IC: Phoenix Rising, In Character thread for the campiagn. Options

[Shalimar]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715- Nyen Lang, Seattle--

"Well, now we have 7 hours to kill til we meet the Johnson at Dante's. We might as well enjoy it." Charlie commented to DD and Jake though it was vocal this time. The teenager tucks into her meal and sarts to relax with the two older runners, she wasn't quite sure what to make of the...tone of their internal conversations but there was time to relax. Charlie released the focus sustaining her heightened reflexes and everything around her began to speed up to normal.

"This is pretty good." she says after a bite of her chicken and broccoli. There wasn't anything that she was really looking for at the moment, mostly just money for a place to live for when she had to move at the end of the month. Even there though she thought there was a definite possibility of moving in With Mike and his wife Mirta over the shop. There was plenty of room, and Mirta had been hinting that they could use some help with the shop. It would also help to bring her into the Coven by immersion as opposed to the drips and drabs she was currently learning Wicca in...then again it was in Snohomish...ugh. Still, with two roommates she'd probably be able to make her share of the rent with only a few a few days a month of doing magical work, leaving her time to do whatever she wanted and that was a major benifit...beyond the benifit of having two powerful mages for roommates, with a magic shop down a flight of stairs. It was definitely something to consider.

[Oenone]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715- Nyen Lang, Seattle--

Etoile calmly listens to the job offer, staying statue still apart from the little eye muscle twitches. When she's described as muscle she pouts disapprovingly, then shrugs.

Finally, after considering her options she speaks, with heavily accented French.
"Did our prospective employer perchance mention /which/ military or corporation?"

Merde this software is terrible, nothing about Mongolia.

"And while the food looks what is the word? Ah delightful I must pass, I do try avoid eating or drinking when I work. For how you say, I think professional reasons is the term?"

[crizh]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715- Nyen Lang, Seattle--

Well if we've got some time to spare and we're expected to work as a team later tonight perhaps we should take some time to get used to each other and our strengths and weaknesses?

He sampled the dish the waitress had just placed in front of him. Not bad.

I suspect some of us are quite new to the biz, I sure am, not that I ain't good at my job. I'm an intrusion expert, there aren't many places I can't get to without being detected. Mind you, with a bit of Magical and Matrix backup I'm sure there wouldn't be anywhere I couldn't get into and out off like a ghost. I've spent a fair amount of time developing techniques for penetrating physical Matrix security also. I can get a Hacker access to isolated systems without having to bring him, or her, along.

So I run point, get the Hacker in to compromise security and the muscle can follow along behind me. I'm not too shabby in hand to hand either if it all goes pear shaped.

Like I said, though, I'm new to the biz. I've some pretty decent comms gear but I imagine any Hacker worth their salt is going to want to set up a comm-link they're risking their lobes on to suit the way they prefer to work, so I've left it vanilla apart from upgrading the Firewall.

Jake, July, DD you look like you've worked together before. Do you mind rolling the Comm protocol you use out to the rest of the group?

He pauses for a second to sample another of the bowls in front of him.

Ochir, you work as a fixer these days? Any possibility you could set us up with a high end cracked TacSoft? With this many of us it would be well worth the cash.

[Fuchs]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715- Nyen Lang, Seattle--

DD smiles at the ork - Gecko was his street name - and sampled another dish. Quite sure of himself, is he? But orks usually are, or appear so, in her experience.

Time to present herself. She's been working on that for some time, even before she got the job offer, using her mother's french accent as usual.

"I am DD, I specialise in ‘acking. I also ’ave experience in acquiring information outside the matrix. I am not completely ‘elpless in a fight, but my talents lie more in dealing with people without using violence."

DD straightens up a bit, presenting herself in the best light.

I have been working in L.A. for a bit, where I met Jake.

Of course, "working together" means me stripping in his club, but I better don't mention that. Bet Jake finds it funny though...

<<It's your set up Jake. Open a new channel for the whole team, or add them here? After all, we're going to be working together, but maybe not in the sense we did in L.A. *chuckle*>>

"Jake's the man to ask about comms."

