IC: Never Trust an Elf: 2072., An Independant Shadowrun. Options

[SincereAgape]

Friday, January 9th 2072. O600 Hours. Vancouver, Salish Shidhe Council

Deet Deet Deet Deet Deet Deet

The automative alarm clock on your Novatech Airwave wakes you up at the designated time. The king-sized bed you find yourself adjusts itself to your personal settings, and compensated for your movements during the night. As a result you feel great. Your body feels rested and relaxed despite waking up early before dawn.

You find yourself in the Pacific Northwest. In the city of Vancouver. During this time of year, the sun does not rise until 8 AM, and the it promptly sets around 5 PM. The windows outside have not been programed for a certain display, thus you get a view of the city. The sky is still dark. The streets below you are empty, save for a few joggers who resemble ants running in a straight line below you.

The hotel you are staying at is a Hyatt Regency, in Downtown Vancouver, only a few blocks away from the financial district. The hotel is comprised of a bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom. There is a large trideo screen on the wall facing you. It is not on. Your hotel room is on the 27th floor. Outside you notice the adjacent buildings are much smaller in nature. Only the large corporate towers in a relatively minimal distance compare to the size of the Hyatt.

Still in bed. A large augmented reality display pops right in front of you. The background and text settings are currently in blue. The display appears before you, like a personal movie, defying gravity by hovering just above the bed sheets. The voice of a male actor can be heard, as the commlink's automative voice speaks to you.

<<"Good Morning Vera. Current outside temparture 12.77 C.">>

The morning headlines read.

Street violence is beginning to calm down in Seattle, UCAS. After months of some of the worst attacks between organized crime syndicates in Seattle's history, Governor Brackhaven made a public announcement last night stating that the worst appears to be behind us. There is still speculations that these events are surrounding the new drug...Flipside.

In Lagos, Nigeria, there have been 30 deaths attributed to VITASThe city is now estimated to have 50 million in its history related to various forms of malady.

In Urban Brawl news......

<<Personal Settings>>

-You have three new voice messages from R. Donnely. This user is currently on your block list.
-The BMW 400GT you rented currently is parked in space number A22.
-The Evening Gown you ordered from Vashon Island attire is ready for pickup.
-You have a meeting with Mr. Johnson at 0800 hours at the Golden Griffin Restaurant and Dining at 0800 Hours.

There is a highlighted Green Arrow pointing to the last message on this list. This is why you've come to Vancouver. This is a job one of your fixers described it as a job that he recommended you for. And something that could make you a hefty change of nuyen.

[Chrysalis]

Vera never slept well. It was not a question of assistance, for the surrounding environment sought to please in its infantile manner. Rather, she blamed her sleep regulator, it would wake her as if it was natural to only sleep for a few hours with itself synchronised by satellites across the globe to some atomic time keeping device in a mouldy basement of a disused building than to the beat of her own biological clock.

She looked out across the city, ignoring the blinking AR displays for a moment before gathering herself into who she is. She turned on to a random musical channel.

<<...Meer von Sternen, Fragen und tiefschwarzer Unendlichkeit.>>

The water in the bathroom was cold, but soothing, she filled a glass and used it to wash down her vitamin supplements. The shower with an arborial theme seeked to soothe her body as she prepared herself, with a hint of pinewood freshness.


<<Unbesonnenheit ist das Charakteristikum der Jugend, Besonnenheit das des Alters und Vorsicht ist der bessere Teil der Tapferkeit.>>

Her Novatech Navi informed her she was a tir Taingire businesswoman, which meant whispered royalty and untold money. Boredom for being the most beautiful and rich person in the hotel. Aristocracy for the haughtiness and perfect looks thanks to impeccable breeding. Shallow from station.

She looked over her face with a careful eye before mousing up her hair into its unnatural angel curls. Angel curls would be the next hottest thing in TT, or so her persona dossier explained. Applying her make-up with just a touch of promises left undone. Perhaps she had been partying all night, and simply retouched what was already there, or she liked to get a rise from her suitors. It still made her striking, the perfect face on the perfect body.

She sipped a cold frezza as walked out of the hotel elevator, business suit for a business woman, black steel heels and french stockings titilating sensuality.

The lobby was quite quiet, one Japanese businessman on his way home and two Saudis who were brazenly drunk and oggled at her, something slurred in Arabic translated into English translated into Sperethiel flashed by her vision before being blocked. She smiled a knowing smile, before slipping on a pair of polarising AR glasses and walked out the front door.

She picked the second taxi in the line, pulling her jacket tightly around her as the weather insisted on its presence for the few feet of open air. She picked an address of one of several trace mazes she had carefully studied before.

In the third taxi as it pulled in front of the Golden Griffin, the predawn glow slowly streaming in through the bulletproof lexan cage. she wondered about morality. Not her own, but that of whose she had consumed.

[SincereAgape]

Friday, January 9th 2072. O755 Hours. Vancouver, Salish Shidhe Counci. Beach Road.

[Looking down at the area near the Golden Griffin.]

The Golden Griffin Restaurant and Bar was located along Beach Road, in downtown Vancouver. Just a block north of the historical and opulent Grandville Island section of the city. Vera's taxi pulled alongside the Golden Griffin into a wide cobble-stoned alley. The restaurant was separated into two sections. In the inner portion and the outer portion. Looking inside the bar she could see the chairs laying upside down atop the dining tables. The sun was indeed just beginning to arise over the city. The first golden rays peaking over the mountains surrounding the sprawl.

Upon stepping out of the taxi, Vera was greeted by a bald-headed elf. His darting wide eyes examined Vera with a look of perversion. The faint neon light from the street illuminated the shadowed areas untouched by the sun, allowing the normal eye to notice the metallic left arm dangling from this man's shoulders. An obvious Cyberlimb more then a decade old. One of his eyes gleamed with an unnatural green pupil. The elf searched Vera's body with Magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) as he giggled to himself while the device scanned her body. After the search, Vera was motioned towards the area behind the restaurant.

