[Shadowrun 5E] Ex Luce et Umbra

[PalusAbel]

After settling his individual interviews with each of his new recruits, Jack set up one last meeting place: An underground parking garage. The reintroduction of magic into the world did not much hamper the march of time or the explosion of the population. More and more cities are trying to save precious space by digging hollow spaces in which public citizens can store their cars; the rich megacorporates make do with car elevators in their homes and offices instead. Everything's still automated, of course. The "lucky" ones never have to do more than hop in the car, have it take them to work, and have it park itself. Then, on their way out, they just press the "call" button and set off for home.

It's evening now. Most of the workers' shifts have already been swapped over, so the garage is largely empty save for the obligatory skeleton crew, a handful of security cameras, and one well-dressed elf. Her golden hair is largely concealed by the raised hood of her trench coat, itself covering up the smart business suit she has on underneath. She leans apathetically against the column labeled "2-F" - Jack's designated rendezvous point.

[JigokuKensai]

"Guess I wasn't the first one to arrive"
A human cloaked in a blue greatcoat walks towards the elf, with a tripod carry bag slung over his back. And whether it was confidence or recklessness he made no prior effort to sneak around, as he really did just arrive.
Of course that didn't mean he didn't always keep an eye out for anything suspicious...
Mental Limit: 10
[roll0]
Rule of 6: (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?394627-Shadowrun-5E-Ex-Luce-et-Umbra-OOC&p=18786885#post18786885) (3d6)[4][5][2]
5 Successes
"So should I call you Deep Throat?"
The young man meets the elf with a handsome smirk.
"Well either way, I guess you can call me Alex. Though I get the feeling you might have already known that."
Alex was of Asian descent, rugged and athletic, the type that didn't seem like they'd wear the suit he was putting on, and yet he wore it well. In contrast to his rendezvous partner, his hair was a dull black having started to prematurely gray.

[PalusAbel]

"...what are you talking about?" Though her voice is smooth as honey, the elf seems moderately annoyed. She stares at the intruder for a moment, then fishes Jack's custom revolver from her coat pocket. Her gloved hand grasps the barrel rather than the handle to show that she means no harm, but she makes no other movements or sounds.

The only thing that could qualify as "suspicious" is the elf and the fact that she also has a custom revolver, if Shinobu didn't expect that others were hired. Otherwise, there's not another soul in sight, and the whole area is perfectly still and quiet.

[JigokuKensai]

Seeing the revolver allows Alex to put the pieces together pretty quickly. He shakes his head and chuckles. He looks over the shoulder of the person in front of him. "Nothing. Still it looks like we've got something in common. Maybe we should start a club."
Alex opens up his greatcoat and reveals the holster strapped to his suit underneath. In it the custom revolver he received from Jack.
He closes up his greatcoat, looking off to the side. "I got mine from my friend Jack. He's a bit impersonal, the real serious business type, but I'm sure he'll open up to me a bit more eventually. He's already shown me a bit of his generosity. Which I guess is why I'm here in the first place."

[Inspector Valin]

As the two talked, the silence in bay 2-F was finally broken by the gentle vrumm of a newly arrived car, cruising slowly down the ramps above. As it draws closer, you can make out the car through the railings: it's a sleek black Commodore with neon green LEDs along its side. As it draws down to the floor in question, the runners could hear the faint sound of gituar music eminanting from the vehicle as it breezed slowly past them. seemingly looking for a parking space. The mostly deserted car park gave the driver plenty of room to manoeuvre: a simple three point turn and the fancy looking sports car was parked a few spaces down the aisle from the rendevouz column. The figure within looked out at the duo through a pair of mirrorshades.

He-loo.

Stepping out, the strange driver moved towards the redevous pillar, a black bag slung over her shoulder with a curled blue Ryumyo decoration on it. Even from this distance, her coffee coloured skin stuck out slightly in Seattle. Unlike the others, this woman certianly hadn't dressed to blend in on the street: she was wearing a short skirt in alternating black and white, a sythleather black corset with red boning, a black jacket with a touch of blue velvet trim on its interior, and high qulity black silk stockings. The whole effect was topped off by jewelery: a small silver pendent around her neck and a bronze hairbroach shaped like a cogwheel. She looked nothing like the regular corporate drones you generally saw in places like this... though to be fair, she didn't look much like a Shadowrunner either.

The new arrival looked between the other two upon walking up to their spot, appraising each in turn before finally speaking, smiling politely to the pair. "Excuse me, am I interrupting something here?"

Matrix Perception test, looking for all matrix connected devices within 100 meters running silently. If you don't have it running silently, or matrix disabled, Forteana should be able to pick it up automatically.
[roll0] Intuition + Computer, limit 5

And a conventional perception test
[roll1] Intuition + Perception, limit 7, range categories shift by 1 in Forteana's favor (Medium to Short, ect.)

