IC: Post or Die, Lifelines, and deadlines Options

[Majhra]

Otto opens his eyes, and smiles at the shining brown tinted reflection he spies in his shoes. "Once again, very nice work."

"Thankyou sir."

Otto stands and dips a credstick into the small slot in the wooden box. He walks down the peir, looking left and right until he spies the water taxi. He walks over and asks the orc captain, "You up for a fare?"

"Yeah." Comes the guttural reply, "Step on."

Otto leaps the short gap and rocks the small four seat water taxi only slightly. "Heading into the middle of the sound, meeting on a boat for a party." Otto says.

As the boat pulls gently from the pier, he reaches over the gunwale and scoops a handful of sea water into his right hand. As the boat picks up speed and the water drips onto his lap, Otto touches his lips to the metal bracelet on his left wrist and then covers his right.

Taking a deep breath, Otto lifts his hands, as if praying then breathes out heavily, and more water drops onto his lap. He expels the air in his lungs as fast as he can, spraying some of the droplets into the air. The droplets swarm and form into a shifting mist.

The boat swerves and the captain swears. Otto ignores the commotion, his full attention on the forming spirit. The spirit holds suspended in the air for a moment, then fades like mist in the morning sun. Otto takes another breath, and touches his wrist to his lips again.

"Sorry about that," Otto says. "Just making sure I have my life jacket on. You of all people should know about water saftey."

The orc only nods, speeding the boat a little more and hoping the drunk mage gets off his boat sooner rather than later.

[Ellipsis]

10:05 - Seattle Marina

There has got to be a dinghy or something around here...what are the odds the keys will be in it? Whatever...

Hans takes one last look around the docks and then walks hesitantly towards the man on the fishing boat. Entering earshot he makes a small lady like clearing noise in his throat and calls out in high register,"Uh,...Hey Sir? Sir?", he waits until the drunk sailor turns and waves, "Hey! I really hate to bother you sir, but I'm really in a bit of a spot. See I was supposed to meet some friends here earlier for a boat party on the sound but it seems like I got lost and missed 'em! Ah I can't believe I did it but, y'know I'm new here in town and just got a bit turned upside down...you don't think" he trails off and then lowers his head letting the hair of the wig fall down around his face a little more, pushes it back up and raises his eyes to meet the man's, "maybe you could do a lady a favor? I know where they are I just need a lift out there, I'd be so thankful!" He all but mewls the last bit pouring everything into his doe eyed act, and praying it will get him off this dock before he loses this job and any foothold on getting his life back together.

[Saint Sithney]

10:58 Still hanging above Puget Sound

"Haha! Alright, they took him aboard, the rubes... Oh, wait. I forgot. No explosives. Why did I send him again? Oh yeah. The message."
This Longhaul... is keeping me from moving my memories from short-term to mid/long-term.. That happens when you don't sleep. That's.. that's medically accurate.. I've got to do a better job of keeping on top of things. I've got to remember the message.


"Hello. This is the Commander speaking. I have it under good authority that your short-term goals are compatible with my own and as such I am willing and ready to provide logistical, technical and medical support to whatever agents you have assigned to this mission. As you can tell, I do not prefer to operate in person, however I am capable of such if called upon to preform. If acceptable I would like to have my assistant sit in on your meeting and receive information on my behalf. Using whatever com-codes provided, I will assist your agents directly. I should be able to provide the team with specialized tools and ranged support on demand. If you absolutely need me to attend this meeting in person, simply inform my assistant and he will signal me. I am nearby. Otherwise, simply tell my assistant to leave when you are finished. Don't worry about him. Ol' Danny might shoot like a greenskin, but he's reliable enough on his own." "..mmm-what's-that-supposed-to-mean-mm.." "Oh Danny! You're so sensitive! Go ahead and erase that last part" "..mmm-can-we-do-that-now-mm.." "Anyway, I'll be a page away if you need me. See you on the job."

[Martin_DeVries_I...]

"Evening," Heka says to the new arrival with a smile. As mentioned he has clearly taken a moment to take care of the essentials--a highball glass is in one hand, a lit cigarillo in the other. "You here for the festivities too, then?"He eyes the sec crew as they relieve Lefty of his gear. Fine beads of sea water dot his hair and his oiled greatcoat, buttoned tight to keep late night winds out. Beyond Lefty he sees something that makes his eyes go wide. An automaton of some sort is dragged on deck, and gives a speech.
"Great Ghostwalker's scaly nutsack, what the hell is that?" he mutters in a low voice, afraid the robot might overhear.