[ Spoiler ]

The MAD will detect up to three weapons that Vera has on her.

The rear of the Golden Griffin opened up into a small park overlooking False Creek, giving her a perfect view of the residential area of Vancouver. The outer dining area rested on a circular peninsula around the body of water. Various trees surrounded the tables where people would sit and eat. In the background was the shopping district located along commercial drive, and in the far distance the University of British Columbia. Men would pay hundreds of nuyen for this view. There were only a handful of tables in the outer eatery, and a dock which harbored a silver Suzuki Tsunami speedboat and a large Surfstar Freedom Yacht. Besides Vera, there were only two other figures within the vicinity. Two elves, just like her. Both of them were standing. They were both around two meters tall.

One of them approached her. This one was adorned in a black Mortimor London business suit worth at least 1500 nuyen by itself. He had short cropped hair brown in color, small lips, high cheekbones, and the bridge of his nose looked flat and smooth. He was the one to greet Vera. His commlink is on hidden mode, thus his PAN is unavailable.

[Facial Picture of Mr. Johnson. Scroll Down to Caleb Brightmore]

The other elf is wearing a long black leather duster, with matching long black hair which falls down past his shoulders. The tips of his pointed ears are just barley visible behind his mane. His skin is tanned, and his eyes are in the shape of almonds. His expression also remains neutral. He is wearing black studded leather pants, and a pair of military boots. He remains standing, leaning against railing which protects the outer eatery from the sea. This elf is not wearing a commlink.


"Greetings Vera. Accounts of your beauty have not been exaggerated." His eyes remain stoic, and his expression neutral despite his words. He walks over to kiss Vera's hand softly with his lips "Welcome to Vancouver. As you have probably surmised, my name is Mr. Johnson, and I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to have a professional meeting with another of the chosen race. Please indulge yourself this morning. The restaurant serves and refines the most cultivated Laes this north of Seattle. The honey has been distilled 30 miles north of here, and the grapes are imported from Tir Tairngire. I encourage sampling a small taste before we discuss business."

[Chrysalis]

Vera inwardly sighed. If she received a nuyen for every time someone thought a perverted thought about her, she could retire to a life of idle luxury. She submitted herself to the technological wand which would not detect the small hold out pistol she was carrying, under har armpit. It was a pepperbox gun the kind that would really be useful in a last ditch attempt. Vera's opinion always was that if she needed a gun for more than intimidation it was a lost cause anyway.

He let the man rummage around in her purse, mostly out of curiosity. Men always seemed to get strange thrills from finding feminine products, irrespective if it was a make-up kit or a forgotten condom wrapper.

The two men were waiting for her at the inner part of the restaurant. It was pure power play. Power from location, position, and behaviour. She smiled as he kissed her hand, the smile was almost genuine when he mentioned the master race. She sat down at the table he gestured towards. She took off her designer AR glasses and slipped off her jacket and let it lie against the chair, her pepperbox hidden away in its folds. She sat down in the proferred chair letting her skirt ride higher, revealing more of her as she crossed her legs. She slightly leaned forward to listen to Mr Johnson, as a bottle and a glass of Laes were brought to her, idly stroking the stem of the wine glass, her mouth open just a few millimeters.

She was about to take a drink from the glass, a moment of leaning back before leaning forward again and asking, "So, what's this offer you have for me?"

All the time her thermographic vision and accompanying emotion and lie detection software suite measuring and evaluating his behaviour. Keep a man at the promise of sexual arousal and all sorts of things may let slip.

[SincereAgape]

Mr. Johnson kept his apathetic eyes on Vera during her motions. She was indeed cunning. He remained calm, collected, and his heat signature remained neutral and balanced. However, the elf dressed in the black duster behind him, focused his vision on Vera's legs when she hiked up her skirt, and then on her lips when she opened them ever so slightly.

It was Mr. Johnson who spoke.

"You are a very unique Shadowrunner. A true femme fatale. Tonight there will be a festival on Grandville Island. There will be a gentlemen there who needs to be chastised for his adultery. This man also has a data chip which is of great value to me. Find him. Find the data chip, dispose of him, and then bring the treasure back to me."

He paused, without skipping a beat he continued.


"I am willing to pay you 8,000 nuyen for the entire job. Two-thousand nuyen, up front. The other six upon completion. with the possibility for a bonus depending on how clean the objective is completed. I trust you will make the right decision and pursue this endeavor."

The elf with the long black hair and the matching duster smiled for Mr. Johnson. And somewhere in the distance you can feel the bald-perverted elf salviating.

[Chrysalis]

Vera looked at the Johnson and smiled a professional, but knowing smile. She placed the glass on the table and lightly ran her finger over the lip of the wine glass. She stopped for a second and asked pouting.

"Define disposed. Do you wish him simply made dead or perhaps instead humiliation followed by incarceration?"

She quirked an eyebrow at him, signaling that minor bit of displeasure when people give out vagaries that in their minds eye are specifics.

[ Judge intentions roll of Mr J. (29d6.hits(5)=(IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) ]

Vera looked behind Mr Johnson and recrossed her legs. She focused her full attention on him, her finger-nails though lightly caressing down her stockinged thigh, toying with Mr Johnson's bodyguard.

"6000 nuyen now, and the other two upon completion. Discretion is of course part of my... many services, but if I wish to acquire your bonus... ample as it may be. I may want to know how you measure the cleanliness of the objective. A simple disappearance with no questions raised is perhaps what you had in mind?"

