Legacy Options

[Mickle5125]

<<@team[Dingo] - Your call, mates. It sounds fine to me.>>

[Redjack]

Nix' first instinct is to tell you little green bugger to shove it for not meeting him closer to the middle. Pissing off a potential payday won't pay the rent though..

"It appears there is little left to negotiate. We accept. Now.... I believe there are a few outstanding details?"

[fistandantilus4....]

The leperchaun nods.
Outstanding!

First, let me send you my contact information. I think we'll be interacting a lot. The target of your inquiries is a gentlemen named Abner Stanton. This is his nephew, Kolby. THe leperchaun indicates the UMS icon standing behind him, who shuffles again nervously.
Lord Stanton has dissapeared, without a trace. The Stanton estate's on the outskirts of the city, a good sized chunk of land that has it's securities needs seen to by a couple of very territorial hellhounds.

The young Lord Stanton here suspects foul play, but their family wisely has a history of distrusting the enlish police. Anyone on our side of the Pond is going to have their own angle. Going through you fine gentlemen, that particular complication is remved from the program.

[Redjack]

The dragon's eyes shift to the young lord's icon as the leprechaun speaks. When the runt is done speaking, Nix directs his question to the young noble. "Why? Why do you suspect foul play?" He considered pressing the young man even harder, but figured that he would have plenty of time for that.

[fistandantilus4....]

The icon hesitates a few moments, apparently having not expected to do much talking.

My ... my uncle and I, we were always very close. I know that this is not like him, to simply dissapear this long. He ... He's no saint. I'm sure he has enemies. He is the type to joke about such things, but never say anything specific. Jokes about inheritance, that sort of thing. I may be wrong, God send it so. But I do not believe that I am.

His icons stance shifts uncomfortably.

[Redjack]

<<@Team [Nix] Looks like we need a full workup on Abner Stanton and his estate, pronto.>>

Nix pauses a moment, considering starting the grilling. He declines, deciding there will be plenty of opportunity to do that face to face in the near future. "Tell me about your uncle. How does he pass the time? What are his hobbies? Who has he crossed in the recent past? Who profits from his disappearance or the families disgrace?" He needed information to start the mental juices flowing during the upcoming flight.

[fistandantilus4....]

The form again shifts, still seeming uncomfortable.
He's a modern day scholar a learned man. He studies quite a lot always reading something. He enjoys collecting rare books as well. He has also always been fascinated by paranimals and spirits. He has a number of the creatures throughout his home. I worry for them, with him absent. He travels quite a lot, all over the world but he always tells me when he's leaving. I don't know that he has any direct enemies but he does have some rivals in the field. No one that I would expect to ... do something to him. Our family has ... enemies however. But Uncle has always stayed out of family politics.

[Redjack]

Travels, paranormal collections and nobility all confirm the money aspects, if not some measure of eccentricity. The dragon shifts yet again. "You and your uncle are close. You are here looking to involve a third party. What of your enemies? Who would remove him to either get at you or distract you?"

[Mickle5125]

Dingo looks up from a datasearch he started while he didn't have anything to contribute to the questioning. "You say he has paranormal critters throughout his house, no? What kinds?"

His question asked, he goes back to searching and concealing his search as thoroughly as possible.

Data Search & spoof activities

[ Spoiler ]

Data search on the matrix for information on Lord Abner Stanton.

Datasearch: 11d6 = 24 Hits over 5 minutes.

spoor trail roll: every minute

[fistandantilus4....]

The rivalries we have with other families are political, not personal in nature. The only people I could see possibly stooping to this level is the Brandts, but frankly, we don't "play" on their level. God send it's not them, or my uncle is very likely dead.

[sigh] The hell hounds are some of his favorites, but luckily, they are rather territorial. They don't get along very well with other canines. I'm not familiar with all of them mind, but there are a few that he favors. Garrison is a gomatia, and then there's his favorite, "Arcamedies", a merlin hawk. He's joked about acquiring a fenrir wolf, but I'm rather sure he was only joking. I can't imagine such a creature staying inside, nor the hounds sharing their ... erm ...hunting ground... with one.

[Redjack]

The dragon rises from its seat, looking from the nephew to the leprechaun. "We will make contact when we have details about our arrival."

<<@Team [Nix] Anyone else have questions?>>

[rob]

I listen to the vagaries, and pipe straight into the conversation. Time to establish my presence.