[Coldhand Jake]

"Actually, this'll be our first job -together-. I just happen to know these two, one personally, one as a name from a friend, you know how it is."

He takes a bite of his meal, chews it thoughtfully, washes it down with a gulp of soda, and gets into it.

"Okay, name's Jake, or "Coldhand" if you're dramatic. I'm damn sure not. Brad's the name on the commlink, and after a while headed in and out of back rooms losing datatrails, you learn those names mean nothing. I recommend you all make a special trip over to a site I'll give you later, it gives you advice on how to put all your cyberware into autistic mode, kill RFID tags, basically, how to make sure you're someone else when a sensor catches you putting bullets in people. Beyond that, if you carry a good commlink full of your personal data, shut off the wireless and run it by cord only. Do your communication through cheap throwaways you haven't cluttered with things like your mom's birthday and your girlfriend's latest cam session. I usually keep a few extra for the new folks, I'll hook you up. When you do the startup, put in your SIN you're using for this run.

Alot of people come asking me for good programs to protect their commlinks, their cyberware, all their wire and chrome. If you drop the wireless signal, you don't get hacked unless you're -in- someone else's machine. Or someone crams a 'trode net on your head or skullfucks your datajack...and at that point, they could just as easy bullet your brainpan.

Anyway, I'm an old school combat decker, from back when the term was literal. I can handle myself in a firefight, but hacking and a little rigging aren't beyond me. My tools are cutting edge, and my skills are solid, if a little dated. I've been more guns and fists since the Crash2.0, but I can manage fine. DD's younger, with alot sharper skill-set. I know her pretty well and can vouch for her, especially since I'm sharing my toys with her. She'll have my back in there, and
she's a hell of a lot sharper than me come meat-side.

He takes another swig of soda.

"I'll get everyone's commcode and Access ID's later, so I can set up a network for us, clean out any viruses and spyware on your comms. If you still need good progs after that, I'll hook you up."

[Fuchs]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715- Nyen Lang, Seattle--

DD tries out several dishes, already looking forward to the desserts, while she waits for the rest of the runners to introduce themselves, and chats with Jake over their silent comm net. They are not sure whether or not the "military" angle means Fort Lewis, or the NAN.

Dietware is so nice.

Jake's collecting lists of possible information sources, mostly street level - that Ork gang he mentioned didn't sound too helpful to a human, at least in DD's opinion.

If we're going after Fort Lewis that might mean some legwork among GIs on leave...

DD runs a quick search for clubs popular among officers in the metroplex guard or the Navy, and possible employment notices.

[ Spoiler ]

Matrix search for clubs in Seattle popular among officers of the metroplex guard and the navy. (10d6.hits(5)=0)
Matrix search for clubs in Seattle popular among officers of the metroplex guard and the navy. (10d6.hits(5)=5)
Matrix search for clubs in Seattle popular among officers of the metroplex guard and the navy. (10d6.hits(5)=4)

[DWC]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715 hrs - Nyen Lang, Seattle—

“I’ve got the tactical AR software covered. Granted, I keep it lean to cut down on the amount of data each subscriber has to provide, but the heavier duty stuff requires a hell of a lot more sensory infrastructure for not a lot more benefit, and is generally built for applications where you’ve got uniformity in sensory input, rather than a situation where you’re piecing together a network on the fly based on a dozen different hardware configurations. The heavier duty packages also don’t fragment anywhere near as well, and tend to bombard users with non-standard hardware with huge amounts of data that they have no way of processing, and…�

Truth catches himself starting to ramble, talking faster and faster as he goes.

“But yeah, between the three of us, we should be able to get everyone sorted before tonight. If you really trust us, it won’t take more than five minutes.�

[Fuchs]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715- Nyen Lang, Seattle--

DD is a bit distracted by Truth's technical explanation.

Well, he sounds competent.

"Can it handle simsense input?"

[Shalimar]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715 hrs - Nyen Lang, Seattle—

"I'll let you into my equiment Jake, I don't have a problem with that and I'll take any suggestions you have for security on it. You guys can call me Charlie if you want. About the sensory stuff...I don't really know anything about it, but I don't have any cyber to hook it into, and 7 of us are awakened...so that is most of us without it."

