The Found Arcana - Chapter 12 [IC] Options

[Tecumseh]

Mato looks over at AM. His olfactory sensors can pick up on her stress, and his Thermal Mood Reading and Vocal Tension Lie Detection subscriptions also report her unease.

"I'm not afraid of flying," he says. "I'm afraid of crashing."

He looks around.

"If we need to jump out in the middle of the air, you can levitate us, right? I mean, Bobby will just turn into a bird and fly off, but I fly like a brick. That's if the wind shear doesn't rip us to pieces first."

Not always helpful, that Mato.

[Gilga]

"You are not very good at that, are you?" I say, but he makes me a bit calmer, and my lips curve just a tiny bit when I say "I don't think you are afraid of crashing. Is there anything that gets the better of you?" still holding irrationally to the chair.

[Beta]

Once it is clear that all of their gear (and her drones) can come on the Banshee, Tamarind sends their van home, just slaving it to GridGuide and adding an instruction to stay on the highest safety rated routes back to the house.

Then she asks Blackhawk "Do you have an internal communications network set up for AR communication, in case you need to tell us anything? And not that I expect we'd either need or have time to use them, but do you have parachutes in this thing?"

She's had a brief ride in a Banshee before, when a smuggler took her along to listen to a noise that he was complaining about. Which had been odd in that she wasn't the mechanic, but she'd been the one who took his pilot's intuition seriously. This trip was going to be longer, but at least they weren't taking to the air with the pilot saying 'there is something wrong with my ship' (although it had just turned out to be a srewdriver left behind an access panel in that case). And she's AR controlled the fuel hogs a few times when the Organization had to make last minute changes to landing locations but didn't have secure enough communication to describe the new destination to the pilots (although there she'd turned it back to the pilots to land, once they were on visuals, and landings and take offs were by the far the hard part, what with managing the turbulence created by landing in the turbulence created by their own engines).

But it was going to be interesting to see what it felt like to be shaken on one for a whole long journey, planned take off and landing and all. Pilots and passengers had certainly always seemed tired enough when they'd landed. So she's looking forward to the experience, just to fully know what it is like.

To the others she adds "Noise should be dreadful, I'll assume matrix communication will be our friend. You got your trodes on, Bobby?"

[Tecumseh]

"Oh, sure," Mato tells AM.

"There's usual suspects: crying babies, abandoned children, expressing emotions... having emotions."

He might be joking about this, or he might not. He is fairly dispassionate most of the time.

"Or Bobby could turn me into a hamster or a giant spirit of doom could pop out of nowhere like at Tien IV's place. None of my keys fit that lock.

"I'm sure a hacker hijacking my gear would turn life upside down. A bit alarming to wonder if your eyes or legs are going to suddenly stop working. I thought about the bioware options but... those just build on what you already have, and I didn't have much. I needed more drastic intervention."

He discusses this all matter-of-factly. If it concerns him, he doesn't show it. Does anything concern him?

"Balancing the books," he admits. "We have this feast-or-famine cycle. So far the feasts have been enough to carry us through the famines, but still. I wouldn't mind a client who puts us on retainer, or some other source of steady cash flow."

At Tamarind's warning, Mato runs a quick diagnostic to ensure that the dampeners for his cyberears are ready for the auditory onslaught.

[Thanee]

Tamarind has some experience with aeronautics, even though more on a smaller scale with her drones lately, but she can tell that this vehicle is extremely well-maintained. Assuming, Blackhawk is the regular pilot, he has made it this far (in his life), likely without crashing too much, so that is reassuring. He clearly loves his trade and this bird.

Not quite so reassuring is his reply when inquired about the parachutes. "There are some in locker 3, but they won't do you any good at the speed we are going to have. There is one of those self-inflating rescue islands as well, but I never had to use it and I do not plan on doing so anytime soon. I will broadcast a guest code for the comm access."