[JigokuKensai]

Alex lets out a whistle and says something aloud to himself. "You're looking for all sorts aren't you Jack?"
He starts taking a good look at the car. Even he could tell it was something real high class, something most runners could only dream of. Just what sort of impression was this person trying to make? Still if this was the gathering of a team, he could tell this wouldn't be the rigger (if there was one). As nice as the specs of this vehicle probably were, you couldn't bring this sort of thing on a run.
Well maybe...
He responds to the new arrival, while still "admiring" the vehicle. "I would say so, I was just about to finish a hot date with my girlfriend here, and you just come and ruin the moment."
His smile wry as ever, he glances back at the driver.
"I've got to admit though, nice ride. Looks pretty new in fact. Makes me regret I don't drive myself. Sort of an old shame really."

[PalusAbel]

"Disgusting," the elf mutters in contempt. She pulls the revolver back into her coat, though without making any particular effort to hide it from the new arrival. "Don't get the wrong idea. This pervert just likes to run his mouth; I've never met him before tonight, a fact for which I am quite grateful."

Matrix Perception results: There are naturally a number of surveillance devices, mostly cameras, arrayed throughout the garage. Some are hidden, some not; there's nothing unusual about them in any case. Scorekeeper's "dummy" commlink, the Renraku Sensei, is visible, but her implanted Fairlight Caliban is not, and neither are her wired reflex or reaction enhancer implants. All are running silently, and escaped Forteana's notice.

Perception results: Again, nothing out of the ordinary, though it's now certain that Forteana saw the custom revolver in Scorekeeper's hand. If there's something more specific you were looking for, ask me in the OOC and I'll respond appropriately.

[TheJudicator]

The evening air was chill, but not overly so, in Seattle tonight, and two floors down in a garage, wind was little of a factor. All in all, a pleasant evening. The three that had already arrived while conversing in their semi-social way would find their voices drowned out by the screeching of tires and the blasting of some intense guitar and drum riffs, denoting a listener to metal of some kind. A few turns, and the sounds were accompanied by the sight of a GMC Bulldog tearing down the ramp. It was rather inobtrusive in look, a light tan in coloring with dark grey fenders and bumpers, a sign of very obvious bodywork being done on it, the windows tinted. It was going at a pace most would deem unsuitable for that vehicle, but it whizzed by them before the tires screeched, turning completely around and sliding to a perfect stop at a far space. The engine roared for a brief moment before it and the lights cut, leaving a momentary silence before there was movement seen.

As the door kicked open, A heeled boot followed by another, accompanied by nylon'ed legs, stepped out of the driver's side, giving way to a visibly short and stout human woman. She was dressed in a rich lavender dress that hugged and accentuated her curves, with a V-neck collarline and reaching down to just above her knees, a slit on the left side reaching halfway to her hip. Intricate paneling patterns wove over her torso, giving a subtle, yet artfully appreciative, look of elegance to her, capped off with a full-sleeve black synthleather jacket. Her Auburn hair was kept natural and straight, reaching to her midback and covering some of her face. She looked straight ahead at the trio at the rendezvous point, head tilted a bit in apparent confusion before approaching, right hand held behind her and near the Ruger apprehensively.

As Arc-Light approached, it was very apparent that even with the heels she was a short one, and she said nothing until she was about 5 meters away. "...Aight, so which one of yous is what I came to meet with, and which one of you is unexpected surprise I may have to shoot, eh?" She had a defensive grin on, but it was difficult to determine if she was joking or serious.

Palus, I'll just reveal myself for the previous Matrix and Perception checks if that's cool with you.

As for Matrix, Arc-Light is definitely not running silent, keeping her Caliban the only one turned on with her Alex Winchester SIN. This in turn denotes she is carrying the Ruger, a Predator, and a Pulsar on her person somewhere. I'm not sure if cyberware falls to this category or not.

For perception, with a roll that good, at her right side, her hand is very obviously a cyberlimb, and the way the jacket falls on her suggests it is the full arm. The sclera of her purple irised eyes have circuitry visible, and combined with small metal implants exposed around her eye sockets, it is a simple deduction to say they are also artificial.

[Inspector Valin]

Forteana frowned at the exchange between the other two: this wasn't exactly the most encouraging start to her evening. They could simply be passers by, or some duo of unrelated criminals who'd simply chosen this car park as their rendezvous, but she'd seen that gun the elf had been holding. The strange placement of the barrel made Jack's custom Warhawks easy to spot, and there was one primary reason to bring it into view whilst holding the barrel rather than the grip. It looked like this was going to be the first meeting of her new Shadowrunning team for the year.

Fort might have commented further, but then the loud blitz of guitar and motor made her turn, the young hacker's jacket blown back by the speeding Bulldog. It took Forteana a second or two to collect herself, straightening her hair slightly, checking her bag, Foreknowledge or no, her focus had been elsewhere and the truck's arrival had caught her by surprise. Still, with that much music this probably wasn't a Knight Errant bust. Probably. Her hand twitched in the direction of the holster behind her jacket, just for a second, before Arclight finally withdrew.

It was not normal to see a Runner in heels. Rather paradoxical, really. Still, it was hard to fault the rigger's attempt to dress formally: she might have a van that looked like a miniturized tank, but she'd still fit right in at a formal dinner, or whatever event this group had been assembled for. Stepping forward in response to her new friend's approach, the young Pueblo gestured towards the blue clad Alex. "Him, possibly. I'm pretty sure we're all meant to be here though." Placing her hands to her skirt, the hacker curtsied to the new arrival with a smile. "Forteana. At your service."

