[IP] Uncaring Stars Options

[Jack_Spade]

Eliza pinged the group: <<If you don't mind, I left the door open so you could come in. The boss isn't as nimble as she was.>>

The inside of the structure reveal a very different aesthetic: Chrome finish and blinking lights welcome you. There is a small kitchen with food synthesizer and microwave, six VR chairs and a small bathroom.
The rest of the place is mainly lockers and electronics.

Behind a kind of desk, an old woman in a hightech wheel chair sits. Her long white hair is bound into a complicated shape that reminds you of pretzels. Her skin almost completely brown from age spots and her hands look thin and fragile. Nonetheless, her eyes are of a piercing blue and her gaze sharp. Her riggid posture and stern expression reminds you of an oldtimey headmaster.

Behind her on a large trid-screen, Eliza's face smiles at you.

[SquirrelDude]

"Sharkboy? Like the guy on trid? Guess we will have to see sometime, call me Taurus." he will say, taking the hand.

"The one and only."

Sharkboy waits for others to enter the witch's hut before taking in the chrome interior for himself.

"So what's the job so important that we're being paid to interview for it?"

[Crossbow]

Taurus will walk in first, once he has assessed a lack of immediate threat he will stand aside, letting the rest enter.

[Jack_Spade]

The voice of the old woman is clear and sharp: "Good day, Sharkboy. You are here, because I am in need of people who are prepared to set things right by any means necessary. I recently lost an other team to my opposition. I need you to visit their last mission grounds and recover a data storage device. If you can do that successfully I have a series of other jobs around Europe that I need your help with.
You can call me Muhme. For the retreival job, I'm prepared to pay each of you 10000€ - provided you can get the data back within the next 24 hours and leave no copies behind."

[Gilga]

Anna replies "I specialize in spell defense, but I also do sorcery and conjuring. Utility spells mainly, I use a pistol for self-defense. So no fireballs like in the movies." She leave her bag in the bike, and heads in after Nova. The chromed woman has some relaxing atmosphere to her, perhaps because chrome dulls out strong emotions, or perhaps because Nova is one stable woman.

[Thanee]

Nova moved straight to one of the chairs. There was a really large backpack and a couple other bags put on the ground near the lockers, where she had deposited her stuff over night.

She nodded towards the elder woman. "Ma'am."

[Gilga]

"by lost you mean... that they died?" Anna says with a painful look on her face, and genuine concern in her voice "Do you know what happened there?"

[Jack_Spade]

"Unfortunately, not. The last transmission was interrupted, but the background sound indicates gunfire. The team was sent to a secure data center, capture a certain file and destroy the center."
Eliza cut in:
<<I have scoured the police channels: There was no mention of them arresting anyone at the site after the explosion. Since the bunker the data center was housed in allows no transmissions to the outside, the surviving runner must have been outside when his call was terminated.>>

"The question is now: Are you prepared to take this mission or not. I don't have time to waste and the trails grow cold while we speak. You receive further details once you agree."

[Thanee]

"Explosion?"

Nova just let that stand there.

"I, for one, am willing to hear more."

We can still negotiate then...

[Gilga]

Anna feels as if she is about to reject the job. There is simply not enough information to agree, and there is a team of already dead runners. With vogue references to explosions, and a pay which while generous is not that exciting to take an extreme risk to her personal health. Trying to keep it professional she asks "What kind of resistance are we expected to face?"

[Jack_Spade]

"You are up against dangerous people. The good news is, they hate attention and usually try to get things done by proxy - either through local law enforcement or bribed gangers and some of the more unsavory polyclubs. On occassion they also hire mercenaries. Dragging their business into the light is my business."
Muhme replied.

[SquirrelDude]

Sharkboy rolled his eyes at the offer.
This is some bullshit

"You want people willing to do 'anything' to get this device. You want us to retrieve this gear within 24 hours, leaving no time to engage with contacts, no time to find a subtle way to gain access, and no time to realistically get specific tools. We're provoking some kind of well-funded secret organization, who will probably be ready for our raid, and probably ready to follow us personally when the job is done.

"10k and "future jobs" doesn't cut it. It don't even come close."

[Volker]

James approached and, at the sight of Nova, hugged the woman in a strong, yet not rough embrace. "So good to see you, Nova. I'm glad you're here."
Then he turns to Anna, cracking a smile. "Nice to see you, too. Sorry for having been an - sorry for being an asshole, really." He hugs Anna, too, trailing his hand down her back.
Then he nods curtly to Sharkboy. "Sharkboy.
"I wonder why Wraith didn't come."

Ignoring Nova's remark on drama, she turns to the horned hulk. "A minotaur called Taurus, eh? Figure it musta been hell for your mom to tell her kids apart. Name's bnc. I'm the lot's decker. Pleasant."