[ Negotiation roll with the deadpan elf. (27d6.hits(5)=(IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) ]

[SincereAgape]

Friday, January 9th 2072. O815 Hours. Vancouver, Salish Shidhe Counci. Beach Road.

[ Spoiler ]

Upon analyzing Mr. Johnson. You get the gut feeling that is professional, dedicated, and a determined individual. A man of some integrity who has a sembalance of will power against sexual advances. He seems to respect the fact that you are an elf. He's pretty calm in this situation.

"Dead will be adequate. Feel free to entertain yourself with this project. I would hate to rob you off personal satisfaction."

Mr. Johnson noticed Vera, staring at the other elf behind him. The other Elf in return had his eyes fixed upon Vera, as if in a trance. Mr. Johnson looked back at his bodyguard, and cleared his throat. The cough, snapped the long haired elf out of his gazing. Mr. Johnson glanced back at Vera, and nodded in approval of her ability to attract one of his men.

"6000 nuyen now, and the other two upon completion. Discretion is of course part of my... many services, but if I wish to acquire your bonus... ample as it may be. I may want to know how you measure the cleanliness of the objective. A simple disappearance with no questions raised is perhaps what you had in mind?" Vera asked.

Without hesitation Mr. Johnson replied.

"It can either be simple or messy, as long as it cannot be traced back to me. Six-thousand Nuyen up front on a certified credstick. Will that suffice?"

Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulls out a gleaming black card with a silver stripe. Holding it in between two fingers, he dangles it in front of Vera.

[Chrysalis]

Vera takes the cred stick from Mr. J. Perking up a bit she grins and asks, "so tell me more about this mysterious person you want disposed of."

[SincereAgape]

Friday, January 9th 2072. O817 Hours. Vancouver, Salish Shidhe Counci. Beach Road.


"His name is Thomas Galloway."

A beam of light emitted from her designer sunglasses as a pictured display of Galloway flashed from them. The image rotated in a circle.

[Thomas Galloway.]

While Vera studied the image. Mr. Johnson continued.


"Thomas Galloway.
Age: Thirty Years old.
Height: 1.9 meters.
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue.
Occupation: Vice President of Talent Development for Shangra-La Industries. A musical subsidary for Horizon.
Married to: Nancy Galloway, three years.
Children: Nichole Galloway. Age two.
Interests: Combatbiking, Boxing, The Synth-Guitar, Piloting, the Wilderness."


The image of Galloway became enhanced, and now floated over the table, taking the size of a large hardcover book.

"Galloway is a very accomplished public speaker. He is good at what he does, and that is finding musical talent and promoting them. He is a shrewd business man, but knows when to empathize with people. One high level executive who has worked with Galloway has said and I quote. 'That man can convince me to drive my sports car through a brick wall.' He is a married man. He is also a father. We have discovered his one weakness. A healthy appetite for women. No known bodyguards, but that may have changed in the past week because of what I am trying to obtain from him...and that is the data chip. It should be circular in nature, and be able to fit in the palm of your delicate hands. That is the only description I have for the item."

[Chrysalis]

Vera studied the man's picture, noting the designer worn leather jacket and prominent jaw line. He was the kind of person who was supremely confident in his abilities. Perhaps even blindlingly so. He liked taking risks, he liked the thrill of being caught. He liked using people until they were no longer needed.

"You have given me plenty of information about the... human." Vera rankled her nose, as if the thought of seducing a human was odious to her. It would pander to the Johnson's personal judgement and make his promises of a bonus more promising.

"Now I am sure you will be very busy for the rest of the day, perhaps we can meet day after tomorrow in the same place?"

Vera picked up her AR glasses and brushed her hand along the Johnson's. She picked up her coat and put on her AR glasses. the image of the man haunting on her retina for a bit, before being filed away in her disorganized file sorting method. She never threw away anything. At least nothing electronic.

Confidently she walked out of the restaurant, passing the leering cybered elf at the foyer. She gave him a sarcastic smile as she waited an uncomfertable three minutes before a taxi rolled up and she got in.

As she tried hard to ignore the pungent tandoori smell of the ork taxi driver, she made a to-do list:

<

1. Find a friend who is not a friend of Shangri-La Industries. Preferably a sound engineer or manager who wouldn't mind a bit of payback against him and the company.

After all, even in Vancouver, those who have been in the business for 20 years knows everyone and the direction to go looking for dirt.

2. Find out about what kinds of women does he like.

3. Find out about the festival this evening and how to get in.

4. Find a tamanous contact to make the body "disappear" or use a misdirection.

"The trick with any good con is making them want to walk into it. "

>


20 minutes and two taxis later she was standing in front of her rental car, commlink open talking to three different people at the same time, trying to find the perfect contacts.

She was thinking on maybe being a simstar hopeful, who would do "anything" to get famous. She would have to record a demo tape though, have it missing a synth guitar. Get a bit of a backstory going, maybe even see about an apartment she can loan for the day. Be the diamond in the rough. But first she would have to see a small time manager of a record label that had been in the big time with Thomas Galloway and still hurting from being talked into driving his sports car into a brick wall.

[SincereAgape]

Friday, January 9th 2072. O850 Hours. Vancouver, Salish Shidhe Counci. Cordova Street.

Vera was in Gastown. This time of the morning, this hedonistic, upper class, portion of Vancouver would be empty of people. And it was. Gastown was one of the centers of the Vancouver night life, and a section of the city filled with small antique shops, expensive clothing stores, and bars. The weather was cool and perfect. Right by the waterfront so the occasional breeze blew by.

Gastown.

Working her contacts. She was able to come up with three that would be able to help her.

1. Sunny (Male) - A troll prominent troll bouncer in Vancouver and a local. He would be able to help her identify information about the festival and connect her with a tamanous contact to dispose of the body.

