IC New Beginnings DAWN Options

[Thvor]

"I call it The Office of the Harbormaster, if you are looking for someone or something that came through here, I might be able to help you." says that fattest man you have seen on the continent. That is really not a high bar to achieve with the malnourishment so common here, but this guy is morbidly obese by Western standards. "Lester Finnegan, what can I do for you?"

The man clearly sees money walking in his door and is looking to get paid, Torley notes.

Looking at the man, Sam thought to himself, Nice to see that skimming off the top is a universal constant. And, well, I guess this case includes skimming the sides and the bottom as well. He cocked an eyebrow, as if considering his options, then nodded. "I certainly hope you can help," he started, his tone conveying the message that whatever hope he had, there wasn't much of it. "A few weeks ago, one of my men...disappeared. Normally, this would not be a major issue--I hadn't trusted the elf with anything of import. However, after he left, my sister confessed that she had been dallying with the pointed-eared lout, and that she," he paused to clear his throat, "Let's just say that she had reason to believe that he had betrayed a significant family trust. I've been searching for him since then, and have managed to track him to your, ah, fine...city."

"Naturally, I've had to put my normal business on hold while tracking him. The sooner I can find him and be done with this mess, the better, if you ask me. My assistant," he nodded towards Sammy, "can provide you with what details we have. Naturally, you would be rewarded for your efforts...and your discretion." The story itself was not likely to garner help in this devil-take-the-hindmost city, though it would hopefully play into whatever stereotypes the harbormaster had about rich foreigners, while explaining the small team and promising significant rewards.

[Crossbow]

Jane looks at O’Conner and says “Challenge Accepted.”

As you leave the market, she brings her bike to a stop and points out a particularly clean and well kept building in the midst of a neighboring slum. The undamaged signage on the front names the location in several languages, but the only one Con can read for sure is the English one that says Free Clinic.

“There are at least a dozen of those in Lagos, and they are run by the Tamanous. You have heard of them right? The shadow syndicate that supports most the organ-leggers and thrill-kill cults in major sprawls around the world? They are behind that ghoul-gang, the 162s, that runs in the Barrens. Well here, they are upstanding members of society, providing medical services to the poor population of Lagos. A man can get medical treatment for his whole family for the low price a single kidney, and all of the brothels use them for their abortion services.”

Jane looks at the place like she would tear it down if she could.

“That’s were the real darkness comes, those places are also fetus farms. Tamanous keeps girls locked up in there. They artificially inseminate them to impregnate them, then abort the fetus partway through the pregnancy. Fetal tissue is prized around the world for research, transplants, and biotech applications. Problem is, the demand outpaces the legal supply. Tamanous is the major supplier worldwide and to stay on top they pump the girls full of growth hormones to advance the pregnancies quickly while keeping them drugged into docility. The girls often die after a few years; the constant drug use, repeated pregnancies, and abortions cause health issues, and dying from blood loss or infection from a botched abortion is common. Doesn’t bother Tamanous, though; they use the bodies in other ways, and there’s always more girls to replace the ones that die.”

Jane gets back on her ride. “Yeah, those are the pillars of the community in this hellhole.”

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor looked the place over digesting Jane's info dump. He mused a few moments before giving a rebuttal, "Selling a spare organ to get treatment for a whole family in a clean professional place like this sounds like a good deal. Never seen a street doc with a place half as impressive, 'specially not the ones that take organs as payment. A lot of people in Redmond would love to have that option. The SINless don't get to go to legit hospitals and the charity clinics don't have the funds to do jack. Do you know how many in Redmond die because they have to go to some quack that passes off snake oil as medicine or does abortions with a coat hanger and shop vac?

Look, I get where you're coming from, but reality doesn't care about your moral outrage. The fact is this city and places like it has been left behind and forgotten by the world's so called civil societies. Tamanous may be profiting off suffering, but they're providing services no one else cares to."

[farothel]

Sammy took out the picture they had and handed it over, together with some coins, about three times what she had come to realise was a standard bribe here. But since this was a higher lever functionary and more likely to have some information, she thought it was worth the risk. Also she didn't want him to become offended as that would be counter productive.

[Mercy]

Snow shakes her head. "I can see both sides of this position. As physician, I deplore such places. Vladivostok has its own slums that would rival the Barrens of Seattle or this place. I could wish to help everyone, but it is not in my power to do so. It is not in the power of any of the three of us to do what would need to be done to fix these problems. Say, do you think showing that picture in these clinics would help? If they are the power here, maybe we can get some information."