Ok, not sure what the exact situation would be, so asking OOC for what Forteana's impression would probably be. How much security is really on those cameras? Would it be feasible for her to quickly mark them and feed them some fake footage of our little group dispersing rather than continuing to have a Shadowrun Planning Session? It seems like 101 of Hacker Ettiquete if possible, I'm just not sure how feasible it'd be.

[PalusAbel]

The elf sighs and finally straightens her posture. "Scorekeeper," she declares by way of introduction. "I take it that all of us are here under the employ of a certain, ah, 'mutual acquaintance'? I should have expected as much." Scorekeeper opens her mouth to continue, but stops when another vehicle, the largest thus far, rolls down the ramp into the garage. An Ares Roadmaster rolls to a stop beside the group, and the rear hatch slides open with a hiss. The interior is shielded from view by a curtain hanging in the doorway, but the invitation could hardly be clearer.

That's fine, Judicator. Nothing demands that Arclight has to try hiding anything. As far as cyberware goes, the only implants susceptible to Matrix Perception are those with explicit and active wireless functionality. The commlink falls under that category, as would her control rig if she were running any drones or vehicles at the moment, which I assume is not the case.

Inspector Valin, the cameras aren't especially high-tech (Device Rating 3), but there are enough of them to provide multiple redundant angles on practically any given location within the garage; unless they were all slaved to a single main computer, which they might not be, marking and editing them all would take far too long to be feasible. That said, it's largely a moot point now, since there's a reasonably private "conference room" sitting right in front of the group.

[JigokuKensai]

"I get the feeling this might be all of us." He walks towards the Ares Roadmaster to go inside. He stops right at the entrance and speaks without even turning around.
"You'll probably be calling me Blade/♥ from now on. There's a million of them, but that's sort of an advantage isn't it?" Without waiting for a response he parts the curtains and enters the vehicle.

[PalusAbel]

The van's interior has been modified for use as a troop transport. There's enough guns and ammo to go around, but even more impressive are the five suits of mechanized battle armor seated on the benches built into either side of the vehicle. Only one of these isn't pinned down by a harness; it is also the only one that is presently occupied. "Yo. Call me Jack," the armor says with a friendly wave. "Feel free to start strapping yourself in. These suits can take a while to put on."

Scorekeeper sweeps aside the curtain and steps in after Blade/♥. "...really now. Well, I suppose there is nothing else for it." She slides out two tasers hidden within her sleeves and places them upon on a rack. The revolver in her pocket follows suit, then her coat, then the paired submachine guns tucked into her waistband. She gets as far as her suit jacket before she pauses to address her "audience". "I have no qualms about undressing before others, so if you wish not to see, turn around." Jack says nothing, merely sitting back with his expressionless helmet facing another direction.

Ever the philanthropist, this Jack. There's one suit of light mil-spec battle armor and one Ares Alpha assault rifle for each person. The armors are individually labeled with the intended wearer's alias.

[Inspector Valin]

Fort blinked a little at the interior of the van, her smile to the friendly looking rigger rapidly fading. She'd been expecting a final meeting, an assignment. Not to be confronted with military grade weapons and armor, ready to go. The hacker visibly paled slightly at the sight; killing had never been a part of the job she was comfortable with, and this much hardware didn't exactly scream self defence. Still, she'd signed up now, damn it. And with their handles emblazoned on each battle suit, Jack probably wasn't intending to have them do anything too illegal.

Just dangerous. Much better.

The hacker stepped across to her allotted suit of armour, barely noticing Scorekeeper's question. She looked down at the suit and the Alpha resting next to it, placing her bag down gently beside the station before turning towards the occupied suit. (No guarantee that was Jack. Could be a double with a speaker in the helmet.) "Assault rifles aren't my speciality. I can go grab my Desert Strike from my car if you want. It's Ares brand and I'd be more use with it if you're expecting us to fire these things." She wasn't exactly comfortable with the sniper rifle either, but it was more of a precision tool and she'd practised with it for a lot longer. If you're going into a job that makes you uncomfortable, ensure you've got every other advantage you can on your side.

[PalusAbel]

"Sure, whatever you want, bring it in. Both the armor and the rifle are just accessories in the end - we'll use them to get past the checkpoint, but we won't strictly need to use them during the run itself. I know that equipment like this isn't everybody's cup of tea." Jack dismisses Forteana's concern out of hand. He's perfectly relaxed in both voice and posture, as if it were natural to sit in the back of an armored van and disregard military-grade equipment as trinkets.

[Inspector Valin]

Fort just nodded at Jack's request, her professionalism taking over. Ducking past the curtain, she's soon enough back with a lengthy black case, which she deposits next to her armour. She glances around briefly at the group, before removing her small silver pendent with a sigh, gently laying it down atop her rifle case. Not turning around, she removed her jacket, putting it atop her back and started to unlace her corset; following Scorekeeper's example as best she couldand regretting her choice to dress like this before the meeting. Honestly, she was still on edge with having to do this, especially with a team she didn't know, but this was her first interaction with these three. She had to be confident and professional if she wanted them to trust her. Add that one to the unwritten rules of Shadowrunning.