2. Harrison Dane (Male) - Elf. Current trid star. Former Shadowrunner. Harrison has been working in the entertainment industry for the past twelve years. He mentioned that he has met Galloway in the past due to previous business arrangements with Horizon/Shangri-La. He might be able to help you with finding information about question one and two.

Harrison Dane. A read headed elf with slicked back hair and a pony-tail. His former trid show about an elven bounty hunter from the mid-west was canceled a few years ago. Since then he has been been working as a free lance actor and producer behind the scenes. Dane is speaking to you. Audio only.

<<"Hey sweetheart. Talk to me. Thomas Galloway? Yes I know him. Albeit not to well. We shared a few drinks and were somewhat cordial to each other. He started off as a talent scout right out of the University, so he's been in the music business for seven years. Now he's already a vice president. Not bad. He's either very talented, very cuthroat, or knows the right people.

Galloway made a few enemies when he was a young and arrogant. He was apart of a new regime that Horizon was trying to usher into their recently acquired companies. Out with the old, in with the new kinda thing. From what I know there was one lady who did not see eye to eye with Galloway or any of his superiors and thus was shown the door very fast. Her name is Delphia. After being fired, I heard that she started to denounce Horizon through the press. That is when Horizon sent a few mercs to let's just say....ruin her life. She's a BTL junkie now. I heard it's what she does to escape the pains of the past, and of the present. Here is her commlink code number. She's in Chinatown.

The type of women he likes? *Laughs* Hmm. Let me think. He has an attraction to elves, no doubt bout it. Blondes or Brunettes, take your pick. He views himself as some kind of knight in shining armor and likes to think he is protecting his conquests from their terrible lives. He's the type of guy who likes to sweep the women off their feets. Thus he likes the innocent, angelic, cute, types as opposed to the natural predator carnivors. Man. Do I know women or what?

Hope that helps Babe.">>

[Chrysalis]

<<"Hi Harrison. Love to talk to you, but I am on the clock. I still need to find some magical sound engineers. I am supposed to do a demo today, but the studio is shut can you imagine that?? Help. I don't really know what to do. Any ideas??? Time is money you know and seems the money clock is ticking something fierce. Keep me on your contact list and maybe we can do some biz later on. Thanks for the tip on Delphia. I owe you one. We'll miss you on the flipside.">>

Vera is at the same time dialing Delphia's commlink code.

<<Hi Delphia, I got your number from a friend of a friend. Listen he owed you some money, but he paid me on cred stick. Can we meet at Frankie's. The coffeeshop in Chinatown at noon?>>

Nothing quite like tempting a BTL head with money. Ask about previous dealings and they will clam up, offer money and a synth-kaff they'll tell you everything.

<<Sunny? Hi this is Vera. Yeah you don't know me, but a friend of a friend also know as Jimmy Two-Fingers. Still works the doors at Mystique and is ugly as ever. Wanted me to tell you, you still owe money to him. Anyways, I was in Vancouver and I got told you were the guy I heard I should talk about the festival tonight and a couple of other things. He said you have all the right contacts. Can we meet before you go to work? Scramble that; maybe by commlink? Thanks. Vera.>>

[SincereAgape]

Friday, January 9th 2072. O930 Hours. Vancouver, Salish Shidhe Counci. Cordova Street.

Harrison is the first one to get back to you.

From <<Harrison Dane.>> "Angelic Entertainment has a small studio down by the waterfront. One of the recording engineers owes me a favor. I can set up an appointment for you. How does 1400 hours sound? And null sheen on Delphia. Just lay low and stay out of trouble."

At the same time a electronic mail icon pops up in the corner of your icon.

From <<User: Delphia.>> "Sure. I'll meet with you. Bring the nuyen. Lunch is on you."

Moments later a troll appears on the your screen. He has a small goatee, a blond mohawk, and appears to have just risen from a deep slumber. In the background you see a Asian Women sprawled on the bed. Obviously satisfied with last night's activities.

<<"Yeah this is Sunny. Jimmy is still harping me on last seasons Canucks game? What a persistent tusker. Still a debt is a debt. You must be talking about the International Music festival on Grandville Island. It's supposed to be a wide open fair to the public, and it usually is outside of the crazy squatters from Commercial Drive. Knight Errant should be running the security. If you're a beautiful chica, and I hope you are, you should have no problem getting in.........

Hmm. I know a chop shop down in Burnaby. The freaks down there won't compensate you much on the Cyberware they harvest, but the good thing is that they don't take appointments. My fee is 20% if there is any return on the investment. If there is nothing that can be salvaged from a body, they offer reasonable rates to first time customers.">>

[Chrysalis]

Vera is putting together several shopping outlets, just in case she has to go with a style. Looking innocent is a lot harder than it sounds. You have to dress moderate, but if you dress too moderate and you get hidden with the rest of the crowd. It really is the hidden art of being picked by one person to be the first cheerleader everytime. You have to conform with their mental image of a diamond in the rough so well - innocent, vulnerable, and devotional.

TO Harrison Dane. <<"Hi, thanks for the appointment. 1400 sounds perfect.">>

Now to scrounge up a song writer. An hour on the Matrix and she had a competition up for those hoping to make it big in the song writing business. Winner gets 300 nuyen, and after the demo another 300 and maybe a recording contract, deadline 1300. Big promises from a musician who wants to make it big.

To Angelic Entertainment <<"Hi, I had a chat with Harrison Dane and he said he might be able to squeeze me in to do a demo at 1400. Is that okay? Oh perfect. DNI hookups. Yeah. Look, do you know anything about circular optical chips, about the size of my hand? I got a weird recommendation on having the demo on that format.">>

To Sunny <<Yeah, well if there is some compensation. I'll send you some of the cheese if it goes well.

