The Found Arcana - Chapter 9, The last Tarot card Options

[Beta]

Tamarind replies to Bobby's message <<Good by me, this process is rough on the nerves, I'm happy to se it move along.>> after a moment she thinks to add <<I've got drones on The Lantern. Some people there, but no real action. Discussion about combat tactics, it doesn't even sound drunk and angry. And for future reference they seem to be storing some gasoline in one of their washrooms, one that currently has a cracked open window to it.>>

[Tecumseh]

Mato freezes.

<<Wait, what>> he shoots back to Tamarind.

<<They're discussing combat tactics at 1am and they are NOT drunk? That's a serious red flag.>>

He rubs the bridge of his nose, an old habit from his youth that doesn't feel very good anymore now that he has metal hands.

"Why wouldn't they be drinking though?" he whispers, mostly to himself but also to Bobby and Raven if they are close enough. "Most gangers love getting blitzed before going on a rampage."

Mato thinks it over. Would he prefer drunk assailants who might be unreasonable but might also be sloppy? Or would he prefer sober assailants who might make fewer mistakes but who might also - at some point - be rational too?

He rides up the elevator with Bobby and Raven. "I'd love to drop an explosive through the bathroom window and be done with it, but the stipulations of the job..." He shakes his head. "We're supposed to be tricking them, not wasting them."

[Jack_Spade]

"Sounds to me, the best point to talk to them is now, before they launch the assault."
Bobby replied laconic.

He took out the number that AM managed to gather from the Halloweeners and called Carn-Evil.

<<A little bird just tweeted us that your boss is after the card my colleagues and I are currently holding at auction. The offer was an insult - but we aren't exactly expecting good manners from the likes of you. So, besides threats and violence, what are you prepared to offer to get it?>>

[Gilga]

Carn-Evil texts >> I have no interest in your auction, lose the number... or keep it, do as your heart desires, but do stay out of my way. Bombs are expensive.

At about the same time, Bobby's link rings with an unknown number, and as he answers, there is the displeased voice of Big Stank. "How much?"

@Tamarind.
As time passes, Tamarind can deduce a bit it is not a raid on a specific place but an awe and fear raid - unclear about who, but it involves multiple groups with explosives and molotovs making a "bold statement." The discussion seems more of a round table aimed at reaching a consensus rather than a leader shooting orders. They seemed to have gone a long way in planning all the little things as to exactly who goes where and the location of their command and control vehicle; the use of communications and the level of details is not quite military -- but it is much more you'd expect from a street gang whose members appear to be careless, insane and drunk.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby replied to the familiar voice: "Currently, the best offer is 60k. And you are in luck that it's our client selling and not us."

[Gilga]

Big Stank explains "How much to have it right now?"

[Thanee]

<< Well, for what it's worth, she seemed to be all alone there. Some really nice gentlemen at that bar. What's The Lantern, though? Not quite sure I can follow what is going on there ... and how it is relevant for us. >> Meanwhile, Bobby gets the call. << Oh, sorry. Zipping it. Wait... this is silent. Sorry, this matrix stuff always confuses me a little. >>

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby replied: "It's in a bank vault. If you have the cash you can have the card as soon as they open up again."

[Gilga]

Big Stank says, "Deal! Meet me at the entrance to that bank at opening hour, I'll bring the 60k."

[Jack_Spade]

"Ok. I'll get back to you when and where." Bobby didn't bother to say anything else and ended the call.

He turned to the others <<Ok, sorry for not consulting with you, but I think this is pretty optimal. Big Stank works with the Halloweeners. I have no problem whatsover if the Helloweeners come to him to get the card. The only problem would be if the dragon calls dibbs. But if that's the case, we didn't stand a chance anyway to get it to Nightmare, unless we threw it directly into the Lantern's postbox. 60k is more than we would make from this gig.

Any objections?>>

[Beta]

<<Big Stank? Lovely name. Sounds like someone where we ask to see the cash before we show the card, would almost be surprising if he didn't try to take it without paying.>>

[Thanee]

<< That does, indeed, sound pretty ideal. >>

[Gilga]

Tamarind, The meeting goes on and gets into details of the plan, but at about 1:30, they disburse under suspicious circumstances "We may have a listener; you all know what to do." Exiting the buildings, several painted men and disburse silently. Two of them are looking for a bug or drone but without much direction.

[Beta]

<<I think the 'Weeners picked up that there is some hidden matrix activity going on, them mentioned hidden spies. I'm going to pull out.... for now.>>

Another series of steps, to be taken quickly:
1) She walks it into a dark corner between two of the gas tanks
2) She loads as strong a version of Clearsight as will fit into the Kanmushi's lmited pilot -- although in all fairness the pilot is quite good for something so small
3) She instructs it to to go wireless off until 6 am, or until the adjacent gas tanks are moved. During this time it should take a picture every 15 minutes. As soon as it comes wireless on it should immediately send a full set of pictures to Toothless (her paramedic drone)
4) She tells Toothless to let her know when it receives anything from the Kanmushi
5) She takes direct control of Aunty-1 (Flying Eye), and starts carefully hovering it away, first rotating to scan the area to take note of who she is hiding it from, and sneaking it away as best as she can. If it appears to get spotted she will put it into a maximum speed climb, losing itself in the darkness to any observers on the ground, hopefully

[ Spoiler ]

Agility 5, sneak 6, subtle pilot +2, codeslinger control device +2=15)
sneak Aunty-1 away: 15d6t5 6

[Tecumseh]

Mato nods.

