16:39:55 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
"Won't that require weapon permits and stuff like that to work Jamie? I'm planning on bringing disposables mostly, nothing heavier then a submachinegun or shotgun at most and that is when we really got to put down some rock and roll... Better to pose as high-voltage electricity network maintenance workers, that gives us a reasonable premise to travel around the Free Zone with SUV's filled-up with equipment. Would that work with the Ute authorities you think?"
Full Version: IC: Evolution
Pages: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32
16:39:55 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Ludmila half listened to the briefing. It wasn't that she wasn't interested, or didn't care. It was simply that she knew more than well enough what her part of the job was. Until they got to do face to face with the Johnson in Denver, her part of the job would be to gather intel. She'd already done a mental list of who to call and what to ask for. By the looks of things, she was going to spend the entire night up.
Stiring the small leaves and water filled pot, Ludi smelled the concoction. Tea was almost ready. Of all the high tech gadget the workshop had, they still had to get a hold of a decent kettle. No matter; Ludi had spent most of her time making tea on her first posting, on the Norweigian border, doing decryption desk work.
Cigarette dangling at the corner of her mouth, Ludmila started to sift the tea into a cup. Seeing Corsair move toward the terminal, she waved at him to forget it.
"Do not worry with data mining. I will have friend prepare package."
She licked her finger, crushing her smoke on it before throwing it away. Cup of tea craddled in her hands, Ludi gave a cursory glance at the board.
"I will take care of contacts, suppliers and safehouse."
She blew on her cup.
"I will start talking with my people tonight. Should have update by tomorrow."
She took a slow sip, hissing and cursing in russian as she burns her tongue.
"I do not think Kli-ko said it, but if you ever need something, you come to me." she said, poiting her thumb towards her chest.
Taking another drink from her cup, she walked over to the board, giving him her cup while she took the chalk from his hand. After putting a check next to the "Local contact / last minute equipment supplier", she wrote down a local grid number.
"If you need something, this" she jabbed at the number with the chalk "is where you send list"
She handed the chalk back to Kliko, grabbing her tea back.
"I will get us safehouse in Ute, and see what I can do about getting one or two in other sectors."
Her brow furrowed for a second, as she seemed to think of something. Turning to Kliko, she spoke in rapid fire russian.
"Want me to setup an emergency evac in case we need to bug out of there fast?"
Ludmila half listened to the briefing. It wasn't that she wasn't interested, or didn't care. It was simply that she knew more than well enough what her part of the job was. Until they got to do face to face with the Johnson in Denver, her part of the job would be to gather intel. She'd already done a mental list of who to call and what to ask for. By the looks of things, she was going to spend the entire night up.
Stiring the small leaves and water filled pot, Ludi smelled the concoction. Tea was almost ready. Of all the high tech gadget the workshop had, they still had to get a hold of a decent kettle. No matter; Ludi had spent most of her time making tea on her first posting, on the Norweigian border, doing decryption desk work.
Cigarette dangling at the corner of her mouth, Ludmila started to sift the tea into a cup. Seeing Corsair move toward the terminal, she waved at him to forget it.
"Do not worry with data mining. I will have friend prepare package."
She licked her finger, crushing her smoke on it before throwing it away. Cup of tea craddled in her hands, Ludi gave a cursory glance at the board.
"I will take care of contacts, suppliers and safehouse."
She blew on her cup.
"I will start talking with my people tonight. Should have update by tomorrow."
She took a slow sip, hissing and cursing in russian as she burns her tongue.
"I do not think Kli-ko said it, but if you ever need something, you come to me." she said, poiting her thumb towards her chest.
Taking another drink from her cup, she walked over to the board, giving him her cup while she took the chalk from his hand. After putting a check next to the "Local contact / last minute equipment supplier", she wrote down a local grid number.
"If you need something, this" she jabbed at the number with the chalk "is where you send list"
She handed the chalk back to Kliko, grabbing her tea back.
"I will get us safehouse in Ute, and see what I can do about getting one or two in other sectors."
Her brow furrowed for a second, as she seemed to think of something. Turning to Kliko, she spoke in rapid fire russian.
"Want me to setup an emergency evac in case we need to bug out of there fast?"
16:39:59 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
"Sure" Jamie admitted.
She considers his suggestion, "Are you thinking we should bury our weapons in a piles of other equipment and expect the border guards not search inside all the stuff? If that's the case, there are lots of other ways to get stuff in. The power line workers might work once we get close to Denver, but it might seem strange crossing Ute for that kind of job."
"Sure" Jamie admitted.
She considers his suggestion, "Are you thinking we should bury our weapons in a piles of other equipment and expect the border guards not search inside all the stuff? If that's the case, there are lots of other ways to get stuff in. The power line workers might work once we get close to Denver, but it might seem strange crossing Ute for that kind of job."
16:45:01 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
"Не так быстро... спроса цены, но оставить его в." The ork replied in staccato russian. Filling out the chalkboard it started looking something like this;
INTEL
- Politicalindependent
- Security +
- Reliability +
- Costs not important -> High risk?