Mmm... Do you know if Shangri-La Industries will be there? I am hoping on hooking up with one of their reps there. I heard even their Veep might be there.">>

At 1145 She was already walking around Chinatown doing a bit of shopping and looking around. She had previously transferred all but 200 nuyen from the credstick to her own accounts. She knew a banker in Jersey who took money without questions. Like Most shadowbanks this one was discreet, ruthless and not part of any SIN structure.

Frankie's was one of those starting up western diners that would be around for another five years before being driven off by the large Chinese population. Possibly turned back into a restaurant or tea shop. At the moment she was sipping a cup of coffee at a fake wood table, looking out the window at the AR displays of the International Music Festival on passing cabs and waiting for Delphine to arrive.

[SincereAgape]

Friday, January 9th 2072. 1100 Hours. Vancouver, Salish Shidhe Counci. Downtown.

From Angelic Entertainment <<"Hello. Yes Miss Davis, we have you scheduled for a 1400 Demo. You'll be working with Kyle Hotshida. He'll be awaiting your arrival. Circular Optical Chips? Interesting request. The format was popular back in the 40s and over the years has become relatively obsolete. It is fairly exotic. You may ask Mr. Hotshida about the format. He would probably be better suited to answer your question.>>

From Sunny <<"Shangrai-La Industries. Of course, Horizon can't resist scouting for hopeful talent. The practice nowadays is to find a undiscovered star, have them sign a long term contract, and then take over 80% of their net profits in the process. The new price for stardom. Capitalism at it's best...or worst depending on how you look at it. Yeah Shangrai-La will be there, don't be surprised if you do find a veep or two.">>

At ten minutes past twelve a black women stumbles into Frankie's. She is a tall, satuesque human with bright blue dreadlocks, and large nanotattos of tribal designs running up and down her arms. It was obvious that she was once a very beautiful, but these days she's got the thin, twitchy look characteristic of a hardcore chiphead. She is wearing a Wonder Woman type armor fashion set, but instead of it being mutli-colored it is a dark blue, matching her hair color. She is also wearing fish net stockings that are torn in various places and large boots with high heels at the end of them.

Delphia rubs the bottom of her eyes. You notice that her eyelids are twitching uncontrollably. She notices you. And with a scowl on her face, makes her way over to your table. Still standing, she growls.

"Are you the one who called me this morning? What do you want? Where is the nuyen?"

Her eyes continue to twitch. Her movements are constant. Her breaths are rapid. And in reality it's only been on hour since her last fix.

[Chrysalis]

Vera holds up the credstick and places it on the table between her fingers.

"Please sit down. Would you like something? I hear the food is quite good."

Vera pulls back her hand as Delphia tries to go for the credstick, putting it in the palm of her hand.

"Before I give it to you, I want to know more about Thomas Galloway. I want his secrets, and I want to know how I can burn his entire house down. I want to know every little detail about him."

She looked Delphia in the eye and said "I am not doing this for me, you or a corp. I am doing it because he raped my sister."

Another side of her mind is looking at the story, weighing up the possible holes in it. She had to admit it was a good shocker. No moving from one topic to another. Short and concise. Usually BTLs gave people 100% concentration and a 5 second attention span. Hopefully the performance would be enough to push Delphia into cooperating The credstick was the lure and revenge was the hook.

Another more silent critic in her mind looked at Delphia and wondered did she sell herself and how could she help her. Too afraid to go forward, but too desperate to go back, she lived in the half limbo of BTL impossibilities.

[Con roll against Delphia: 27d6.hits(5)=9 ]

[SincereAgape]

Delphia's eyes focused immediately on the cred stick. Vera could have swayed the credstick back and forth like the tip of a grandfather clock, and Delphia's eyes would have followed every motion. Delphia sat down at the invitation from Vera, and ordered a bowl of Pork and Perserved Egg Congee from the menu. The food came quickly. It was hot and smelled of Artificial MSG. Delphia began to dig into the food. She consumed it very quickly, as if she hadn't eaten for days.

During the eating, Vera dangles the credstick in front of Delphia once again. The women reaches for it only to have Vera pull it back. At the mention of Galloway's name, Delphia stops eating. She looks down a moment and winces. She then grimaces.

"The man has no secrets. Or very few that I know of. His record is almost immaculate. Someone in Horizon favors Galloway and he is considered one of the many 'golden boys' for their economic future. I had been a sound engineer for Carrion Studies before it was absorbed by Shangrai-La in '65. Galloway was one of the talent scouts and business representatives that was sent to review our budget, talent, resources, and ability to turn a profit for the organization. Cut costs, trim the fat, usher in a new area and expand our production value he promised."

She pauses and begins to dive back into the food. While spooning more of the broth she continues talking.

"After interviewing all of the staff, he and his representatives decided to shut us down for good. But not before taking all of our assets that showed promise. We supported a lot of musicians who had a dream of making it big. Galloway and his business partners told 95% of them that they couldn't cut it, dashing many of their hopes in the process.

He's intelligent, good looking, a fantastic speaker, and a savant when it comes to almost anything. I don't know any other secrets about him, other then he has a wife and child whom he claims to love dearly. Illegitimate children, no. Mental illnesses, no. Drug or BTL habits, no."

She pauses. Looking up from her now empty bowl.

"Oh wait. I do know a few things. Hehehe. Galloway is in debt. All of his money is borrowed and loaned to him from the White Tiger Triads. When he was starting his professional career, he had to borrow a lot of money to invest in his product and to uphold the image of a high value talent scout. I am not sure if he is still in debt, but it could be an avenue to explore. I am not sure if his gambling habits or expensive dates with models have helped the situation.

One more thing. The man is a racist. He hates Trogs."

[Chrysalis]

Vera thinks over the information given and hands Delphia the credstick.

"Thank you for the information. If you remember something more, you have my commlink code."