[Crossbow]

Jane looked at both of the people she had hired to protect her, a look akin to horror, bewilderment and disbelief mixed together and plain on her face. Finally she broke off the glance and threw up her hands in surrender. “Okay, you rookies are rougher and meaner than the big bad veteran shadowrunner, I guess I have done too good a job trying to stay in touch with my humanity, stuff like this makes me sick.” She gets back on her bike and waves for Snow to rejoin her, “…and no there is nothing we can learn in that place.”

Your group heads for the airport but despite being able to weave through most of the worst of it, the traffic ahead of you has been stopped as a group of men harass an old yellow bus. Only a half-dozen vehicles separate you from the bus before you are gridlocked in place.

Jane shifts in the seat in front of Snow as she watches the men force the bus riders out into the street, looking them over. By this point Jane is off the ride as the people—mostly young men and women shake in fear and cower down as the men push AK-97s against them. You see Jane bite her lip as she sees the men grab several teenagers and force them into the back of a pickup truck. The youths are crying, and one young girl struggles away. She runs through the traffic, towards you, followed by several of the armed men. She’s only a few meters away from you when one man catches up to her, grabbing her by the hair, and slams a fist into her face.

“That’s it,” Jane mutters, then steps out into the road, her pistol aimed directly at the man’s face. You see three of the other men step past the vehicles, their AKs raised and aimed directly at Jane.

[Mercy]

Snow shakes her head as she gets on the ride. "You misunderstand me, Jane. I am enough of a doctor, no, of a person, to get sick to my stomach at this sort of place and the things that happen here. I am also realist enough to know that I cannot personally fix all the problems. You are the boss, so what would you have us do here?"

She lets Jane stew on the question a bit as they ride through the slums. When they are stopped, she is surprised to see Jane react, but follows her lead. She gets off the ride and turns her head to Con. "I guess that we are weapons free here, eh?" Snow moves so that she has a good shot at the three gunmen without risking hitting Jane or the girl and calls out to the men in what she hopes is their tongue. "Hey. Is the girl worth it? You might kill one or more of us and the girl, but at least two or three of you will die, too. Ask yourselves if you want to be the first to die here."

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor moved forward and to the side, hopping up onto a vehicle to make himself a big obvious target out of the way of Jane and Snow. He zeroed in on the three aiming at Jane. He targeted the nearest one, firing in a wide arc due to the cover.

Wide Short Burst (Recoil 2 - RC 2 = 0, -2 to Defense)
Agility 5 + Automatics 4 - CM 1 + Take Aim 1 = Pool 9
Automatics: 9d6t5 4

Ak-97 DV: 6 + net

[Mercy]

Snow should be shocked at Con's action, but she is. The man just acted, completely removing her chance of trying to settle this without a fight. Still, his action gives Snow a chance to move a bit closer. The other men may realize that they are in trouble here and move away and she really does not have a clear shot, what with all of the people in the street. Con's firing might clear the bystanders from the area.

[Crossbow]

The tub of goo takes the picture and gives it a cursory look before dropping it on his desk, the coins disappear into a pocket, then he once again looks over the three of you.

He seems to come to a decision and waddles around the desk. Heaving a meaty leg up, he rests on the corner of the sturdy piece of furniture (which groans prodigiously) and spreads his hands in a friendly manner.

“"I will be happy to use my resources to try and find this elf, but I was thinking, rather than engaging in some crude business arrangements, we could perhaps do this as a couple of friends exchanging favors. I happen to need a certain person tracked down myself, a gentleman who owes me quite a bit of money and who seems to think that staying on Victoria Island is a way to keep me from collecting. I would love to dissuade him of this belief, but unfortunately while I could get people to the island quite easily, none of my guys could get close enough to him to deliver the message. You being new faces in town, you could handle this for me whilst I check a few holes your rat may have lost himself in.”"

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The targeted man goes down with a spray of blood and a burst of random gunfire. The other two are successfully distracted by O’Conner, one preparing to return fire while the other drops behind the vehicles to move and get a better shot.

The man in front quickly moves his victim into a position to use as a human shield, spoiling Jane's shot, and screams a reply to Snow, "“TELL THAT BITCH TO DROP IT!”"
Jane moves to shooter'’s stance, both hands on the pistol, trying to get a shot.