[TheJudicator]

Arc-Light had a brow raised as the others made their introductions, their own musings confirming what she was already starting to suspect. A team...Drek, Jack, you might have mentioned that.... Shrugging, she let her stance relax a bit, as neither of the three seemed in any position to start shooting the place up. Opening her mouth, she was about to speak before the one thing more tanky than her can rolled down the ramp. By that point, her jaw had dropped, purple eyes widening as if in awe of the sight. "...Arc-Light...that's what I go by...Drek, man, that our employer...?"

As they filed in she was once again in shock at the array of military grade equipment set up for them, seeing her handle printed onto a suit, obviously fitted for her frame, right arm and all. First thing she did was do a check over the armor. Her eyes scanning over the piece and seeing it was the genuine thing, same with the rifle, forcing a fleeting grin to appear on her face. She glanced around at everyone else as they started to get changed for a brief moment, giving a shrug. "Tch...shoulda anticipated this. Frag. Well, guess we will be seeing each other for a while so what the hell..."

She paused for a brief moment, turning her back slowly before removing her jacket, followed by the holster holding her Ruger. Her cybernetic right arm glinted in the interior light as she lifted the hand, flicking her wrist and popping her Predator from her forearm. Her dress came next, slipping down and showing the multitude of scars on her back as she undid the Pulsar from her thigh. Grabbing the armor, she started to suit up, feeling incredibly self conscious of being seen, but emboldened by the fact that they were getting to wear "fragging milspec baby"

[PalusAbel]

"Glad to see that you're all getting along." Jack bangs his armored fist against the side of the van, signalling the driver to get a move on. "I know this is short notice, but I already have our first run planned out. A friend of mine needs to be extracted from an Ares R&D facility. Said facility just received a threat from a runner team announcing an imminent raid. I would know, since I hired that group, too. Ah, don't worry, they're conventional hires, not retainers like you guys.

Anyway, the staff over there is hiring some extra muscle in case the threat proves credible, which it ought to. As you might've guessed, we're going to be part of those reinforcements. The gear you see here has already been prepped for infiltration; we've got the codes and everything. The operation should be straightforward - we infiltrate the facility using the other group as a distraction, find my friend, and get the hell out. 'Course, 'should' never quite cuts it in this business, does it?" Jack finishes his short briefing with a laugh.

[Inspector Valin]

Ares. That made Forteana twitch slightly, though just for a second. Ares meant Knight Errant would probably be the main on-site security, and the wider KE units in Seattle would effectively be on speed-dial. If this op went wrong, they could be facing a hail of bullets. And she could be firing on Darin if he ended up on the response team and she wasn't careful.

Or if I didn't have his face registered in my STS

Trying to forget that little detail for the moment, Fort focused on donning her armour, fastening piece by piece into place as the van jolted forwards. This suit was heavier, but the principles were no different than her SWAT gear. A piece at a time, building up to a larger whole. Still, she was paying as close attention as anyone, and once Jack was done she spoke up. "Do the other team know they're a distraction?" The question was simple, unweighted. She didn't look up as she continued talking, partially out of routine and partially due to embarrassment. She really would rather not meet anyone else's gaze until she had this whole suit on, thank you very much. "If they do, and one of their team gets captured, we could be in trouble. But if they don't, they could complicate things if they get in too deep. It's a good plan either way, but the two paths lead to different possible complications. Better to be prepared."

[PalusAbel]

"Oi, oi, give me at least some credit, will you? Don't worry about the other team - they know what they need to know. I trust that it's the same on this end." Jack leans back to relax, crossing his ankles and putting his hands behind his head.

[TheJudicator]

Arc-Light had successfully donned the armor from the waist down, the plates and mesh clinking a bit as it molded to her legs as she fastened the first belt, taking a seat to steady herself whilst the Roadmaster embarked to their destination. As Jack spoke, the human girl mentally sent a lockup command to her Bulldog, setting up the security and alert system should any inquisitive individuals come too close. Pulling the mesh weave of the undershirts over her head, followed by the breastplates, she turned her violet eyes to Jack. "Ah...complex in the details, but simple in the idea. Huh. Run in, grab, run out, make it look offic'. Seems easy enough..."

She clapped the arm plates on her left arm, then the couple auxiliary plates over her cyberarm to give the complete look. then paused to grab the rifle, turning it and doing a full check on it, including ammo loadout and what was present in the underbarrel 'nade launcher. After that, the pauldrons came on, but the helmet stayed off. No sense working up a sweat before they even arrived after all. Taking the moment to ease back, the rigger glanced around at her new teammates, noting how the one corseted girl opted for a sniper rifle off the bat...the other with the multitude of weapons, and the one other male with that ever-present cheeky grin. Everyone was silent. So...the human tried some small talk.

"Heh..so, uh...anyone catch Salvarez' upset in the combat-biking trid last night?"

