Ain't That a Kick In the Head.

[Lentrax]

They kept the sign after the Nevada Gaming Corporation takeover.

"Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas."

Yeah. Right.

The only thing fabulous about this town is how it kept its independence from the Indians. But well, throw enough Nuyen at a problem, and it'll go away. Not that it matters. One way or another, Vegas would still be around. Only difference is who runs it. Still, as an extranationality, there were perks that cities affiliated with the other nations of the Sixth World didn't have. With less direct control from the megacorps, the SINless were harassed less than they would have been anywhere else. They were still poor as hell, but that didn't stop then from dropping every Nuyen they could afford (and a lot they couldn't) at the casinos. Every day was someone's vacation, and the tourists flocked to Sin City by the thousands. That is a lot of cred for a lot of grifters, street performers, magicians, and folks who knew about the shadows, but lived in the neon glow of the Strip instead.

The sun is just beginning to set, the orange light filtering across the Mojave desert, and the nightlife is about to go into full swing.

Each of you have come to Las Vegas for whatever reason. running from UCAS, Confed, or Corp authorities. You each had your own lives and your own identities. You each started Running.

But every job comes with a price, and a paycheck. Too bad the creds don't last.

Especially in a city that never sleeps.

Las Vegas.

Bright lights. Dark Shadows.

But which is which? Where does one end, and the other begin? Most never know. And fewer yet realize that the best Runs happen right in front of their faces. Like a good street artist, Misdirection is the name of almost every game here.

"Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas."

[Karen Lynn]

>Logout? Y/N
_
_
_
Y
>Logging out...

Damn. When did I eat last? Is there any pizza left? Ugh, it's bad. Drek, I've been logged in for two days? Man, I'm bored. Wonder if that loser has anything needing done...

The young woman logged back into the game, but not before ordering some take out. Checking her friend list, she sends a message to one of the most teenage handles she's seen in this game: xXx_ninja666_xXx.

'sup, dood. Questing today? Need any loots?

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jennifer

Tonight was a night off, and that meant freedom. When one works for a casino, schedules are strict. When that one is a primary stage attraction for the numerous tourists, and even some local regulars, not only are schedules strict, but it can be hard to sneak out of the limelight. Fortunately for Jennifer, many people didn't see the supposedly Egyptian elven mystic in the Latino elf woman in street clothes looking for a quiet place to have dinner. Even more fortunately for her, her favorite club had a private room available, which she was currently sitting in, enjoying a fine wine and a little solitude.

After the waiter had taken her order, she called up Fast Freddy-- the guy earned his nickname because he talked a mile-a-minute-- looking for some replacement arm restraints for her escaping from the water tank act. The lock had broken the night before when she snapped a tumbler with the pick. After getting his usual rundown and placing the order, she asks, in an off-hand fashion, "Oh, and by the by, Freddy, you have any work lined up for a woman of my talents?"

[Dimers]

Bender stands in the street staring up at the sign, an unlit cigar in the corner of his downturned mouth, sweat evaporating off his forehead into the dry air almost before it can bead up. "Fabulous Las Vegas. What a concept." He checks his 'link again, scowls, and shifts in discomfort. He sees a punk eyeing him from the side of a building, trying to decide if he's a mark. A stare and slight shake of the head widens her eyes and pushes her deeper into the shadow.

"He's got no excuse to be late. This is the 2070s and the man's rich, his undershorts have an alarm function built in. Where the--"

A buzz from his commlink and a flash of AR text interrupt the ork's annoyed rant. < Oh, were you waiting for me long? So sorry. >

"Sure you were," Bender replies to the empty air. "So you gonna come out here in the heat and talk to me? Or did you just have me standing here in the street to torque my nipples?"

< The latter, whitey. >

The ork spits out an uninflected string of Aztlan words, seemingly asking blood spirits to possess Alan Asdzoh's canine sexual partners. He messages back, < This job you got better be worth the drek I have to put up with to get it. >

< And you'd better get me my cut. >

[souffle_girl]

Angen preceded a girl with Asian traits inside her luxurious apartment's lounge, large windows showing a staggering view of the multicolored lights of the Strip.

"Fancy place you got yourself, Angel, you really should invite me over more often."

The blonde elf smiled, letting some of her pride at the place show. Too bad she wasn't going to hold on to it long if she didn't 'supplement' her salary as boring Lucy Summers with some spicy Matrix runs.

"Is that why you're here, Lily? To take advantage of my home?"

Lily then stared at Angel with a mischievious smile. "To take advantage of the owner, more likely," she replied, as she sensuously pushed the other girl on a recliner.

----------------------------------

"I have a job for you, one I won't be able to take part in. I was asked for a replacement and gave them your name. Don't mess up, OK?" Lily said, as she was putting her clothes back on.

"A job, you say? Tonight is getting more and more interesting..."

[Yogismith]

Boomer pulled up onto his driveway and killed the engine. Turning off the headlights caused a severe darkening of the area. It had been a long day. He had been hoping that the job he had might turn into something more long lasting as a security consultant. Thing is he was still pretty new to the Vegas scene. While he had the knowledge and the actual skills to back it up he was an unknown. It seemed like nobody trusted anybody.

Before going inside he walked down to the end if the drive to grab the garbage can that had been out out the day before. Walking back up the drive he noticed the curtains of his neighbor part and the witchy face of Gladys appeared. While he liked Abner her husband, Gladys was a real pain in the ass. He could just imagine her face scrunching up as she wondered what had kept him away causing the garbage can to stay out another day. With a fake smile he gave he nosy woman a semi informal salute. Nosy woman He thought as he wondered what in the hell Abner did or screwed over to end up with her. Without a second thought he was in the garage and soon into his house.

Vegas was sure different than Seattle. While both had their merits and drawbacks Vegas was a welcome change of pace. Boomer grew up in Seattle but left when he joined the Corps at nineteen. Twenty one years later with a nice career behind him he decided it was time to get out. That was when he looked up Leady. A long time buddy he had served with. Six months later he was in Vegas. Another six months he was trying to get by in the bright lights of the strip and regular work wasn't really cutting it. A bit of outstanding debt and payment on his small but nice house meant he needed more Nuyen coming in.

That was where some side work came in. A person with his talents came in useful from time to time. It was enough to not go into debt anymore but it wasn't really putting nuyen in the bank.

------------------

With a cold beer in hand, a fine micro brew he found a few weeks ago, Boomer took a seat in his favorite chair. It was a retirement gift from when he got out. Turning on the trid he sat back, relaxed and dozed off.

He awoke an hour later when he got an alarm on his link that he had received a message. It came in on his private comlink. Which meant that it was either a buddy or the possibility of a job had come up. Opening up his ARO he looked up at the message. It was from his fixer. The relationship was still new between them. The kid seemed young. Though now days it seemed that he was on the older side of things.

<Boomer have some work for you. Pay should be decent. Looks like they need some muscle, shooter or maybe even a meat shield. Good luck.> With a gruff half laugh he read the details at the end of the message on where to meet up for the job.

"Ha meat shield. I hope they aren't tall"

[Lentrax]

MMOs were probably never meant to be actually experienced like this. But then again, they probably never designed them from the perspective of someone who doesn't need to be hooked into a simlink either. Either way, an icon pops up in EVs vision. "Level up! 620 gp. +32 Skill. +1 Strength. +120 HP." Just behind that, in a nice area of your vision for messages to appear from other players, a dialogue opens.

j0 EV. j00 chill? if j00 aren't wit a input 2nite, mr. j wants 2 meet. if j00 down 4 that, head to Excalibur. sorry, meatspace. I kno. I kno. J's terms, not mine.


After talking your ear off for what seems like an hour, Freddy finally stops to catch his breath. He picks up on the question. "Yeah. I've heard of a gig or two. If you need the work, you should head to Excalibur. Word has it that the Black Knight has a new sponsor you'd be interested in meeting. And you would not believe who they hired over there to replace the old King Arthur..."


<Let's cut the crap, for once, Bender. Excalibur. Tonight. 2100. Find the Black Knight. He'll get you where you're going.>


You don't know the half of it, honey. Lily purrs, as she finishes rearranging her jacket so it shimmers in the light from the Strip. Let me know how it goes. aand with a short kiss, she turns and heads out the door, dropping a card on the table as she goes.

"Excalibur, 2100, Black Knight's Tent. Pass phrase is "Joust training sim."