"As to my specialties...I can make peole invisible, create illusions,...and uh distract people pretty thoroughly."

<<Chat>>
<<After I awakened the first spell I learned was for a prank. My high school class president was a real stuck up slitch, I hit her with an orgasm spell right in the middle of a speech. I didn't know she was a screamer, but it made it all the more memorable.>>

"I can also throw some combat spells around and do healing."

[Coldhand Jake]

<<Chat>>
<<After I awakened the first spell I learned was for a prank. My high school class president was a real stuck up slitch, I hit her with an orgasm spell right in the middle of a speech. I didn't know she was a screamer, but it made it all the more memorable.>>

Jake snorts, audibly choking back raucous laughter.

<<Chat>>
<<Well, guess that answers that question...you busy after this? I know me and...>>

He counts on his fingers, more for a habit than need, glances over at DD...

<<...4 women who could use your spell casting expertise after all this is done.>>

[DWC]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715 hrs - Nyen Lang, Seattle—

"Yeah. A simrig will work. It won't care about your sense of touch, or how getting shot at makes you feel about your mother, but it'll pull the big three. Run the software on your commlink, and it should find anything else suitable in your PAN, then it's up to you what you decide not to give it, and by extension, give all of us."

[Coldhand Jake]

Jake opens a second chat channel, encrypts it, then gets everyone's commcodes for their 'working' commlinks. If they don't have them, he hands out his extras, the cheapos. AR gloves, shades, with camera and mic, commlink with cold sim. Either way, he routes their AccessIDs to the password system so -only- those comms are getting a connection without hacking. He keeps the original chat between him, DD and Charlie separate, because, it's always fun to have a pair of girls with decent senses of humor nearby who are in on the jokes and can take his flirtations in stride...

Damn, I miss Mei and Cali now...

[Shalimar]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715 hrs - Nyen Lang, Seattle—

<<Chat>>
<<I don't know...I doubt the term jailbait means all the much given our occupation. But Mike might get pissed, and a Mage isn't someone you want pissed at you, especially when he is married to another mage with stronger feelings on the matter and more mojo to go with it. That and I'm trying to get them to be my teacher and bring me into the coven. I might take you up on it later though, after things have settled down a bit for me. I have to move out of Bellevue in 20 days and I might be moving in with them.>>

<<I'll throw the spell your way if you want it though. I could definitely do with a hacker friend to help me get everything set up.>>

[Tarantula]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715 hrs - Nyen Lang, Seattle—

Ralph listens along to all the offers for setups and configurations and the like.
"You can do whatever you'd like with this one, though, if you don't mind lending me one of them spares I'd appreciate it. Like I said before, I'm not exactly the best of the best with a gun, but I can hold my own. Really, I'm just good and figuring things out and putting the pieces together." Ralph settles down to enjoy his food, savoring in the smells and tastes.

[bmcoomes]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715- Nyen Lang, Seattle--

"As far as I know it would be the UCAS not the NAN, as far as which mega I really don't know but it would be one of the local one."

[Fuchs]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1720- Nyen Lang, Seattle--

Ah, the UCAS...

After installing the software for the tac net, DD checks if her search for clubs popular among officers of the Metroxplex Guard and the Navy produced any results while she drinks more of the tea, then opens up a channel to Jake and Charlie again.

<<It doesn't seem that we will be going native.>>

I wonder if anyone else has a simrig... looping simrig input can be a lot of fun.

[Oenone]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715- Nyen Lang, Seattle--

As DD begins talking with a French accent Etoile smiles in a way which almost looks convincing.

Strengths? Hmmm I deal with people too, violently. Very violently. I can be silent, athletic and dabble with locks.

She glances around the table, idly flexing her fingers.

As for weaknesses? Conversation, unless you need the fights starting.

[Zaranthan]

--Thursday April 10th, 2070 at 1715- Nyen Lang, Seattle--

Dancing Eyes savors his meal as everyone carries on about simrigs and tag-nets and all that other technobabble. He does his best to flip through WikiGoogtionary for the jargon he can pick out, but most of it goes over his head anyway.