Going ahead to simply take a look around, seeing stuff noteworthy of individuals and equipment not otherwise obvious
Perception (http://orokos.com/roll/254029): 8d6h5 4

[PalusAbel]

Arclight finds that the gun is loaded with CS gas grenades, but is otherwise completely unmodified. Likewise with the armor, save for an added chemical seal. There don't seem to be any notable features within the back of the van besides its five occupants and their assorted gear. Scorekeeper's finished donning her armor, helmet and all, and busies herself with strapping her guns back on. Her two Ingram Smartguns have had their barrels shortened for concealability, but sport no other obvious changes. She takes a seat opposite Jack when her business is complete.

"I prefer books," is the only response Scorekeeper offers to Arclight's question.

[JigokuKensai]

Blade/♥ makes an attempt to stare at the ceiling as everyone else in the room begins to undress."Well drek, I'd hate to ruin the good first impression I've got going with everyone. But really, even I have to take the high ground on this kind of thing sometimes." Keeping his back to the rest of the ladies he moves towards the armor labled with his primary alias. "Neat. You even got the little heart."
He unslings the bag and leans it against the wall, For another time...
He removes his coat, revealing quite a few firearms, taking extra time and care to fold it up neatly. The removal of his collared shirt reveals a well muscled back filled with faded scars.
He responds to Arc-Light's question. "Haven't really had the time to watch Trids lately, though brodacasted sports aren't really my kind of thing anyway."
After he takes a bit longer to figure out how to put on the armor, ditching his goggles when he realizes that they just wouldn't fit inside his helmet.
With inhuman grace he arms up the rest of his arsenal, which are his 2 side arms, 1 of which including Jack's Custom Revolver, a couple of smoke bombs, and as much rifle ammo as he can carry and access conveniently.

Ninja fixed...

[PalusAbel]

"Heh, sorry, Arclight, but it doesn't seem like you have any fellow combat-biking fans here. I'm an all work, no play kind of guy, so I don't really have anything to say on the matter. Underdogs are always a fun topic, though, aren't they?" Jack laughs in a conciliatory way.

This time around, the intention was for the weapons and armor to be standard-issue so as not to draw attention - it wouldn't do to have a feature quite so distinctive as a custom built-in sheath. Even the nametags aren't permanent. Sorry about that.

I'm not in any hurry to post. Take as long as you need.

[Inspector Valin]

"They always are. It's just the specifics that tends to shift."

Fort nodded to Jack, now fully armoured bar her helmet. This still wasn't something she was used to. Still, she managed a wink to Arclight. "I was working on a personal project, but... was that the away game against the L.A. Longteeth?" The hacker chuckled, tilting her head towards her bag and commlink. "Remind me to call my family later. My father's a big fan, WCCL subscription and everything, he'll want to give me the play by play." The young looking hacker sighed contentedly, thinking back to home. "He's probably still celebrating the win right now at work. His dream vacation spot is Shanxi; not for the history or the magic or the natural views, just for the biking.."

[TheJudicator]

Arc-Light heaved a little sigh at the flat dismissal from Scorekeeper and the friendly admittances of ignorance from the two gentlemen, shaking her head as she adjusted a strap at her shoulder. Reaching for the magazine clips, she examined the bullet content before slipping them into their respective pouches about her armor when Forteana gave a reply. The human's violet eyes snapped up, her hair laying over part of her face and running down her back as she tilted her head, flashing into a knowing grin.

"Frag yeah that was the game! Oh man, if you're calling your pop about it, set some time aside. That triple flip quarter turn dismount kick at the half was nothing less than mucho grande sugoi wiz stuff. Practically broke a camshaft I was working on during that moment. Shanxi, you say? Your pop's got taste for sure, though my particular favorite ring has gotta be Dublin. The super-urban elements really add to the challenge and thrill in my opinion." She trailed off into a bit of a sigh, feeling a little pang of jealously for a fleeting moment. Must be nice to have family to call home to. Ah well, frag it Propping up the Alpha on her knee, she held the barrel in her right cybernetic hand delicately, holding the gun as one familiar with the make.

"Still, that was a hell of a game. Gonna be on replays for weeks. Say...Forteana, was it? I gotta say, I like your Desert Strike. Nice and reliable, and not too many moving parts so it's easy to clean. The mag-pin tends to have a bit of pull though, with me at least. How bout with you?" Perhaps by changing the topic to more of a job-at-hand nature, people might start talking more..

[PalusAbel]

Scorekeeper's attention noticeably perks up at the mention of Forteana's gun. She reaches out and grabs her own rifle, idly inspecting it while listening in on the conversation.

As per the houserule, these rifles each come with five clips' worth of regular caseless ammo. There's more than enough storage space on the armor to hold a couple dozen clips of assorted ammunition.