<< -[- Black Sunshine AR Comms - Guest Access -]- >>

"There are noise-cancelling ear protectors at the back of each seat. Remember to strap yourself in, and turn the seats forward while we gain altitude. Once we have stabilized, you can turn them back around and probably even walk a bit, but it's still going to be a little rough. Staying in the seats is a little safer. Flight won't take that long, about two hours."

[Jack_Spade]

Hearing his name, Bobby answered on the team channel: <<I've got my trode patch - works great as long as I don't turn too small.
Relax everyone. If we crash, I'll turn us all into Roman snails. Pull back into your shells and you can survive even high deceleration events - no broken bones is an added bonus>>

[Gilga]

I am unsure what to feel about Mato mentioning the "usual suspects" and then the piece about things he could not possibly control.
"Well, you didn't mention explosives," I say, relieved. Trying to realize what he genuinely said to be by omission. "It is fear of not being in control for me; I felt the same when Bobby turned me into a cat, or Big Stank was a jerk in our living room, or at the Funhouse for the first time. " I pause and add after thinking "or the second and third..." I say, smiling for the first time. "The confusing part is that I also like it."
I feel that it is getting a bit personal, and I am not sure Mato is the right person to open my heart to, given how detached he is from his emotions despite clearly caring about mine and my children. The man is confusing as well.

I ignore Bobby's rambling about Roman snails because it makes me think about crashing as a realistic option rather than an imagined fear, and it is the last thing I need to get reassurance that everyone else is also thinking about crashing.

[Tecumseh]

"That sounds like Iktomi," Mato says about the fear and fun of not being in control.

Mato angles his seat forward and braces for takeoff. His limbs may be hard but his internal organs are still soft.

<<Punch it>> he says over the Black Sunshine's AR comms.

[Thanee]

<<Monday Afternoon - 14:00 - May 15, 2079 - Seattle Airspace into Salish Airspace>>

With everything said and done, it's time for the launch. Blackhawk gives the two girls a hug before heading off into his cockpit. "Fly safe, pa!" "You know it!" The little girl just beams with glee.

The start-off is about as promised and as expected. Rough and tumble. The hull of the Black Sunshine vibrates from the powerful thrusters, as the massive t-bird is elevated off the ground. Then the acceleration begins, slowly at first, while heading towards the Seattle-Salish-Border, but quickly picking up afterwards. You are being pressed into your seats while the Banshee gains altitude.

After a while, you notice that the t-bird is steadying in the air and mostly propelled forward now at great speed.

AM figures they are not that high, so casting spells should be no problem. However, another problem presents itself, as she is taking a peek outside with a clairvoyance-type spell. Due to the high speed at which they are traveling, the sensor created by the spell quickly trails out of range. She only has about a second to enjoy the view before it goes dark.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby used the time to meditate - there was no telling how long this job would take - or how long they'd have to stay up.
After a while, someone close by would have been able to feel the slight vibration of purring coming from him.

[Tecumseh]

Mato winces. He's used to being able to cushion any blows with his arms or legs. This generally-distributed force across his body has no natural defense other than just enduring it.

"Patience and time are the greatest warriors," he tells himself, likely inaudible over the general vibrations of the Banshee.

He closes his eyes. To pass the time, he brings up some reading and feeds it to the image link in his cybereyes. Looking down at his commlink would be guaranteed to make him motion sick, but reading against the black background of his eyelids should be possible.

"Let's see... physics seems relevant," he says, pulling up an introductory course to physics that he's been slowly working his way through. The current chapter is on mass, force, and acceleration. "Hmm, topical," he nods, bouncing every time the Banshee passes over through thermal currents, which are frequent over the Cascades and Rockies.

[Gilga]

Sounds like Iktomi? I sometimes imagine my relationship with him as a sadistic, masochistic one but without the excessive use of fake leather. I have a worried face during takeoff as I take in the G forces, but then comes the ecstasy of release as the Banshee finally stabilizes its course. Then I make my window, closing my eyes and enjoying the visage among the clouds. It feels a bit strange because I do not see much movement, but the visage goes dark every time the plane leaves the focal point. After about an hour of struggling with the spell, I say "Frag it" mainly to myself, and then I spend the rest of the flight trying to figure out how to alter the spell so that the focal point would be relative to me rather than fixed. Figuring I would have a much more pleasant flight that way. I know a few spells that are anchored to the caster... I just need to really understand why their formulas do it.


