to Ohanzee
"I've already got a Decker working on it, he is the one who got me the maps, but if you want to get another in the mix thats fine, it'll just mean more costs. And as far as finding which companies work there, I'm sure I can work that out. Hell, I may be able to get us on their payroll and some IDs, but I don't know for sure because of the short notice."

to Arden
"His background may not seem to be a big deal, but it could also come up with some bit of information that could give us an edge. Having extra information is never a bad thing. And don't worry about word getting back to them before we hit it, my sources are always descreet.

to Sink
"Good idea, the security jump concerned me too. As for the other stuff... nice thinking. I'll see what I can dig up on that as well."

@ Everyone,

The surrounding area is much like the complex itself. Medium and light residential. Numerous apartment buildings and the like. Schools, a hospital, fire station and a police station are all with in 10 city blocks (roughly 2 kilometers). A train station and the freeway on/off ramps are near as well. 2 klicks west of the complex is a radio tower. The streets are fairly gridlike with numerous stop signs and traffic lights. There is a large (1 square block) park south of the complex that is lightly wooded.

The sewage maps look pretty generic, no measurable access other than piping and electrical conduits. No underground access or tunnels. A water line does run parallel to the north wall however.

The blue prints do add one thing to the buildings that aren't in the map. A high security vault located in the security room, it is enviromentally sealed. You also notice the back of the security building is designed more like jail, than a office, there are two 'cells' located there.

None of the buildings in the 10 block area are more than 4 stories tall. There are no significant powerlines, or public structures other than the ones mentioned above.

"Hm..." Ohanzee nods "So we don't need to involve my contact in this. Good. Probably wouldn't have been easy to get her anyways. And I don't doubt your sources but you never know how word get's around. Your sources may be as discrete as it gets but they have to make inquiries and if someone notices these inquiries - and someone will, no matter how discrete they are - and passes word that someone is digging around... The chances that this will happen is small, given the short amount of time until we start the operation, but they are there and one can never be safe enough. I'd vote for keeping a low profile and getting only the info that we need. Top priority should be: staff schedules, our target's plans and schedule for the weekend and on site security measures. Anything we can get on the bodyguard is helpful as well. Anything else will most likely be icing on the cake. Might help us but is not worth risking anything for it. Another important thing would be to get in touch with our target. The extraction is supposedly voluntarily so it would help to arrange a meet. The job would be a lot smoother if we have help from the target, who knows the area better than we do. However, this might be impossible to do without giving ourselves away. The Johnson said that stealth is no issue but I still think we need to keep as low a profile as possible to get out of there alive.
A good decker might help here. If we find out the appartment where our target stays a decker could sabotage one or more appliances so that there would be need for maintenance. With some skill the decker could alter the maintenance company's records so that we are the ones to do the maintenance. This would be an easy way to get in. Getting out with the target will be quite another challenge though."

"A nice plan, Ohanzee. Something else we may want to consider though is waiting for the target to leave the sight and hitting him then. That way we don't have to deal with the building and its security at all."

Danny has been quietly listening as the others hash out the plans. At Jessie's suggestion however, he leans forward, stabbing out the butt of his smoke in the now near-to-overflowing ashtray.

"While that might look like the safest choice, our target might well be settled in for the long haul. It'd make sense for Novatech to keep him close, what with their sudden added security an' all. Ah don' think we should be a-plannin' on him leavin' that there complex anytime soon."

Jessie thinks for a moment, then nods, "Yeah, you're probably right. Heh, besides, it wouldn't be any fun that way.

Alright, I'm gunna call up my Decker and get him to work, are there any more questions or objections before I do so?"

Ghost Dragon sits forward and says, "What about astral security? We should not rule that out in our search for information. Any place that is so secure may have some sort of astral security in place. It may also be helpful to know how many guards are staffed on each shift and when those shifts run. We might find that a certain shift, say the late night shift, is more lightly staffed. I also want more information on that water main that runs along one of the walls and that wooded area on the grounds of the complex. They both give me ideas.

"The wooded area could be used as a scouting or sniping position, provided that the vegetation is thick enough. Also, should a frontal assault be necessary, or should we need a quick and dramatic diversion, a water elemental may be able to provide us the means for both by causing that water main to burst. If the pipe is large enough, it may cave in part of the wall of the complex or possibly cover a large portion of the ground with ice. Since it is snowing, it will be quite cold. If we can expect a freeze, then perhaps that can work to our advantage with the proper planning. The flood of water would also work if there is no freeze.