[Karen Lynn]

Meat meet? Ugh :U Excalibur? Kk. Raid spawn when? Quest name?

[Lentrax]

2nite. 9. check wit the black knight hes got a new training program.
still on for boss run 2morrow, check yer dps. not as high wit the new gear. l8r EV


The message on Boomer's link reads "2100. Excalibur. Ask for the new training program.

[Tempestfury]

There was many, many bars inside a city, and when that city is vegas that is practically two bars peer street at least. And many many people loved to spend their times in bars when not in a casino, so its not that surprising to find them packed. As Karlial made his way to the actual bar through the crowd, he had to silent admire the place that had been set up. The ‘Earth’s Haven’ it was called, run by an Orc known as Trygg.

The Earth Haven was actually a rather respectful place in Vegas. Oh sure it was no fancy smansy location. But it was it was clean, very limited drug abuse. Prostitutes were frowned on unless they were part of a respectful brothel, and the drinks were actually of very good quality. Through having an ex-runner as a bartender with still having quite a bit of pull in the shadows did help... Trygg might focus on his day-job now, but one can’t simply leave the shadows, so he now played the role of a fixer, which is why Karlial stepped up to the bar.

“Hey old man.” Was the simple greeting as Karlial sat down, before going on to ask. “May I have the Runner Special?” The bar’s main drink it was, through for runner’s who knew Trygg, it was also a request for any jobs. Of course, Trygg rarely spoke about it on the bar... but there was other ways to talk.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jennifer

"What time? And are there any other relevant details?" she asks, cutting Freddy off mid-word. Freddy was a good fixer, and, even more than that, she genuinely liked the guy, but his tendency to talk about whatever came to mind meant he often left out important bits of information unless she brought him back on track repeatedly.

[Karen Lynn]

kk current gear dots to increase dps over a minute. l8s

With that, she logs out again, checking the clock. Six hours. Eat, wash up, clean around here, maybe borrow an autocab to get there.

With that, she'll clean until her Chinese gets there, most likely via drone, then eat and bathe. When the time comes, she'll grab her link, slot her Veronica SIN and have her drones on standby, ready to launch.

[Lentrax]

Trygg grunts as you ask for the special of the day. "Drinks called the Excalibur. 21 Nuyen, but today's yer lucky day." The Orc pours you a drink that seems slightly green. "It's already been paid for. Seems a fellow got lucky on a new jousting sim. Calls himself Black Knight. Bought everyone a round."


In his, as always, very roundabout and verbose fashion, Freddy finally gave you the details for the meet. He waved goodbye as you headed out the door. But today's a record. You only had to put back on track six times.

******

".... Where the President is expected to make a statement condemning the recent attacks on Sidhe..."
"...at's right, Tom. We have a wild group of contestants ready to try and run the gamut and avoid the Tasers, in tonight's championship episode of Don't Taze Me, Bro! And now, a word from..."
"...pected to make a full recovery from last weeks breakdown. You may recall, Andy, that Andromeda Silverstar, the Diva of Divas, suffered a mental break last week where she started openly making slanderous remarks against several Megacorps, including Aztechnology, and Saeder-Kruup..."
"BTLs. Are they really that hazardous to your health? Find out with our exclusive re..."

******

Soon enough, the time comes for your meeting. As each of you makes your way to the Excalibur, you start feeling the edge, that cold, visceral shiver down the back of your spine. That first mere whiff of the adrenaline that is to come.

The Excalibur Casino is brightly lit, with pennants bright against the night sky by virtue of spotlights I illuminating them from below, which also gives them the very odd illusion of the shadows illuminating the wrong folds in the fabric. The blue and orange parapets stand tall against the black, clouded skies.

Even with the late hour, people are heading into the casino, possibly to take in the last show of the evening, or maybe blow a few Nuyen at the poison of their choice before heading home. Checking your chronic, you realize you still have a few minutes before you need to show. But what to do with your time? After all, there are so many options...

[Dimers]

<Let's cut the crap, for once, Bender. Excalibur. Tonight. 2100. Find the Black Knight. He'll get you where you're going.>

Bender nods, knowing that Alan will see it via whatever drone or hacked cam he's been watching through. He's privately both gleeful and dismayed that he seems to have put a crack in the sarcastic Navajo's stoney-faced facade, but he tries not to show it. He calls his tricked-out PMV from the parking space it found a few blocks away, then messages back to Alan.

< Thanks, man. Seriously. I'm glad you thought enough of me to recommend me. >

< White man speak with forked tongue. I'll believe your thanks as soon as I see the cred. Don't suck tonight. >

Best I'm gonna get out of him unless I can go back in time and make my parents Navajo. The Horseman arrives, and Bender swings himself in while it drops to recumbent mode. Let's go home and pack.

This isn't important, just trying to reintroduce myself to forum rolling SR-style before I need it. Etiquette roll for not looking pleased at Alan's response: Bender has 3 Charisma and 1 Etiquette, so I roll [roll0] and get ... no hits. That's a smirk, is what that is.

Later, arriving early to the Excalibur, Bender nods to a former coworker scanning him at the entrance. "What's new, Ortiz?" the human asks. Unsure whether he's talking about cyberware or life, Bender replies, "Same old same old, omae." The man waves him on and he enters the sensory madness of the casino's main room. He can smell the direction of a couple bars, the sweat that indicates low-stakes games (you gotta be cool to be a high roller), the perfume and burnt-lightbulb smell from the closest stage show. He focuses on one conversation after another as he wanders through the loud room, keeping ears and eyes open for some hint about this "Black Knight".

[souffle_girl]

In her expensive evening dress, her hair perfectly styled following the latest fashion trends, Angel would have turned heads in a lot of places. Ironically enough, she fitted perfectly among the unsuspecting clientele of the Excalibur.
Starlets, bored socialites, young corporate managers with more money than brains - they all flooded the Strip at night to ride the high of gambling in a display of power and wealth.
There was a time when Angel was one of them, and she could almost see her younger, naive self in the young women chatting vapidly with their dates.
Another time, when she hadn't discovered the pleasures of life yet. The thrill of a deep Matrix run, for example.

Seeing she was a bit early for the meeting she walked over to the bar and ordered a glass of wine - well, the synthetic kind, no reason to waste money on good stuff when it was for show only. It still tasted better than she'd thought.

Sitting on a lounge chair with her drink in hand, she scanned the crow, trying to spot some of her soon to be coworkers.

[Karen Lynn]

EV, currently Veronica, gets there a little early and looks about. First thing she'll do is tap any public info about the place via her link, hopefully bringing up a map for first timers here.

She looks like a hot topic barfed her out. Messy black hair, a printed tee of some random metal/rock hybrid band, loose fitting jeans, and a patch covered backpack. She'll look about for anything to do with the black knight, including the map.

She does, on her way in, make a point to ask the bouncer about three black knight's latest jousting sim.


Perception
[roll0]

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jennifer

Jennifer finishes her meal, tips the waiter generously, and goes for a leisurely walk down the Strip. She ignores the various street dealers, prostitutes, con men, and others trying to get money from her in one way or another, and enjoys the warmth of the desert evening. When she arrives at Excalibur, she pauses briefly in the casino, before ducking into a bar. While she enjoyed cards, it was too tempting to use sleight of hand to affect the outcome-- a practice casinos frowned on rather severely, and she didn't want to mess up her chance to meet with the Black Knight.

Rather by coincidence, she ended up sitting next to Angel, sipping contentedly from a snifter of fine cognac. Compared to most of the clientele, Jennifer appeared somewhat under-dressed, wearing a button-down blouse and black denim jeans ending just above a pair of converse-style sneakers.

[Lentrax]

It is so hard these days to tell who a Runner is, though maybe there's one over there... That man in the suit could be a face... Or maybe he's just a sleazy exec with poor taste in elves. Hmm.

Making your way further into the Casino, you finally find the Black Knight. He is currently embroiled in a sword fight with two orcs dressed in costume armor. To the cheers of the crowd, the knight dispatches his foes in a dazzling display of theatrics and overplayed swordplay.

He enters through the flap in the tent, where you each ask for a copy of the new jousting sim.

The Black Knight leads you through the back entry of the tent. He takes you toward the back of the casino floor and as he approaches a bank of slots, a door pops open from the previously smooth wall. Inside you find a slick modern conference room. Currently, the only occupants in the room are yourselves, making it a good time to introduce yourselves to each other before Mr. Johnson arrives.

