displeased that he is not the one who get to parley with the Johnson. On second thought however, this being his first run, he does not want to make any blunder, so he is thankful for that, at the very least.

He absent-mindedly astrally glances at his teammates, wondering if at least one of them has cybereyes. The Johnson probably blocked transmissions, but if one of them has a camera installed (is it in the standard package? damn my failing memory!) then he could later use his identification software to put a name on the Johnson. Which can't be bad.

So Karl sits back, careful not to reveal anything about himself through his movements, waiting for things to evolve.

[TheMightyQuinn]

Deadman

*Stepping into the room, Nico puts on his best poker face - and by the looks of it, probably does a better job than the Johnson. The mans smile looked... wrong. It wasn't just that it wasn't genuine. It was rare to see a smile that reached a persons eyes these days. Even modern cybernetics could do a better job at the muscular movements required to imitate a smile. A bad interface could be part of it, but something nagged at the back of Nicos mind, making his hair stand on end. That wasn't it. No. The Johnson likely had enough cred to throw around for system upgrades at the very least, and top grade 'ware was more likely if he was using this place. No. It was something else. Was he a user?*

*Using the secure link they'd set up previously, Nico fires off a quick message the team as a whole, and a second one to Atheris via DNL, stepping off to the left of the door to stand watch as the rest enter.*

Group

"Doesn't hurt to have an extra body on the door. I'll stay back and observe - I'll keep my attention on the muscle - they start to move, and I'll act as I deem needed. Hopefully this will go smooth. Something ain't right though. Stay frosty."

Atheris

"You got mojo, right? That Johnsons chipped up or chemmed out if I were to guess. Can you get a good look at him and see? You know. Wiz-see or whatever that thing is?"



*Scanning the room, Nico makes no attempt at avoiding the trolls eyes as they look him over. If they were worth half what they were being paid, they'd know the score. As he locks eyes with one of them, he gives the muscle a quick wink. Nicknaming the troll 'Huckleberry' in his mind, he takes quick mugshots of the two and their Johnson. You're first if things go to hell.*

Rolls

Roll a perception check for good measure - get a sense of what the trolls are packing - any cyberware or weapons.
Perception -
[roll0]

Hits - 8 hits. 6 hits - still not shabby. Woo! lol

[Arilus]

As Atheris was heading to the meeting place, her curiosity about the device on her head got the better of her. She tentatively attempted to shift her sight to the astral plane, fully expecting a strong shock as she acquired an astral form. Surprisingly, there was was no pain whatsoever, but the astral plane was blurry and disorienting. Returning to the mundane world, she made a mental note to ask if she could take one of these helmets with her before she left so she could unravel how the thing worked. She doubted they'd be willing to, but this was fascinating technology, and the worst they could say is "no."

She examined the room and its occupants as she entered, attempting to glean as much as she could as she silently sat down and helped herself to the provided nutrition.

Observe in Detail: [roll0]: 6 Hits

All senses have the same number of hits, as all hits were before the 9th die.

[Arilus]

After Atheris had garnered all the information she was going to, she mentally responded to Deadman's message to her, the 'trode net nestled on her scalp permitting her to eschew manual input.

Affirmative. This helmet does not completely restrict my abilities. I'll try.
She shifted her perception once again, attempting to focus to make out what she could of the Johnson's aura from her weakened link to the astral plane.

Assensing (Aura Reading): [roll0]: 3 Hits (4 Hits)

If you would, SleepyBadger, apply the appropriate negative dice pool modifiers to the assensing roll, as I don't know how severe it is. I'd imagine just subtracting dice from the end of the roll to the beginning until the dice pool modifier is reached would be the most efficacious way to do it.

[Marius]

Being without his sword is one thing, turning "off" his powers is another. Rayner feels like someone suddenly turned him into a snail, everything is happening way too fast and he's moving too slowly. He wonders how and how fast could he take the strange hat off his head if things go wrong. He mutters a greeting but otherwise says nothing, not wanting to betray his fears to the Johnson, or worse, his teammates.

[Mr.D]

As they enter the room with Johnson, Ajax takes on a more professional air. He slips the bottle of water into his pocket, stands up a bit straighter, setting his shoulders to make the most of his natural dwarfish stockyness, he moves to one corner of the room and stands with his arms crossed.