Trailing in between the others, James takes in the surroundings with a frown. Something's profoundly weird about this woman. He nods toward her, saying "Tach auch" with a somewhat ironic voice as Mrs. Johnson didn't even bother to greet them. After taking place, he doesn't say anything, letting the others do the haggling. She's never been good at that part anyway.

[Jack_Spade]

Sharkboy rolled his eyes at the offer.
This is some bullshit

"You want people willing to do 'anything' to get this device. You want us to retrieve this gear within 24 hours, leaving no time to engage with contacts, no time to find a subtle way to gain access, and no time to realistically get specific tools. We're provoking some kind of well-funded secret organization, who will probably be ready for our raid, and probably ready to follow us personally when the job is done.

"10k and "future jobs" doesn't cut it. It don't even come close."

The English Muhme speaks is accented German, but very clear and precise: "That is what I am offering. What do you have to offer? 24 hours is not the precise time you have - but the longer you take, the harder it will be for you to ensure there are no other copies of the data floating around. What do you think your service is worth?"

[Volker]

James shoots a glance at Sharkboy.
"I'm in, for fuck's sake. Could you kindly give me a full disclosure while Living Sushi pretends to haggle badly? I could use some creds. Just send me the files or invite me to a mark."

[SquirrelDude]

Of fucking course she does. Sharkboy is already distracted. He looks at James, but it clears to others who he is speaking to.

"You can't even wait till we're on a job to undermine what we're trying to do, huh?"

[Volker]

"I don't know who you mean by "we". You're free to negotiate while I siphon through the data. That's what deckers do. Take your time. I'll just use mine in the meanwhile."

[SquirrelDude]

Sharkboy shakes his head and frustration, and then refocus on James, looking past him while speaking. "Oh! Is bicentennial man here a decker a too, now? For a minute I thought you just were insulting me from behind a robot toys like always."

[Volker]

James just cocks an eyebrow at Sharkboy and turns his attention back on Muhme.

[Jack_Spade]

"That is quite enough. You will receive all the information I have shortly. But I am not negotiating single contracts.
The travel expenses I granted you were more than generous, Sharkboy. It was clear from the start that this would be a rush job. And if you were afraid of danger, you certainly wouldn't have jumped from a helicopter into a moving vehicle with armed men inside.
Eliza can vouche for me and the veracity of my offer. I am an old woman and haven't got time to waste otherwise: So tell me: What is your price for taking on this run?"
The stern voice shows more than a bit of annoyance, but maybe that too is just a negotiation trick.

[SquirrelDude]

Sharkboy huffs, but is able to regain his composure.

"30k. 10k up front on top of the 5k for this meeting. 10k Bonus if we get it done in 24 hours. 10k Bonus if we can prove we wiped other copies of the data. I'm not incurring medical fees, not getting paid, and getting roped into more work because your Illuminati already moved some copy across the country.

"Also, an expense account to cover travel, board, and any gear we need during the job. Ideally someone you trust to run these rush orders for us, and also let you know what we're buying. Don't want you to think we're taking advantage of you, but I hate worrying about whether I can afford to do a job."

[Jack_Spade]

"You are getting 20k in total and no bonus. The next job will be 10k + a bonus if I'm satisfied with your performance. The whole operation hinges on the fact that I have the data and the opposition doesn't.
I am taking care of your travel and living arrangements. Should you get hurt, I'll throw in an Aspirin.
And if you are done wasting time, Eliza can give you the details while you get back on the road."

By now a definite edge had crept into her voice and somehow she appeared taller in her wheelchair than a person in a wheelchair reasonably should look.

[Gilga]

Anna's face are serious and she nods in agreement trying to support Shark. She is uncertain how skilled he is in negotiations, but since he took the lead she remains silent and quietly supports him. She feels that Sharkboy is a bit too confrontational, and does not want a good deal exploding for egos. Yet, he does score a higher pay so she remains silent. Perhpas taking some negotiation notes form the Shark.

[SquirrelDude]

Sharkboy recognized this was a little risky for a first meeting with someone looking to employ them in the future, but he couldn't help but feel they had her over a barrel here. And well, carny gonna carny. He kept his tone firm, and tried his best to confront her with another counter-offer without being confrontational.

"Ma'am, the mission, 'your' mission, hinges on being able to hire us to find the data people already died trying to retrieve.

"20k with 5k up front and 10k of potential bonuses. 5k for completing it in 24 hours, and 5k for evidence of a total data wipe. Guarantee of payment even if a copy of the data was transported before we arrive on site.

"Reimbursement for rush orders to get gear we deem necessary to complete the job, pending your or Eliza's approval."

[Jack_Spade]

"You overestimate your value. It is true that I have little time, but the overarching mission will not benefit if I squander my funds now, when the main work is yet to be done and financed. My offer is more than generous. Quite frankly spoken: Take this offer, or leave now, so we can get to the details of this operation."
The woman is now clearly annoyed and her piercing stare quite unnerving.