[Tempestfury]

“Well, ain’t that nice of him.” Karlial said, taking the drink and downing it quickly. Whilst it was quite tasty, the orc had work to do and couldn’t afford to tarry, through he might of enjoyed doing so. “I think I’ll have to go and give him my thanks, see you around old man.” With a nod, Karlial slid of the stool and headed back into the crowd for the exit. Having your dad as your fixer meant that they put in the extra effort to ensure that you don’t get any bad jobs... and some of the old tricks that a runner must know.

* * * * * * *

Suterusu arrived at the casino a little ahead of time, and made sure to give the place a quick recon before heading inside. Taking note of the windows and doors, and taking a look around the street for the alleyways and turns that would allow someone to make an escape if things go bad. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst... an old shinobi motto that any experienced Shadowrunner would live be. Or at least that least the last part of it. Wearing his black jacket with a dark-gray undershirt, gray bottoms and simply gray shoes. Suterusu was a little underdressed compared to those around him, but he didn’t exactly stick out like a sore-thumb either. Plus, the clothing helped hide the armoured vest that the orc was currently wearing.

Suterusu had to roll his eyes at ‘Black Knights’ display, it was rather corny in all honestly, and he was pretty sure that he would be able to take him, through he didn’t make any efforts to actually step up and confront him of course. He was here for business, not pleasure, and soon enough he was lead into a secret area inside of the casino, meeting who were going to be his partners in this run. “Suterusu, shinobi.” The orc greeted them simply, stating what they could identify themselves as, and what his role on the run was going to be.

[souffle_girl]

Angel gave a glance at the woman who had just sat next to her, trying to gauge if she was a runner of just another wageslave batting a little higher than she could afford. Her question was answered when she met her again in the secret room with all the partecipants to this run.
More than a few people: whoever was sertting this up was willing to spend a lot of money to get the job done.

She curiously surveyed her new partners, people as different from each other as only runners can be. At the orc's introduction, she simply replied:

"I'm your decking support. Call me Angel," and pulled her hair aside to show the port of her datalink, at the base of her skull.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jennifer

"My name's Jennifer-- Jen for short, and for preference. In addition to a modicum of skill at subterfuge, misdirection, and social settings, I'll be providing magical assistance." She takes a few moments to scan each person present with Astral sight, getting a reading on their auras. It was a trick she often used in her shows; the crowds loved a good Aura Reading, and it came natural to her when she was in a new group, to get a feel for their personalities.

[Karen Lynn]

"Everyone calls me EV, even Bender there does." Meekly, she continues. "I provide specialized matrix and tactical support."

If you're assensing, high enough hits will reveal I'm a TM. If you do, your call what you do with that info.

[Yogismith]

Boomer followed the Black Knight along with the others into the ultra modern conference room. Boomer took in the others as he sat down next to Bender and gave him a nod. "Omae. How you doing?" He gave the others a nod as well.

Boomer sat there looking the room over making sure of escape vectors in case the meet went south unexpectedly. He took in the look of the others as they dropped their name and operational specialty.

For those looking at Boomer they would see a dark haired Dwarf with maybe a slight graying at the temples. Black cargo pants, the kind with many pockets, and Military style combat boots. For a shirt he wore a white tee shirt that sported a Maria Mecurial picture from the early 50's. Over the Shirt was a semi fashionable coat, from five to six years ago. The shirt if anyone were to place it might have some insight to his age. If one looked close enough a armored vest could be spotted


You all can call me Boomer. Demolitions and combat support is my specialty."



5d6s5 Jen
5d6s5 EV
5d6s5 Bender
5d6s5 Angel
5d6s5 Suterusu

If anyone else tries Assensing they will see that Boomer is an adept and that he has a weapon focus on him if he's allowed to carry it in here.

[Karen Lynn]

"At least I don't have to work with any humans."

[Lentrax]

"I hope that sentiment does not extend to those hiring you for a job."

The voice was smooth, and came from the other side of the room, where a second door opened and a tall human man entered the room. His grey suit was so nondescript that for just a moment you wonder if there is a store somewhere that doesn't draw any attention to it that sells corp men suits for occasions like this. His hands are encased in black polymer gloes that bend and flex and cling to hi skin like, well, like a second skin. His shirt collar rests high enough on his neck that you can only just see the voice modulator resting against his larynx, its electro, computer timed pulses altering his voice from its standard sound and pitch.

His mirrorshades dig into his giant bulbous nose, but he seems not to notice. He has no smell to him at all. Not even the cheap poylcan cologne you can buy from ay vending machine on the street. In fact, almost everything about him seems engineered to leave no impression on your mind at all.

"I see we are short a few faces. Ah well. I will wait," he checks a wristwatch on his arm, "Another three minutes for the others, then we will assume they are not taking the job."

[Karen Lynn]

EV stiffens a bit, looking him over. "N-No, sir... Sorry...". She had already started rolling together a program to find his link and access it, but then let it fizzle. It is bad manners to hack your boss, after all.

[Dimers]

Bender is a bit small and a bit wide for an ork -- if the oversized jaw is any indication, he's probably one of that "ogre" type that mostly pop up in Europe. He's dressed in a sharp but simple suit tailored for his width and would look pretty nice if it weren't for the huge nose, single tusk and lattice of black scarring on his left side.

The ork nods to Boomer. "Life's alright, omae. Better, knowing you're on the team today." He turns to the anti-human human and grins. "EV! How you been? Man, you must feel weird here without your spybots. -- She's got a great tacnet program, you gonna love working with her," he comments to Boomer. "With those drones in the air, everything's as clear as if you're playing a game. Don't mind the shyness, she'll warm up to ya."

While the professionally nondescript man looks at his watch, Bender sniffs the air tentatively. Then he draws in a deep breath while flaring his nostrils. He stares at Jen for a few seconds before saying, "Damn! That you, Cleo? I'd be more subtle about asking, but I don't have your commcode." Apparently having pulled some trid stillframes to compare from the Matrix, he continues, "Wow! I had no idea you were in the shadows -- figured it's all bright lights for you! Gonna be fun working with you. You put on a hell of a show at ... that place we work together. I'm a cheat spotter on the security team." He obscures the name of the casino out of respect for privacy.

There's some kind of nasty cloud about five feet around Bender in the Astral. It's hard to see anything in or past it ... seems to be an unaspected and rather filthy mini-domain. It moves when he does. Good thing the room is big enough to keep some distance between the two of you.

Continuing his comments to Jen and by way of introduction to the quietly present Suterusu, he adds, "You can call me Bender. I have a couple great guns, a couple great senses, a couple smart friends and a laudable lack of stupid mistakes."

[Tempestfury]

Suterusu calmly listened on into the introductions of everyone, glancing between them as they spoke, through he reserved judgement on them entirely. It didn’t matter who they were and what they were like, as long as they performed well on the run. That said, he frowned when ‘EV’ showed racism... as he had been a target of it in the past, Suterusu rather disliked it in any form... so he was rather satisfied when she was shut down hard by their Mr. Johonson.

[Lentrax]

"Ah. Good. Now, to business. I have a package that needs to be delivered to Seattle. Now, I do not expect you to take it all the way there, but I do need a dedicated team to escort it out of the city."

Mr. Johnson pulls six credsticks from his inner suit pocket. He places them in a neat row on the conference table. "Each of these credsticks is coded for 1000 Nuyen. There is an identical transfer pending for each of these sticks upon completion."

You then get the impression that your employer is looking at each of you.

"If you accept this job, there are four rules that must be followed. One, you do not open the package. Two, you do not hand the package over to anyone. Three. You do not ask questions about the package. And four. The package must be delivered on time. Do you agree to these terms?"

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

Jen flinches just slightly at the use of her alter ego's name; while it wasn't exactly a secret, per se, it was information she'd rather have revealed on her own terms, and certainly not with the Johnson present. Still, the damage was done, and there wasn't any polite way of undoing it. As the Johnson went over his criteria, Jen responded to his question with a question of her own, "Are questions about the method and destination of delivery permitted? On the face of it rules two and four seem mutually exclusive, and some more information about the intended recipient or drop point would be beneficial. Sir. Other than that caveat, I have no objections to your terms."

[Karen Lynn]

"Deliver it outside the city, it has to go to Seattle, but we do not have to take it all the way, but we can't give it to anyone else... I assume dead drop location given upon acceptance, otherwise your instructions would seem contradictory. In that case, I accept."

