IC: Oriental Opportunities, Avoiding death in Hong Kong Options

[phlapjack77]

18 February 2072, 10:44 PM, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Facial Recog
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

<<@SunQi[Dante]: I'm going to need that room for as long as I'm going to need it. I'm forwarding you double the fee for your troubles. Much thanks. ##PAYMENT TRANSFERRED##>>

<<@Fractal[Dante]: You're covered. Take all the time you need. This drek just keeps getting deeper, we need all the intel we can get.>>

<<@Jones[Dante]: 'Sup chummer. I need some help finishing this job I'm on, so that I have some free time to whip you yet again. If I can finish this job up quickly, I should make a big enough payday to be able to hang out more. Can you get me any information on either of these two people? One is a guy named Shen Li Chang, runs "Luck Consolidation and Specialty Gardening Services", the other is some drek-hot corp type or something, picture attached. ##INFORMATION UPLOADED##>>

[Mickle5125]

[18 February 2072, 10:45 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

<<@the Fun Brigade [Max] Organ leggers, huh? Well. that sounds like it'll be great fun.>>


"So, did anyone get to see the BattleBike match on Saturday?"

[Edana]

18 February 2072, 10:45 PM, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
<@Dante: Double, eh? I guess a few extra hours won't kill me. Enjoy your New Years sing-off (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) . -SunQi>

<@Dante: A gardener? Do I act like a horticulturist to you? What, are you going to take up a subsistence farming lifestyle? ... Feh, if it means I get to kick your ass some more, I guess I can look into it. You owe me upgrades though! Something nice, and no being stingy. -Your BFF>

18 February 2072, 11:25 PM, Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong
As Dante and Hope continue to tail the SUV through Lantau, they eventually find themselves crossing the bridge back to the mainland and then turning south into Kwai Tsing's towards the container port. Traffic has dropped off considerably as they get further into the automated areas, and it is increasingly more difficult to maintain sight of the SUV without making it obvious that they are following.

<@Dante: Appearances are everything, and there really are a couple different places holding parties that night on Lantau. Best to be sure I've got the right one. Doesn't look like there are any public invites for the one you want though. Might be able to get you a temp job as a cook, but I won't know about that until tomorrow morning. Let me know if that's good enough for you. -JJ>

18 February 2072, 11:25 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
As he's working on the encryption for the final node, Fractal notes that the IC in the main node appears to be rescanning his icon, but it seems the stealth program continues to do its job as he is once again passed over as uninteresting.

[phlapjack77]

18 February 2072, 11:26 PM, Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Facial Recog
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

"So Hope, you feel like we should trail these guys anymore? Looks like it's not really getting us anywhere..."

<<@Team[Dante]: Ok, I might be able to get a temp job as a cook at the retreat. So the question is, do we want to deal with the gardener or not? I say yes. Frag that guy - something's going on here, I want to know what.

I'm thinking, if I can get a way in, and someone else can get in, we have two insiders to do the work, with our matrix friend watching over us from above. Any of you magic-types able to somehow sleaze your way in or something?

Only thing after that would be to deal with our gardener. Heh, getting a bonus AND starting drek with this guy? It's a win-win situation.>>

[Thanee]

18 February 2072, 11:26 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

< [Ting-Ting] A cook? That might be useful, indeed. As for that gardener... I'm still unsure about it. We know next to nothing about what is going on there, who or what he is, and where we can find him. Dealing with him could be rather difficult. >

[Seth]

[18 February 2072,11:27 PM Lantau Island, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Dr Yang

<<@Team[Dr Yang]: Answering your specific questions I may be able to sneak in as an animal, but other than that my skills are in healing not infiltration.

However I would advise curbing any enthusiasm for confronting this Gardener. I too an interested in discovering what he is up to, and I suspect it is in violation of the Heavenly Order laid down to us by the Jade Emperor. However I have learnt a lesson in my life (which I wish to be a long and auspicious one) and that is patience.

Let me paint a picture of possible futures:

• Future 1: we wait for the Gardener to finish his weekly task, manipulate the plant and get paid our generous basic fee
• Future 2: we decide to deal with the Gardener and he is tougher than we are. This is not a pleasant future, and some of us die, and we don't get paid
• Future 3: we decide to deal with the Gardener and he is weaker than we are, but we cause noise doing it. We don't get paid
• Future 4: we decide to deal with the Gardener and he is weaker than we are, and we don't cause noise doing it. We get a small bonus

Only in futures 1 and 4 do we get paid. Personally I feel that it is very unlikely that we can accomplish future 4. Thus I press my case for future 1. I should say that I inspected the heavens and viewed the I Ching, and the omens for the immediate future are not auspicious.