Which is rather hard without the necessary understanding of spell design. This is really the task of a bunch of ThDs rather than of a self-taught mage with her basic and dated techniques. Yet, here I am, trying to figure it out, and the mental exercise is enjoyable. Perhaps I'll crack this nut eventually.

[Beta]

Tamarind turns and smiles at Bobby for the snails comment. The man (sometimes man? Man in various shapes?) is very hard for her to understand, but she does understand that he has useful and powerful magic, and she's glad to be working with him. (She also has the familiar stomach turning intense envy of the awakened, but she barely notices that anymore, especially since joining SIS it has just been so common that she takes it in stride).

Once they start taking off, however, she is thoroughly absorbed by the ride. Feeling the vibration and acceleration and pitch and the pressure bumps, listening to the variations in the howl of the engines and the scream of the wind around the vehicle once they speed up. She doesn't even put on the noise cancelling headset until they have leveled off, wanting to absorb the ride with all of her senses. She soaks up as much as she can then spends time analyzing the sensations so that she'll both better remember them and better understand them. She is in no danger of needing to fly a Banshee in person, but if she ever does have to do such a a thing, then knowing what 'good' sounds and feels like would be an important part of the process.

After a while she checks if the guest AR feed includes an external sensors. The view should be spectacular, after all.

[Thanee]

Blackhawk is happy to provide you with a feed of the visual sensors, if you ask him via the comm system. The view is absolutely stunning as the flight takes you over mountains and volcanos. AM's spell, as limited as it is, still gives her another level of freedom to look around compared to the sensors, even if it is for a short time only before she needs to relocate her focus point. Unfortunately, as the time pressure is high, the pilot cannot give you the full scenic tour, but it's still more than enough to really appreciate the landscape from above. Definitely not something you see every day.

* * * * *

<<Monday Afternoon - 15:53 - May 15, 2079 - 20 km south-east of Cheyenne, Sioux Nation>>

<< Blackhawk: Almost there! >>

The deceleration process is a lot smoother than the acceleration, and the Black Sunshine touches ground almost precisely at 4 p.m. somewhere in the prairie, about 20 kilometers south-east of Cheyenne, near Route 85.

Outside, there are two areas spanned with camouflage nets on posts. A dark brown Jeep Trailblazer and a matte olive green Toyota Gopher pickup truck are parked underneath.

Next to the Jeep, a table with four chairs has been set up, where Captain Razak is sitting together with two Natives in combat fatigues, but without any insignia or unit markings. A thermos is sitting on the table along with some cups. As you emerge from the Banshee, Razak gets up to greet you.

The Gopher is going to be your vehicle for the next few days. It has an extended cabin with a second row of seats to accomodate up to five passengers. There are a number of other modifications and upgrades. One of the Natives, who was sitting with Razak, runs you through all the details, also showing you how to operate the drone rack and how to access the smuggling compartment. The car is registered to the Prairie Explorer Car Rental Services in Cheyenne. Captain Razak casually mentions, that he sure would like it back in one piece.

[ Spoiler ]

Toyota Gopher
- Rigger Interface
- Run-Flat Tires
- Acceleration Enhancement 1
- Handling Enhancement 1
- Speed Enhancement 1
- Manual Control Override
- Anti-Theft System 2
- Landing Drone Rack (1x Large, 1x Medium, 1x Small, 1x Mini)
- Increased Seating (5 Seats)
- Smuggling Compartment (Chemical and MAD Shielding)
- Enhanced Winch
- Workshop (Automotive Mechanic)
- Satellite Link
- SunCell
- Pilot Enhancement 3
- Sensor Enhancement 3

[Tecumseh]

Mato gets out of his harness and stretches. It's an old habit, as his arms and legs no longer need to stretch. But he's grateful to step out of the Banshee and loosen up his back.