As Nico's message pings up in his vision, he looks over and gives him a quick wink. He switches his cybereye mode from his natural Thermographic vision to 'Normal' vision and also stars them recording, making a surreptitious sweep of the room to make sure everyone is included before settling on the Johnson.

That guys smile is messed up...could he be a droid? To sate his own curiosity he sets his sim to scan for nodes in the room


Rolls!
Detect hidden Nodes in general area is Electronic Warfare + Scan yes? SO Electronic warfare rating 4 and Scan 5 = 9
[roll0] 3 hits

[SleepyBadger]

Mr Johnson takes a seat at the far side of the table.
"Well..." He motions invitingly towards the chairs again. "I'd like to begin the conversation and that's difficult with the lot of you standing around."

Neither the trolls nor Mr Johnson seem to be carrying any hidden (or immediately apparent) weapons, yet their movements seem slightly too smooth to be totally natural. However, only slightly and you see no other visible signs of cyberware. They either don't have too many implants or are making a very good effort at hiding them. You also notice an elaborate dragon tattoo on Johnson's wrist as he sits down.

You see plenty of bioware on both Johnson and the trolls. You also notice two air spirits in the room. Assensing also feels very disorienting and draining in the helmet.
OoC: Please roll a Willpower check.

You do not detect any hidden nodes, at least not at first sight.

[TheMightyQuinn]

Deadman

*With a shrug, Nico strolls forward and pulls up an empty chair, keeping his face calm. He didn't like leaving his back so exposed, but with the mountains of enhanced killer trolls in front of him, as well as the Johnson that just seemed... off, it wasn't likely anything worse would come from behind them.*
"You've got the cred, you call the shots. Don't take it personal or nuthin. Just habits born of experience."

*With an honest smile and a chuckle, he looks around at the rest of the runners.*
"Prolly a good sign, all things considered. Ain't a bunch of fresh meat you're hiring. Fresh meat is too trusting."

*Letting his demeanor shift back into nuetrally relaxed, he makes a note to get a good image of the Johnsons arm, mentally flicking his magnification on to get decent detail if possible.*


"Ain't got eyes in the back of my head, and I don't like this but if he's paying, don't care much - wouldn't make much sense to geek us before we do his work would it? Still. I say we squeeze him for every red bloody cent he's worth. What's left of my guts says he's got cred to spare."



"Oi, Wizzy-woman. You spot that ink on Johnsons arm?"

[Arilus]

Atheris left the astral plane once again, feeling somewhat fatigued from the effort required to focus with the device on her head. She didn't plan to try that again, but she did manage to notice the subtle shadows indicative of bioware in the auras of both Mr Johnson and the trolls as well as the presence of two spirits on astral overwatch, probably not even the same ones she saw at the gate. After blinking her eyes a few times, she responded to the messages appearing in AR while initiating a general Matrix search for any significance to the tattoo.

falsche_Schlange@Mr_Johnson's_Runners: Neither Mr Johnson nor the trolls appear armed, though they have extensive bioware installed. I doubt they have hostile intentions. I am searching for the meaning of that tattoo.
Data search for image capture of dragon tattoo: [roll0]: 5 Hits
I dunno if it's Wil or the Wil+Log, so I'll just do both and let SleepyBadger choose which roll to use.
Wil: [roll1]: 2 Hits
Wil+Log: [roll2]: 2 Hits

Guess it didn't matter, same number of hits on both.

[Mr.D]

Ajax casually walks up and takes a seat, leaning back a little and folding his arms, keeping his face placid as the messages appear in his peripheral vision.


I doubt they'll try anything. But if they do I can get Helen to drop the boys off to come and give Smiley and friends some trouble

[Marius]

Rayner forces himself to relax in his seat. I don't think those trolls need weapons to crush our skulls.

[SleepyBadger]

"Much better," Mr Johnson says with satisfaction. And as if he had guessed the nature of your secret messages he carries on: "As far as I'm informed you are exactly what you are, shadowrunners looking for a well-paying job. And it is going to be a well-payed job if you succeed, I can assure you. Are you familiar with the corp Weiße Perle?"


Data Search: The dragon tattoo is in fact a cult symbol related to the late dragon Dunkelzahn. The cult doesn't seem to have connections to Germany and not even to Dunkelzahn directly: at first sight it appears to be an organization dealing with Dunkelzahn's legacy.
Assensing, normally a stroll in the park now feels as climbing mountains. OoC: take 1 stun damage.