[Inspector Valin]

Fort's smile dimmed a little as Arclight turned the conversation to her weapon. This wasn't a topic the hacker enjoyed. Still, something of her fellow runner's cheer was a little infectious. The young woman chuckled in-spite of herself. "It's a constant for most users, if the rage threads on the Weapons World forums are anything to go by. Of course, it's supposed to be used as a proper sniper's weapon, fired from the ground. It's a safe bet that Ares deliberately overdid the mag-pin, the extra force makes the common user feel like they're acting out Desert Wars. I've got the tripod setup and smartgun implemented for using it properly, but a Run doesn't usually give you the opportunity to pick your firing position and take multiple seconds lining up your shot."

Fort looked down at the rifle in her hands. It was a good deal longer than the Alpha and surprisingly hefty. She'd never given it any personalization, leaving it in the standard Ares tan and white camo design. The Hacker'd stripped it down in the past, she knew it was an impressive bit of technology; her reservations aside, she could appreciate that. She should probably show it to Grandmother sometime: the old harridan would probably find the idea of her waif of a descendant carrying around a weapon like this hilarious. Glancing over to Scorekeeper, Forteana fiddled with a strap on her armor for a second, trying to both smile and look professional "Still, it works and it's more my style than the Alpha. APDS rounds, and a weapon responsive enough to send them where they need to go. If you have to fire on people in this job, it's always best to end the fight as quickly as possible. Clean, efficient combat should be a Shadowrunner's calling card, right?" She glanced around her fellow team members, as if looking for affirmation on the point

[PalusAbel]

"Agreed. Better still if the fight never truly begins." Scorekeeper gestures to her coat and sends a wireless command via her Sensei commlink. The coat promptly fades from view. "I am a covert specialist. I prefer running my operations the way I run my guns - silent and out of sight. I will admit that I did not arrive wholly prepared for a run; I did not bring all of my tools. I am a locksmith by trade, you see, and it shames me that I did not bring them along. However, if this mission is truly as simple as you say, Jack, I should hardly miss them. You will find that I am quite handy with my submachine guns, in any case." She pats the guns strapped to the small of her back reassuringly.

Jack gives off an impression that he is smiling beneath his helmet. "I think we can get by without a locksmith this time, but do take care to bring your toys next run. Oh, before you ask, yes, I'll be coming along, too. I didn't dress up like this for nothing. Don't worry, I know which end of the gun needs to point where." He raises his hands in an apathetic shrug. "You'll find that I prefer ends over means. I don't care if you get seen or if you have to kill anyone, as long as you don't get caught and you get the job done. I won't necessarily come along every time, but I'll be keeping an eye on you nonetheless. Speaking of, does my presence here make you trust me more or less? Haha."

[TheJudicator]

Arc-Light's smile returned by the revival of conversation in the back of the Roadmaster, a single stomp coming from her armored boot at the comments. She appreciated Forteana's commentary on the Desert Strike, making a note that this one was about efficiency and control...judging by the use of forums for info, possibly a techie. That being said, it didn't take any guessing for Scorekeeper, as she blatantly pointed out that she was a covert and B&E combat specialist. Which really left the bluecoated sole male in the quad of employees who's job wasn't clear to the stout human. She waited for Jack to finish before piping up.

"Well, wiz. Clean fights are good, no fights are better, but let's all be honest: in this work, Drek seems to have a magnetic attraction to the fragging turbofan, am I right? That's where I work best. I'm a bit of a sped and firepower enthusiast. Sure, I can scout and Drek in a way to set up a good run, but when things go south, I'm overprepped to go. I can get a team out of a scrap and dish a hard punch. Or, I suppose some of my louder Drek could be a good diversion, hmmm...". She trailed off, a happy grin on her face before turning to Jack. "Haa...don't have a good answer for that, Jackie...if that is you, then you're either really confident we are really signed on and that this run will be smooth...Or you got the stupidest hoop I've ever met..."

[Inspector Valin]

There was a chuckle from the young hacker. Fort winked at Arclight, gesturing across towards their employer. "To be fair, it is good manners to stab us in the back in person, if that's your plan Jack. Looking us in the eyes first is a rare courtesy in this line of work. Most Johnsons don't even bother with a note before sending a hit squad after the Shadowrunners they need to get rid of. You're being very polite about this."

The thought of past teams made Forteana come to a realization. She glanced about the now armored group, before turning back to their employer. "Are we all on retainer, by the way?" It was very probable; a team made more sense than a single runner, but it was always good to check. If they were, this little ragtag team was going to have to become a proper Shadowrunning team, and stick together for quite a while. That would be.... interesting.

[JigokuKensai]

Blade/♥ takes a seat looking perhaps a little too relaxed; his hands behind his head and one of his feet resting on top the other leg's thigh. Though he finds that he has to adjust himself quite a bit in order to get comfortable.
"I think the fact that you ask about us trusting you is a good indicator that we're in good hands." That or he's playing a really complicated act. "Though it does make me wonder about your motives."
He straightens up a bit at Forteana's question. "I am, and I'm guessing you are too. Hahaha..." He ends his laugh in a soft sigh. "Looks like we might be in this together for the long haul eh? Well I guess at this point we should try to drop out as many pretenses as we can, I mean better than having to walk around any eggshells later on in a run or worse yet having to step on a landmine. Can't help but think you sort of planned this out Jack."