I realise that my recommendation to do the safe option is not as exciting as some others, but we have been recruited for a stealth mission, and confronting the Gardener is not very stealthy.>>

[phlapjack77]

18 February 2072, 11:27 PM, Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Facial Recog
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

<<@Team[Dante]: Dr. Yang, I bow to your wisdom and retract my eagerness to confront this gardener. Your insight serves us well, as always. I hate to mention this, but I'm not sure if the temp job as a cook would be available if we don't move during the celebrations.>>

[Thanee]

18 February 2072, 11:27 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

< [Ting-Ting] This is exactly what I mean. We know too little, which makes the risk too high. Especially, since we have the option to circumvent this risk entirely. Yeah, it means less money, but it also means a much higher chance to get the job done. >

[Seth]

[18 February 2072,11:28 PM Lantau Island, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Dr Yang

<<@Team[Dr Yang]: Thank you Dante.

It seems to me that we have a few ways of moving the plant

• We could use magic fingers with a drone providing close up. Those annoying watchers would be a risk, but we have concealment and influence to help. I think we need to see if the watchers patrol, and if there is a window of opportunity for doing this without line of sight.
• We could infiltrate a cook, sneak out and move the plant. Watchers aren't a problem, we have matrix control, so can keep an eye on the guards and ensure the cameras don't record (and they only have a 5 minute memory anyway)

Of these I feel the cook option is the one most likely to succeed, but has the highest downside if it goes wrong.

I am aware that I for one am subject to the dread disease "paralysis by analysis". The only cure for this is a prescribed dose of action! May I suggest that we finalise a plan before midnight? This would allow Dante to get his job as a cook if we decide that is sound course of action>>

[phlapjack77]

18 February 2072, 11:28 PM, Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Facial Recog
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

<<@Team[Dante]: Ting-Ting, Dr. Yang and I all are thinking that we wait until after the gardener does his work and then move the plants. This seems to us like the better move, and even though we don't get the bonus, our chances of actually getting paid are higher. Is everyone on board with this?>>

<<@JiuJiu[Dante]: Ok, looking like a temp job as a cook would be great, starting as soon as possible...and if the job can run at least until the 24th.>>

[sabs]

Fractal
[18 February 2072, 11:30:44 PM Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

<<@Team[Fractal] I'm always happy to get paid. If everyone thinks we get paid by avoiding the Old Gardner dude, I'm A-OK with that. No skin off my neck.>>


Fractal accesses the security feed on the location and health of the security guards, and starts writing that information to datachip. <<Ting-Ting, any luck with the Financials?>> He's eyeing this big node carefully, taking his time to probe. Come on you big tin can, show me your secrets.

[Thanee]

18 February 2072, 11:31 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

< [Ting-Ting] Still looking... as I said, I'm not an expert on these number things... >

Ting-Ting has been looking at the data for a while now, but as the considerations come to the point of finding ways to infiltrate the party, she recalls her own side job and starts looking into the financials again, searching for signs of professional hostesses being hired to entertain the guests.

[Mickle5125]

[18 February 2072, 11:32 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

<<@the Fun Brigade [Max] If nobody else thinks we can handle the gardener, I suppose we can... wait. What if we ambush him away from location, take him out, and impersonate him?>>

[phlapjack77]

18 February 2072, 11:33 PM, Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Facial Recog
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

<<@Team[Dante]: The risk seems to be too high that our ambush wouldn't go as planned, and so the whole job would be ruined. Heh, although I'm not against completing the job, getting paid, THEN paying a house call to this fragger.>>

[Edana]

18 February 2072, 11:35 PM, Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong
<I'll ask if it's a multi-day opportunity, but I got the impression it was for night-of only. Probably have an assistant that got sick or something and need a fill-in on short notice. -JJ>

18 February 2072, 11:35 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Sifting further through the data, Ting-Ting comes across various entries from the past indicating that escort services have been contracted to supply entertainers and companions for a variety of parties, with them most often being contacted during the day that the event is scheduled for. The bulk of the entries seem to be contracted through an agency labeled EHK, which she surmises probably refers to Escort Hong Kong, a reasonably reputable outfit catering mostly to corporate clients. There don't appear to be any entries for the current party at this point.