"Since we are laying our cards on the table, you may all call me by my proper name: Dancing Eyes. If anyone else asks, though, Tick-Tock is good enough for them. My specialty is defending myself and others from magical threats, be they magicians, spirits, or even monsters. I can also handle myself in a fight, whether with fists, bullets or words.

I am not sure if I can help with this, uh, 'tactical software' you're discussing. I know from personal experience that I cannot use my magics on anyone I cannot see with my own eyes."

[bmcoomes]

--Friday April 11th, 2070 at 0001- Dante's Inferno, Seattle--

Ochir forwarded the list to Mr. Johnson as the team left The Nyen Lang. The trip from lower downtown to center city was uneventful and an usual fast trip.

For those you left early to get ready had a similar experience.

Dante's Inferno the number one nightclub in the whole metroplex. the towering club is a testament to the movers and shakers of Seattle. Even on a Thursday night the club is hoping, the line to get in is three blocks long even at this hour. The door security is a tight one, with two trolls, and two orks running the show. Telling who the beautiful are and are not, who the important people are and are not. The line of people are a mix of all sorts from punk rocker to the corp suits and from chromed to the eco-nut.

You stroll right to the front telling the door men your on the list, the short list at that. They double check the list for some of you then scan you. From there they say your party is waiting for you in Hell's private room 4. Once you walk into the club you feel the music as much as you hear it. (link) You work your way to the ninth level through the masses of bodies surging to the music at each ramp there is an other bouncer to check you against 'the list'. After what seemed an hour to get through the bodies and bouncers you finally come to Hell and the private rooms. You find room four and give a courtesy knock before entering. Inside the room is set-up like a meeting room with a large real hardwood table and matching chairs. The room is dead quite even with the pounding music on the other side of the wall. There at the head of the table is a tall striking human dressed in a brilliant white suite. Once everyone has shown up and sat down Mr. Johnson starts.

"Welcome, as I'm sure you know I'm Mr. Johnson. I'm in need of some discreet employees. From the information Mr. Ochir has provided me you ladies and gentlemen will fit the bill and I'm short on time so I'm going to get right to business. The job that needs done is infiltration into a UCAS & US (University of Seattle) production building steal the prototype productions plans and data I'll provide all of the details that I have. Also I need an asset to terminated. The asset will be located on the US campus in her residence I'll send you the address and photo (link). The pay will be 10% up front and the rest upon completion and the total pay will be 10,000 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) each.

Are you in?

Mr. Johnson pauses waiting for the answer.

[Divine Virus]

--Friday April 11th, 2070 at 0003- Dante's Inferno, Seattle--

"You better be joking." Winston barks a little laugh, "It would take at least three times that pay for me to take a job with so little information. I need more before I sign the dotted line. Like what kind of a timeline we are working with, what kind of security level we will be dealing with, and how much of a fight the chick is likely to put up. I don't like this, and I think I got every right not to. With the cred you have, I have to wonder why you don't just get a small team of prime runners. Instead you've got a crew of runners who, to the casual glance, appear either a bit green or a bit over-the-hill- no offense to anyone- and you get 11 of them. An eleven man team is clumsy, especially when they don't know each other. So I think maybe you do have a prime team, and we are just a messy distraction, one you don't expect us to live to collect our fee. The 10k upfront is a small price to pay for that kind of distraction. Of course, I might be completely wrong. I don't need your reason for picking a large team. But I need either more nuyen or more information, chummer."

[deadman]

april10, 2070 1720 Nyen Lang Seattle

I finish my light meal and get up to leave not showing the pain from the still stingin clap on the back from Ochir knew that would get to him the big barbaric teddy bear.

"I shall meet you all at Dante's, I bid you all farewell till then,Ochir its been a plesure as allways give my regards to your family for me will catch you later"

I leave and return home to get ready for the big meeting.

At home I pack up my gear makeing shure all is in order and there are no defects of any kind and load it into the trunk of my ride, wareing my form fiting body armor under my outer cloths and stashing a cupel of hi tec ceramic blades I head out the door for the meet.

