Nothing's Free in the Free Zone (IC), Adventure 1: Broken Star Options

[Lobo0705]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:05 PM, July 29th, 2075

Ramirez waits until Overkill is finished, the scanner making the same monotonous beep as it went around the room. Satisfied, Overkill puts the device away and motions for the captain to continue.

"Good, you are cautious. That's an attribute that serves us well in both our professions." Taking another sip of water, he continues. "The people who are getting killed are Lone Star personnel. For reasons unknown to me, investigations into these slayings are not being prioritized as they normally would be. In fact, very little progress is being made at all as far as bringing the cop-killers to justice. That's what has me concerned, and that's the job on the table for you: find out who's killing cops, and bring them to justice. Find out who's behind it all, and bring them to justice. I am prepared to offer you each 7,500 if you can identify the killers, and a further 7,500 if you can capture them alive and turn them over to the criminal justice system of the UCAS Zone. In addition, I'll offer 7,500 more each for proof of any conspiracy involved, and I believe there is one, and 7,500 more if you can capture the conspirators alive and bring them in as well. All told, each of you stands to earn up to 30,000 nuyen, no small fee."

Letting that sink in, he continues, "I will give you each a retainer of 1,000 nuyen, to cover operating expenses. This 1,000 is forwarded against eventual payment for completion of the job."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out four certified credsticks, placing them on top of the trid player.

"Do we have a deal?"

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:05 PM, July 29th, 2075

30,000 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) ? Jack did his best not to reveal his surprise. That was a lot of money. An ork could live more than a year in the Warrens for that kind of scratch. Considering Ramirez seemed a pretty straight-forward kind of guy, Jack was pretty sure the job was going to be a challenge commensurate with that reward. Glancing at Amy, he couldn't help but think that she might be a little over her head with this being her first run. But, she was a grown woman and could make her own decisions.

So someone is taking out the Star... that's got to be a dangerous crowd to pull that off and not get caught. Jack contemplated as he considered the offer.

Jack glanced at the credsticks and then said to Ramirez, "How many murders so far, Captain and what is our timeline?"

[Always Overkill]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:10 PM, July 29th, 2075

Drave was actually surprised, one things he had learned dealing with the cops around the world is that you never see a more impassioned investigation from a department than when they are investigating the death of one of there own. That
alone was evidence of a conspiracy. As he prepared to pull down his AR overlay, you also took note that it was a tidy sum the Captain was offering; the people he represents certainly have deep pockets.

"I believe both myself and my young associate here will agree to the terms and stipulations of this deal." Drave said with a nod towards Amy. "While I am sure both I and my associates will have
many more questions to follow in this coming discussion; and in addition to my friend Jack's inquiries, I would like to know what kind of access we will have to your Department's investigation up until now."

[Lobo0705]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:10 PM, July 29th, 2075

Ramirez opened the box, and began removing the contents, one at a time. The first thing he pulled out was an evidence bag containing an Ares Predator V. Following this is a smaller bag containing six small red pills. Both bags are marked with the same case number, and the name "Officer James Thomas". Ramirez says, "There have been eleven Lone Star officers killed over the past two months. Three of those deaths have been investigated and solved, so I assume that they are not part of the issue at hand. The other eight that have not been solved are the ones I think you need to look into."

He continues to pull items out of the box, the next ones are two different Ruger Super Warhawks, each with their own bag, both with the another case number, and the name "Officer Newton" on the outside.

"Due to the fact that I don't know how far and wide this conspiracy goes, I cannot trust the other members of Lone Star on this. It is for this reason that I have looked outside the department for assistance." He closes the box, and pulls out a datachip, handing it to Overkill. "This is the information I've been able to glean so far, along with whatever evidence I could obtain from the evidence locker. On several of these cases, other evidence has gone missing, and follow up on witnesses was not done properly."

Overkill takes the chip, slots it, and then uploads the files within to the other team members.