Again sorry for the delay's, next week I should be a lot better. Though I've noticed a difference in our posting hours due to the time difference.

[PalusAbel]

Jack laughs again. "I suppose that's as good a response as I could have expected. Yes, you're all in the same boat - you'll be my private, elite squad for the twelve months. With that in mind, I wholeheartedly encourage sharing your quirks and preferences. That will, however, have to wait for another time. We're here." He claps his hands to bring an end to conversation.

"Put on your helmets and take up your rifles. Don't say anything unless spoken to, and even then use your best judgment." Jack gives a wave of his hand, and the electrochromic labels on the armors fade away, only to be replaced by the Ares logo. He takes his Alpha on the way out the door. "Welcome to the Anvil."

The facility does bear an uncanny resemblance to the ubiquitous blacksmith tool. It is a massive affair of metal and concrete, looming dozens of stories above the ground and penetrating who knows how many floors below it. The premises are absolutely crawling with security officers, though none quite so heavily armed as Jack and his entourage. The Roadmaster is parked just outside the perimeter, awaiting admittance through the gatehouse.

Jack boldly approaches the troll in charge, easily identifiable by his intimidating demeanor and his central position on the gatehouse overhang. "Hammer-Zero-One, reporting to reinforce the Eastern quadrant, as ordered." Jack snaps to attention and barks out his reply to the troll's wordless inquiry.

The troll scoffs skeptically. "Does Hammer-Zero-One only have one member? Elite my ass. Perhaps our superiors did not inform you of the magnitude of the threat we face." He spits over the railing in obvious distaste. Scorekeeper takes that venomous gesture as her cue to dash out of the van and stand at attention next to her employer, or in this scenario the person who seems to be her commanding officer. In accordance with Jack's directive, she says nothing else, even as the troll raises as eyebrow.

Starting to get the show on the road a little. Don't screw things up. :smallbiggrin:

[JigokuKensai]

Blade/♥ adjusts his helmet one last time before hustling right behind Scorekeeper. Standing at attention so that he would be in ranks with everyone else. He was glad that he had the helmet hide the darting of his eyes. He really wish he had more time to discuss the plan and the facility, but now he was left to trust in Jack's judgement. For now he had to be mindful of Ares Security procedures, and maybe he'll be fine playing the part.

Perception: [roll0] 5 Hits +1 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?394627-Shadowrun-5E-Ex-Luce-et-Umbra-OOC&p=18809312#post18809312) -> 6 Hits
Corporate Security: [roll1] 3 Hits
Magical Security: [roll2] 4 Hits +1 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?394627-Shadowrun-5E-Ex-Luce-et-Umbra-OOC&p=18809312#post18809312) -> 5 Hits

[Inspector Valin]

Forteana takes a second to strap her helmet into place and to check both her rifles were properly holstered on her back before stepping smartly out of the door. The armour was heavier than she was used to, ill suited to running, but she could make it work. She came to a shard halt just behind Blade, forming up into a line with him, Jack and Scorekeeper before saluting the Troll CO. All those old Scout Meetings she'd been to as a kid in Santa Fe paid off: she knew the drill here. Be quiet, be still, be professional. Compared to most of what was demanded of a Shadowrunner, this should be a piece of cake.

[TheJudicator]

Arc-Light gave a nod to Forteana's question, followed by Heart Under Blade's response, straightening up a bit at well. "Yeah, seems like this be the next of Jack's surprises at the very least. Still, you all don't seem like a buncha drekheads, so I ain't complaining~" She paused as Jack told them they had arrived, giving a nod and starting to slip her helmet on, having to pull her hair up into a messy bun to fit it all in. She grabbed the rifle in both hands and again double checked the loaded 'nade launcher and all the mags, making sure one was loaded and the safety was very much on. Taking a deep breath, she let her eyes adjust to the helmet visor before listening to the grating voice of the troll gatekeeper.

She couldn't help but quietly chuckle: ganger or security, trolls tended to act the same, even right down to the spit. Lovely. Seeing both Scorekeeper and then Heart Under Blade pile out, she turned her head to Forteana, giving a nod, grinning as she stood and hopped out of the Roadmaster and fell in line with the other two. She held the rifle in a relaxed stance, barrel pointing to the ground and her trigger hand resting on the rifle's frame. She stood up, leaning slightly onto one hip with her feet shoulder-width apart, keeping her head still, despite how tempting it was to retort the troll.

[PalusAbel]

"Five of you, then. That's a little better. All right, move along. You're not the only group coming in, so get your van parked and wait for further orders." The troll steps away from view, presumably to order someone else to open the gate. The monolithic gates glacially roll aside as Jack gestures back to the van.

"That went well," he sighs, slumping back in his seat. "Since we'll be pulling straight into the garage, there's no need for the armor anymore if you don't want it. Or the rifle, for that matter, if you'd rather not carry it." Neither he nor Scorekeeper make any moves to disarm.

When the van's rear hatch opens again, it reveals a loading dock like the kind one might find in any factory. There's no one else in sight for now, though other Roadmasters are parked nearby. "Sorry to do this so soon, but we're splitting up. I'll take Scorekeeper here and head north. You three go south. We'll rendezvous back here when the job is done. You'll know it when it happens. Come on now, princess." He takes off with the silent elf without word.