[Alberic Strein]

White Pearl?

Karl is a bit relieved that the run seems to involve a corporation and not a criminal organization to which he has ties.

I should really spend more time to deepen the bond I have with my contacts, now that I think about it.

He scratches his chin. Unless the corporation has ties with the underworld, odds are he never heard about it. It's not that Karl does not know the area, it's that his knowledge is extremely limited.

It's a long shot for all the knowledge skills, so do feel free to take away dice at the end as you see fit.

Test to know if Weisse Pearl has links (production, funding dealers, consumers, a history with any of the groups, owns, has a business in/with, etc) to:

Street Drugs : [roll0] (3 hits)
Triads : [roll1] (1 hit)
Yakuza : [roll2] (4 hits)
Vory : [roll3] (4 hits)
Mafia : [roll4] (2 hits)
Gangs : [roll5] (2 hits)
Black Markets : [roll6] (1 hit)
The Lone Star : [roll7] (2 hits)
Ghost Cartels : [roll8] (1 hit)
Magical Threats : [roll9] (2 hits)
Coffee : [roll10] (0 hits)
Bars : [roll11] (3 hits)

(may need to add 3 dice if it enters the scope of analytical mind)

[Arilus]

Atheris had barely gotten the results of one Matrix search before initiating a second one for "Weiße Perle." Odds are the Johnson would tell the team all they needed, but one could never be too careful or know too much.

The tattoo was a more puzzling development. A member of a cult with no ties to the AGS or to the late dragon whom the organization is centered around. Dunkelzahn died when she a girl of nine, but everything she had heard about him indicates that he was as friendly as the wyrms ever got. And the Draco Foundation formed from his will certainly do good work. So if they were being hired by someone who venerates a dracoform, it may as well be the Big D. She would refrain from telling the other runners, though, as they may very decide this fact is a deal breaker. She knew the adage "never deal with a dragon," but she was willing to take risks for valuable knowledge, and odds are no beings have more of that than dragons.

"I cannot say that I have, Mr Johnson, what can you tell us about it?" she asked, giving no clue that she would be cross-referencing his answer.

Data search for all pertinent results pertaining to phrase and the corporation "Weiße Perle": [roll0]: 6 Hits

[TheMightyQuinn]

Deadman

*Giving a slight shake of his head, Deadman leans forward, resting his hands on the table, paying close attention.*
"No more than standard adspam and such. Never done any related work with them. As far as I know."

*Looking around the table, he shrugs.*
"In for a dime, in for a dollar. What do you need? I know you can't get into too many details 'till we say we're in, but how about the screamsheet version so we know whether it's worth our time to stay."


"If Johnson keeps beating around the bush like this, I say we charge extra for a short deadline. Time invested. Call it what you want."

[SleepyBadger]

"The company is mainly in electronics. They have a laboratory at Weydemeyerstraße, not far from Alexanderplatz," he continues, without waiting for either of you to find information on the corporation. "The place is normally not heavily guarded. Just the usual corp security stuff.The job is to locate a case in their central safe and to replace it with a case I'll provide."

Weiße Perle may not drink coffee... or you just don't remember...

[Marius]

"That's not easy, even with mediocre corp security. If they see us we're done. What's the pay for the job?" Talking business relaxes Rayner a bit, this is what he does after all.

"Have you, techie people found anything about that company yet?"

[Mr.D]

Ajax nods as Rayner talks "Plus, what are you not telling us? If the security is so low you could have had one of your own guys do this, or an undercover agent would make sense. Rather than a full Runner team."

[Jon D]

Bloodhound rouses himself in his seat, again kicking himself for forgetting to replace his trode net. Well, not forget, since he couldn't do that, but still.

"So, once the switch is made, what happens next? This either a start to a larger job, or a test before a larger job. Either way, what's next?"

[Alberic Strein]

Karl didn't know that corporation, so he said nothing.

He was, however, way less optimistic as far as the switcheroo was concerned.

First, how the damn thing was possible? What kind of money was invested to make that possible?

The odds of that run being an inside job had just risen considerably. And he didn't like that. Even more seeing how they were welcomed. Mana-blocker, Johnson hidden behind a flesh sleeve... This was by no way a little Johnson -credits wise- and this meant this would by no means be a small run.

How many creds am I going to have to put in before I reap the profits?