Vera gets up with Delphia and flashes the AR system of the restaurant the cost of the bill. She slipped on her AR glasses and headed in a different direction.

The debt at the White Tiger Triads would be large. Too large for her to buy, but if he was up to his neck in debt, perhaps it would be worthwhile to do some discreet questioning. She sent out a dozen discreet questions to a number of contacts on both hemispheres of the globe. After all, the criminal underworld and especially the triads had changed with the Great Tempo shake up last year. Maybe they were a little more eager on getting their money back and perhaps they needed someone to give him a little push.

Already she was thinking on using a troll as a help in setting up the con job, but first she had to see a matrix provider about a class IV artisan skill chip. All through driving she tried out different styles of singing before finding one which worked, she was actually happy she had had her vocal chrods modified so that she could always sing in perfect pitch. She arrived outside Angelic Entertainment at 1300 and had a look at her matrix competition. How many submissions and were any of them good was the question in mind.

"Hi, I'm early, I have a meeting with Kyle Hotshida, but I thought I would come a little bit before and pick you brain if I may on what the local musician scene here looks like, how do they dress, talk and act, or well what normally walks through your door."

While listening to the receptionist she was sorting through the competition submissions, seeing if any of them were worth it.

[SincereAgape]

Friday, January 9th 2072. 1400 Hours. Vancouver, Salish Shidhe Counci. Downtown.
Angelic Entertainment Studios, on the corner of W. Hastings and Burrard Street.

Angelic entertainment is a an immaculate three story building at the end of Burrard Street in Downtown, Vancouver. Overlooking the Burrard Inlet, this shell subsidary of Saeder Krupp is new age in every type of way. The building resembles a design built with the mind of one half new age artist and one half post-modern architecture.

[Angelic Entertainment Studios, in Vancouver.]

The receptionist is a lovely blond wearing a grey business suit and a white blouse. Her hair is tied up in a neat bun. She looks up at Vera and provides her with the receptionist smile. She answers your question.

"Angelic Entertainment Studios Supports musicians of all creeds, meta-types, religions, and other forms of diversity. We love and welcome every talented musician here at Angelic. The local music scene is very diverse, and over the years we have seen every type of genre covered. Sadly, Vancouver is a city that has never supported it's live music scene to its fullest potential. Schools have cut budgeting on musical education, local bars and clubs prefer DJs and recorded music over live performances, thus most of Vancouver's talent travels abroad.

Our state of the art facilities accommodate everyone. We see a lot of classical musicians, independent vocalists, and ork/dwarfven rhythm sections. Vancouver's musician is elegant, refined, cultured, and educated. That being said, we are open to all types of music here at Angelic and are in the need of something fresh, exciting, energetic, and vibrant. Do enjoy your experience with our versatile engineers."

You look through the song lyrics people have sent. Three sets of lyrics stick out as the best. Three different feels, that can be translated to any format. One would think.

The first is from user @Redtail

Take it to Mister
Once, long ago, when troubles came your way
You couldn't take them on yourself,
But you knew just what to do.
To find someone who would help.
When they burn out the farm,
or ravish your sister,
You put your hat in your hand
And take it to Mister
Take it to Mister

Then, as they will, all these things changed their way.
The ones who guarded you proved false.
The lord, the patron, the grand seigneur,
Helped themselves and no one else.
So they ravished the land
And whored with your sister,
they made you rip out your pride
And take it to Mister.

Now, we have learned the other way
To face the future for ourselves,
We all know what we must do.
If you want to take back what they stole
Feed the rage in your heart
Till it's ready to blister.
Now put your gun in your hand
And TAKE IT TO MISTER!


The second is from @Lady Mink

Who Weeps for the Children

CODA
But tears run down to the ocean.
in the rivers that can carve through stone
And in the dawning morning,
we see that we are not alone

The ones who wept for the future
As they fought to hold back the night
Paid for a ransom with their heart's sorrow
And brought back the children for a golden tomorrow.



The last one is from user @TheMightyEmu

Puta
Yo soy tu madre, so don't frag with me.
I'll mess you up bad if you dare disagree.
My time is money, you know that carbon.
You got what you wanted, so why hang around.
Yo soy tu madre.

Lovely puta, that's what you say to me,
Hola, puta, I'm what you want me to be,
Till you get the thing you want,
Nothing's to good for me.
But when you're done
And have your fun, then it's
Puta, dirty puta, just get away from me......



Standing in the lobby of the building, you continue to flip through the other lyrical submissions. You hear the soft chime of a elevator door bell being ding. Out of the silver cylinder capsule, a Japanese man walks out. He is 5'7, medium set. He appears to be in his late 30s early 40s. He wears no glasses, and has short hair with a couple strands of grey.

"Hello. You must be Harrison's client. I am Kyle Hotshida. How can I help you?" He speaks to you, a few still standing a few meters away from you. He pauses a moment before addressing you, and then gives you a slight forward bow.

Upon seeing him, you recognize Kyle Hotshida. He was the Japanese business man you ran across in the lobby of your hotel room this morning. As you were exiting the building, he was entering.

[Chrysalis]

Vera inwardly sighed, ask a corporate blonde what do they wear and expect a corporate blonde response, but fresh, exciting, energetic, and virbant were things she could work on. She smiled at the receptionist and said.

"I'm sure I'll enjoy my experience with your versatile engineers."

She looked through the three songs. One about rape and shooting someone. One about simply shooting someone. Lady Mink's was the best, a deeper darker love ballad. It's a shame it was so short, but I am sure she could let it stretch out into an acceptable 3 minute recording.

Vera replied with a proper bow, from years of experience. It always pays to know how to reply to Japanese businessmen.

"Hajimemashite Hotshida. I'm Jennifer Davis and I believe we had an appointment today for a... recording... session."