- High impact job on J
NEED
- Local contact / last-minute equipment supplier -> Ludi
- travel visa /disposable fake SIN's cover -> Jamie
- B&E-kit -> All
- Surveillance-kit -> Corsair, Ludi
- Light weapons -> All, Kliko: Requests?
- Transport -> Corsair, Kliko
- Payment -> Kliko
- ?
"Remember tis bizz, so watch your expenses. We setup a cache in Ute, hear what the J got to say, get paid, do some legwork, do some planning, earn our nuyen and get the frag out of there. Sounds like a plan to me. Any questions? otherwise we best fill out Jamie's forms and get rollin by tomorrow... hmmphh, afternoon."
"Не так быстро... спроса цены, но оставить его в." The ork replied in staccato russian. Filling out the chalkboard it started looking something like this;
INTEL
- Political
- Security +
- Reliability +
- Costs not important -> High risk?
- High impact job on J
NEED
- Local contact / last-minute equipment supplier -> Ludi
- travel visa /
- B&E-kit -> All
- Surveillance-kit -> Corsair, Ludi
- Light weapons -> All, Kliko: Requests?
- Transport -> Corsair, Kliko
- Payment -> Kliko
- ?
"Remember tis bizz, so watch your expenses. We setup a cache in Ute, hear what the J got to say, get paid, do some legwork, do some planning, earn our nuyen and get the frag out of there. Sounds like a plan to me. Any questions? otherwise we best fill out Jamie's forms and get rollin by tomorrow... hmmphh, afternoon."
16:45:05 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Jamie looks at the board and responds, "I can handle my own heat. I can also handle the Matrix end of the B&E equipment. I'm not as good at maglocks. However, SINs are a problem. By their very nature, they are disposable. I have the contacts to get them even within our time frame, but they don't come cheap."
She sighs, "Does anyone already have SINs they can use for crossing the border? If you don't already have a SIN, there's no point filling out the forms."
Considering what she's learned about Denver, she spins out an idea, "There's a big natural area called the Pike National Forest near Denver. Do you think we can cross the border into Ute as ecotourists and pack our equipment in camping gear?"
Jamie looks at the board and responds, "I can handle my own heat. I can also handle the Matrix end of the B&E equipment. I'm not as good at maglocks. However, SINs are a problem. By their very nature, they are disposable. I have the contacts to get them even within our time frame, but they don't come cheap."
She sighs, "Does anyone already have SINs they can use for crossing the border? If you don't already have a SIN, there's no point filling out the forms."
Considering what she's learned about Denver, she spins out an idea, "There's a big natural area called the Pike National Forest near Denver. Do you think we can cross the border into Ute as ecotourists and pack our equipment in camping gear?"
16:46:12 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
"Yeah well, lets not get ahead of ourselves... Jamie, how much should I be thinking of nuyen-wise?... Its just a meet people, lets not make to much expenses until we figure this J out. For all we know, he can provide some of this stuff and he knows routes in and out of this Denver Free Trade Zone or supply hot drek gear."
"Yeah well, lets not get ahead of ourselves... Jamie, how much should I be thinking of nuyen-wise?... Its just a meet people, lets not make to much expenses until we figure this J out. For all we know, he can provide some of this stuff and he knows routes in and out of this Denver Free Trade Zone or supply hot drek gear."
16:46:14 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Jamie shakes her head, "I don't know yet. That was first on my list to research. I'm not even sure Ute Nation would bar entry to SINless. It will take longer if I use the cyberterminal here. I'd rather make my searches from my doss."
Jamie calls up the BART schedule on her image link, "Drat, I'll have to wait fifteen minutes for the next train. If this meeting is over, I'd like to get moving."
Jamie shakes her head, "I don't know yet. That was first on my list to research. I'm not even sure Ute Nation would bar entry to SINless. It will take longer if I use the cyberterminal here. I'd rather make my searches from my doss."
Jamie calls up the BART schedule on her image link, "Drat, I'll have to wait fifteen minutes for the next train. If this meeting is over, I'd like to get moving."
16:50:41 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
"Ok, you look into that and get going. I got to be home for dinner soon. You all take a good look at the chalkboard and get going. I'll be seeing you guys tomorrow morning 8 o' clock sharp here. Better pack for a weeks worth of travel." Its obvious Kliko is in a hurry to end their session. Washing away the chalkboard contents, he checks his mPhone one more time before rallying them all out of his little workshop. "Can I drop you off somewhere Bubba?"
"Ok, you look into that and get going. I got to be home for dinner soon. You all take a good look at the chalkboard and get going. I'll be seeing you guys tomorrow morning 8 o' clock sharp here. Better pack for a weeks worth of travel." Its obvious Kliko is in a hurry to end their session. Washing away the chalkboard contents, he checks his mPhone one more time before rallying them all out of his little workshop. "Can I drop you off somewhere Bubba?"