[Lentrax]

"Yes, exactly. A dead drop. Very good. And the rest of you?"

[souffle_girl]

"If you're prepared to spend six thousands to protect the package, I have to ask exactly who or what it needs protection from," Angel said, taking on the smooth and assertive tone she practiced in her days as a Corp.

"After all, a thousand might be very much or very little... it's all a matter of how much risk we're talking about."

[Lentrax]

"Mmm, you had better check your math, Miss Angel. I am spending twelve thousand Nuyen. That is how much I am willing to pay. I cannot give you more details on this job except to say that this package will be highly sought after when word about it hits the Strip."

[Karen Lynn]

"I'm ready to go, now." she says softly, resisting the urge to just walk out. She will take her cred stick and leave with everyone else when it happens. "The longer we wait, the longer it takes."

[Yogismith]

Boomer gave a nod indicating his decision. "I'm in. Do we need our transportation to move the package. If it's big we may not be readily equipped to transport it." The Dwarf sat back and waited for an answer.

[Karen Lynn]

"Depending on the size, I may be able to move it. I've got a good sized vehicle."

[Lentrax]

"You will only need the vehicle to get out of town."

Mr. Johnson reaches into the pocket on the inside of the other side of his suit and pulls out an envelope.

"Inside this envelope are the coordinates and time for the pickup. A RFID chip will contain information about the scheduled time and destination for your drop. Do not be late."

He sets the envelope down atop the credsticks.

"Do you have any questions?"

[Dimers]

Bender flashes a glance at Boomer. It'd be edging too close to Rule Number 3 to ask if Johnson is figuring on armed attention for this "highly sought after" drop. Bet that's why I'm here, though, maybe Boomer too. Aloud, he summarizes his thoughts: "No questions here, Mr. Johnson. I'm in."

[souffle_girl]

"No more questions, I'm in."

[Lentrax]

"Good. The package will be waiting at the pickup point."

He stands up and starts heading for the door he came in through. "And I would probably have something to eat before you go. Take in the show. It is going to be a long night..."

The door closes behind Mr. Johnson with a subtle click.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

Once they're alone, Jen stands up, picks up the envelope and pockets her credstick. She opens the envelope and reads whatever information is inside.

[Dimers]

Snagging his credstick a moment behind Jen, Bender mutters to her, "Sorry about that." :smallfrown:

"So. When's pickup? There's some junk I should get from home if there's time."

[Karen Lynn]

"So, what info do we have? I can have my net up and give us all plenty of situational awareness. Depending on the size of the actual package, we can definitely do decoys in case we're watched from the point of entry here."

[Lentrax]

The provided coordinates are for a location just down the street. In the Forum, at Caesar's Palace. The time for the pickup is scheduled for Midnight. It also lists a set of dimensions.

30cm x30cmx60cm

[Karen Lynn]

"Okay, who wants to take lead on this? I've got a vehicle, none of my bots are large enough to carry the package." She'll take her own credstick happily.

[Tempestfury]

Suterusu... was a little uncertain about the entire job in all honestly. He was a shinobi, stealth and infiltration was his speciality. He couldn’t even kill people due to it trigger flashbacks, so his ranged capabilities were greatly limited. So, an escort mission such as this, or package deliverer... was not within his ability range. Still, Trygg had set it up and he wouldn’t of done so it he couldn’t help. So, Suterusu took the credit stick as the Mr Johnson left, saying. “I would appreciate it if we plan a route ahead of time and I can recon it.”

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

"That will depend greatly on where the destination is and how long we have to get there," Jen points out. "The Johnson said we would get the drop point and time off an RFID chip on the package. But if you want to scout the Forum in advance, we've got about 2 or 3 hours before we'd need to be in position. It's not a bad idea. And EV, it's probably a good idea to get your what? Car? Van? over to Caesar's early anyway. Having your vehicle available is a good idea, even if the package isn't that large. Any other prep work anyone feels we need to do? I like a good plan a much as the next person, but we don't really have a lot of intel at the moment. If it comes down to it, I can relatively easily disguise four of us, although all six may tax my abilities somewhat."

As Bender had noted, Jen had a show, and was used to working a crowd; she seemed to naturally slip into the role of taking charge, without realizing she was doing so.

[Yogismith]

Boomer stood and took one of the credsticks and looked it over. Before pocketing it her removes his tag eraser and methodically ran it over the stick. Satisfied that any tags that may have been placed on it by the J were now inert he placed it in a pocket.

Listening as the others spoke he waited for an opportunity to speak up. "The pick up point is isn't really what I'm worried about. It's the drop off point and the route taken to get there. Getting hit is most probable on the move and by who or whatever third party is at the drop off point." He sat back down. "While twelve thousand is a decent payout it seems rather small considering how much he played it up saying it will be 'highly sought after when word about it hits the Strip.' The Dwarf held up his hands to make quotation marks.

"So like normal the J is either playing up the value of the package or he's screwing with us or Probably both. Either way all I have on me for weapons at the moment is my Predator and knife. Anything heavier will require me to get it before we start the run."

[Karen Lynn]

"Did anyone else notice that the J said 'when', not 'if'? It's sort of like one of the quests in this game I play. The NPC gives you a package to deliver, you go to pick it up, but there's three others already there; hired by the same guy. After the quest, he begrudgingly gives you the reward, having expected you to be taken out on the way by people he told about the package." EV thinks for a bit, then smiles. "We could send some for the pick up, some to a place that has boxes and wrapping papers. Get the package, weigh it, and the other group will get boxes and wrapping to match, putting things inside to weigh about the same. We all go to the drop on separate routes with a box each."

[souffle_girl]

Angel listened to the chat, a little more bitter with how obviously she failed at her bargaining attempt, before standing up ang going to get the credstick. As she linked it to her disposable commlink, checking that the money was there, she smiled at EV's suggestion.

"Decoy packages; I had the same idea. But what if we get attacked by a team? Wouldn't it be safer if the decoys were three, so we could make the trip in couples? I also need to make a quick stop to grab my 'deck if you want me to be at top efficiency."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

"I'm unsure of the advisability of dividing our team up. 'Divide and conquer' and 'safety in numbers' are cliches for a reason, after all. If we settle on that plan, I'd suggest at most two teams. As we have the time, perhaps we should all gather what we feel we'll need, and reconvene at EV's vehicle in the parking garage of Caesar's in, say, half an hour? That will give us some time to consider alternate plans along the way, and we'll still have time to solidify a plan and reconnoiter once we're together again."

[Karen Lynn]

"I, er, can't park in the garage of Caesar's. The maximum clearance there is 6'10. I'll have to park oversized at the Harrah employee garage across the strip."

[Yogismith]

Boomer cocked his head to the the right when it was mentioned regrouping in 30 minutes after grabbing some gear. "Thirty minutes isn't much time girly. I'm sure not all of us live here on the strip. An hour would be better. I have a go bag ready I just need to get home and grab it. I can't do that in thirty. Otherwise I'll go with what I came with."

[Tempestfury]

Suterusu continued listening in on the conversation, mentally noting that Jen was a natural leader it seemed, through whenever or not this was good, or if it would cause trouble later down the line would have to be seen. Still, it seemed an idea to increase the security and chance of success of pulling the job of was creating a decoy package, maybe even two. Whilst he wasn’t confident on the idea that EV suggested about them being set up to get hit, the decoys was the better idea... “If I have time enough to get my suit, I should be able to handle a decoy run alone. My specialty is stealth after all, and if things go wrong I can always have drone support. In fact, one way of doing this, is giving the package to me alone, and we go separate ways. Anyone looking for it will likely go for the heavier guards, and if too many people try to take me out, you should be able to come to my aid quickly.”

[Lentrax]

You make your plans, and agree on meeting in the Forum, or outside, as the case may be.

Jen, making her way to the front of the casino, where a black Lincoln Towncar is waiting. Jesus, you think to yourself, at least you know who is inside. He'll, Loncoln hasn't made real cars for what fifty years? Just a small factory in Italy now, where the cars come popping out like street urchins rolling through the mud of a franchise ghetto.

The door opens and a man exits the vehicle, his impeccable grey Italian silk suit cling gas to a frame that men would kill to have, if only to get the 400¥ to buy an hour in a chop shop.