[Red-ROM]

10:06 - Seattle Marina

The Drunken fisherman eyeballs the strange woman that wants him to drag his boat back out into the water. She's not too terrible on the eyes, but she's gonna have to click off some cred if she thinks he's gonna untie this rig again,"Alright lady, here's...here's what. You got (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) 100, you got yourself a ride out to ..uh..to your friends. "

[pbangarth]

10:59, aboard "El Viajero", on Puget Sound

The disparity in clothing gives Professor a first clue as to the approach he and the other dwarf might take to any task assigned them. Professor sports 'actionwear' with lots of pockets, rather than the finer clothing of his companion. "Yes, I'm here for the ..." Professor turns at Heka's interjection, and stares a moment before composing himself. The drone/robot explains itself, and Professor sits back, a smile on his face. "This should be interesting."

[Ellipsis]

Fisherman's Boat Pugeot Sound - 10:30

Hans attempts to beam appreciation, it is not hard, "Thanks chummer!" He scrambles nimbly up the boat without a hand from the tipsy man passes off the creds and the coordinates of El Viajero. On the trip he chats with the man about being a fisherman as best he can keeping it light, throwing in the occasional question about whether he's been chased back to port by sea monsters or rogue water sprites basically chattering away like he's nervous and alone on a boat with a man he doesn't know. When they finally reach the Viajero he thanks the man with a weak hug and thanks then darts off the deck of one boat scrambling to the deck of the other like an old sea hand. He pauses for the bodyguards to check him/her out and does a weak curtsy, especially weak in a jump suit better for darting through traffic. "I believe I'm expected at this party gents!" when he's waved through he takes quick stock of the odd assembly, orders a cup of rooibos tea then turns to get a better look at them all while it is being prepared.

[Majhra]

The water taxi bounds over the gentle waves of the Sound. Salt spray begins to cover Otto with a thin silver covering. He flicks the collar of his coat up to protect himself a little more from the night air. In the distance he can see his destination, floating silently and almost invisible amongst the reflected city lights. He points, directing the taxi captain who nods and adjusts his heading.

Within a minute the captain cuts the engines and quickly slows, judging the distance perfectly and nestling the taxi gently alongside the much larger boat.

"Thankyou, Captain." Otto says, dipping his credstick into the payment slot, ignoring the Orc's sneer. As soon as Otto's feet leave the deck of the taxi, it roar away into the night.

Otto straightens onto the deck of "El Viajero" and a bulky human stands several paces away. "My name is Vince Otto. I believe I'm expected?" The man looks him up and down then points him towards the main deck. "They are waiting for you over there."

Otto steps around the cabin and carefully removes his coat. "Apologies for my tardiness." He says to the group in general.

[pbangarth]

11:00 on deck of El Viajero, on Puget Sound

Professor studies the people assembled on the deck, sees everyone has some refreshments, and notes the appointed time has arrived. He stands and raises his drink to the others.

"It appears our host is giving us some time to get acquainted before we are introduced to the reason for our assembly here. My name is Professor. Primarily I collect, memorize and analyze data: physical, astral and virtual. If we have a mage or two in the group, I can be adapted to fill a number of secondary roles. I've spent a fair bit of time outside the embrace of the city, and feel comfortable there."

[DrZaius]

11:00 on deck of El Viajero, on Puget Sound

Lefty waved to the Professor, a glint of metal showing between his sleeve and gloved hand.

"Howdy Professor, my friends call me Lefty. My talents lie in the meat world, but I'm glad to hear there are people here who can handle the other two. Not having a mage can cause problems..."

Lefty subconsciously rubbed at his arm, clearly remembering an unpleasant memory.

"That said, if you need someone dealt with in a direct 'physical' manner, I'm your man."

[Saint Sithney]

11:01 on deck of El Viajero, on Puget Sound


As the small, slightly hunched android made it's way across the deck to where the rest of the team had gathered, the front speaker started to fuzz a little, then hiss, and finally come to life.

"We get signal. Main screen turn on. Hahahahaha! Gosper's algorithm?! That transformation's older'n I am! Heh heh ehh. Must've known I was coming and left the door open for me!"

The robot stopped walking and it's head swooped 360 degrees.