[Thanee]

18 February 2072, 11:35 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

< [Ting-Ting] Nothing about a mage here, as far as I can see. Seems like they are hiring escorts from EHK sometimes, but usually on rather short notice. That might be an option to get me in there along with our 'cook', but maybe it is not worth the trouble, especially considering, that they are using the same agency. Anything else you want me to look for? >

[phlapjack77]

18 February 2072, 11:36 PM, Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Facial Recog
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

<<@JiuJiu[Dante]: Anything you can get me is great>>

Dante slowed down and turned onto a secondary street, abandoning the SUV in front of them. Nothing seemed to be gained from continuing the pursuit - they reliably knew who these goons were, and it didn't seem worth it to start a confrontation with the Vory. Not yet, anyway. Messaging Dr. Yang, he made plans to rendezvous with him and pick him up.

18 February 2072, 11:52 PM, Lantau Island, Hong Kong
After meeting Dr. Yang and loading his bicycle into the back of the truck, Dante asked his passengers if they wanted to be dropped off anywhere. He himself planned to head back to the KTV shop and hang out a little, have a drink or two while Fractal and Ting-Ting worked. Maybe Max would be interested in some mahjong...

[Mickle5125]

[18 February 2072, 11:38 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

<<@Dante [Max] He does sound like the sort who might need a house visit, doesn't he?>>

[sabs]

Fractal
[18 February 2072, 11:30:44 PM Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(3) = Johnny Cash | Wuxing Corporate Citizen

<<Aiiya! Confucious say, piss of well connected Mage, wake up with bullet in brain.>>

Fractal was busy trying to hack his way into this super node, but he took a couple of seconds aside to deal with this conversation. <<You guys want to freelance deal with a guy who gets paid 160K every 3 months, for 4 hours worth of work. You go right ahead. Just count me out of such nonsense.>>

[Mickle5125]

[18 February 2072, 11:45 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

<<@Worrywarts (all of them) [Max] We're not stupid. We might WANT to mess with the well-connected mage. We might even think it'd be funny. But we'd want a looooottttt more info about him before we tried.>>

[phlapjack77]

18 February 2072, 11:46 PM, Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Facial Recog
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

<<@Max[Dante]: After this run goes off smoothly, I'd like to see what this guy's up to. Might be worth our while to check him out. Are you staying around at KTV? I'm headed your way for a little drinking and mahjong.>>

[Mickle5125]

[18 February 2072, 11:45 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | Fake SIN(4) = Zhao Shang | no-name street performer

<<@Dante [Max] I'll hang around for a bit longer. Some mahjong might be fun.>>

[Seth]

[18 February 2072,11:47 PM Lantau Island, Hong Kong]
PAN = Passive | SIN = Dr Yang

<<@Team[Dr Yang]: So back to the planning:

There appear to be two plans on the table:

• The Cook
• Magic Fingers

The heavens are equally unauspicious about both plans, but the I Ching says:

Difficulty at the beginning works supreme success,
Furthering through perseverance.
Nothing should be undertaken until clarity is attained.
It furthers one to appoint helpers.

I feel that we need to gain clarity on our mission. There appear to me to be two plans on the table: Magic Fingers, and infiltration as cook.

The magic fingers plan goes a little like this:

• Max and and myself summon spirits / cast spells to influence the watchers to ignore anything they see...this is the risky bit of the plan
• Wearing dark clothes, I ascend towards heaven and pause levitating some distance away
• Using magic fingers, the 'widget' is moved into position, electronic feeds from the drones and camera can assist
• The plant is turned
• The widget is extracted
• A triumphant solution is accomplished!

With the control we have of the matrix, we should be able to ensure that no guards are involved. The main risk appears to be dealing with the watchers, and should that occur, all we have not revealed our intent revealed is that there is some interest in the place, we have not given away our target. As Sun Tzu teaches us

In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to conceal them.

With some small effort I suspect that we could make the target of our watcher deception such that even if revealed it is discounted: an attack on one of the guests perhaps, or an attempt to steal something of value.

The cook idea appears to be simpler:

• Infiltrate
• Sneak out with the widget
• Move the plants
• Carry on working till end of shift
• Exit

>>

[phlapjack77]

18 February 2072, 11:48 PM, Kwai Tsing, Hong Kong
PAN = Passive | SIN = Liu Zi Ang
DragonFly 1 autosofts: Facial Recog
DragonFly 2 autosofts: Adaptability, Clearsight, Covert Ops
iBall: Weapon Watcher, Visual Spotter

<<@Team[Dante]: Let's see what the next few hours brings us to help us decide on our course of action. Our hacker could very well yet land us some important fish.>>

[Thanee]

18 February 2072, 11:48 PM, Best KTV, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Ting-Ting | PAN = Passive | SIN = Xiao Ling

< [Ting-Ting] The cook infiltration has to be during the festivities, and those take place before the gardener has his regular visit, so that approach wouldn't help for turning the plants. >