"Ms. Cleo, of you please. My boss would speak to you if the time is not of a manner that inconvinces you."

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

"Very well, an hour, then, at Harrah's."

----

At the site of the Lincoln, Jen sighs inwardly. She didn't need this right now. She already knew the answer but decided to ask the question anyway. "And if this time is inconvenient? What then?"

[Karen Lynn]

EV will head out after a few, call up the Harrah security and get permission for parking her RV in their oversize lot, maintaining her RV park spot. She'll then get to her RV and drive back, parking and spending time at the Harrah until it's time to go to Caesar's.

[Lentrax]

"Then he apologizes for the inconvenience, and asks you to speak with him as I drive you toward your next destination, wherever that may be."

He moves around to the side if the vehicle you are on, and opens the rear passenger door, holding it open for Jen. "If you please."

[souffle_girl]

Angel left with a nod of agreement, then made a quick trip to her apartment to change into comfortable street clothes and pick up her gear.

She plugged her smartlinked Predator in her datajack, loaded it with Stick-n-Shock ammo, put her modded 'deck in a shoulder bag, then headed to the appointment, already feeling the adrenaline for the upcoming run rushing. This was life, not beung a dataslave for NeoNET!

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

Well, that's more or less what she expected, although he was politer about it than she thought he would be. No weapons were drawn or even implied. Maybe this will be a relaxed, friendly, meeting after all. She slips through the open door and slides inside onto the leather seats. "I was on the way back to my suite, in point of fact," she said to the goon holding the door. "If the offering to drive me there was sincere."

[Dimers]

Half my subcranial nervous system is made of metal, but I can still feel 'the nerves' when things are getting hot, can't I? Don't know what kind of drek to expect, Bender muses in the chilly, over-recycled air of his neat little apartment. Digging into the deeper parts of furniture to reach illegal or questionable goods and transferring a few special vials from the fridge to an insulated pouch, he feels the desire for chemical relief that a run usually provokes. No smoke here, though -- Employee Housing Management would go crazy over that level of violation -- so he takes his 'self-medication' in the form of a gently-flavored snuff, the smell dancing in his enhanced nostrils in a way few people could enjoy. The high is as natural as the locally-ground powder.

Oh me oh my, omae, that's good. Okay, checklist. Arms loaded, got the bribestick, pixie and all that's in the secret compartment ... might as well take the wand ... wireless is off, off, off ... off ... clothing's good except I still gotta fix the damn stitching on this undersuit, well, not now ... And let's set the suit image to Redmond Barrens Red, nice and conspicuous to confuse anyone who's watching when I go chameleon.

The standard bribe payment has gone through before Bender's Horseman even pulls up to the gate of the parking garage, and the elf guard waves him through with a satisfied smirk. Twenty minutes later, the Horseman is parked legally not far away and the ork is messaging EV from outside her cab. < You still use this commcode? Want to talk drones while we wait? I want to know what kind of speed you can get out of this thing. >

[Karen Lynn]

EV, already in place, answers the call. "Sure. I picked up a couple more to the same specs, so now I can get a better layout with fewer people. And what do you mean by speed?"

[Lentrax]

Jen slides into the seat, sinking into a level of comfort few ever truly know exists, let alone experienced it for themselves. Sitting in the other seat was another Italian man, his hair slicked back and impeccably cut. His suit probably cost more than the fraggin' car. His Italian accent is very much in keeping with all the stereotypical trids of Mafia members and their business associates.

I really must apologize for the abruptness of this meeting, however, the circumstances cannot be helped. We have heard through our resources that you have recently been hired to perform a certain task. We have a proposal for you. Instead of taking it to wherever you are supposed to go, you bring it to us.

[Tempestfury]

Suterusu hoped the others would take his suggestion into account before they all left, planning to grab their gear before coming together to properly set up their run at a rendezvous point. A garage wasn’t exactly the most guarded place around, but that also meant it was discrete and they were unlikely to come across an opposition whilst there. It was no difficulty for the orc to return back to the Earth Haven. However, he slipped through the nearby alley and into the back-door with his key, locking it behind him.

From there, Karlial simply went up to his room and grabbed his gear. The taser he still kept, but the armoured vest was ditched, and replaced with his Chameleon Suit. He also grabbed his goggles, after that supplies were short. Most of his infiltration gear was left in their secure locations, taking only his Gecko-Tape Gloves, alongside his med-kit and trauma patch. Once he had all his gear, he slipped out and began making his way to the garage, confident he would have no issues reaching it and getting inside. He was well used to make his way around vegas without notice.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

This has to be handled delicately, and she hopes she is up for it. "You've put me in an awkward position, Mr. Carmichael. Leaving aside the reputation damage that could be accrued from the simple fact you've found out about a clandestine arrangement, you're asking me to damage my reputation to get a job done well and in a timely fashion. That would impact my ability to do further business and, of course, result in a subsequent reduction in income. What are you offering that would be sufficient compensation to warrant the damage to my reputation and my business?

[Lentrax]

EV, sitting in her van in the parking lot, gets an update from an AR game she plays. They call it Gordian's Knot. Just a silly thing, kids plaything really. Except it isn't. It's deceptively complex and difficult to actually navigate past the first three layers of the maze. Unless you have a... Special way of looking at things. If you know where to look, know what digital signatures to look for, can see the shortcuts left behind by those that came before. If you follow the Stream. Lose yourself in it. Lose yourself in the Run. Cut through the ephemeral **** and float right on down to the Source. There you find the real purpose of the Knot. It's a group of free thinkers who ponder the meanings of Resonance, and why you were chosen to experience the world through the eyes of the Matrix.

While you whittle your time away, a fellow mancer contacts you through the Knot.

"Yo, EV. Heard the word through the usual channels? Ares caught a 'runner. Retro decker. Emerged during interrogation. They're probably going to be taking the poor sap to some R&D lab in the drekkin desert to tinker with his brain, figure us out... What do you think?"

[Lentrax]

Tsk tsk tsk. Miss Cleo. You wound me with your lack of foresight. Why you merely hire out for a subcontractor. Everything is as far as everyone is concerned, above board and, well, legal wouldn't be the proper term for it here. Then when your subcontractor goes missing with the package, you merely take a few steps to do some troubleshooting. Sadly, the package will be destroyed in the confusion.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

"Respectfully, Mr. Carmichael, I repeat my question: What are you offering in exchange?"

[Karen Lynn]

Taking in that one of their own had emerged under interrogation elicited shudders, visible even in her persona, a strong bodied woman with slight ork features, carrying a Longwood on her hip and a longbow across her shoulders.

EV's persona carried an air of confidence that was not seen in the meek woman she was in meat space.

"Ouch, that could hurt us in the long run... They may start off the usual way and test the effectiveness of tasers on one of our own... I think we can always trust Ares to either weaponize a find, or find effective weapons to use on that which they cannot weaponize." She shudders, then continues, "Is there any other info on him or where he's being held or taken? I can't imagine how he must feel... I need to check in here more often. I'm normally in Ultima, under the old handle. Send me a whisper in game if you can find any more info on this guy."

She will log in and send a thank you mail for the info on the job to ninja, then continue hanging out for a bit.

"Oh! Any word on caterpillar? How did her submersion go? I haven't heard from her in a week!"

[Lentrax]

10000 Nuyen. Or its equivalent in whichever currency you prefer.

***
"Ultima? People still grok that thing? Sure, I can do that. And no, no word on who he used to be. Just his old handle: Mr E. Caterpillar is doing fine, still confused by it all. But that's pretty common so I am not too worried about her yet."

[Karen Lynn]

"Okay, thanks for the info. I'm usually in Vesper; when I'm not harassing Buc's Den. I've got a job to do. I'll put some threads out for Mr. E." She'll jack out, getting ready to go in to Caesar's.

[Yogismith]

Boomer made it back to the lot and parked next to the RV where they were going to meet up. It was close but he made it back in just five minutes past the hour mark.

The time spent in his residence was minimal. Just long enough to take off his armored vest and put on his armored jacket. It was a bit heavier but the night cooled down well and the added protection would be a bonus. After that he grabbed his go bag and headed for the door. In the largish duffel bag was all that he considered "needed" for a job.