(OOC: Snow’s action, then the 2, the leader is in full defense)

[HydroRaven]

Clem's body jolted, and for the first time since their fight in the jungle felt she had come alive again. She rubbed her right brow, and thought to herself <Wake up, no time to be daydreaming.>

Seeing the morbidly obese harbour master pocket their bribe, she interjected "It's either the money or the favour, you choose", pointing with her chin to the man's pocket.

[Thvor]

"Please, forgive my associate's brusqueness. She is very eager to find our man so she can show him the error of his ways." He smiled coldly at the implications of this, then continued. "Please, tell us more of this problem you need help with; we may be able to help each other."

Sam recognized the flow--the bribe had merely opened the door to further negotiations. Hopefully, the harbormaster's target wouldn't be too connected; he really didn't relish the idea of getting pulled into a turf war in a foreign country.

[Crossbow]

Finnegan gives Clem a glance before returning his attention to Torley, “It really should be a simple thing to do. The kid in question is a trust fund baby from Johannesburg, he was looking for some action and came slumming to the docks for it. I would much rather get the nuyen out of him than make an example of him, that is where you come in.

“He has a room that Daddy is paying for at the African Rose, go there, act like you belong. He will wander through the lobby at some point, deliver the message that I am still expecting payment. How you do that is entirely up to you, as long as he understands the next step is a bullet he won’t see coming. One of my guys will get you ashore and get you back here, but he won’t be waiting if you get heat, understood?”

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O’Conner takes fire from the remaining of the three that came with the one who has the girl. There are at least that many coming from the pickup, but his view in that direction is blocked by a cargo truck now that he is dancing on traffic. He has a second or two before they become a problem anyway, the one shooting and the one hiding are the immediate concern.

On that note: Gunman: 7d6h5 0 7d6h5 3 6P damage

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor easily weaved between the incoming shots, even while atop the uneven surfaces of vehicles. He returned fire and then set about tracking down the third guy.

Initiative Pass 2
Full Defense
Reaction 8 + Dodge 7 + Improved Dodge 2 + Ranged 2 - CM 1 = Pool 18

Dodge: 18d6t5 5

Initiative Pass 3
Wide Short Burst (Recoil 2 - RC 2 = 0, -2 to Defense)
Agility 5 + Automatics 4 + Smartlink 2 - CM 1 = Pool 10
Automatics: 10d6t5 4

Wide Short Burst (Recoil 5 - RC 2 = 3, -2 to Defense)
Agility 5 + Automatics 4 + Smartlink 2 - Recoil 3 - CM 1 = Pool 7
Automatics: 7d6t5 2

Ak-97 DV: 6 + net

Initiative Pass 4
Perception Check
Intuition 3 + Perception 3 + Visual 2 - CM 1 = Pool 7
Perception: 7d6t5 4

[farothel]

Sammy kept silent for now, letting Sam do the talking. They were capable of letting someone know to pay his debt. Sam was an adept specialised in social skills, so he could probably put the fear of god into someone just as well as smooching up to someone.

[Thvor]

Sam figured the harbormaster had to have pretty significant connections--one simply couldn't get that large in a city with this much poverty without knowing the appropriate good sides to be on--and that the job seemed reasonable. The problem was accepting the job without revealing that he was not, in fact, the rich and powerful businessman he was acting. He could tell that Clem was opposed, but Sam seemed amenable, so he nodded. "I may be able to help you with that, sure. Gives me a chance to see more of your fine city, and I'd actually like the opportunity to focus on something other than my own problems." Before Clem could react, Sam held up a hand as if to hold off her objection. "Yes, I know you want to be the one to find him. But Master Finnegan has resources and connections that you do not. Once we have him, you will get your chance with him, trust me."

[Crossbow]

“Excellent! I will be about my work then, if you would proceed down the back stairs to my private dock, my yacht captain will get over to Victoria Island. The yacht club there is not terribly close to the Rose, but the cabs are clean. You will want to have your commlinks available for interrogation over there, another reason that starting any real trouble would be ill advised. David will wait for you as long as you need him to, unless, as I said, there are any problems. I doubt you would even get into the marina if the police have your ID, but the boat will not be there regardless.”

Finnegan walks you to the back of his office, as he does you each receive an electronic picture of your target, a rather angular and severe looking young human who is still rather handsome, and his name, Viktor Engelbrecht.