[ Spoiler ]

See the dropbox

Arranging the items he pulled out of the box, he points to the red pills and the Predator. "These are from a bust that Officer Thomas made the day before he was killed. I haven't seen that particular drug before. I can tell you that there were 100 in the evidence room, I just took 6 to give you a sample. The gun belonged to a dealer named Twoman, who currently is in the Zone lockup."

Next, he points to the two Warhawks. "These two were taken in a bust by Officer Newton. Both guns had usable prints that came back matching some low-level bangers out of the Warrens. Both of them are in county as well."

"In response to your question, Overkill, I would stay away from Lone Star - the chance of compromising the investigation is too great. I will answer whatever questions I can, but you will find almost all I know in those files."

[DrZaius]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:10 PM, July 29th, 2075

Picking up one of the red pill, Grease examines it with a critical eye. "Despite your personal feelings about me Captain, I am sure that Chapel asked me to consider this particular job because of my unique... "experience". I think even you can acknowledge that having someone like myself involved in the case may make it easier to work with than the traditional structure you're used to being restrained by."

Placing the pill down on the counter, Grease turns to face the Captain and addresses him directly.

"As I see it, there are a number of issues involved that need to be resolved before I can agree to help."

Grease raises a hand and starts to count off on his fingers.

"One: the file you have provided is good, but we will need more information. Do you have the personal records for these officers? Did they know each other? Is there a common connection between all of them? Without the resources of Lone Star, it will be difficult for us to make these connections in a way that will assure there will be no blow back."
"Two: What is the source of the funds you are providing? 120,000 nuyen is a sum that sounds too good to be true. I would hesitate to nickel and dime you over details if we're haggling over your pension."
"Three: If we are not taking money out of the mouth of your family, then the prices you've quoted seem misaligned with the risk and danger related to the work as I understand it. Making enemies of Lone Star personal is not something that is condusive to business. While we may find the killers and the conspirators, there's no way for us to know if we got them all; and if there are high level Lone Star officials who we don't discover who are involved, that could make this significantly more trouble than even the generous figure you've quoted."
"Four: While I appreciate the need and desire to bring the criminals to justice, as I am sure you are aware it is not always possible. I would argue that if we are able to find conclusive proof of someone's involvement in a conspiracy, the full amount should be provided, dead or alive."

Grease has been pacing around the room while talking, obviously full of energy. He started going faster as the wheels turned inside his head, but was sure to clearly articulate each point and make eye contact with the Captain. However, you also note that he's addressing the group as a whole; trying to gauge how they feel about the statements he's issued.

"Finally, Five. Why are you coming to us? Lone Star has an IAD division. If you felt this was a conspiracy within the department, then they would be the ones who you should have gone to first. How high up are you afraid this goes? What do you know that you aren't telling us?"

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:10 PM, July 29th, 2075

"Eight murders and Star resources are out..." Jack said as he pondered the situation. His commlink dinged as the Lone Star file from Overkill arrived. Tapping a button on his comm, he called up the file to his image link and scanned through it. "On the face of it, it looks like there are a few similarities in some of the assignments, but nothing conclusive."

Pausing to look Ramirez in the eye, Jack continued, "I'd also be glad to help, Captain Ramirez. The only concern I have is that these murders seem to have occurred largely outside the Warrens. I can't speak for the others, but I know my connections outside the Warrens are sparse. I'm sure you've worked with street snitches before, so you know it's going to take some nuyen to set up meetings and loosen lips. I'm just not sure if 1,000 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) is going to be sufficient. If we can work out a bit more of an advance to help with the investigation, I think we have a deal."