Four minutes was all it took for Boomer to be back in his car heading and on his way to the strip to meet up with the others. He wasn't sure but he could have sworn that Gladys was peeking out from behind he front window curtains.

knocking on the door he waited for permission to enter the RV. Stepping into the vehicle he set his bag down and unzipped it. "So has there been decisions on how we are doing this?" He said in his normal gruff voice as he removed the Enfield shotgun from his bag while looking it over before attaching one of the ammo drums to it.

[Karen Lynn]

EV let Boomer in, but was wary of someone she didn't know in her home. She motioned him to the bench seat by the table. Still walking around, she responds. "I don't think we have a set plan just yet. It seems we're split between decoys and in mass."

[Lentrax]

Well, it seems we have arrived at your destination, Miss Cleo. I am disheartened by the fact we could not reach a deal. However, I commend you for your loyalty to your job.


***

The time is nearing. You have been scouting the drop point, a mid range Stelina knockoff store to cater to those who want to look up and coming at a fraction of the price.

And then it all becomes clear why the drop was scheduled for midnight. A show. A fraggin' show right in the middle of the damn mall. All the tourists stop, most of them even shutting off their AR for the thing. A chariot, gleaming metal rolls into the mall, pulled by a four horse team. The whole thing is coated in gold, and gleams like a rain slick street in the loglo of LA. As the chariot pulls throughout he center of the Roman Forum, everyone has their eyes glued to it, and to the procession of soldiers that stop and provide a very authentic looking, Hollywood rehearsed Roman Legion drill ceremony. The midnight changing of the guard, according to your brochure, page twenty-seven, of you had been paying attention.

Though you were paying more attention to what the elves in forum staff uniforms were doing right at your drop point. None of you actually manage to see anything, and EV is so distracted by the show, and little AROs put up by history buffs and nitpickers and naysayers that tell her every tiny little thing in the drill that is going wrong.

But the rest of you note that after the elves clear away the refuse from the trashcans along the Via Populi that there is a black box that seems to match the dimensions given to you by your Johnson.

Bene est. Vero per noctem, Videmus.

[Dimers]

EV let Boomer in, but was wary of someone she didn't know in her home. She motioned him to the bench seat by the table. Still walking around, she responds. "I don't think we have a set plan just yet. It seems we're split between decoys and in mass."

"Don't worry about Boomer in your house, EV, he probably isn't carrying more than a couple sticks of dynamite right now." Bender throws an evil grin at Boomer. "I think we should basically just give the box to one person and let 'em go off-road, with everybody else running kinda parallel, until we're all close to the drop. Suterusu might be the best for it if he's got wheels as quiet as he is himself. Drekker didn't make a whisper leaving the meet. If not, though, you know my Horseman doesn't make a lotta noise, and it'd be even better with a few of your drones scouting overhead."


After the elves clear away the refuse from the trashcans along the Via Populi, there is a black box that seems to match the dimensions given to you by your Johnson.

"Whoops, here we go. I think I'll go grab that." Bender approaches the box, casually hefts it to one shoulder, and walks back toward the RV ... but not before rolling through the radar frequencies to try to figure out what might be inside.

If you want me to roll Perception for that ultrawideband radar use, here it is:
[roll0] = 4 hits.

[Karen Lynn]

EV will respond, scanning the package for the RFID tag for information on the drop and time. "You know, with so little time left and no actual planning done, I say we just convoy out. I'll take my RV with a couple people inside, and the package. We'll have one go ahead and one bring up the rear. I'll send my drones out if there's trouble. I just need everyone to give me their commcodes."

[Lentrax]

Tag bleeps out coordinates and an interval.

Carson City, NV, eight hours.

You almost thinks that's all the tag has to offer but another beep, indicates there is a additional statement.

Zer|<ers want. We take!

[Karen Lynn]

"Uh, guys? Anyone know about the 'Zerkers'? Looks like they want it, but our delivery is keeping it..."

[Tempestfury]

“With how big it is... I think my idea isn’t a possible.” Suterusu said, a little annoyed at how his idea was hampered by the size of the box... making a mental note to start saving money in order to get his hands on a bike that could be stealthy so he could make package runs solo. Through he would need a bit of training and practice before hand... Trygg might be able to help with that. “As EV said, I think its best to roll out on convoy, and simply adapt to the situation as any enemies arrive to try to get the package.” It wasn’t something Suterusu was happy with, as it nullified most of his skill-set, but at least he could still shoot if he needed to.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

Somewhat surprised that the encounter with the Don went so smoothly even though she didn't take the offer, Jen collected the few magical accoutrements she needed before meeting everyone else.

--

When the package arrived, Jen took a few moments to look at the box in the Astral world to see what, if any, astral signatures the box has. (OOC: 6 dice for assensing if a roll is needed.). "I have an idea for how to handle some decoys, but it would depend on if any of you can clone the RFID chip. Is that within the realm of possibility for you?" she looks specifically to Angel and EV with her question.

[Karen Lynn]

"Cloning Arphids? Easy. Don't even need half my skills to do that."

[Lentrax]

Despite its size, you are able to easily lift the box and carry it to the RV. On the way there, you get the impression that someone is watching you, but you cannot be entirely sure. After all, with cameras in the hands of tourists everywhere, you can never be certain who is watching whom...

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

"Then I suggest we make our next stop the nearest 'Haul-it' store and acquire a number of cardboard boxes about the same size. I can mask them to look the same physically and astrally as our real one, and if you can copy the RFID," the phrase 'arphid' seemed to give her pause, "then we'll have a stack of boxes indistinguishable from the real thing."

[Dimers]

"Uh, guys? Anyone know about the 'Zerkers'? Looks like they want it, but our delivery is keeping it..."

"Yeah," Bender says with an odd frown. "Ork gang on the south side of the city. Their base is the Oasis RV park. Probably wouldn't use RVs to try to catch us, though, they'd have bikes or cars. If it's really them at all," he adds, repeating the frown. "They're not exactly known for their otaku, knowwhatImean, why'd they hack the infotag just to tell us they're coming? Sounds like misdirection to me."

"Anyway," he adds with a sigh, "We oughta get moving pretty soon. Carson City ain't a short ride from here, and we want to keep as much chance as we can of moving to backroads to avoid obvious amushes. I can ride ahead-- oh, right, wanted to see what kind of speed you can get outta this landboat, EV. If I can stay a few minutes ahead of the RV, that'd remove a lot of nasty surprises. ... Wait, can we even do that in eight hours? I'll pull up a map."

I'll have my Agent use my offline mapsofts to start plotting routes and give me a time estimate for night driving, without asking the Matrix anything in case I've somehow been hacked.


"I suggest we make our next stop the nearest 'Haul-it' store and acquire a number of cardboard boxes about the same size. I can mask them to look the same physically and astrally as our real one ..."

"Sounds smart to me!"

[Dimers]

"Nope, no way I can get my wheels there fast enough," Bender grumbles. "Hey, you think the door is wide enough for the Horseman to climb up? It's got all my goodies -- I'd hate to just leave it behind." The ork goes to look for ways to get his PMV into the technomancer's larger vehicle -- not an inconsiderable task even with its two multifunction arms and three smart-tires.

[Karen Lynn]

"You are not putting your bike in my home. Are you nuts? Look around you! This is literally where I live!" She gestures around, motioning to the bedroom and over plush chair in the back, the kitchenette you're all standing or sitting in, to the rigger cocoon in the front. Plenty more is visible inside the motor home.

"Sorry... I'm just not used to people being in here."

[Dimers]

"Yeah, okay, I gotcha. This carpet is pretty damn nice, wouldn't want to drip oil on it. Gimme a minute to grab my stuff from the compartment and I'll be ready to head out. How about the rest of you?"

Bender doesn't stand around waiting for any answers, trusting his keen hearing to catch anything regardless. Outside, he lights up a scentbreaker cigarette and starts moving some gadgets and equipment from the Horseman's cargo module.

EV's mental interface soon shows a message from Bender: < You got storage space for some sensitive items? Don't want all this in sight in case the border watch get overzealous. >

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

"I'm ready to depart. I should raise a point, however. On my way here, I was intercepted by a member of The Family," the capital letters were almost audible, "who wanted me to divert the package to his care. I told him no, but we may run into Mafia thugs attempting to steal the box. Hence why I feel some decoys would be a good idea."