[deadman]

april 11 2070, Dante's Inferno 0001

damn tecno music dosnt anyone lisen to the clasics any more!
checked at the door shown to a room with the others look like they are all here good sign

"I have to agree with that stament there, it does seem odd that you pick us a large group,though highly skilled for shuch a job, so I ask this question Sir is this a test of our abilitys or are we just expendable foder and I ask this intending no disrespect to you Sir"

[Fuchs]

--Friday April 11th, 2070 at 0004 - Dante's Inferno, Seattle--

Dante's Inferno had been as good, hip and impressive as the hype promised. Exciting, full of hip people, and the vibe from it... much less magic than the Nyen Lang too, which had been a good thing in DD's opinion. AR was so much nicer. They had been gone there in advance, to enjoy the club before the meeting. DD had changed into her runner clothes "Seattle edition" - lined coat over top, hot pants and knee-high boots, and changed her hair color to green, and oh had it felt good to pass the long line, being on the short list. This was the life!

At the meeting, reality has come to crash the party, almost literally. The Johnson is striking, attractive and impressive, and the white suit even looks good on him.

Should be modelling.

But the job... the data steal is no problem, infiltrating a campus shouldn't be that hard, but the wetwork... DD is not so sure about that. She sends a private message to Jake.

<<What do you think of this, Jake?>>

Winston's words start another line of thought, even more worrying than realising that wetwork is not just the background and haunting past of the tall dark and broody archetypes looking for redemption.

Is this a set up? Like in Double-X II?

DD's smile fades a bit, her face turning into a more serious expression, still polite and hopefully professional - Killing is a too serious topic for flirty manners, in her opinion, and she might be taken for a spycho if she joked about it.

<<Do you think this could be a set up, Jake?>>

Even as DD is listening to Wisnton and Noowan, and trying to spot how the Johnson reacts, she's already looking for more information about this, searching the matrix for infos about a UCAS&US production buildings and female scientists working there.

[ Spoiler ]

Matrix-search:
Searching for information about UCAS&US production buildings. (10d6.hits(5)=5)

[Coldhand Jake]

Jake grinds the finger and thumb of his right hand over his eyes' protective covers in an attempt to fight off the building stress that threatens to put him in migraine mode...which is a quick way to get his hood flowing.

"UCAS? Fine. Fuck a bunch of Yankees. U of S? Fine by me. Stealing data? I'm your man. As far as that goes, we can talk.

Jake leans forward, sliding the wraparounds up into his hair, revealing his eyes, which go from hazel to solid red, no iris, no pupil, just red.

But.

I am not a fan of killing women. I'm not a fan of hurting women. I am not a fan of kidnapping women unless there's kink, a safe word and a lot of understanding involved. I am a fan of breaking necks on people who desperately need it, like people pointing guns at me, or fucking with my life. Hot Asian Chick here is doing neither. So, I'm going to need alot more than two month's blowing money to redefine this woman I don't know as "someone who desperately needs their neck broke." Like, why she deserves to die. I don't need to know exactly, but "serial killer" or "blood mage" or "freaky bitch gave me the VITAS, the HMHVV, and the herpagonosyphilaids" or "Humanis spokeswoman" better be forthcoming, along with some more bank, or I'm gonna go home and get laid. And corpscrip'll get you nuyen says DD and a few others walk out behind me."

[ Spoiler ]

Charisma 4 + Negotiation 3. I'll leave you to roll it.

[DWC]

--Friday April 11th, 2070 at 0004 - Dante's Inferno, Seattle--

"This is going to suck..."

Truth watches the venom fly, trying to settle deeper into his seat and disappear.

As he does, he transmits over the established communications network.

"How about this for a compromise? Everyone who doesn't want any part of the killing gets up and goes to the bar. He tells the people who stay what they need to know, they collect their 10% up front, and head out to do the job. After they've left, everyone who walked out comes back in, gets the details on the theft, collects their 10%, and leaves to go do that part. His budget doesn't change, he doesn't have to share information with anywhere near as many people, everyone gets paid, and everyone keeps their ethics intact. And really, if he's impressed by you turning your eyes red, he's newer at this than some of the people in this room, and we're all in really serious trouble."