"Failing all else, a simple run and gun assault might work if we could arrange for the target to be standing outside at a certain time. The water main could help us, even in that plan. We could crash through the front gate and then exit through the rear onto the highway in a northern direction, heading away from the security complex. A flood of water could make it harder for anyone to pursue us as we make our escape with the target."

Hearing the propositions of his colleagues Ohanzee speaks up again:
"I strongly oppose a full frontal assault. I'm aware that our line of work has its risks but I'm not suicidal yet. As the data package provided by our johnson states, any security breach will trigger a light response team, so even if we manage to handle the 6 to 10 guards on-site, we still have these to account for. Findint out shifts is essential for a silent approach."

Ghost Dragon says to Ohanzee, "Agreed. A silent approach is always best. We must consider all of our options however. I think it would be best if we came up with two or three working plans, so that if one plan is foiled while being executed, we can switch to another."

"However, the plans need to be adaptable and compatile. We can't switch to a full frontal assault when we're spread all over the area in a silent approach and all of a sudden activate an alarm or get spottet. Also, if going for a silent approach we won't have the equipment for an assault and the other way around."

Mirage who had been sitting quietly, listening to the rest of the team speaks now, "I am in favour of finding out as much as we can about Morgan, I do not trust our Monsieur Johnson, so I think we should gather as much data about the target as we can."

"I'd also like to know who the bodyguard is, maybe I know them."

She pauses for a second then continues, "I agree that it is very important that our decker tries to find out why the security was stepped up. If we can't find out then we must assume that Novatech know about the extraction."

"He's been moved to a secure location anyway, so I don't think that he would have been assigned a bodyguard unless Novatech were suspicious."

"For this reason I think that we must ensure that we use stealth, to prevent Morgan's minder from being alerted, if Novatech are aware that Morgan is betraying them, they may have ordered the bodyguard to kill him as a last resort."

"I also like to know what the cells are for, they seem strange things to have at a research compound, non? If Novatech are aware of Morgan's betrayal do any of you think that he might be held one of the cells when he's not working?"

Ghost Dragon says, "The data chip says that this is an apartment complex. They do not research anything there. The cells are probably for containing intruders or undesirables once they are captured by a light security team. They have something similar where I live."

"Alright guys, I think I've got enough to go on for now. Give me a sec to contact my Decker and get him on the job."

With a thought, Jessie's comm gear dials up Twitch.

Ingersoll Bar and Grill, Friday, November 11th, 1410 hours


The over caffinated voice blossoms to life in Jessies head, "hola seinorita, comma estas?" he says in badly accented spanish.

"Sorry, trying to learn some different languages, what can I do for you Jessie?"

"Well, I told you that I'd have more work coming your way after you got me those maps, so here it is... You ready?

Kyle Morgan, age 38, works for Optronics, a subsidiary of Novatech. Find out what you can about him for me. Specifically I need to know: What is he currently working on for Optronics? Let me know any rumors or anything you can dig up on him. What, if any, are his ties to Saeder-Krupp. Novatech just bumped up security on him, I want to know why. He also has a body guard assigned to him. Who is the bodyguard and what is his background? What connections does the bodyguard have to Novatech or Saeder-Krupp? Find out what both of their schedules are looking like from now until the Monday.

Get ready to accept a file…

<<UPLOADING JOHNSON.IMAGE>>

Find out who his guy is. He is German, so your first place to look would be Saeder-Krupp. I want to know what this guy has been up to lately. What kind of connections does he have in Seattle?

Kyle is currently staying at a secured location, 1249 Pine Ave., in Everett. Get everything you can on their security. I know they outsource, so find out which company they use. When to shift changes happen? What kind of magical protections do they have? Is the place Rigged? Also, find out who they use for maintenance and cleaning crews. What are their schedules? Dig around a little and see how hard it would be to get a few people hacked into their staff. Find out if there are any high-profile people living at the place. Find out which apartment Kyle is staying in and then look up the neighbors.

You got me the map of the sewer system around the building, but do you think you could get one with more detail, if it even exists?

I can’t think of any more questions at the moment, so get to work on all that and if I think of anything else, I’ll let you know. Also, what is your schedule looking like over the weekend? I may want to hire you for some overwatch if you are up for it.

I guess the only question left is… what is this gunna cost me? <her voice gets playful> The usual dinner and a trid flick?”

((edited post to add question about the place being Rigged or not.))

[ Arden ]

Checking over the map, Arden pays close attention to the radio tower and the best way out of the area, specifically away from the police station. Keeping the "most likely" location of the guards in the back of his head, he decides this might actaully be interesting.