[Tempestfury]

“We’ve got a long way to go, in a tight amount of times. We don’t have time to set up decoys.” Suterusu said, not liking the fact anymore than anyone else, but it was important to just accept it. “The quicker we get going, the better. I say we bring the bike however.” Turning to EV, he quite bluntly said. “This might be your home, but having a bike inside of it should be the least of your worries. This place is going to be assaulted with bullets, grenades, magical blasts and who knows what else if we’re using it as our main transport for this run. So can’t you just take the bike?” Seemed pretty logical to the orc.

[Karen Lynn]

"We're not putting his motorcycle in here. We don't have time to argue. We don't have time to make it fit. He can either ride with someone else, or ride with me."

[Dimers]

Bender clambers back into the massive vehicle. "Ehh, don't worry about it. I got all the stuff I needed. I think we probably still have time to take a couple decoy boxes out and hide close by. I don't figure we should try to get friends to drive them anywhere, if Johnson thinks somebody will be chasing down the couriers. How long should those boxes take to magic up -- uh, Jen?" A little twitch of the lips indicates to the alert that he was probably about to say 'Cleo' again.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

"Not long at all. A few minutes at most. And it can be done while we travel, if necessary."

[Karen Lynn]

"Okay, we're talking too much and acting too little. Who's riding with me? We leave soon."

[Dimers]

"Me, please. And while we're riding, maybe you could glance over my 'link, see if anything looks dirty? Or you, Angel? You said you're a decker." Bender shows a slight flush of shyness when he addresses the strikingly beautiful elf.

[Tempestfury]

“Pretty sure we’re all hitching a ride.” The resident ninja said, honestly agreeing with EV by the fact they were wasting time. They had a time limit, and a long distance to travel in order to be able to make it, plus there was likely forces scrambling to meet them already. “I know I am through.” The question of the borders was a problem... but they could cross that bridge when they got there.

[Karen Lynn]

"Ok, let's go. We can deal with border when we get there." EV will head to the cocoon in the front and close herself in. She will seal the doors and get on the road with everyone in.

[Lentrax]

The drive through Vegas goes uneventfully. You hit the beltway, and start heading north for the old highway 95. Up ahead you see the barrier wall coming up. The access control seems to be relatively light on security, at least more so than usual. Only one cruiser and a couple of motorcycles. A guard in full combat gear holds out a hand to wave you to a stop.

"Hold on while we scan your vehicle. Are there any illegal substances aboard that violate PCC, NGC, UCAS, Confederation or International Trade Statute as defined by any of the articles of Corporate law? Cooperation will reduce sentencing should we detect anything in our scan."

[Tempestfury]

“So, do we have anywhere to hide stuff?” Suterusu asked quietly once they had pulled up on the border, hoping that the guards hadn’t started their scans yet. Otherwise, they might be in a problem... “My suit has top-notch thermal damping, which is rather illegal... plus I don’t exactly have the proper licensing for such a suit anyway. Might be able to slip past the border myself if you don’t.” The orc didn’t want to do the later, as it would delay them... but it was an option if they had to.

[Dimers]

As the RV pulls up toward the border stop, Bender messages the run's crew. < I know EV is more comfortable talking online. I can go up to the driver's seat and put on a nice face, if nobody else wants to take it ... >

[Karen Lynn]

<Go for it.> EV replies.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

<Let me give it a try> she responds. She slips up into the passenger seat, a dazzling smile on her face. "Good evening, officer. I expect you may find a few items that could be of a questionable nature, but I assure you, I'm a licensed employee of the Nevada Gaming Commission and have some leeway in what I use for my act. Perhaps you've heard of me? The Mystic Cleo? I'd prefer if I didn't have to explain the precise nature and purpose of any items you detect, because, as you know, a good magician never reveals her secrets. I'm on my way to perform for a private investor in Carson City, and my crew and equipment are contained within this vehicle. Is there a way we could perhaps expedite matters?"


I have 10 dice each for con and negotiation, whichever seems more applicable. The final question is a sort of implied bribe-- she's offering to pay an 'expediting fee' if it will get them through without trouble.

[Lentrax]

"Oh? you got papers to back that claim?"

Jen hands over the necessary documents, and the guard goes over them. He runs her ident card through a belt mounted scanner. It takes only a microsecond for the data to be transmitted wirelessly to the border control server, forwarded to the central server, analyzed, and sent back. Everything seems to be going fine for now.

New data streams emerge as he scans the SIN. You feel them flowing through your brain and around your body and into the air. More streams come in over the air as the return signal is received.

"Hrrn. Everything seems to be in order, but border control takes so long to process... I suppose we could let you pass on through and we fie the paperwork ourselves for say... 500 nuyen."

[Tempestfury]

Suterusu was relieved when one of their own stepped forwards and managed to quite successfully sweet talk the guard, through having valid ‘paperwork’ most certainly helped in that regard. Of course, in order to make sure they got across smoothly, they guard had to be paid... with the orc twitching slightly at the number. His reason for annoyance was made clear when he said quietly. “Couldn’t it have been 600? Then we would have a nice easy 100 each split.”

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

Someone with something to hide would just take the 500 and get going, but someone without would try to talk him down, so that's what Jen attempts, although she won't push it too hard. "300 now. 300 on the return trip," she counter-offers.


Again, 10 negotiation dice.

[Lentrax]

"600 total, eh?" Why the hell would they counter with more money? Ah well, its more than they would have made tonight anyway.

"Done. Just give us a list of your equipment and your crew for the forms."

[Lentrax]

7:23:32 until deadline.

You finally clear the checkpoint and the long dark road ahead looms out past the arc illuminated by the RV's headlights. The desert stretches out to the horizon, and the lights of Sin City behind you dim as you put more distance in between you.

6:02:13 until deadline

You come upon an interchange with the highway leading off to the southwest. sticking with your planned route, you continue driving. Then the lights appear in your rear view. Moments later you feel the heavy rumbling of large motorcycles. The bass feeling continues building until a half dozen motorcycles with Human riders drive past you.

[Tempestfury]

“I hope they don’t become suspicious with you raising the amount of money in total, it is an unusual thing to do, unless you're in a hurry and have something to hide.” Suterusu said once they were ten minutes after the checkpoint. It was a good amount, as it split evenly between them, but even so, it concerned him that it might of got notice... still, nothing he could do but settle down and wait. The orc decided to get some sleep as it was going to be a looong trip.

Still, Suterusu was a light sleeper, and the heavy rumbling woke him. The orc standing up, a hand going to his taser just in case as he looked out of the window to see what was causing it. “That’s a lot of motorbikes... and a lot of humans.” Suterusu took a quick step back away from the window, hoping that the humans hadn’t seen him. “Hope they don’t cause us any trouble...” They were driving past, which was good.

[Karen Lynn]

EV will continue to drive, not changing pace when the motorcycles came by. She will send a message to the group as they approach, drones primed for launch.

Even if nothing happens she will keep the drones primed.

[Lentrax]

5:40:13 until deadline.

Another car. This one heading back the way you came, probably heading to Vegas.

5:25:12

A van this time. it pulls onto the highway behind you, and accelerates to keep pace just at the edge of your vision.

4:13:22

Another van. this one accompanied by a pack of other vehicles. But they are currently too far away to make out exactly how many and what type they are.

[Karen Lynn]

EV will turn the interior lights on. <Guys, we're being followed.>

[Tempestfury]

After about ten minutes of nothing happening after the bikes passed. Suterusu simply relaxed and sat against the side again, falling asleep once more. This time he managed to grab nearly two hours of sleep before EV spoke to them, making him stir, waking with a yawn and a stretch before standing up and putting his hand on the taser. “Lets just keep going unless we are actively attacked.”

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

"I concur. I expect that the further we get without incident the better at any rate."

[Dimers]

"Going to see if my eyes are any better than a Prairie Cat's," Bender says as he stands up to move to the cab of the fancy RV. He messages to EV, < Roll down a window for me, please? Maybe my upgraded eyes can see better than the vehicams can. I knew I should've bought that SteadiCam soft ... >

[Lentrax]

3:56:15

A pair of sirens sounds, and from behind you a pair of patrol cars appears. They both begin flashing their lights. You see one of them waving you over to the side of the road. One of the other cops gets on their PA and their voice booms out into the night.

"Pull over! Now!"

[Karen Lynn]

<Uh, guys? Problem.>

EV will strobe the internal lights a couple times, then text: <Should I stop? Should I keep going?>

If the consensus is to continue, she shall. If the consensus is to stop, she will pop her drones as she decelerates, slaving links to herself and 'Net up as she does so.