<<Okay>> he tells Bobby and the rest of the group. <<We'll roll with that.>>

There's a part of Mato that says that Bobby overstepped his authority, but Mato is largely ego-free and thus doesn't feel disrespected by it. No sense in second-guessing now, and it's not like going back on your word to Big Stank is good for your health.

It occurs to him that Tamarind and Raven might need a little more background information.

<<Big Stank is the leader of the Crimson Crush. Violent orks on motorcycles. The Crimson Crush are members of a proto-syndicate that has formed in Redmond. It also includes the Halloweeners (which is why Bobby thinks this will get the card to to Nightmare) and several other gangs. What's holding all the gangs - which, I stress to note, are not natural allies - together? The dragon Urubia, to what end no one knows.>>

<<Bobby's right that there's a risk that the card goes up the chain instead of sideways. There's also a risk that Big Stank will go back on his word, or double-cross us. But if he has his hand in the dragon's pocket then 60K might be chump change to him.>>

<<And what if it doesn't work? What if this is part of some sort of internal politics in the syndicate, Big Stank outmaneuvering Nightmare? In that case we will have failed their job... but what of it? Our reputation might take a hit, but Val isn't exactly a peach. We'll get paid either way.>>

<<What the Halloweeners do in the next eight hours will help determine how relations - and lines of communications - are inside the syndicate.>>

Mato isn't going to let his guard down, but he's cautiously optimistic that this approach might sidestep the more violent options.

[Gilga]

@Tamarind, Aunty-1 disappears long before anyone notices her.
However, the two gangers quickly find the open window and close it. These elves are pretty subtle. one of them says, the other shrugs. It won't help them tomorrow.


@All at about 2:00

- Bau ( or the man you think is Bau) texts you >> Sorry, chummers the stakes just got too high for me.
- The Collector texts shortly >> Sadly, I have to withdraw my offer. Just too dangerous for me.

Frisson is short after with her own text >> Really sorry about my people scaring off your clients, no hard feelings right? Any chance I have the highest offer and you want to reconsider your position? These people are seriously insane.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby replied: <<I'll let you know if the price gets that low - at the moment it's still at 60k.>>

He stretched and turned to the others: "I'll go meditating some more. We have to be at the bank when it opens. Big Stank gets the location only shortly before - and we use the local security to prevent any double crossing. Ideally we deposit the money directly as well. Come to think of it - we should uses banks more often for our business. Damn handy to have such a secure location around."

[Gilga]

Frisson texts >> 60k wow, I'll figure it out. Thanks!

[Tecumseh]

"Can you ask Bau and the Collector for additional details? It might give us a sense of the potential threat," Mato suggests.

The fact that Frisson is making a play makes him a little nervous. Maybe the syndicate is just using a two-pronged approach - Frisson and Big Stank - but more likely it implies some internal discord. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Or, it does, but it doesn't agree.

02:00 is getting late even by Mato's standards. He'll need to drop off within the next hour to satisfy his sleep regulator.

"Okay let's get some rest," he says. "We don't want fatigue to play into this.

"As Bobby says, we'll have to trust in local security to help address some of the large-scale threats. The bank is right next to the Aztechnology Pyramid, but there's always the possibility that the Azzies will just lock the place down and wait for the threat to pass. But if we get in trouble we should try to draw the opposition toward the Pyramid.

"Let's get there early to do some recon, make sure there isn't an ambush set up for us. We'll get Tamarind's friends in the sky while she's ready to make a fast getaway if necessary. I'll have to be lightly armed to get in and out of the bank. Hmm... Bobby, you want to be with me or you want to be on overwatch in some other form? Eh, we can decide when we get there.

"I'll knock off from 0300 to 0600 then get up, dressed, and showered. I'll arrange for breakfast and then wake everyone up by 0700. Sleep fast!"

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby shook his head: "Na, to much security for me to hang around outside a bank in animal form. I can react pretty quickly to get us to safety if necessary.
The only real danger is that Big Stank will try to give us no or less money - or try to take it back. But I don't think even he is crazy enough to try something like all out war in an AAA area."

[Gilga]

The rest of the night is eventless. The suite is a lot more than the team is used to, but it is not designed for four, and while it contains two queen beds, perhaps that is a bit of an inconvenience. Though there are couches and other sleeping options, the place is much nicer than SIS.

In the morning, the burner link used for all correspondence with clients blinks. There is a new message from Bau.
>> Any update on the card? The plan is still a quick sell, right? It renders the previous message a bit off, as if the sender is unaware or is ignoring it.

There is not much movement at the Lantern, several guards stay there throughout the night, and the gas tanks are not moved until 7 AM, leaving the tiny drone trapped.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby replied: <<At the current moment, we stand to gain 110k for our sale. Are you willing to match that?>>

Bobby replied moments later. It was a good line, he thought - after all they were selling for 60k and the promised 50k from Bala.

[Gilga]

>> 110k wow, be careful. That is too rich for my hobby. Good luck.

[Thanee]

Rachel surely enjoyed the night in the suite. It was a little crowded, but she did not care about that. This room was definitely something that she could get used to, but she had to remind herself, that she would be back to reality soon enough. Maybe she could pay the casino a visit in the future. With the right dress, she surely wouldn't have to worry about actually paying for the stay.

"When we go to the meet at the bank, should we maybe split into two teams, one that actually meets him, and the other, probably Tam and I, as we are not quite so well-known, to stay a bit more in the background for surveillance and backup?"

She gives Tamarind a quick wink, hoping that she does not mind the shortening of her name too much.

[Jack_Spade]

"Definitely a good idea. Having a rigger and a mage do overwatch will make things a lot safer for us."

Bobby replied.