The Found Arcana - Chapter 11 [IC] Options

[Gilga]

"They are all ruthless, Bobby, and they all would go to lengths to secure their position; otherwise, they wouldn't have been as high as they are. Urubia can literally eat us, Andrew is a dangerous person, assassins are also very dangerous, Jimmy Finnigan is dangerous, Big Stank, Nightmare, Huge, Tiny, the Cunninghams, and even the lovely mayor Sonja they are all dangerous and none of them would bend over if you screw them. We manage to maintain civility with the rest of them perhaps everyone, aside from a certain poetic murder clown and even the Halloweeners wouldn't have been so antagonistic if we didn't humiliate them before Cutty. When you push people push back why is the Duck any different from the rest of our contacts? I was thinking of... you know, not screwing him over unless I have a very good reason to do so? I just wanted to pick his thoughts about Potter's nomination Cannon's murder and ask him why he didn't get the job. Perhaps something would go out of it - if I start hacking the man... It feels more dangerous than just asking him questions. Anyhow... I'll go digitally stock him he seems like infinitely more fun to follow then Potter or Taul anyhow.

I'll probably be so terrified in such a party looking for how Iktomi may mess with me - but then again, my new body gives me some extra layers of confidence as if it is not entirely myself acting. I am still shorter in my imagination. I zone out for some time, digging up his Trix security and looking for some plausible excuse to meet the person or get him talking without telling him where we work.

[Jack_Spade]

"Yes, exactly - that's why we moved somewhere safer, where the gangs can't operate as easily.
Philips is more on the level of Urubia and the mayor - we are very careful not to make enemies out of them. And I'm not the one saying you should hack or confront him. On the contrary - I'm saying we should disguise ourselves, make it hard for him to sell us out to Potter. I say you should use your matrix perception to learn legally what protection he has - and if it's too dangerous we should not engage that way. That's why I aborted my infiltration when I saw that high powered watcher.
The social route with a honey trap is safer, because even if it fails, we are less likely to damage our SIS business. Not to mention that getting an appointment for a friendly media personality should be much easier than for a detective agency not working for the Technocrats."

Bobby replied

[Tecumseh]

AM can't find Lucky's commlink from here, but it's no trouble to find some hosts associated with him.

As a councilor, he has a Matrix site on the Seattle government's host. This is a formidable host (rating 8), as one might expect of the government. Lucky has some information there about contact information for his office, committee assignment, legislative records, and so on. There are some high level policy positions and ambitions for the next legislative session, but most of the content is dry.

Lucky's office in Snohomish also has a host. This is closer to a space where he can campaign, post editorials, say what's on his mind, and be his uninhibited self. The host is flamboyant, reflecting his personal style, and has a loud Art Deco vibe that looks more like something you would expect in Miami.

What's equally unexpected is how formidable this host is. A modest politician's host might be a 3 or 4, or maybe a 5 or 6 for a well-established politician, but Phillips' host is a 7.

Curious, AM looks up Potter's campaign host and finds that it is just as potent. Futhermore, AM can see many parallels between the two hosts. Potter's is as modest as Potter's is flashy, but there are digital fingerprints that tie the two together. A wide range of commercial software can enhance or replace the system core to match the needs of the owner, but in this case they seem to have been configured identically. AM is confident that whoever is behind Phillips' host is behind Potter's too. That may not be a surprise, since the Technocratic party might be employing the same professionals to produce both of them, but - like the spirits and watchers - one wonders about the commitment of resources. It gives the impression that they're either paranoid, or have something to hide, or both.

[Thanee]

When AM reports her findings, Rachel suggests looking into a few more of the party's hosts from members of a similar, or even higher position, maybe from different cities even, to see if the high-end protection only applies to Potter's circle and those with ties to her.

"The social route needs to be carefully planned, however. If we approach him, whoever is behind all this might be prompted to do some background check. And we do not have the means to seriously back up a false identity... much less the identity, aka SIN, to begin with. If we can somehow have him make the first step, possibly in a more casual environment, like a bar or club or something, of course we would need to figure out what he does in his free time, it would likely be less of a concern."

[Jack_Spade]

"Interesting - super defenses all around.
I've got an idea Rachel - how about we use a trusted source with a less sophisticated defenses to contact Philips. There must be journalists that have written favorably about him. We hack their comlink, ask for an informal interview. Then we say there is a last minute change of plans and they are sending a trusted colleague - including an image of AM or you. I bet Phillip will still attend, no need for a background check and at a place of our choosing."

Bobby spun Rachels though further.

[Gilga]

"Interesting... I have seen this host before; the Technocratic party sure knows how to keep their secrets." To Raven's suggestion, I will select a few other politicians from the Technocratic party and see if they also use the same host.