As he checks out the blueprints, Arden gets to the security section and promtly lets out a low whistle. "Uhh... guys? Not to spoil anybodies parade, but this could be trouble," he says as he taps the EviroSealed room. "The only times I've ever seen something like this is when there's an on site sec rigger. And that's not so hot, because I haven't had a chance to pick up a dataline tap yet. So we could be running into a bit of a problem."


Glancing over a shoulder at Ghost Dragon, Arden says: "Love the water idea. Big trucks don't do so well as hydro-planes


Looking to Jessie just before she hits the call, he says "I got a question to add now. Is this place actually rigged?"

"Ok, hang on a sec while I check something..."

Jessie runs the prices by the team, "What do you guys want to do? Perhaps I could ask him to join the team and take his cut along with the rest of us?"

Removing his Stetson and running his hands through his close-cropped hair as he listens to Jessie relay the Decker's demands, Danny shakes his head in response.

"Ah don' see us givin' him ten grand. That's more'n we each get for our cut."

"Yeah it is, but it could also make the run a lot easier. Soka?"

Mirage nearly chokes on her coffee at the deckers demands, "Who is your decker anyway, Fastjack?"

"How much just to find out which building he's in? We can check out the rest for ourselves with some careful recon."

"No, but he is still very good, and we are asking him to hack both S-K and Novatech.

Problem with trying to find him with recon is that Novatech may not be letting him even leave the building, so how would we find him?

Maybe we could get jobs with the cleaning crew and have a look around, but that can only get us so far. I doubt we could just walk into every apartment till we find him, plus we may have to deal with the building being Rigged and having camera's on us at all times. Not to mention we don't know if there is any magical security."

The shaman touches his zippo to the tip of another cigarette.

"Findin' him might not be that much of a problem. If worse comes t' worse, Ah should be able to use a Hearth Spirit t' locate 'im once we're there."

"Ok, how about I just have him find out who the bodyguard is for now and if we end up needing more, we'll just have to call him back."

Jessie sighs and mumbles something about not getting paid enough for this shit.

Mirage nods, "Oui, but what if we just pay him 4 to 5 thousand, could we manage without some of the data."

"I mean, hacking into S-K seems a little extreme when we don't even know for sure that Monsieur Johnson works for them. What would we actually gain knowing this, rather than just assuming that he dose work for them? And you might be able to find out such information more cheaply through your other contacts anyway."

"I'm sure that Danny and Ghost are capable of finding out whether they have magical protection with some discrete astral surveillance."

"I agree that we need to know whether they are rigged."

"Arden says he has not got any dataline taps, does anybody else have one that he could use if necessary? I do not."

I was a bit slow posting, imagine Mirage said this before Grey's last post!

Once again Danny shakes his head in response.

"Don' look at me. Ah don' even know what one of them there dataline-doohickeys is."

to Arden (about the water idea)
Ghost Dragon says, "Thanks," with a smirk.

Ghost Dragon leans forward and speaks to everyone, "I think that all of the information you requested from you decker contact would be useful. Danny is right. Our target may never be allowed to go outside, so knowing where he is would be helpful, and certainly easier than trying to find out on our own. I also would like to know more about our employer. Knowing who he is and where to find him could be useful if he decides to doublecross us.

"Scouting the complex astrally would perhaps be possible, unless astral security is heavy enough. With as much mundane security as they seem to have in place, I would expect some astral security as well. Even if both of us went in our astral bodies, we might not be able to get a detailed enough view of the astral security. I suspect that there will be watcher spirits, summoned by a security mage, at the very least. We may also encounter guardian elemental spirits, or some other kind of horror that we do not expect, such as a golem. I know they are supposedly mythical, but research is always being done. You never know. Furthermore, there are many types of astral security that are specifically designed to prevent astral snooping by either capturing or killing an astral intruder. I assume you all may have heard of wards. There are many types of wards. There are also things much worse than wards. I would prefer to know what to expect instead of charging straight in, even if I have a companion."

His hand around his chin in his usual thinker-pose Ohanzee says: "I can't offer a dataline-tap either. However, I think we need to rethink our priorities here. We're getting paid little enough for this, I don't want to spend half of it on research we don't need or could do ourselves. Unfortunately we're on a tight schedule and approaching a weekend so finding out the schedules by simply watching probably won't work too well. As to what ties our target has to S-R or Novatech is unimportant for us. All we need to know is that he works for Novatech now and wants to switch to S-K for a reason which is not out business. As for what he's working on, that as well has no influence on our assignment. It simply makes no difference for us whether he's working on a fully automated toothpick or a pocket-format atomic bomb.
Of course we can never have too much information on the assignment and everything or everyone related to it but we have rather limited resources to work with, money as well as time.