We need more information. Much, much more. It's not even the start of the beginning of what could possibly become the minimum.

[Arilus]

Atheris did not respond to the Johnson's statement or the other runners' communication. She simply had insufficient information to add anything, focusing her efforts on researching Weiße Perle.

I dunno whether another roll is called for or if the prior roll is still pending. Just in case, here is a second one: [roll0]: 8 Hits

[SleepyBadger]

"To my knowledge the laboratory is not heavily guarded," Mr Johnson repeats, with a bit of dismay in his voice. "I cannot send my own men on this task. It's imperative that I send people who have no previous connections to me. As for the later jobs," he nods towards Bloodhound, "they are obviously not out of question if this first task turns out to be a success story."

OoC: yes, the data search was pending.
According to your search Weiße Perle is indeed a small German electronic corporation. In fact they only seem to have ties in major German cities like Berlin, Hamburg, or Munich. As you dig a bit deeper, it becomes clear that the corp holds interest in the nanotech industry as well, however this is not totally uncommon in the electronics business.

"As for the payment," he continues. "Given that this should be a relatively easy job for experienced runners like you, and even calculating in some business risks, I'd say 6000¥ per person."

[Maugan Ra]

"As for the payment," he continues. "Given that this should be a relatively easy job for experienced runners like you, and even calculating in some business risks, I'd say 6000¥ per person."

Zephyr raises an eyebrow, then shakes his head. "Insufficient, I am afraid. Normally I would be willing to supplement a payment with information and materials liberated from the target site, but this seems a mission that calls for discretion."

"Infiltrating a corporate facility is a task that requires extensive preparation, even when dealing with a relatively low-security area. I worked in Corporate Security for years, so I know of what I speak."

[TheMightyQuinn]

Deadman

*Giving the others a moment to speak, Nico patiently waits to avoid overwhelming their employer with their response. His tone is calm and even - no hint of frustration in his voice. Just matter of fact, but his inflection changes as he drops the street slang to get his point across and be taken seriously.*

"I'm going to have to agree with my associates. You want something liberated from a secure safe for that price, we can talk. But in and out with a switch on the down low and on a schedule?"
*He pauses to let the question hang for a moment and emphasize the question*
" I think I understand why you've requested so many skilled individuals - you're going to need them, but there's going to have to be some working room here since that is the case. Unless you plan on providing us all - and I mean all - the information. Blue prints, schedules, employee files and performance reviews so we know exactly what we're going up against and how best to neutralize anything that would compromise the operation integrity, that number is going to have to change."

*The statement is the most he's spoken all night, and he glances around to the others afterwards, not entirely sure if he should continue. Well. Can't screw up any worse if I've hosed it.*
"I also realize that you have a budget to work with, but if the job is worth the considerable time and effort it has taken to arrange so far, surely it is worth some understandable concessions for a team of competent specialists - specialists that have been vouched for, no doubt."

*He smiles a bit and sits back as he speaks.*
"and of course, specialists that would be invaluable in the future, should more work arise - knowing who you're working with is a rare luxury after all."

[Arilus]

The Johnson's story checked out so far, and she forwarded her results to Mr_Johnson's_Runners, but she was going to keep digging to see if there was anything she was missing. She'd leave the negotiations up to the other prospective runners, as she had little expertise in that area. She was more concerned with the details of the job.

"Mr Johnson, if we are to steal this case, its owners will surely discover the theft. What, then, is the point of replacing it?" she inquired. This particular detail bothered her. If it was a simple decoy, it seemed to serve little purpose. Which meant it likely contained something else, and depending on what that something is, that could have dangerous repercussions to the persons that put it there.

Looking for further details on "Weiße Perle": [roll0]: 3 Hits, 9 Total Hits

[Alberic Strein]

Experienced runners? Experienced runners?! I'm not an experienced runner, omae!

That being said, his teammates indeed seem experienced in whining for more credits. Karl is not sure of what to make of it, however.

Actually, what more can Johnson tell them? The coordinates of the laboratory? They could prove useful, but they don't need it, since it could easily be found. Blueprints of the laboratory? They would have to double check them anyway. Same for the rest of the necessary information for the job. It's something they could find, and it's something they would find anyway to cross references with the info from the Johnson.