Well... I had a similar approach of trying to bait him to us by having some legitimate source publish a piece about Tam's story to contact us and do a populist appearance for his own interest -but your approach seems more reliable.

We'll probably need to subvert the comlink by reformating it and reprogramming a back door... A temporary one that erases itself after some time. I can do it - but we'll need some minor larceny or a distraction to give me access. Brute forcing it may also work, but reporters would have reasonable links, and being detected would be suspicious - I'll do it in a pinch.

[Thanee]

Rachel is not quite convinced of Bobby's idea.

"Maybe I am a little paranoid as well, but something like this screams scam, doesn't it? If that would happen to you, would you simply accept it? Or dig deeper? I know I would."

[Gilga]

"What if we meet him in Simsense? We'll use the same avatar as the journalist... "

[Tecumseh]

AM looks into other Technocratic office holders and candidates, both locally and around the UCAS.

It's not really campaign season - the May special election for Seattle governor is an anomaly - but her general findings are that the other Technocrats in Seattle have more traditional security levels that what AM sees for Potter and Phillips. Of course, none of them are as prominent as Potter and Phillips, so either they're not worth the resources or they don't have the same secrets to hide.

Across the country, that same finding is generally true as well. There are some exceptions, like the Technocratic Party of Minnesota, which has dominated in-state politics since the 2050s. (The Minnesota governor is a Technocrat, and so is a majority of the legislature, plus the mayors of the two largest cities in the state.) The host for the Technocratic party there is rating 8. That's stronger than Potter's and Phillips' hosts, but perhaps that's explained by how prominent the party is in the state.

AM doesn't detect the same parallels between the Minnesota host and the Seattle hosts. They seem to have been crafted and coded independently from each other. It doesn't appear to be a case of the national party using a cookie-cutter configuration; Potter and Phillips seem to have a unique configuration. This is also true compared to the other Seattle Technocrats, who use more off-the-shelf assets for their hosts.

[Jack_Spade]

"That depends how you sell it, I guess. Simsense would be an option, but we'd have to copy the persona of our chosen identity very carefully. That's a bit more involved than just a few messages. Also it risks the ploy if he is referring previous history between Philips and our mark."

Bobby replied to his coworkers.

[Thanee]

"I still think the ideal situation is one where he takes the first step, to avoid any scrutiny. We have seen to what lengths they already go, to keep whatever they are hiding under wraps. I totally expect that anyone that approaches them is going to prompt some sort of background check."

[Gilga]

"Well, Phillips and Potter have the same matrix host configuration; it is too identical to be a coincidence, and none of the other party members is this cookie-cutter host configuration. Perhaps they are backed up by the same factor. Let's find out where he drinks after work or if he has any hobbies... Maybe it can provide less secure access."


I do just that, trying to figure out where the man might be. "If we're desperate, I can perhaps ask Black to hack things. She is my mentor in this field, and more skilled than myself, but we can't just toss her a credstick; she's rich enough to require favors, and she has many connections to people we do not particularly like. So it is a rabbit hole as we may find ourselves working for them on her behalf."

I then searched for hobbies or excuses to be in the same place as Phillips. Perhaps the easiest would be to flirt with the man at a bar or Gym; less suspicion there. I am also open to semi-publically challenging him for a bike race or boxing. I'll figure something out...
Now let's see what the gossip forums and public Trix records say about his hobbies... Perhaps I can even tease him online for a bike race? He seems like he might accept.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby looked at Rachel: "Do you have an idea how we could get Philips to make the first step?"

[Beta]

"Maybe we could work around this some? Find out if any of his staff, or ex-staff, are easier to approach? They wouldn't know what offers or orders he took to step down, but they might know who that came from, and that could give us another name to look at. And my experience is that people with big personalities like that tend to find the little people a bit more disposable, no matter what they say, so the odds seem decent." Then to take a bit of the load off of AM, she does some looking to see if there are any reports of former staffers or especially disgruntled staffers around Phillips.

[Tecumseh]

Tamarind finds that Phillips doesn't keep much staff. Most councilors will have about three members on their staff, usually "legislative assistants" that really do everything: administrative assistants, office managers, constituent concerns, policy writing, and research. Phillips only seems to have one person in his office, which is unusual because most politician equate staff size with their own personal importance.

Tamarind also finds several former staffers. There's a common pattern to them: they're young females, human or elven, usually well-endowed. Calling them "conventionally attractive" would be accurate. There's a hot blonde, a hot brunette, a hot redhead, and a hot black-haired beauty. Phillips doesn't shy away from using his staffers to promote a playboy image. It seems to fit the flamboyant persona that he actively works to establish.