"Weeeeelll, let me take a look'a'ch'all! Hmm all right. Okay. Yeah. Woah! Almost didn't see you down there Jack! Heh heh heehh- well. Name's Oswald. You can call me Oz if you want. I am wonderfully wiz when it comes to making things work. Ha-ha-heh. Mechanical, digital, physiological - If it exists I can fix it. Need to disguise a vehicle in enemy colors? I got a place for that. Need somebody shot from a mile away? Let's just say I'm glad I broke the jamming pattern. I was sick of lookin' at you through a crosshairs.. Anyway, I'll quiet up now and let you get to your business."

With that the android began shuffling again towards the railing where the refreshments were gathered, quietly humming out, "..mmm-I-was-just-starting-to-like-the-old-coot-mm.." only to be met by "I can still hear you Danny..." in response.

[Martin_DeVries_I...]

11:01 on deck of El Viajero, on Puget Sound

"Well," Heka says with a smile. He stands and raises his highball glass at the robot. "He's a tough act to follow, isn't he? But I'll do my best. I am Heka, magician, at your service. I'm a bit more subtle than your typical combat mage, so don't expect giant fireballs or bolts of electricity. That's not what I do. But what I do, I do well." He takes his seat.

[Majhra]

11:01 on deck of El Viajero, on Puget Sound

"Pleased to meet everyone." Otto says, nodding to each member of the assembled group, pausing a little too long at the android. "My name is Otto," he pauses, thinking, "I too am a mage. While I'm much more comfortable with investigations, when push comes to shove, and it usually does, I can shove pretty hard."

[Red-ROM]

11:02pm "El Viajero", Puget sound

As the guests make there introductions and get comfortable, the six guards spread out to different locations around the deck. The troll moves slightly to the left and the door behind him slides open. A fat man in a white suit emerges at a slow and confident gait. He is followed by a rail of a woman in the shrewdest business attire to date. Her eyes were blank silver spheres that seemed dead in the sockets, yet she strolled forward as surefooted as the man ahead of her. He Took a seat across from the new arrivals to his ship, and one of the women at the bar scurried over with a gin and tonic,"Welcome amigos. I'm sure we all want to get down to business, so I'll skip the small talk. I make a living taking your kind of work to the next level. I have collected resources around the globe, and am always looking to expand this network. I had recently expanded into your fine city, and I was off to a good start, but I seem to have hit a snag. The team I had here has gone missing. I don't know the details, I just know that plans are behind schedule. The most urgent of which is a shipment of Ares cargo that was highjacked on my behalf a week ago, and never arrived at the shipyard for export. This is what I need your assistance with. If things go well, I can promise many more opportunities in the near future."

[Majhra]

So you don't care about the other team - I get it, Otto thinks to himself before shifting his weight forward a little.

"I'm sure we'll have a whole bunch of logistics questions if we take you up on your offer, but I'm sure your assistant can help with those," Otto smiles and winks at the well dressed woman. "So I'll cut to the chase as well. What kind of value do you place on this shipment?"

[Ellipsis]

11:01 El Viajero, Puget sound

"What an interesting group of characters we've got here! I suppose you'll all be calling me Caper." He shakes hands gingerly or nods to each in turn appropriately and offers a little wave to the strange bot sitting on the deck, apparently talking to itself... that's a little disconcerting. "My, hmmm specialty is getting in and getting out, blending in and never being seen if at all possible if ya catch my drift, I'm not gonna be all that fancy on the steel but I'll hold my own, and I'm not that wild behind a wheel but..." at this moment their benefactor enters the deck cutting short the rest of his response.

Hans slinks into a chair near the others and leans back in it watching and feeling a little sick owing nothing to the sea and everything to the steely eyed woman. He turns his head slightly to Otto when he speaks up, wasting no time mate, senor will probably love that mr. investigator...

[Red-ROM]

11:03pm "El Viajero", Puget sound

An approving smile slides up to the corner of the Hosts mouth as he addresses Otto,"I'm sure there are many details to work out, but I estimate somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty thousand. Will that be sufficient to keep this conversation moving?"
The man in the large white suite drags his dark brown eyes slowly across the group for their response. A curl of black hair bounces close to his eyelashes, but he doesn't blink until he meets the gaze of all present. Otto's friendly gestures to the Blond seated next to the their possible employer have seemingly been ignored. Here eyes, and the rest of her body for that matter, are unmoving. It's hard to tell if she is even alive.

[Saint Sithney]

11:03pm "El Viajero", Puget sound

"Hmmmm.. So, your men and your shipment disappeared, or your men disappeared with your shipment? Also, since this happened a week ago, what makes you believe that it's not worlds away by now?"
The robot's front speaker spit out unbidden.
"To put it another way, how big is our theater of operation, and what do you know about the opposition?"