He doesn't quite agree with Atheris. The switch could be done and remain unnoticed. Rather effectively even, given the right conditions. Namely, if they hit the laboratory and destroy part of the left wing, people will check the safe to see if anything has been stolen, but the scale of the destruction would make them oblivious to little changes, as long as nothing indicates the target was the safe, that could work. There are, however, a few issues which, Karl feels, the others didn't bring up.

"We are going to need the deadline and the terms of engagement. When do we need to have the switch done at the latest? Is the use of force possible? Lethal force? How much destruction do you allow the laboratory to sustain? In other words... To what extent can we operate? Can we freely choose our course of approach, or do you want the job done in a certain way?"

He plays around with his unlit cigarette.

"Also, I believe my colleague Deadman pointed out the reasons why an increase in the pay is necessary. But to add to his points, if we need to invest to find the information necessary for us to complete the job, it means that part of the reward will have to be paid upfront. To make this necessary investment at all possible."

Too greedy, we are being too greedy... This would never fly with Oyabun... Bah, this should be fine, at worst he will shut us down, but we all went too far to bail out now, Johnson included.

[SleepyBadger]

"I expect the task to be done today or at least tomorrow night," he says. "As for the blueprints, I can arrange them." He smiles briefly. "Of course it makes sense to replace the case, dear lady. We have reason to believe that the contents of the case are unknown to the... current owners. They should not notice the switch if everything goes according to plan. And what could possibly go wrong?"

Weiße Perle has indeed a lab at 22 Weydemeyerstraße.

[Arilus]

Atheris was incredulous that a laboratory had something that they did not know what it was and were not actively researching, but she nodded to indicate the Johnson's answer was satisfactory. Her skepticism was not strong enough to press the issue further. She would stay out of the negotiations on the price of the run.

It looks like that's all she's gonna get on Weiße Perle, but she'll keep going for another few intervals to be sure: [roll0]: 5 Hits, 14 Total Hits
The 24-hit threshold in the book for "hidden or actively hunted and erased" information is the target.

[Mr.D]

Ajax strokes his beard thoughfully "So it's a bit of a rush job eh? Might be more distraction and switch than covert op then... Is that because the contents of the case are likely to degrade or what? I only ask because if it's something harmful I don't want it leaking out" he smiles at the last comment, trying to lighten the mood a little.

[Marius]

Rayner watches nervously as his new partners haggle but says nothing knowing that he'll only mess the negotiations. "Stop pushing, I need this pay!"

[SleepyBadger]

Mr Johnson turns to Mr. D. "You can also do the job in a week or two, if you don't want anyone to pay for it." He then continues: "In fact, if it gets done today I'm willing to raise the price by 1000¥ each."


You find traces to a legal dispute in which both CATco and Ares claim to have parent corporation rights on Weisse Perle. The details of the process appear to be top secret. You believe you won't find any more useful information on this via legal data search.

[Maugan Ra]

Zephyr's gaze is flat and unimpressed.

"So. You wish for us to infiltrate a secure corporate facility - and it will be secure, because every corporation on the planet guards it's research laboratories as best it can. You wish for us to gain access to the central vault, which will by it's nature be even more heavily guarded and well secured than the rest of the complex. You wish for this to be done entirely undetected, because if the corporation realises that the cases have been switched then the deception is pointless. All of this can be done... it is the other circumstances that are an issue."

He leans forwards slightly, voice calm and level. "First, the laboratory is in the centre of Berlin. Reinforcements will thus naturally be a short distance away at most, and the surrounding area will be filled with witnesses and other complications. Secondly, we would be working as an entirely new team, with no opportunity to practice or get to know one another. Thirdly, it must apparently be done on an absurdly tight timeframe, thus leaving no opportunity to properly prepare, to conduct recon or practice the specific moves we would need to make."

He shakes his head. "This is, if you will pardon the language, a cluster-**** waiting to happen. There are far too many opportunities for something to go wrong here, and far too few ways for us to protect ourselves from the fallout when the inevitable happens. That you are also offering a payment that is too small by an order of magnitude, given the conditions being imposed... that is just insulting."

The mercenary waits a moment for that to sink in before continuing. "Change some of those conditions, or accept that I at the least will walk away from this table." He glances at the other prospective recruits. "I obviously cannot speak for your circumstances or capabilities, but my professional advice would be to follow me when I do. This job will only wind up with you dead or in prison."

[Alberic Strein]

And would you like a frakking slice of pizza with that order, or will that be all?!