He looks around at the surrounding area. Mato grew up in Butte, in the northwest corner of the country right on the border with Salish-Shidhe. He hasn't spent as much time the southeast part of the country around Cheyenne. Both cities have cold, semi-arid climates. Both had a similar elevation, the air being much thinner than in Seattle. Mato noted the effect it might have on his cardiovascular performance.

He greets Razak but doesn't have a personal relationship with the man. Mostly they talk business, with Mato sharing reports and financials while Razak shares nothing. Mato thinks of him as Bobby's contact, so he lets Bobby take point in the greetings and small talk. Mato will chime in if there's biz to discuss.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby streched - long and as luxuriously as only a feline body was able to.
Only then did he drop the spell and picked up his clothing. One of these days, he'd have to get bound focus pants to make this process easier. That's why he was a few steps behind Mato, still adjusting his shirt.

When he saw Razak, he immediately made a beeline towards him, gripping the offered hand of his old mentor and patron with both hands.

"Good to see you again! Who are your friends?"

Bobby smiled and showed almost something akin to boyish exuberance.

[Gilga]

While I am usually timid with soldiers, SIS has opened me up, and the Gopher with an actual steering wheel gets my attention. It is my first time meeting Captain Razak, and I settle with "Hi, Razak. Thanks for the ride!" and lose my words. I should give Bobby a moment or three to get dressed unless he means to greet Razak by rubbing on his leg, which would be hilarious. I then examine the three soldiers, wondering if a fourth one exists to justify the seat.

A bit embarrassed, I help loading the Gopher with our stuff.

[ Spoiler ]

she buys two hits

To my surprise, I am not terrified; I am just a bit uneasy with the men in uniform. The memories of having my lover educated in front of me no longer have that kind of crippling power on my soul. It is on its way to becoming another bad memory in a lifetime filled with hardships and disappointment.


Trouble takes the time to acclimate themselves to the new surroundings, and their astral form scouts the nearby area for anything interesting. The cat seems eager to be left to their own devices.

[Beta]

Tamarind has a brief pang for the old days, when she would have been under one of the cammo nets, rushing to refuel the banshee while others covered it in nets, all while trying not to ignite anything off the still hot engines. Then transfering cargo into a waiting truck. But this time she was part of the cargo and much of the rest of it was hers, and maintenance on the Banshee wasn't any of her concern.

And then there was Razzak. Her captor, in a sense her parole officer, definitely her handler. She understood that she was simply an asset to him, a person that he had leverage on who was easy to move around where needed and who provided reasonably coherent reports of what she observed. She didn't consider him a bad man, but still she rather hoped nobody was looking at her aura when she saw him. She gave him a nod of the head and paid attention to what he said, but didn't try to engage with him.

She muttered to herself "Focus on the job." Check that her drones and the rest of the cargo made it through the flight OK, figure out how to arrange the Gopher and then move things over to load it efficiently. As usual Toothless was the hardest part. Without a ramp she had to draft Mato to help her and Stitch to lift the front of the drone high enough for its tracks to touch the back of the Gopher, from where she could activate its gecko tips in the tracks to lift itself the rest of the way and then pull itself up in to the truck. She resolved to stop by a building supply store if they came near one, to pick up a couple of boards to use as a simple ramp.

She listens to the briefing about the Gopher, asks a couple of small technical questions -- most critically being who has tracking tags on it -- and then checks over the vehicle. Not that she doesn't trust them, but you always check over the vehicle when transferring control, circumstances permitting.

As soon as they had everything transfered and the Gopher checked over, she asked "We good to go?" The sooner she was gone from this mix of memories, the better.

[Tecumseh]

Mato seems happy to help move cargo into the Gopher, including Toothless. He appears to appreciate the opportunity to flex his pistons, or perhaps he just desires some physical movement after being cooped up for a couple hours.

"Let's get a receipt from Prairie Explorer Car Rental Services," Mato suggests. "Just in case someone challenges it."