[pbangarth]

11:03pm "El Viajero", Puget sound

Professor meets the host's gaze and replies, "I'm still interested."

[Ellipsis]

11:04 PM "El Viajero", Puget sound

The irony of this is not lost on Hans, tracking down missing goods lost after a team hired to swipe them disappears, right. Karma sure is a bitch... He cups his hands around the steaming tea cup and raises it to his mouth, lifts the kerchief and sips a bit, too hot and sets it back down. Switches to Ultrasound and pings the whole area to get an idea if there might be any assault teams lurking in the invisible spectrum ashamed he didn't think to do it earlier and holds senor's gaze. "I'm not saying I'm not in but the robot geezer's got a point I need to know more if I'm going to go off chasing something that maybe a trap if it hasn't been flipped yet because somebody on the megacorp side wants to track you down...."

[Martin_DeVries_I...]

11:04 PM "El Viajero", Puget Sound

"Well our friends have a point," Heka says. "Some more information would certainly be in order. However, I do think it safe to say that you have our interest." He smiles at their host and has a drink from his glass, thinkingMy share of thirty thousand would be quite handy to have.

[Red-ROM]

11:05 PM "El Viajero", Puget Sound

The man in the white suit sips his cocktail as the questions begin.His demeanor is patient and thoughtful,"The details are sketchy. The team has split up and disappeared into their little shadows. I know the cargo went with a rigger named "Big Daddy Long Legs". Our man lost track of him going into Redmond. I don't know what went awry, or why the team split, so I'm starting with what I do know. I know that three truckloads of very restricted merchandise is still in limbo. My assistant has found no hits on their RFID tags or serial numbers. None of the local syndicates have turned up with these goods. And Ares is still actively looking for the stuff as well."
He pulls a thin commlink from his shirt pocket and sets it on the table. The holo projecter paints the faces of those watching in white light. In the display are several trideos of a older Troll in a dirty set of coveralls. His horns pointed foreward like a bull, accentuated by the fact his septum was pierced in the same fashion. Grey hair wisped around his shoulders. One shot of him was in a big rig. the others were street shots and what appeared to be a feed from some-one's cyber eyes. "What we know about B.D. here is this. He worked as a trucker and crane operator pre-crash. He operates out of the barrens somewhere near Glow City. We found him through a club owner named Swagger J. He runs a place called Twisters. It has taken me a while to get here and I have no feet on the ground at the moment. This is the role I wish for you all to fill. The number I mentioned earlier is for the stolen goods. Finding out what happened to the rigger is secondary, but could be worth money as well. If he has decided to take this cargo for his own purposes, I expect him to be terminated. I would offer cred for this as well, but I will need proof that he had turned. I don't want valuable assets killed for a few extra nuyen in your pocket. I hope you can appreciate that I would do the same for you in the future. "

[Majhra]

11:05 PM "El Viajero", Puget Sound

Otto nods. "So we have at least," He holds up his index finger, "Ares." Then he holds up a second finger, "several local syndicates, and probably the police or other government agencies," He holds up a third finger. "Out activly looking for three stolen trucks." He pauses a little too long for dramatic effect. "That's a fair bit of heat."

"I assume you'd rather the trucks be shipped with a limited amount of fuss? So I have to ask, does that thirty K each include reasonable expenses?" Otto feels the heat of several eyes swivel towards him. Everyone keep calm, you know this guy is good for it. He thinks to himself while keeping eye contact with the Johnson.

[Red-ROM]

11:05:45 PM "El Viajero", Puget Sound

The host's eyes went wide and a bit of a chuckle accompanied his voice,"Ah mi Dios! Thirty a piece! I could have purchased these goods from Ares directly for that cred. Or hired Lone star to steel it for me." He laughed along with a couple of his guards.

[pbangarth]

11:06 PM "El Viajero", Puget Sound

Professor smiles at our host and waits for the hilarity to settle. "Well, there certainly seems to be some room for discussion here. The original team obviously presents the likelihood of opposition to our success, and you have told us yourself, sir, that Ares is actively searching for the goods. This places us in between two determined opponents... not a good place to be. If we are to put ourselves into double danger, I would think a minimum of fifteen thousand each would be necessary to convince us to take on a major corporation and another team of runners. Possibly at the same time, as these things tend to go. Given that by your own description the three truckloads are of 'very restricted merchandise', I have no doubt you will profit handsomely even at this level of remuneration."