Karl still tried not to let his body language betray his emotions, but he really, really didn't like where this was going.

"Could you please show us the case and the blueprints? Also, once we have the case, how do we contact you, or your proxy anyway, so we can organize the exchange?"

Then Zephyr... Broke the ice.

Well... That was a long and almost happy life I had.

Karl started nervously looking for cover and a way out.

He, of course, had a number of points to say to Zephyr. For one, maybe the laboratory really was not heavily guarded. The run reeked "inside job" so maybe the guy had some pull. Or other reasons made the tight-ass security more open. Also, if anything happened during the job, once they had the case they would be in better position to haggle prices. It could also be considered a nice investment, first with this Johnson, but also with the fixer, who would be more willing to reference us in the future.

Karl couldn't help biting his own lip. He couldn't say that to Zephyr. First, they had no comm channel. Second, his over-the-top reaction might have been a ploy to get more money from the Johnson, and trying to smoothe the edges between him and their would-be employer, would be akin to torpeding his efforts.

First rule of playing as a team: Don't shoot them in the back.

So, unable to do much more, he put a hand in front of his forehead, preventing the Johnson from seeing his eyes and then glanced at Zephyr, trying to meet his gaze and pleading, pleading with his eyes:

Don't leave the negotiation table, please don't leave the negotiation table. I beg of you, omae.

Then, after a few instants he stopped, cleared his throat and anxiously gazed at the Johnson and his hired muscle.

[Arilus]

Satisfied that she had uncovered all she was going to at the moment, Atheris collated all of the data she uncovered and sent it to Mr_Johnson's_Runners. She was all for negotiating for better pay, but it looked like the haggling was getting out of hand. There was no evidence of the Johnson outright lying, and even if it was a tight schedule, it seemed possible with the number of prospective runners present. As she was not sure how to restrain Zephyr's zeal, she requested help from the members of the network, as Zephyr elected to hold onto his commcode for now and was this not in the LAN.

falsche_Schalnge@Mr_Johnson's_Runners: I understand Zephyr's issues, but the Johnson's story seems to check out. I am up for the run. If someone can be a level head, try to defuse the situation.

[TheMightyQuinn]

Deadman

*Letting out a low whistle at the price tag, Nico starts to speak, but waits for Zephyr to finish, the other man giving voice to a great deal of his own thoughts. No run is ever easy, but this one isn't impossible. I think our Johnson is setting us up for a test.*
"I'm not a fan of your timeline, but the job is what it is."

*Holding up a hand to hold the others off for a moment, Nico thinks for a moment and finally nods slowly.*
"If we do the job tonight, the pay is up front. You drop a bomb like this and that's just the way it's going to have to be. My associate is right - there are so many ways for this to go wrong that I wouldn't even consider it if it weren't for the number of people involved. With this much skill, a wide variety of options open up. Even then, it's a huge risk. Also, I'm not going to dicker with the price anymore. You lowball a price, we bicker back and forth and we all come out ahead. We all know how this game is played. I'm not big on games."

"You bring us to a ritzy establishment like this. You flaunt what you've got. I understand security, but betwen your double-mint twins there - "
*He motions to the trolls*
" - you've got enough muscle to tear the lot of us limb from limb and benchpress a couple buicks before they break a sweat."
*Reaching over to tap the helmet Atheris is wearing, he continues.*
"To top it off, you've got security measures in place that I've never even heard of. In this line of work, that's enough to make most people walk. Knowing security is how we live."

"No, 6 payment and 1 bonus isn't what you can manage. You paid more than that just to set this all up. So we're going to settle on 8 and 2. An even ten each. That's only 30% more than your starting price, and it gets done tonight. If we can't pull it off on such short notice, you get the four back and we do it for 6 tomorrow. With the added bonus that we are more than happy to work with you again and you know we can pull through when needed. That's a solid investment for the future if I've ever seen one."

*Looking over to Zephyr, he shrugs.*
"Things go wrong, we get paid. It's a huge risk for the Johnson, but we're professionals. We're good for our word or we'll never find work again in this town. If the job isn't what the Johnson says, the poeple who can get out will have their cred and will deal with the fallout. Those sound like acceptable terms to me."

*With a heavy sigh, he shrugs and spreads his hands in front of him.*
"I realize it puts you in a vulnurable position, Mr. Johnson, but you're not going to find another set of talent even willing to listen to a job proposition like this on such short notice. If I didn't think it was possible, I'd be walking away with my associate. Hard to pay the bills when you're dead."