“I will see you when you get back…” he says as he holds the door for you. The modest 40 footer in the concealed slip below gets you VI in short order.

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Snow translates to Jane loudly enough to be heard over the gunfire adding a comment, “I don’t think either of them speaks English.” She says this in a very neutral tone, the man and his victim both are wide-eyed and looking back and forth at the two women.

In the meantime, the gunman who was shooting at O’Conner catches all 6 rounds headed his way and dies across the hood of a subcompact, the driver of which starts screaming at the gore. The runner catches enough movement of the hustling, but crouched figure that he will not be able taken by surprise, but taking a shot at that target will be quite difficult until he pops up.

(New round, O’Conner is up first.)

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor zeroed in on the third gunman and leveled his rifle, waiting for him to pop up to take a shot.

Initiative Pass 1
Simple Action: Take Aim

Simple Action - Delayed Action: Waiting for a better shot
Wide Short Burst (Recoil 2 - RC 2 = 0, -2 to Defense)
Agility 5 + Automatics 4 + Smartlink 2 + Take Aim 1 - CM 1 = Pool 11
Automatics: 11d6t5 2

[farothel]

"Apparently it's not too bad to be harbourmaster here," Sammy said as she looked over the boat and put her second commlink open. The one with the fake SIN. It should be enough for now. She also send a quick message to the rest of the team to inform them that they needed to make a small side trip for the harbourmaster in order to get information.

"Just let the other team know what's going on," she said as they arrived at the other side.

[HydroRaven]

Clem got her gear without saying anything and followed her teammates, trying to stick to Torley’s narrative. She didn’t like the harbourmaster’s business style, but she knew she had been outvoted by her team so she went along with everyone else.

[Crossbow]

The gunman makes his move, popping up and firing at O’Conner, with 2 wide bursts Gunman: 7d6h5 1 5d6h5 1, and dropping back down safely.. Gunman: 3d6h5 2

Jane, with her gun still on the leader responds to Snow’s intel with a barely audible ”interesting”, she then starts to talk very soothingly to him, moving her hand off her weapon. But her actual words show a completely different intent, “Bullet Storm, if you could shoot this fragger in the head that would be really awesome.”

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The African Rose is a classic luxury hotel, with a bar and restaurant off the soaring atrium lobby and lounge. Glass elevators travel between the floors above, the place is nothing but good sight lines all around.

[Thvor]

As Sam and the orcs entered the lobby, he murmured, "Spread out and watch for our target. First one to him gets to decide how to deliver the message." So saying, he walked over to the bar. Sitting down, he ordered a martini.

[Necrogigas]

O'Connor weaved to the side as rounds ricocheted off the car where he'd just been. This game of Peek-a-Boo was currently a draw. At Jane's order, O'Connor turned towards the hostage taker. So far Jane didn't seem to mind his lack of concern for collateral damage, but she was distracted at the moment. In either case, he doubted the girl dying would go down well. So, he lined up the shot carefully before firing.

Initiative Pass 2
Complex Action: Full Defense
Reaction 8 + Dodge 7 + Improved Dodge 2 + Ranged 2 - CM 1 - Wide Burst 2= Pool 16
Dodge: 16d6t5 5

Reaction 8 + Dodge 7 + Improved Dodge 2 + Ranged 2 - CM 1 - Wide Burst 2 - Previous Attack 1 = Pool 15
Dodge: 15d6t5 7

Initiative Pass 3
Simple Action: Take Aim
Simple Action: Take Aim

Initiative Pass 4
Free Action: Called Shot (-4 Attack, +4 DV)
Simple Action: Narrow Short Burst (Recoil 2 - RC 2 = 0, +2 DV)
Simple Action: Take Aim (At hostage taker if not dead, other guy if he is)

Agility 5 + Automatics 4 + Smartlink 2 + Take Aim 2 - Called Shot 4 - CM 1 = Pool 8
Automatics: 8d6t5 2

Edge to reroll misses
Automatics: 6d6t5 3
Total hits: 5

Damage: DV 6 + Burst 2 + Called Shot 4 + net hits

[Necrogigas]

.

[farothel]

Sammy sat down in one of the fauteuils in lobby, took her commlink and started checking the news, while looking up when someone arrived, as if she was waiting for someone. And that wasn't beside the truth anyway.