What is important:
- finding out his appartment number and location
- finding out staff schedules
- finding out about his bodyguard
- find a detailed map of the security measures, especially inside of the buildings.

What we can do ourselves:
- find possible enter and exit routes on and off the compound

I will leave the strategies of the astral to our two specialists who are certainly more competent in that area than I am, though I do know a it about magic and its workings.

Most of all, we should not set your decker on a track to find out about things we shouldn't need in the end. So, before we ask him to put us on any company's payroll we should first find out whether this is a good idea and make a detailed plan with backups. After all, the cleaning crew might get us in but that still doesn't solve the problem of how to get out afterwards, so another approach might prove more sensible. And then there are always cheaper routes: just as an example we could as well stop a cleaning crew van on the way in, disable the crew, take their uniforms and enter without hacking any databases. We will be long gone once the cleaning company finds out that something is wrong. By the way: I believe getting in will be a lot easier than getting out with the target."

Warpath keeps to himself mostly throughout the early part of the day. "Is it possible to make him come out instead of going in to get him? What'd it take for Novatech to let him out?" He shrugs, the possible answers to other questions driving his own thoughts.

"If we, I don't know, fake his mother's death, would they let him out for a funeral? Stuff like that... sounds like we need Novatech's SOP on this drek."

"Good thought. He won't be needing to get out for normal, everyday business like shopping or anything like that... However, that would require us to know quite a bit about his background. Which shouldn't be too hard a task for a decker worth his or her money.
Dealing with his bodyguard will be a lot easier than breaking into the compound. The only problem is that our target has to play along. When he hears that his mother is dead and calls a relative to check that we are in trouble if he decides it's all a fake and he won't go. He has to be smart enough to recognize it for what it is and with him being a scientist we may not have that luck"

Warpath nods. "And we'd better know it like an open book, because you can be sure Novatech has every bit of his life on file, right down to the day he sprouted his first short and curly." He shrugs again. "Thing is, if they've got a real reason to be holdin' him tight, like they expect him to run, then even that probably won't work. If they're just bein' careful, it might work, though. No good in having an extreemly upset employee at an important juncture in their project, after all."

"I've got a dataline tap. So thats covered. Alright guys, I need an answer, how much do we want the Decker working on right now? I'm with Ohanzee;

- finding out his appartment number and location
- finding out staff schedules
- finding out about his bodyguard
- find a detailed map of the security measures, especially inside of the buildings.

What do you guys say?"

"I'd like ta ask for more, but it sounds like we don't got the time or da cred to spend on it." Sink replied. "Let's get da decker started and get on wit doin our own legwork."

Jessie looks as if shes rolling an idea around in her head for a moment, then nods to herself, always show your team that you trust them.

"Well, if its a question of cred, I'll front for everyone and you can pay me back once the run is over."

Mirage nods in agreement, "If he'll find that out for 4 or 5 thousand nuyen then that is fine, I think we can do it with that much data."

"I do not think that we should go for the 'dead relative' idea, if Novatech are suspicious of Morgan, it will alert them and they will possibly increase the security on-site. I think the risk is too great."

Danny nods in agreement.

"Ah'm with Mirage here on this. Ah'm thinkin' that if'n the reason they're keepin' him close is 'cause they're already suspicious, then even if they do let him out, they'll more 'n' likely put some very heavy-duty security on him. Best not t' chance tippin' 'em off even more.

"Ah don' think it should be necessary fer you t' be frontin' the money fer the decker, Jessie. Five grand should be the limit though. Ah don' see this job bein' worth much more'n that."

Jessie reopens the line with Twitch, "Alright, give me a final price on just these items:

Finding out his appartment number and location
Finding out staff schedules
Finding out about his bodyguard
Find a detailed map of the security measures, especially inside of the buildings. I also need to know their magical security measures.

Will five grand cut it for that?"

Mirage says, "Yes, I can afford my share of 5000¥, thanks for the offer though."

Warpath nods as well. "I'd still like to know why they're holding him... but finding out about the bodyguard might give us that information, as well."

[ Arden ]

"Make yer deal. I've got a a couple a bucks anyway."

"So your ready to deal? Great, ok you want the answers to all these questions before monday. So I have 48 hours huh, that's not going to leave you much time to plan your op, I mean if your dependent on these answers to go in, your going to be cutting your time pretty darn short," the electronic voice whispers in your ear, "tell you what, you throw in a dinner and a movie and I'll do this in 12 hours for 1,500 , deal?"

Jessie's smile can be heard in her voice, "Deal. Thanks Twitch. Give me a call once you have it put together."