"If you're willing to provide the information and meet those conditions, I'm in. I'll give my word that the job will be done."

[Mr.D]

Ajax waits as the Deadman talks, nodding towards the end of his speech "You make a good point. On those terms, I'm in." he turns to Zephyr and smiles "This could go sideways, and if it does I'd rather have a pro like yourself around and at least if we survive you get to say you warned us."

[Maugan Ra]

Zephyr seems to consider the proposal for a long moment, before nodding. "For ten up front, I'll take a stab at it." He says at last. "It's not my preferred method of approaching a task like this, but as I said, I worked Corp security for years. If there is a weakness in the defenses, I will find it."

He blinks, and with a few mental commands routed through his cybernetics accepts the outstanding invitation to the discussion group, his own contact details appearing on the network for the others to record.

[TheMightyQuinn]

Deadman

*Outwardly, Nico only nods as Zephyr agrees to the job, but inwardly he felt a pressure lift off his shoulders as the tensions seemed to ease. The job wouldn't be easy and having a corporate security specialist would make things easier. He had a bit of knowledge about it himself but he was no specialist. Another steady gun was always welcome too.*

*As the message pinged across his system, Nico accepted it with the little mental gymnastics he used for his internal comm and blinked at an unexpected burst of static in his feed that lasted a fraction of a second. Beaming a message to the group, he ignores it though. There were more pressing matters at hand.*


"Welcome aboard omae. You're the security specialist - we get those blueprints and security files and let me know what you think. i'll see if I don't spot a good way in from my angle. yah?"

[Maugan Ra]

+Proper files will make the job a lot easier, certainly. I cannot help but wonder where he plans to get them, though. If it's not extra-territorial a corporation must register plans with the local authority, but I would be very surprised if those were entirely accurate.+

+An inside job, perhaps?+

[Arilus]

Seeing that Zephyr entered into the LAN, she copied the results of her Matrix search on Weiße Perle to Mr_Johnson's_Runners again, thereby cluing him in. She also took it as a sign that he was tacitly agreeing to the run.

falsche_Schlange@Mr_Johnson's_Runners: I am all for favorable terms, but the Johnson is never going to agree to payment up front.

[Mr.D]

Ajax grins "Great to hear! Gald to have you aboard"he chuckles and slaps Zephyr on the back enthusiastically.


Definitely an inside man involved.

[SleepyBadger]

"I think I named my terms," Mr Johnson says after a long pause. "And I do not pay for services in advance. If we can strike a deal you will get the blueprints and the case in time and we will also agree on the payment method."

Please roll a diplomacy and a bargaining check.

[TheMightyQuinn]

Deadman

*With a slow smile, Nico shakes his head, and pushes his chair from the table as he stands, taking a moment to return it afterward. This is a joke. I'm with Zephyr. Not gonna risk my hide for scraps.*
"Well. That's all I need to hear. I appreciate the consideration, but I'm out."

*Turning to Zephyr he shrugs.*
"You called this one."

"Anyone want a drink? I'll buy the first round. No sense in getting all dressed up and coming out for nothing, right?"


"Johnson doesn't want to deal, but I've got an idea for a job. I won't have the money up front, but I think it might be listening to a proposition."

[Maugan Ra]

"And your terms are, for reasons already covered at length, unacceptable." Zephyr says mildly, rising to his feet after Deadman and nodding to the suited man at the other end of the table. "Good bye, Mr Johnson. I wish you luck in your future endeavors."

With that he turns and begins walking towards the door.


+My apologies to those of you who may need the Nuyen. Normally I would negotiate, but Mr Johnson has quite clearly demonstrated a lack of interest in either addressing our concerns or modifying his terms.+

+I believe I will listen to Deadman's proposal, though. And if not, well, I have my own contacts call upon. It seems likely that someone will have work worth doing.+

[Marius]

Well... drek. Rayner saw that coming and he's not sure whether to be happy or sad about it. In any case there's not much he can do about it. "If you got some work omae, I'm all ears."

[SleepyBadger]

"As you wish," Mr Johnson says while making a complicated gesture with his left hand. "Let's end the negotiations here then. Time is money, you see, and I'm comfortably sure my time is a bit more worth than yours." He nods towards you all. "Till we meet again."
He then rises and walks to the gate at the far end, his trolls following. With a loud clicking noise the door slams shut in their wake.