[Jack VII]

Jack observed Grease's somewhat erratic behavior and frowned with concern. Is this guy high? Jack didn't think anyone in their right mind would get high before a meet with a Johnson, but he had seen stranger things, even in the small amount of memory available to him. Granted, Ramirez was an atypical Johnson, but you don't ask them where their money is coming from, at least not in Jack's experience. If Chapel was vouching for Ramirez, he considered the money good. On top of that, having qualms about who you are doing a job against seemed misplaced. That was part of the biz. Johnson offers you more money than the job sounds like it should entail, it probably means there is more entailed in the job. If someone asked you to run against a corp, you either took the job or you didn't, airing concerns about potential blow back was just unprofessional in his opinion. All in all, Jack was worried that hammering Ramirez, one of the few apparently upstanding cops in the Star, was not going to turn out well for them.

Trying to distract himself, he picks up the evidence bag with the Predator V and inspects it through the plastic for any distinguishing characteristics.

[Lobo0705]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:15 PM, July 29th, 2075

Ramirez watches Grease move around the room, waiting for the elf to finish before he responds to the question.

"Lucid questions, to be sure. I'll try to answer them as best I can." He mimics Grease's hand motion, raising a finger for each point.

"One, apart from the fact that some of them worked in the same districts, I do not know of any connections. I can't pull their personnel files without leaving an indication that it was done, and again, without knowing how far up the chain this goes, I don't want to put up any flags."

"Two, the money that I am offering is coming from the department's Bereavement Fund. I will basically have to empty the fund in order to pay you, but that's all I have available at this time - which answers question 3 as well. My understanding is that in your line of work you accept a certain amount of risk, that will be something you have to accept here as well.

"Four, this job, like policework, rewards results. If you find conclusive proof of the conspiracy, you are getting 30,000 nuyen for doing so. To bring those responsible to justice warrants another 30,000. If I offer 60,000 just for finding proof of the conspiracy, that doesn't leave much incentive to bring those responsible in."

He pauses to look over at Jack. "I can see your point, and Chapel vouches for you, so I can go ahead and double the up front payment." He takes the credsticks back, and slots them into his commlink - putting them back on the trideo player when he is done. "Now each holds 2,000 nuyen."

His voice raising a little bit, he turns back to Grease. "As for your last point, I can't go to IAD for the same reason I'm bringing this to you to begin with. I don't know how high up this goes, and whether or not they have someone in IAD. What exactly are you insinuating?"

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:15 PM, July 29th, 2075

Jack quietly placed the Predator back on the bed. He next inspected the bagged revolvers for any distinguishing features. He stayed quiet, observing the stand-off between Grease and Captain Ramirez. Hell, maybe the elf knows something we don't... Jack had already made up his mind to help Ramirez, but was always game for a good show.

[DrZaius]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:15 PM, July 29th, 2075

Grease waits for the Captain to finish before answering.

"Thank you Captain; obviously the generosity of the widows and orphans fund is not something I am interested in haggling over. My point regarding the dollar amount had more to do with our team (and your own) safety. Dead men tell no tales, as they say. If we are able to prove conclusively to you that the people we find are responsible for these acts, then what does it matter what happens to them? If we bring them in, couldn't the connections that have allowed them to elude detection so far be used to beat whatever charges a bunch of "freelancers" such as ourselves are able to pin on them?"

"As far as insinuations go, I was just clarifying my original point; this is a sticky situation, and if you are afraid of going to Internal Affairs then it's certainly dire enough to warrant outside assistance. My question was less an accusation, and more a query: what's your theory? Certainly you've put something together about this, and it would be remiss if we didn't ask your professional opinion about what you think is happening."

[Lobo0705]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:15 PM, July 29th, 2075

Ramirez folds his arms across his chest. "Right now, this is being done in house. Lone Star handles the policing of the streets, but the actual sentencing is still presided over by the actual UCAS Zone authorities. Not only that, if there is a cross-border issue, then it would be handled by the ZDF, which is a different entity. If you can bring them in, we can hand them over to those other organizations. Is there a 100% guarantee that they don't have someone bought in those organizations? No, but if I subscribe to the notion that the whole Zone justice system is corrupt, then what is the point of doing anything?"

Ramirez shifts, the room is small for one person, and there are five in it now. Grease's pacing back and forth doesn't help matters. Ramirez moves to turn up the air conditioning, and then puts the bottle of water to his forehead.