Generally speaking, I'm going to want to know what exactly you're looking for when you make any sensory tests. With no other specifications, I'd likely just provide elaborations on the general impressions.

Perception: There are well over a hundred people visible just from outside the gate, with many more working inside the building proper. Most of them appear to be standard security, though they're clad in riot armor and packing assault rifles.

Corporate Security: Security is high, but doesn't seem specialized for any one kind of scenario. The Anvil is on alert status, but alerted to what is anyone's guess.

Magical Security: Magic is oddly muted in and around the anvil. There are Awakened human sentries placed here and there upon the wall, but auras from inside and below the building are fuzzy and indistinct.

[Inspector Valin]

Forteana can feel the quiet of the facility as she stepped out of the van, Alpha discarded in favour of her own rifle. Better to stick with the armor though: there was no real sense forsaking the disguise. It'd make it harder to run later, but this place was crawling with very well armed Ares guards. They didn't want to be running at all. Her bag was slung over her shoulder; she'd hardly be the only person tonight carrying additional equipment, given the threat of incoming Runners. Although most of those other Security members probably weren't lugging around a Cyberdeck.

With a thought, she synchronized a comm-line with the other two Runners, broadcasting with the Caliban. It might not be up for decking, but the thing was secure at least. "This place is relying on signal reduction to minimize Matrix threats. Hopefully they've focused on that over IC. If you want me to get into any of their systems, you'll have to lead me to it. I can try and piggyback on a security device's connection to the wider Security Host, but with this much wifi shielding, I'm probably going to need to be standing on top of it first." Frowning behind her helmet, the young hacker marshalled a string of code, her mind briefly turning upward. If she was going to be any good on this mission, she'd better make sure she was set up for the Ares grid.

Alternate response: stick with the group, you lousy hacker. :smalltongue:

Sleazing onto the Ares grid, ready for whatever further hacking's needed. Hack on the Fly

[roll0] Limit 5.

[JigokuKensai]

Beneath his helmet, Blade/♥'s mouth curved into a small frown. He takes off his helmet and exhales."Chh... I'd rather not run around in this." He takes in one more breath of fresh air puts the helmet back. "Though I'd rather not waste time."

He looks over at Forteana. "If that's the case want to just find a local console so you can break in and locate our special guest? He pauses. Actually did any of you happen to catch the name of the person we're looking for?"

[TheJudicator]

After the pair had separated, Arc lifted one finger into the air for a brief moment. "Bu...wha...huh..." could be heard coming quietly from behind her helmet, but the elf and their employer were long gone. She turned to the other two, who were still in their armors and listened to them speak before responding. She shook her head, leaning onto one hip again and taking a cursory glance around.

"..Well drek. I didn't catch it. The frag is Jack tryin' to pull, hm? I didn't catch no fraggin' name for our Vee Ahh Pee." She turned to Forteana, doubling Blade/<3's suggestion. "I'd take a look around, but I didn't bring no fraggin' scouting eyes on this impromptu run. -sigh- I'd say just take a look around, but nothing too deep. Just get a feel for what we got to work with, eh?"

[Inspector Valin]

Forteana frowned a little at the acknowledgement of them not knowing their targets' name. It was a significant problem, but not insurmountable: given Jack's reach and the security in this facility, looking for the most secured prisoners would be a good start. At the commentary about her potential to help however, the hacker shook her head. "Don't have much to work with. Normally I could piggyback on a camera into the security host, but they're focusing on wired connections. I bet most devices are going to be non wi-fi. And I'm not dressed like a technician."

Fort chuckled at that, glancing briefly around the garrage, before turning back to her new crewmates. "If I see something I can use, that's not right in the middle of the hallway, I'll let you both know. With the level of security here though, I'd probably need to drop to VR to do things properly, and it could get hot. It might be best not to rely on me for information finding here. Breaking through the containment facility's probably going to be more my thing." The young hacker sighed, before stepping towards the exit opposite to Jacks. "Let's start by going south and trying to get our bearings. Find a map of the facility if we can. We... will have to improvise after that." She tried to grin beneath the visor, though she honestly wasn't feeling it.

[TheJudicator]

If Forteana's grin seemed to falter in confidence, the one pasted on Arc-Light's face more than made up for it. "Improvise, eh? Love it. Simple, easy to remember" she gave the hacker a nudge with her elbow while nodding to the currently silent third of their group before deciding to lead the way out of the garage and into the southern part of the complex, using their voicelink to talk casually.

"So, gonna be honest, I am definitely outta my element here, and caught with my hoop exposed with this job. No getaway front or need for my talents, and I fraggin' forgot my scouting buddies, which woulda been a HUGE help here, ya heard? Aight, well, I'll just take point and make sure we look good and tough, eh chummers?" The human had a slight swagger to her walk, keeping her weapon pointed down as she led the way, keeping an eye out for a map ARO or something, avoiding direct contact with the other mobilizing teams.