[Alberic Strein]

"With all due respect, you DID pay for services in advance."

"Give me a second here, guys, please."

"You paid for this room, you paid for your muscles, quite litteraly, by the way. How expensive is a hour in a under-the-radar flesh sleeve? How much cash was already spent to allow for the minutes we spent together? By a certain extent, your cash is already invested."

Karl puts his still unlit cigarette between his lips, relaxing on the couch he is in.

"Now, Mr Johnson, the point of contension is thus: You asked your contact to bring you professionals. Among them being an expert in corporate security. This expert knows just how protected a laboratory is, and how fast a response we can expect from security strike teams. So for a corporation run, we are going to take more than what you are willing to give us. Because we are going to risk our necks even if we perform admirably. Because even the lowest ganger on the streets know that if you are going to mess with a corporation, you better know EXACTLY what you are doing and have three contigency plans, for when things go to hell even when you did nothing wrong, and when the two first fail because of Murphy's Law. It is different from a basic run where, if everyone does his job well, everything will go well. This translates into the "being paid enough for this drek" tax, which raises the prices. Contigency plans also demand money and time. And time is money. And no time is even more money. Which more or less translates into the prices my associates presented to you."

"Now I, for one, am not averse to driving a few more miles before going to sleep and being paid 8 000 creds for my troubles."

"Namely, you tell us this place won't be too guarded and that the difficulty of this job does not warrant more than 8 000 creds per person. And you know what? I'm inclined to believe you. However, I learnt that trusting your instincts is nice and dandy, but to survive proof is usually better. I understand you not wanting to reveal your cards to some potentially-not-your-runners types. But you already invested in this whole meeting. Why not show us that yes, this is a 8 000 nuyen job and nothing more? If this run is a walk in the park, if you have the blueprints, the times and trajecory of the guards' patrols, if you have the password for the cameras, if all we need to do is walk in, do the switch, walk out and bring it to you then yes, maybe 8 000 is not too much to ask. But instead of camping on our positions, why don't you show us what you've got? This way, we'll know what's in store for us and if it deserves the different taxes on our labor I spoke to you about. Let's do this like professionals okay? We can't agree on a price before we know what the risks entail for us, and you have that knowledge, you can show us what we do risk and what is not an issue, so let's do this over, shall we, Mister Johnson?"

diplomacy: [roll0] 3 hits
bargaining[rollv]12d6[/rollv

[Alberic Strein]

Karl cleared his throat, hoping not to be too late to salvage this whole drek



bargaining [roll0] 4 hits

[SleepyBadger]

"Now you see you made the mistake to come here without investigating who this place answered to. Can I keep your gear for my efforts?"

[Alberic Strein]

"Oh no, please have fun with them."

Karl gets up, leaves the room, drops the magic-inhibiting helmet, leaves the bar, drives his bike out of sight of the meeting place while keeping an eye open for enemies, and the guys leaving with his gear.

Then he cleans his commlink, and does anything a guy who does not want to be traced do, before making a few calls.

etiquette:[roll0]
diplomacy:[roll1]
bargaining:[roll2]

Street Drugs : (7d6)[6][2][1][6][4][5][1](25) (3 hits)

Bars : [roll3]
Yakuza : [roll4]
Vory : [roll5]
Mafia : [roll6]
Gangs : [roll7]
Black Markets : [roll8]
The Lone Star : [roll9]
Ghost Cartels : [roll10]
Magical Threats : [roll11]
Coffee : [roll12]


Lone star:
etiquette:[roll13]
diplomacy:[roll14]
bargaining:[roll15]

Gangers:
etiquette:[roll16]
diplomacy:[roll17]
bargaining:[roll18]

Mafia:
etiquette:[roll19]
diplomacy:[roll20]
bargaining:[roll21]

Yakuza:
etiquette:[roll22]
diplomacy:[roll23]
bargaining:[roll24]

Vory:
etiquette:[roll25]
diplomacy:[roll26]
bargaining:[roll27]

Triads:
etiquette:[roll28]
diplomacy:[roll29]
bargaining:[roll30]

etiquette:[roll31]
diplomacy:[roll32]
con: [roll33]

etiquette:[roll34]
diplomacy:[roll35]