"My theory? I don't have enough info to formulate a complete one, certainly. Clearly the officers either were involved in the conspiracy, and bucked the system, or were considered loose ends and were taken out, or they found out about the conspiracy, or were blocking its goals, or both. What that conspiracy was, I'm not sure. All I do know is that people don't want these murders solved. Which brings us back to why I am hiring you."

[Chrome Head]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:15 PM, July 29th, 2075

When she has a chance to speak up, Amy brings herself to throw in a remark that she feels is important. "I hate to bring this up, but cops are getting shot in the neighborhood these days, probably those who know too much, like you. Do we have any guarantee that we will receive payment in the case of your early retirement? Don't take this personally, but it's in our interest to keep you safe. Maybe you should take a leave while our secret investigation is going on, and we can have one of us ensuring your safety, as well as the safety of our future payment method, if you see what I mean. You might as well help us, while you're off duty, no?"

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:15 PM, July 29th, 2075

Impressed with Grease's ability to squirm his way out of the Captain's bad graces, Jack returned his attention to the bagged revolvers. Now what do we have here? Mental images of the three gangers he had encountered earlier in the day flashed through his mind as he spotted the stylized LM on the pistols. He traced sweaty fingers across the plastic covering the logo. It looked like Los Magnificos may have made a bigger splash than Nic had presumed.

At the sounds of Amy's voice, Jack returned his attention to the conversation. It was a good question, although he imagined that Chapel was probably acting in an escrow capacity for the job. With that said, if Ramirez could keep himself available during the investigation, it would be highly valuable.

He waited for Ramirez's answer before asking his own questions.

[Lobo0705]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:20 PM, July 29th, 2075

Ramirez looks over at Amy, chuckling "My dear lady, I had no idea you were such a mercenary at heart. Once this meeting is over, I will transfer the rest of the funds to Chapel, who will assure that should the job be completed, you will be paid. I cannot afford to take time off right now, I am too busy. However, I have anticipated your request." He reaches into his other pocket and pulls out a 'link, placing it on the trid next to the credsticks. "This is a disposable, with one number programmed into it. If you need to contact me, please use this."

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:20 PM, July 29th, 2075

Jack walked over to the trid set and picked up a credstick. "I'm in, Captain Ramirez. I apreciate you working with us on the advance, we'll put it to good use."

Tucking the credstick into his jacket, he continued, "Might as well start now. I have two quetsions. The file on the slayings indicated two of the officers had made busts just prior to their murders and that the suspects were in jail. If these murders were in retaliation for those busts, is there anyway we can get to them to question them... other than you arresting us and putting us in lock-up with them?" Jack finishes his question with a tusky smirk.

Turning the bagged and tagged Ruger over to Ramirez, Jack said, "There are markings on that pistol that match the Los Magnificos gang tag. Do you have any information about them you could send us?"

[Chrome Head]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:20 PM, July 29th, 2075

Amy couldn't help but reply directly to being called a mercenary. Somehow that didn't resonate well with her. "If it's not for the money, then why am I helping the cops with their own problems? But you seem like a good one. You actually admit that cops are corrupt..."

After blurting this out, she catches herself. "Sorry, didn't mean to offend." She really needed to learn how to keep her attitude in check while doing business.

[DrZaius]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:20 PM, July 29th, 2075

Glancing sideways at Amy after she apologizes, Grease walks forward and picks up a credstick. "You've answered my questions to my satisfaction, and I believe you are dealing in good faith. I'm in; we will contact you when we have the murderers and conspirators in custody. Is it possible for you to leave any of that evidence with us? I have some connections that could give us a lead on the pills."

Grease can't help but crack a smile at the last comment; but you notice it fade ever so slightly when Ramirez stonewalls him in return.