[Tempestfury]

“Police... I’m not sure. If we do stop, I should be able to slip out and hide myself. If the situation becomes bad, than I will be able to strike from the darkness, and render at least one unconscious before the fight would begin.” Suterusu said, uncertain about the situation, and deciding the best cause of action would be to explain what he would be able to do, and let others take it into consideration whilst making the decisions.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

"I would advise pulling over. If they're legitimate, it would be ill-advised of us to ignore their orders. If they aren't, well, we're more or less prepared for a trap, are we not?"

[Karen Lynn]

EV, being a bit paranoid, will attempt to communicate, requesting they broadcast documentation proving themselves as law enforcement.

Failing that, or if they refuse, EV will attempt to hack the lead car.

what in thinking is scan to find the node with reason to believe there is one, then hack on the fly for admin. If she gets the car itself, persuade it to think there is either a large stationary obstruction or that the road is actually 9 meters to the left. She will also find out if they're human or not, if possible.

[Dimers]

Bender glances over at Jen. "Yeah, more or less, though nobody sensible wants a fight when the enemy is setting the terms. You got any tricks in your bag to catch 'em off-guard? No, neg that -- can you find out if they got a mage?" The ork's look of concern twists the scars on the left side of his face, momentarily giving the impression of moving water.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

"It's rather more difficult to attempt while we're moving than you might expect, but I'll see what I can achieve." She makes her way to the rear of the RV and peers out the windows at the cars. She allows her vision to slide into the astral and looks for the telltale markers of a mage in any of the vehicles.

Astrally perceiving to see if she can spot any sign of auras. 6 dice for assensing, if a roll is needed.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

"It appears that I'm the sole magician in the area," Jen responds after a moment of gazing at the other cars.

[Tempestfury]

With the fact that the police were legit, and there was no magicians around, Suterusu sighed. “Pull over, lets not cause any more trouble than necessary. If worse comes to worse, we’ll just knock out and get on our way.” The orc paused at this, then turned back to the others, saying. “And I mean knock them out, not kill them.” Through he had no desire to explain the practical reasons as to why he didn't like killing people.

[Karen Lynn]

EV will attempt to message the cops. <We would be happy to pull over. However, we have been followed by some vehicles currently trailing behind you and are concerned for our safety. We will be happy to stop in a well lit public area for the safety of both our parties.>

[Dimers]

The orc paused at this, then turned back to the others, saying. “And I mean knock them out, not kill them.”

Bender releases a bulky-looking taser -- the kind with wires, not a weak dart model -- from its quickdraw holster. "No argument here." He sits uncomfortably with the weapon resting on one leg, expecting the vehicle to begin slowing down, bringing him closer to an encounter with unfriendly authorities than he'd really like to have.

[Lentrax]

EV will attempt to message the cops. <We would be happy to pull over. However, we have been followed by some vehicles currently trailing behind you and are concerned for our safety. We will be happy to stop in a well lit public area for the safety of both our parties.>

"Pull over, now, and we won't resort to forcing you off the road."

[Karen Lynn]

EV will sigh, checking time and distance for the drop.

<Guys, we're stopping. Be ready.>

EV will pull over, launching her drones to cover an optimal area around the vehicle. She will tag each vehicle and body that enters with a visual IFF. Friendly for everyone on the RV, neutral on the cops, hostile on anything else that enters.

[Lentrax]

3:53:49

The RV trundles to a stop, idling. Its exhaust making twin stacks that glow like hazy clouds in the lights of the cars that stop a few meters behind you.

"Now, everyone out, hands up! Nice and slow, and no weapons!"

The pursuers are nowhere to be seen. Yet.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

The mage is the first one to step out as directed. "Could you explain what the problem is, officers? I'm unaware of us violating any laws or regulations at this time."

[Dimers]

Bender clamps down on a wise-ass response to the self-proclaimed police as Jen speaks. He adjusts his position slightly to maintain both a clear shot and decent cover, not relinquishing his legal gun with no more than a fancy say-so.

[Lentrax]

"Look. You cooperate with us, we do our search, no one gets-"

The cop stops speaking as his head explodes into pink mist. He is dead and on the ground before the sound of the shot reaches you. When you do hear the shot, you recognize it as a very high powered sniper rifle. His partner and the two cops in the other patrol car hit the ground and take cover. You see one of them starting to go for his radio.

The dull rumble of out of tune motorcycle engines reaches your ears at roughly the same time, and before anyone can react, headlights ahead of you switch on.

You are pretty well surrounded, from the looks of it, you are outgunned, and more than likely about to be digging your own graves.

The motorcycles rumble to a stop, and an ork wearing spiked motorcycle leathers and an old style German army helmet dismounts. He takes three steps toward the RV then stops and holds up his arms.

See? Zerkers come! We take box. Now!

[Karen Lynn]

<Officers! You want our assistance? Patch in, give me access to your feeds. We'll protect you as best we can.>

<Guys! Net going up! Prepare for intel! Sending one drone to find the sniper, bringing cops in. I told you all about the Zerkers.>

EV will bring up the tacnet with three of the drones, sending one to find the sniper. She will flip the cop IFF tags to friendly if they accept.

She will be prepared to gun it if the need arises.

[Tempestfury]

Suterusu was rather lucky... he had slipped out of the truck, slipping to the side and keeping out of view from the cops... through it also meant that he couldn’t see them either. Which was a good thing, from how the heard the rapport of a sniper-rifle, and the thump of a body against the ground... he didn’t want any flashbacks in a situation like this. Hopefully they would be able to eliminate these Zerkers before anyone else died...

The orc carefully looked forwards, away from the cops, and spotting the four orcs ahead, slithered away. Carefully making his way over to them... keeping to the shadows in order not to draw their attention. Once close enough, Suterusu stuck. Aiming a sharp jab right at the throat of the nearest gangster. Hoping to eliminate him from the battle in a single strike before anyone else had time to react to it the situation.

Attack Roll: [roll0]

Damage: 9S. -3 AP.

[DarkLadyOfTheSith]

Jen

Jennifer starts the first in a series of spells designed to terrify and demoralize the attackers. As she casts her first spell, a phoenix, trailing orange and yellow fire behind it, appears, closing rapidly with the vehicles on the ground. While this is an illusion, it looks, to the untrained eye, as if she called the being into existence through a conjuration.


Casting Trid Phantasm (Looking at the book, I realize I put the wrong spell on her sheet (Trid Entertainment), so I've corrected this. Trid Phantasm was the spell I wanted her to have originally) at Force 5.

Magic of 5 + Spellcasting of 4 + Spellcasting focus of 3 = 12 dice.
[roll0]

Drain Check (Willpower 3 + Charisma 7 = 10 dice). Need 5 hits to cancel all drain.
[roll1]

Also using the Sustaining Focus to keep the dice pool high for the next spell.

[Lentrax]

Shotguns bark into the night, drones hum silently in the night air, and small arms fire pops their retorts into the darkness.

With grunts of pain and death throes, one of the Orcs falls to the ground. A second one runs off in the direction of the sniper shot. Providing cover for the sniper maybe? Pellets ping off of armor as scatterguns blast their loads uselessly at the cops and in the direction of the RV. The head Zerker laughs as he begins firing his own pistol at the squad car.

The laughter is short lived as the phoenix emerges. Surely, the Zerkers know about magic, but perhaps do not know exactly how it works, or can determine how it works. But as the bird begins to descend, the orcs take a nervous step backward, but a barking snarl from Pointy Hat keeps them in line.

The cops meanwhile, begin firing indiscriminately toward the biker gang. Without hesitation or mercy they yanked firearms out of holsters and began pouring lead toward the leather clad orcs. But none of the rounds hit their targets.

One of the cops, a young patrolman named Olber, pulls his weapon from his holster as he slides to a halting squat next to his patrol car. He flips the safety of his Viper off, aims down the barrel, and squeezes the trigger. His shot goes wide, and the weapons recoil catches him off guard in the heat of the moment. The weapon kick up in his hand, whipping him in the face, temporarily blinding him as he sees more stars than just those in the night sky.

Suterusu, however was not quite so lucky. His attempt at catching one of the orcs of guard worked. At least in the sense of catching the brute by surprise. But the timing and location of the strike was off just a fraction of a second, and the jab instead of being a lethal, killing blow, was instead a hard slap, right across the face of the orc.

Which, naturally, got the greenish grey skinned orc's attention.