Vera looked him over in a polite, but secretly appraising manner. She was not the only one with secrets and she wondered how best could she extract them from him.

[SincereAgape]

Friday, January 9th 2072. 1415 Hours. Vancouver, Salish Shidhe Counci. Downtown.
Angelic Entertainment Studios.

"Hajite-mashte Miss Davis. Oh yes. Of course. Right this way."

Hotshida turns around and heads into one of the hallways. Beckoning for Vera to follow. The pair pass through a set of sliding automatic sliding doors which open from a mere thought from Hatshida. Stepping through the doors, Vera finds herself in a small room with four elevators and a high ceiling. At the other end there is a large circular cylinder which houses a plant. Inside the room there is a roto-drone. It scans Hotshida's commlink. Three sets of lights begins to illuminate..red..yellow..green...go. An augmented reality button display beams forth towards Hotshida, as you see that he presses a button on his commlink. One of the lights above the elevator door lights up.

[Elevator Room.]

Hotshida heads in, and then presses one for one of the lower floors. You see that there are eight floors in total. Three going up. Four going down. The floor Vera and Hotshida are currently on is labeled "L." Hotshida pushes the floor number two. Which is the second lowest floor in the complex. The buildings devices beam the floor numbers into your commlink. The elevator ride is a short one, and Vera does not even feel the descending movement. Hotshida turns to her.

"I hope you prefer to have a live rhythm section perform with you. Many solo musicians rely on synthetics and harmonizers to purity their voice for a recording. But unless you have the most cutting edge technology, you will simply be another straw of hay in the stack. Having a live band will assist in capturing the emotional experience that will be projected by your performance, therefore making it more authentic."

The elevator door opens into a diamond shaped hallway, opening up in two directions. Hotshida heads toward the right side. The material which comprises the hallway is blue concrete. Thus, making the entire floor shaded in blue, with a white tiled floor. On the walls are cameras which project advertisements for the stars and entertainment programs which are on the market.

<<Experience the classic combat bike playoff match of 2057 between the New Orleans Buzz and L.A. Sabers! This new installment of the classical sports line allows the fan to take the persona of Dougan Rose! The linebacker of the Buzz who met his tragic fate in this bloody death match against archrival Jonathan Winger! Get into the mind of one of the most psychotic athletes of previous decade! >>

<<Now on sale! Ork punk hot's rising star Nabo! Buy the recording from 2072 as he plays live from Citicorp Field in New York City in front of thousands! Feel, and tremble with all of those in attendance that night when the tremor rocked the stadium, along with the music! See the explosions in the distance of when the terrorist attack happened at Laguardia Airport the same night! The BTL for the greatest concert in ages! Become a fan with a VIP seating.>>

The advertisements spam in front of the pair as they walk through the hallway. The hallway takes a 45 degree sharp angle towards the left, and that is when Hotshida enters the first door on the right after the sharp switch into the intersection. When Vera enters, she finds herself in a large recording studio. There is a main soundboard in the center of the room. Flanking it, are two tables with monitors and cyberdecks. Sitting alongside the cyberdecks are commlinks and recording software of all different types. Hotshida keeps his desk very clean. There are no soykaf stains anywhere in sight. The room is also made of synthetic wood. There are small lights on the ceiling, as well as a large white alarm in the center of the room. The alarm acts as a sound suppressor for the entire area. The room is very quiet on the inside. There are also two doors on the left side.

[Recording Studio.]

Hotshida goes to the soundboard and activates a large projection with his commlink. There are various computer screens, programs, and windows which open up. He puts on a sim-rig to tests out the programs. In-mid air he grabs one of the screens and slides it across the table, to put in the lower end of his priority list. This activity continues for a minute, before he places the commlink down, and heads to one of the doors.

He turns to Vera..."Miss Davis. Let me show you the room where you will be performing."

He opens up the door for Vera. The next room is an exact replica of the previous room in terms of diameter and size. The synthwood is replaced by the blue concrete walling and instead of a soundboard in the center there is a large drum set with a ork sitting at the helm. To the far side of the room is an elf with long shaggy brown hair on the keyboard, and on the near side is a human with a clean short haircut wearing a T-shirt and a pair of Synth jeans. In his arms is a bass. The bass is dangling towards his waist, and it the strap holding up the instrument is very loose on him.

"Miss Davis. Let me introduce you to Uniform 81. That is Jonathan on the keyboard,"

"Ehhhhh." The Elf responds with a heavy Western Canadian accent.

Hotshida: "Jules on drums."

"Hoi sunshine." The ork smiles, shooting Vera a tusky grin.

Hotshida: "And Evan on Bass."

"Hey. What's going on?" The human replies with a small smile.

Evan then turns to Jonathan. "Give me an 'E.'"

The elf promptly plays one of the keys on the end of the keyboard. A low dulling sound echos through the studio. The elf presses the key one more time as Evan tunes his guitar. This is followed by the 'A' 'D' and 'G' strings.

"Yo Evan. Please don't play any of that really high octave shit during this session chummer. That fucking stuff keeps throwing me off."

Evan shoots the ork a small smirk. "Don't think that your decision to make. It's up to Kyle and our vocalists."

"Don't forget you need me omae to cover up your mistakes."

"Wouldn't want to take that fun away from you."

The three share a small laugh together, before all three look at Hotshida and Vera. "Ready when you guys are."

Hotshida smiles. "I'll be in the other room. Let's make this quick if we can."

With that Kyle heads back into the main recording session. Before he enters the recording studio, Hotshida speaks a simple command.

"Computer. Give us a night back drop of Chicago Michigan Ave 2010."