"I have questions.
1. Where was your uncle when he disappeared?
2. What have you done to investigate since he disappeared?
3. How many people know of your uncle's disappearance, aside from present company?
4. You mentioned you and your uncle stay out of family politics. Are there potential enemies within your own family?
5. Who has access to the estates? How many groundskeepers, serving staff, etc.? How do they interact with the paranimals?
6. Do you live on the estates?"

To Nix:<<Once we get past that stuff, I'm good. Just need to get with the link-up on how to start sending my hardware down there.">>

[fistandantilus4....]

The icon heistates a moment, trying to recall all of the questions.
I do not reside on the estate. My unlce lives there alone. He uses only automated assistance. He's had some ... issues ... with maintaing a professional staff, as his 'pets' are generally allowed to wander where they please. I'm not certain on the matter of the actual grounds however.

My father passed away some years ago. The family interests are mostly seen to by my elder sister. Uncle has little to do with her. They don't care for each other true, but I certainly wouldn't consider her an 'enemy'. She doesn't see much of him anyway. No one does really. He's something of a recluse I'm afraid. I don't know of any friends he regurlaly keeps company with. I assume he knows some people as he occassionally has other paranimals coing or going in the house. I've never met them however.

The ... last time I saw him ... was three weeks ago. He seemed ... anxious? Excited perhaps would be a better word. He often gets that way when he has an interesting specimen coming in, or when he's traveling. But he always talks about his tavel plans. *Hrmph* . Gloats about it is more like. He knows that I would love to travel at times as well, but my duties keep me home more often than not. We discuss his adventures regularly.

Since then he's been completely out of contact. I've tried a nubmer of means of communicating. I even had a detective of my acquiatance attempt to locate him. I was ... "persuaded" ... to send a small team of local "runners" to the estate, reasoning that even if they were not successful, that an attempted intrusion would get his attention, were he home. Unfortunately, they failed.

The leperchaun interjects Something about a magazine of explosive rounds cooking off or some such foolishness.

Somehow the silvered icon seems to blanche.
Yes, well, I can see that any more attempts are going to require something more drastic. And to keep rumors from circulating, we are going outside of the Kingdom. My hope is that this is a simple matter. I would like very much to find only that he has gone on some exotic but secret trip somewhere, but I fear the worst.

I have no access codes to the estate, but I can give a fairly good layout I believe. Also, the hell hounds are fond of a good whiskey. Not the cheap stuff mind. But it does excite them a bit as well. Hopefully that helps more than .... he trails off, remembering the previous "cook off" the hounds had.

[rob]

Some simple questions to follow up, but so much more of this research can be conducted while we're doing initial movement towards the objective.

"I ain't one to bog this down. A lot of the follow up on this stuff we do while we're on the road, rolling. I guess my next questions and requests are simple -
1. Does your uncle hire a contractor or a professional to do some of the day-to-day care for the paranimals?
2. Just to make this clear, if we don't have access codes to the estate and/or bona-fides for the paranimals, that runs up our risk and the potential for damages a lot.
3. Do you have information for, and are we authorized to contact, the team of local runners and the local detective? Likewise for other acquaintances we find out of your uncle's?

That's pretty much all my issues. Aside from that, just need some specifics to send my box of gear to, for transshipment."

[Redjack]

The dragon pauses as Caliph's icon begin to bring up an additional round of questions. When the leprechaun mentions the magazine of explosive rounds, Nix suddenly realizes part of the equation he missed earlier. "Has you considered that your uncle may have ended up on the wrong level of the food chain one morning with his pets?"

[fistandantilus4....]

I uncle has always prided himself on caring for his menagerie himself. I do understand that their unfamiliarity with others can make them dangerous. Frankly, however much I or my uncle care for them, they are dangerous creatures. If they must be put down to get to the truth of things, it is a price I am willing to pay. I doubt very much however that any of them would have harmed him. Besides tending them regularly, he is also an accomplished magician.

I believe our accomplished ... go between.. can make the arrangements for the runners.

The leperchaun nods, chiming in.
Aye, I can get in touch with them. Might not want to be real talkative about it though. Get some heavies in 'em though, they should come round.

[Redjack]

Having suffered the consequences of his own missteps and having some familiarity with awakened creatures from his time working at the Portland Zoo, Nix fears the young man overestimates his uncle and underestimates the nature of the beast. Gonna have to brush up on the current research. Been a few years since I tended hell hounds.

"Do you have an inventory of his collection?"