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:20 PM, July 29th, 2075

Seeing things going the wrong way once again with Grease, Jack interjects, "I would be happy to safeguard the evidence if you are going to allow us to take it into our possession, Captain Ramirez. The last thing we need is for evidence getting... misplaced and I have a fairly reliable security system. At least, I tend to think of trolls as pretty reliable security systems."

[Lobo0705]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:20 PM, July 29th, 2075

Ramirez continues to sip from his bottle of water, looking taken aback at Amy's comment. Jack interrupts his train of thought with the question about the men in lockup.

"The only way to talk to them is to either go inside the prison yourself - which I'm going to tell you for your own good is a bad idea, or getting on their visitor's list. That is easier to do, but then you really can't compel them to tell you anything through a foot of glass."

"The Los Mags? They used to be a gang in the Aztech Zone. When Aztech got kicked out, and they got absorbed by the CAS I know they lost a lot of their juice, but they still are a fair sized gang. My understanding is they have a branch in the Warrens now - came over six months or so ago, but they don't compare to the Front's in size."

His face turning sour at Grease's comment, he accepts Jack's offer to hold onto the evidence. "No one is watching for these right now, you can hold onto them, although I will require them back at the end of our business together."

[Always Overkill]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:20 PM, July 29th, 2075



Drave silently listens to the conversation as he collates the data in the files he received from Ramirez. He was surprised to hear Amy chime in a few times, even if she stepped on her own toes a bit. Thinking back to his own experiences
early in his Shadowrunning career; Drave remembered not even opening his mouth to breath the first few times he met with the Mr. Johnsons back then. He had to give Amy credit, she certainly had the guts for this type of work.

He watched with near amusement as the sparks flew between Grease and Ramirez, and held his breath for a moment when things seemed like they would escalate. Ironically, the ork managed to smooth things over for the time being. Then
Drave walked over and picked up the credstick and commlink from atop the trideo player. "Well herr Captain, as far as you and I are concerned, we have a deal. Once I have finished examining the data and
conversing with my associates, I am sure we will be contacting you with more inquiries regarding the case. Is there a time in particular you will be away from possible intrusions that we should contact you? "

[Lobo0705]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:20 PM, July 29th, 2075

"Glad to hear it. Try to contact me in the evenings, as then I will be away from the office and any potentially prying ears. If that will be all, then I think I need to go home and grab a shower, this heat is unbearable."

Ramirez looks around to see if there are any more questions.

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:20 PM, July 29th, 2075

Nodding, Jack sayid, "Captain, is this room available for a bit longer? I think it would be in our best interest to sit down and come up with a rough plan of investigation for the next day or two before we leave."

Jack places the pistols back in the box and secures the pills inside his jacket pocket.

[Lobo0705]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:20 PM, July 29th, 2075

Ramirez nods, picks up his hat, and says, "The room is paid up for another 40 minutes. Thank you again, I'm sure we will be in touch."

He squeezes past the rest of you to get out of the room, glaring at Grease a little on the way out.

[Chrome Head]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:20 PM, July 29th, 2075

"Is this how things always go down?" Amy asks out loud as she picks up her credstick and plugs it into her commlink to double check the amount.

Turning to Grease, "You're the only one I don't know, so let me introduce myself properly. I'm Amy, and I offer magical support, though you might have guessed already. Jack, I didn't know you'd be here too, but it makes sense as this all started from Chapel I guess. Before we go any further I just have to ask about the elephant in the room. Grease, are you high and what's your story with the cop?"

This was her first run and her first meet, but she was in no way shy.

[Jack VII]

Motel 6, 15000 E. Smoky Hill Road, Aurora, 8:25 PM, July 29th, 2075

Jack chuckled as Amy laid into Grease. He was actually interested in seeing where this would go. Pulling his credstick out of his jacket pocket, he checked to make sure his holdout pistol was securely holstered and ready. If Grease is high, there's no telling what he might do.. Checking the credstick, he initiated the transfer of the funds to his account.

"Let's hash this out so we can figure out our next move. But everyone play nice..." Jack warned.