[Backdrop]

Behind the band, an augmented setting falls over them, as the room turns dark except for a few set of lights. There is a set of AR Gloves, a sim rig, and a sim module on a stool in front of the band. As well as an external stand microphone if Vera wishes to use it. Hotshida plans to capture the emotions Vera displays and exhibits during the recording in addition to her voice. After Vera sets up, a simulation of a small sized stadium crowd appears before the band to simulate a liver performance.

Evan:"Three...two...one..."

[ Spoiler ]

Make a Charisma + Skill Soft + four roll (because of the band and Hotshida's skills add to the recording.) Since Vera does not have the artisan active skill you get one shot at it. This is a success test. You may use edge if you would like.

[Chrysalis]

Vera followed Mr. Hotshida into the recording studio. It was she admitted very bewildering to go in and actually have a live band there waiting for her. Furthermore she was shocked that not only would she be singing but she would expect to have a simrig recording made. This is with her having a song she had barerly looked through on the elevator on her way to the recording studio.

There is also the image of a group of people in front of her. It was a shocking experience, all sorts of emotions welling up within her as she put on the simrig. She stopped being who she was supposed to be and simply concentrated on who she was.

she let the music build in her mind and in the musicians instruments before opening up her heart and singing. The words may have been Lady Mink's but all the emotions, the rivers that carved through her veins were her own. As she finished she let the music linger until it was silent for a long pause, finally opening up her real eyes from her AR ones.

"How..." her voice cracked. "was it?"

[ Spoiler ]

Edging it.
18d6.hitsopen(5,6)=15
That's a good roll, isn't it?

[SincereAgape]

[ Spoiler ]

You actually needed 16 hits. Just kidding. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

There was this unnatural silence in the studio. It felt like all of the conversations at a busy restaurant or in a rowdy marketplace had all of a sudden ended. The human and the elf looked at each other, each thinking the same thing. They each shot each other a smile which was impossible to hold in. Jules made it official.

"Yeeee-haw! Shave my head and call me Shirley. That was whiz girl!!"

"Sent shivers down my spine Davis." Jonathan, the elf chimed in.

"Performances like that are the reason the three of us are in the music business." The human added.

Vera had broken through the first wall of being accepted and respected within the small fraternity of these three musicians with a loud bang. She had erased any thoughts of "Newbie." or "Just another Diva with the look." thoughts any of them might have had.

"How about another!?" Jules exclaimed, leaning forward on his stool and excited like a puppy dog.

"Sounds good. I am in." Said Evan.

"Me too." The Elf followed very quickly.



"Iie." The large image of Hotshida's face beamed onto a large augmented reality display at the front of the room, as well as into the commlinks of Vera and the trio. You could see the heavy wrinkles in his forehead, the sight of no facial hair on his face, and the natural greys which were beginning to congregate at the base of his scalp. His interruption came off very abrasive and resembled an uptight business supervisor shooting down a wonderful innovative idea a employee might have.

"That is all for today. Our schedule does not allow for extracurriculars. Miss Davis has paperwork to sign. Miss Davis. Please enter the recording area to conclude todayas proceedings."

His image promptly cut off, not allowing for any type of rebuttal or comments.

"Fragging suit. Has to nab his nuyen." The ork mumbled.


"Hey Davis. If you ever need another backup band or want to chill with us. Give us a call."

"Yeah Davis. You have talent."

Uniform81 sends Vera their contact information via the commlink. Hotshida continued to remain silent in the programing studio.

[Chrysalis]

Vera waved at the group and walked out of one side of the studio to the other one. She wondered what kinds of papers did Mr Hotshida have to have signed and whether this was a question of writing in blood. She had sold her soul long ago for her to sell it again and only money would appease her.

[SincereAgape]

Friday, January 9th 2072. 1445 Hours. Vancouver, Salish Shidhe Counci. Downtown.
Angelic Entertainment Studios.

The noise generator above them begins to hum the moment Vera steps into the production area.

"Miss Davis. Please step away from the door." Hotshida begins.

There is a soft click. The doors to the recording room lock, leaving the members of Uniform81 in the other room. Hotshida presses a command on his commlink. Moments later Vera starts hearing a hissing sound, followed by the sounds of the musicians in the other room.

"Hey. What's going on?!"

"Gas!"

Sounds of someone coughing and choking followed by a crash of drum symbols clanging against the floor.

"Jules!"

There is a loud thud. The sound of a body hitting the floor. Footsteps of someone running. There is a loud banging against the door which connects the two rooms. More choking. More coughing. Before another loud thud.

Hotshida speaks. "It is only neuro-stun gas. They will survive this encounter, but will not be able to recollect the past hour of their lives."

Another command on Hotshida's commlink turns on the air ventilation system in the recording room. It will take a few minutes to filter out all of the gas. During this time, Hostshida addresses Vera. He provides her with a simple smile.

"I will explain in due time. In the meantime, let this speak for me. These images were taken this morning from a microdrone which was planted at the Golden Griffon. Observe.

Another projection is displayed. Taking up one quarter of the room. The image is projected in green and black. The footage is of Vera's meeting this morning with the trio of elves. It captures every word, and every gesture she makes. From hiking up her skirt, to the bodyguard leering, to her placing a hand over Mr. Johnson's before leaving. A few minutes after she leaves, the bald-headed elf joins Mr. Johnson along with the other bodyguard. It was the seduced bodyguard who spoke.

"Can she be trusted?"

"You tell me. Are you that weak willed?" Mr. Johnson repled.

"She comes highly recommended."

"We'll see. I trust our operation in the hands of an elf over the other metahumanic races."

Mr. Johnson finishes his glass of Laes before getting up from the table and walking out of the vicinity. The bodyguard and the pervert then begin talking. The frame then freezes, holding the image of the two guards speaking to one another.

"That is when our connection was jammed. Now, Miss Davis. I am not hear to harm you. I am hear to offer you an opportunity. I want to hire you to spare the life of Thomas Galloway, and bring him to me."