[rob]

I smile a bit at the direction the conversation's taking. I'm pretty good on the general details, so I rock back and start assembling a list of specifics in my head of the important shit to me. "I'll save getting in touch with the local boys until we hit ground. I'm good on the general info."

Cue the truck to hit me with an inventory of the things available, smile as it matches my last inventory. Start dumping some info into a number of files and package them as an attachment. <<@Nix (Caliph) - Here's the specific crap I'll need. [attachment.txt] Post it to them with your list.>>

After that, just gotta find a way to seucre my stuff here. Been a long time since I've had stuff in two places at the same time. Feels wierd.

[ Spoiler ]

Attachment contents:
Gear to be smuggled into country:
1x Sniper Rifle, 10x magazines of ammunition.
1x Assault Rifle, 10x magazines of ammunition. 1x pouch underbarrel shotgun ammo
1x Grenade Launcher, 5x magazines of grenades.

Gear needed prior to leaving for country:
1x moderate quality (rating 3, no biometrics) local ID with entrance visa to UCAS
2x local throwaway fake IDs
1x rating 6 mapsoft of the target area (with imagery, preferably)
1x rating 6 mapsoft of the UK in general
1x one-way plane ticket

Stuff needed in country:
1x rental vehicle, preferably large car or SUV
1x safehouse

[Mickle5125]

Dingo's icon flickers for a moment as he edits out the fact that he burst out laughing at Nix's question about the uncle getting eaten. After a moment to recollect himself, he quickly hacks out a gear list and sends it off to his new partners before turning back to his datasearches.

<<@Team (Dingo) - Here's the gear I'll need, if it comes up. [attachment.txt] Think I'll need some drones? I've got a couple flyspies, 2 dobermans, and a crimson sam that are just waiting for the chance to prove their worth... >>

[ Spoiler ]

Attachment contents:
Gear to be smuggled into country:
2x cougar fineblades
1x colt gov't 2066 (w/ associated ammo)


Stuff needed in country:
1x Suzuki Mirage
a stun baton or staff or something for dealing with any pets that get too friendly.

[fistandantilus4....]

THe leperchaun takes the info packets sent his way, tuckign them into his coat, as the bland icon of the Johnson shakes his head.
I've told you what I know of for sure. He gets different animals regularly.
.... Saying it like that, and with what's happened recently, I suppose I never really thought of how reckless that really sounds. I really have no way of being sure that some new acquisition hasn't ... hurt him. ....

[Mickle5125]

The Raven picks a mite out of its feathers and flicks it in the direction of the dragon as Dingo runs a trace on his future team. He patiently waits for the results from the trace before calling up a map of Seattle.

[ Spoiler ]

Trace action: 9d6 = 17 hits over 5 IPs

This post has been edited by Mickle5125: May 11 2009, 04:27 AM

[fistandantilus4....]

Dingo

[ Spoiler ]

The trace runs, sliding past the trail of data that only Dingo can see, sliding silently into the ether of the matrix. The trace runs for a full thirty seconds, routing through the Seattle matrix, going through a number of "backyard" systems and low end corporate hosts before firing off into the Peublo PLTG.

Nix

[ Spoiler ]

<<<<@Nyx[Spider] Heads up omae, you've got a trace running on you. The guy is good too. I have to admit, I barely caught it. I've diverted it into the Peubloe PLTG for a while, but I'm not sure how long I can keep him guessing. Looks like your hacker tracks back to your fellow runner. His gear is SOTA too. Honestly, I doubt I'd have been able to trace him back if he knew he was being reverse hacked.

I did though.

Wanna read his mail?*wickedgrin*>>>>

[fistandantilus4....]

Following the trail of the matrix connection through the Peublo LTG, Dingo's trace program finally ends at a personal commlink. The trace shows it as the originating source of the dragon icon.

[Mickle5125]

Dingo frowns to himself for a moment. That took longer than I expected... Least they're not clueless about matrix security like half the blokes I work with...

[Redjack]

@Spider

[ Spoiler ]

<<@Spider [Nix] Ok. I'm breathing again. Paranoia almost took over and I'm no longer figuring the specification for a magical nuke. Does his system look valid? I mean to say, does he look legit? He is simply a clueless hacker who nearly stepped on a bear trap the size of a truck?>>

Nix drops his connection to the matrix, then re-establishes through an alternate shadow-server. "Caliph, out new hacker appears to be trying to flush us out. We might want to have a conversation there. Also, you might want to log in through an alternate provider..."