There's no hint of scandal involving the current or former staffers: no accusations, no charges of harassment. If there's any discontent connected to their employment, Tamarind can't find it. The only curiosity is that the current staffer - a Caucasian blonde elf - has only been there a few months.

[Tecumseh]

AM's searches pick up some rumors that Phillips likes to have a good time. He has a long track record of partying and nights on the town. There are whispers here and there about possible drug use, especially novacoke. There were enough rumors for the District Attorney to open an investigation, but it was closed for lack of evidence. Phillips has, somewhat shrewdly, neither confirmed nor denied the rumors. He seems to think that there's a benefit to the party-boy reputation, saying, "My constituents knew they weren't electing a constipated monk." (Notably, he did sponsor legislation to study the therapeutic effects of Bliss and Zen. The legislation did not get out of committee.)

There are also plenty of tabloid photos of Phillips with much younger scantily clad women. He's not married, so there's no scandal there, but doesn't seem quite attractive enough to date a bunch of women out of his league. As a councilor he has a modest degree of political influence, but not so much that you would expect women to throw themselves at him. The wagging tongues suggest that the women must be prostitutes because how else would he rotate through beautiful women so quickly? With a twinkle in his eye, Phillips does not confirm or deny anything but having a good time, although he quickly rebranded the allegations into a new catchphrase: "Getting Lucky with Ducky". He cheekily claims to be his constituents "designated debaucher", saying that he can take his job seriously without taking himself seriously. He might be onto something, as he has high approval ratings. Perhaps his constituents are living vicariously through his antics.

[Thanee]

Rachel replies to Bobby: "Obviously, we can only up our chances, but if we figure out what he likes, where he hangs out, we basically dangle something... or rather someone desireable in front of him, and hope he takes the bait. And then go from there. The first step would be to learn more about his hobbits and habits."

[Gilga]

I took the images of the girls from the tabloids and then used the Mona Lisa software to link the tabloid photos with brothel advertisements. Perhaps I'll find a match. Not entirely sure what I'd do with such information, but my dirty mind has a beginning of a sluty idea that my mother would hate. Perhaps I can at least verify the rumors of the tabloids.

[Jack_Spade]

Rachel replies to Bobby: "Obviously, we can only up our chances, but if we figure out what he likes, where he hangs out, we basically dangle something... or rather someone desireable in front of him, and hope he takes the bait. And then go from there. The first step would be to learn more about his hobbits and habits."

"Hoping for a chance takes a long time to work. Maybe we can move it along a bit. What about the assistant - is her gear as well protected as Phillip's? That would be the first stop to take a in dept look."

[Tecumseh]

AM finds that brothels don't have directories. At least, the discrete ones with classy talent don't.

However, Mona Lisa does have mug shots. Perhaps not a comprehensive database, but it's a start.

Indeed, AM finds a couple matches between the women seen with Phillips and the mug shots of women who were arrested for charges ranging from loitering, to public indecency, to interstate travel for "immoral purposes".

[Gilga]

" Phillips likes prostitutes... I mean... At least a couple of the girls that Got lucky with Ducky were also arrested for rather suspicious reasons such as public indecency or interstate travel for "immoral purposes." We can prove they are working girls simply by catching them in the act... It's kind of like seeing cheating spouses, but way easier. It should give us some leverage because of Potter's nomination, even if he is shameless. What he does reflects on the Technocratic party - or at least I think it does. An unflattering piece would be harmful, which may give us a bit of leverage. Whatever secrets their matrix fortresses hide, it is not this, though. Perhaps if one of them is too young, it can be a big deal; otherwise, it is a weak card to play.

I say briefly, eager to get into the much more vivid Trix. I'll dig up about his assistant and find an address to glimpse at her link. and then I am gone again, not exactly staying to toss ideas -but I hear everything. It is just that my body feels so sluggish when experiencing such an immersive experience.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby nodded: "Alright, so he is a bit of a scandal magnet - no wonder he wasn't put in the front. I wouldn't spend too much time on that. The puritans aren't really his target demographic anyway. Still, he has strong protection, so there must be something to protect. Let's go after the assistant first."

[Gilga]

"What do you want to do with the assistant? Hack her or approach her?

[Jack_Spade]

"First step is investigate her and her background - and her defenses.
If it looks doable, cracking her data would be next.
Only when we have all possible information from that should we approach."
Bobby replied

[Beta]

"I wonder if the current assistant has history ... did they lumber him with a handler? Or gift him with someone above his station? Well, a bit of searching might tell us more. AM, maybe we can divide and conquor on the matrix searching?"