[Thanee]

The Captain introduces his two men as Akecheta and Tashunka. You get the impression, that they are well-trained, likely special forces. Akecheta stands a bit behind Captain Razak and a bit to the side. He is mostly watching everything going on. The two carry semi-automatic handguns holstered on the hip, Captain Razak himself carries a revolver instead.

Razak smiles as he shakes Bobby's hand. "It is good to see you. All of you."

He hands over a chip to Bobby, explaining that it contains a current map of Denver, which could be useful.

[ Spoiler ]

Note: The map depicts Denver as of 2082, but close enough. Most of the locations have been around for quite a bit longer and havn't really changed much.
There is a spoiler at the end of the first OOC post, where you can also find the link and some other information.

Tashunka is the one showing you the Gopher. He smiles and stops you, as you begin loading the drones into the back. A perfect opportunity to show you how to operate the drone rack, which has room for four drones, one of which can be as large as Toothless. The rack also offers self-loading capabilities, which greatly helps getting the drones in place, or at least some of them. Drones can even be loaded while the truck is moving as long as they can match its speed, which can actually go pretty high. The large drone rack is located on the driver's side, with the three smaller ones on the other side of the vehicle. The side walls of the truck's bed hold a large variety of tools behind panels. They are not really hidden, but also not immediately apparent. Tashunka really knows his stuff. You get the impression, that he is a dedicated driver and mechanic, more likely even a rigger.

[Jack_Spade]

As the loading is going on, Bobby asked: "Alright, now that we are here:
What's the deal? Who is the victim, who the client and why are you going to such lengths for them?
And most important: Why was the victim abducted and are we supposed to help facilitate the ransom or pull another Brent and abduct them right back?
Because for the money that priority flight cost, you could have hired a lot of local talent."

[Thanee]

"I cannot give you all the details," Razak explains. "Because I do not know everything myself."

"Jarone Falcone is an old acquaintance of mine, there is a mutual level of respect and trust."

"He asked me, if I can help him out, and I told him that I could refer him to some investigators that are competent and discreet. I might have mentioned that it won't be cheap."

"The victim is some Ares hotshot. There is a lot on the line for Falcone, and he does not want to hire local talent, because he does not know who he can trust there right now. He is no longer in the game, but he suspects that it might be someone from his former life that is pulling the strings, but it doesn't have to be."

"What he wants is pretty simple. Ideally, get the victim back in one piece so he does not have to explain to Ares why he is no longer at the ranch. Stuff like that can ruin his business."

"If you can figure out who is behind this whole thing, I'm sure he will be very interested in that information as well."

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby nodded: "I see, so we have to be extra careful when we poke around. As we all know, time is of the essence. Let's meet with Falcone and hear his deal."

[Gilga]

"Do you drive manually Tashunka ?" I ask hoping to get an interesting conversation.

[ Spoiler ]

Any love for AM's assessing roles?
Razak, Tashunka, Akecheta
Assensing: 3#10d6t5 3 2 5

[Tecumseh]

Mato checks the hair of Akecheta and Tashunka, looking for honor feathers that would indicate that they are Wildcats.

Mato has trained with Wildcats before, back when he was newly rich and wet behind the ears. He paid them for training and had his hoop handed to him over and over again. But that's what training was for, right? Bleeding at home so you don't bleed out in the field. He accepted his failures then tried to work past them. Then end result is... a skilled amateur of passable competence.

He inwardly sighs about the relationship between Falcone and Razak. While it was nice to get the inside track to a potentially lucrative job, they were somewhat handcuffed in terms of negotiating. They could threaten to not take the job and walk, leaving Falcone to foot the bill for the Black Sunshine, but that would reflect poorly on Razak, which would likely haunt them later. No, they need to take the job if it's anything short of a suicide mission, but they might not be able to squeeze every drop out of Falcone like they did to the Bellevue Hackers Club.

"This is your turf," he tells Tamarind. "What do you want to do? Do you want to drive or do you want to have your hands free to deploy drones?" he asks. The consideration is probably overkill, but Mato seems a little tense going into a new environment, like he's waiting for Ghostwalker's army of angry spirits to materialize at any moment.