Hanging up, Jessie turns back to the group, "Ok, he'll have that stuff for us in 12 hours and it'll run us 1,500. Would you guys like to get some planning done now, or should we wait until we get the info?"

"Well, that's a bit cheaper'n y'all expected. Might not be a bad idea t'go over what all gear 'n' stuff we'll be needin' for this here li'l venture. Wouldn't be good t'wait till the last minute t' try 'n' pick up everythin'."

To Jessie, Ghost Dragon says, "I can afford to pay my part of the decker's fee."

--------------------------------------------

Ghost Dragon says, "Planning the gear that we will need will be difficult without that information. So far, we have very little to go on. I know that I will need a water elemental if we want to make use of that water main. Summoning one may cause me to have to rest afterward. A fire elemental could be useful also." Ghost Dragon smiles evilly, "The mayhem and destruction it could cause would help stop anyone from following us. That gives me another idea. What do you think would happen if the complex had a fire with a broken water main? Their sprinkler system would not work, unless they had a reservior on site. Even so, that would only last for so long.

"The smart thing for them to do would be to evacuate the complex and move our target to a secure location. We wait; we watch; we strike."

"Well, that I can afford", says Ohanzee as he hears Jessie's report.

"Of course we can't make rock-solid definite plans now but we can think through possibilities and make some plans and later decide which ones to use. The fire idea sounds reasonable even though it's pretty risky. We don't know their emergency procedure in such cases. If he gets flown out with a helicopter we are out of luck."

Warpath nods. "The best plan would be to get him out of the compound and hit him somewhere of our choosing. Fakin' his mother's death might do it, but we'd have to know the particulars of his family and they'd have to be convenient. If we have to go in, then doing it quietly is probably best. If the bodyguard is the only obstacle and we can get him quietly, then it shouldn't be too tough."

He smiles again. "Of course, if we managed to get an AOD tracker on him and then set the whole complex aflame, we could probably snatch him in the commotion. Might bring down more heat than we want, in more ways than one, though."

Danny glances sideways at Ghost Dragon, one eyebrow slightly raising in response to the mage's statement.

"Ah ain't in this t'lay waste to an entire 'partment complex. If'n y'all want to go 'bout incineratin' a bunch of innocent people, y'all can do it without me."

He pauses, looking around the room and trying to catch the eyes of each of the gathered group. Sparking another cigarette, he crumples the empty pack and tosses it on the cluttered table.

"Ah'm of the opinion that it'd prob'ly be best t'plan for an actual on-site extraction. We've got enough intel fer now to put together a basic plan, which can be modified later if necessary when we get more data. 'Sides, we don't have too much time t'get fancy'n all."

Mirage says, "I am with Danny, even if I wished to murder Novatech employees on a grand scale, the money offered for this job is not enough to compensate for the heat that Novatech would bring down on us. The security team on site are paid to be paranoid, if a large scale fire breaks out they will suspect an attack, and call for back-up."

"It is better to take him by stealth, with the right plan we might be able to hand him over to Monsieur Johnson before Novatech realise that he is gone."

Sink nods his head in agreement. "I ain't gonna create a bloodbath ta get dis slag out. We gotta come up wit a way to do it quiet."

He leans back and says "Way I see i we got three problems. First, we gotta get on site witout getting noticed and get by eiter da keycard entry points on da buildings or da bioscan points on da tunnels. Second we gotta figure out how to find dis guy quick once we get der. I'd hate ta get to his apartment and find out he's over at da recreational complex. Third, we gotta get out again wit da guy without dem noticin."

"Da idea of gettin in posin as a maintenance crew isn't bad. We do it right, it could help solve da first and tird problems..... We have der own security people let us in. We'd need ta have pretty solid IDs ta make dat work though." He paused to take another sip of coffee. "Still doesn't solve da problem of figurin out where he's gonna be though. Have'n a Hearth Spirit find da guy seems a bit risky if dey got any Magic type security. I'd prefer ta figure out how ta guess where he's gonna be, or plan on doin the run at 3:00 AM or somethin when he's most likely gonna be sleepin."

The team member's comments are like a slap in the face for Ohanzee.
Now keep your act together, John! Don't do anything stupid here. Concentrate on what you are doing!

"You are right, a bloodbath needs to be avoided at all cost. If security is so tight that astral tracking is not an option our best bet would be to strike in the middle of the night. This also grants other advantages like partial darknes, less attentive guards and no other inhabitants wandering around the complex. However, going in during this time of the night might disqualify the plan of disguising ourselves as a cleaning crew. And we still have the problem of leaving with the target unnoticed."