16:46:20 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
"Jaime, if you need a ride home, I can take you there," Cosair says tardly, obviously hopeful to build some goodwill with his new teammates. "Just shoot me over the location of where you want to be dropped off. Just don't send the exact address, I don't want that type of information on anything I own."
"Jaime, if you need a ride home, I can take you there," Cosair says tardly, obviously hopeful to build some goodwill with his new teammates. "Just shoot me over the location of where you want to be dropped off. Just don't send the exact address, I don't want that type of information on anything I own."
16:46:22 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
"That'd be great."replies Jamie. Grabbing her pack she walks back outside, but stops short when she sees the vehicle Corsair is heading for. "Oh, it's a truck. I expected a rigger to have a hot ride." she mourns. "Oh well."
She climbs into the passenger side and buckles herself in. She gives Corsair directions to the a McHughs a few blocks from her doss and settles back for the ride.
Once they get to her destination, she thanks Corsair for the ride and walks home. She sweeps her apartment as usual and settles in for a long session of Matrix searching.
"That'd be great."replies Jamie. Grabbing her pack she walks back outside, but stops short when she sees the vehicle Corsair is heading for. "Oh, it's a truck. I expected a rigger to have a hot ride." she mourns. "Oh well."
She climbs into the passenger side and buckles herself in. She gives Corsair directions to the a McHughs a few blocks from her doss and settles back for the ride.
Once they get to her destination, she thanks Corsair for the ride and walks home. She sweeps her apartment as usual and settles in for a long session of Matrix searching.
23:13:06 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - Jamie's Flat, Oakland
Jaime jacks out of the matrix and leans back in her trusty old computer chair, stretching her arms over her head with a loud sigh, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh..." She tried to stand, but got a bit light headed, on top of her legs being asleep. She relaxed her eyes to focus on her standard computer screen, and go back over the information she had gathered over the last few hours, not to mention all the LOLCats.
Driving to Denver, the Mile High City, the Front Range Free Zone, or FRFZ, or city by any other names, gives the team a few problems. First, foreign travel. Second, the Rocky Mountains. Whether they take the short route through Interstate 80 through Reno, or go through Las Vegas, they have to go over the mountains. She types in a few notes under two headings: Reno; and Vegas.
RENO
Quicker, direct (1260 Miles - 20 hours straight)
I-80 East to Cheyenne I-25 South to Denver
Through Pueblo Corporate Council
VEGAS
Longer drive (1330 Miles - 22 hours straight)
Cover in Vegas
I-5 South to Bakersfield, 58 East to 15 North to Las Vegas, 15 North to 70 East to Denver
Through Ute Nation
From all research and looks of things, either way they go, there will be a few interstate checkpoints, which by all official reports, is pretty intense. However, she came across a post on a forum:
She also found some information forum poster, named Shadowcat had posted a bit about Denver:
The thing that sent Jamie almost into dumpshock, was the information on the new ruling council of Denver. A great dragon name Ghostwalker. She did a bit of research, but like dragons are, he has kept his work pretty secretive, except when he destroyed half of Denver upon his arrival to the new world.
She forwards the information to Kliko and Ludi, and shudders again. Jamie had heard this team was big time, and if the travel wasn't enough, and to find that their destination was under the rule of a great dragon, was not the information she wished to uncover.
Jaime jacks out of the matrix and leans back in her trusty old computer chair, stretching her arms over her head with a loud sigh, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh..." She tried to stand, but got a bit light headed, on top of her legs being asleep. She relaxed her eyes to focus on her standard computer screen, and go back over the information she had gathered over the last few hours, not to mention all the LOLCats.
Driving to Denver, the Mile High City, the Front Range Free Zone, or FRFZ, or city by any other names, gives the team a few problems. First, foreign travel. Second, the Rocky Mountains. Whether they take the short route through Interstate 80 through Reno, or go through Las Vegas, they have to go over the mountains. She types in a few notes under two headings: Reno; and Vegas.
RENO
Quicker, direct (1260 Miles - 20 hours straight)
I-80 East to Cheyenne I-25 South to Denver
Through Pueblo Corporate Council
VEGAS
Longer drive (1330 Miles - 22 hours straight)
Cover in Vegas
I-5 South to Bakersfield, 58 East to 15 North to Las Vegas, 15 North to 70 East to Denver
Through Ute Nation
From all research and looks of things, either way they go, there will be a few interstate checkpoints, which by all official reports, is pretty intense. However, she came across a post on a forum:
QUOTE (Sturm)
7212: Denver — The City of ShadowsA very real border completely surrounds the FRFZ, even in countries that adjoin the sector they officially own (for example, the Pueblo Corporate Council adjoining the Pueblo Sector). Every time you cross the Free Zone boundary you must pass through security, regardless where you're coming from and where you're going.
Why? Because the Free Zone's a very special case, chummer. The laws and jurisdiction in any given sector theoretically match those of the owning nation, but in practice these sectors rarely enforce those laws as vigorously as they could. (That's the beauty of the Free Zone.) To continue with the Pueblo example, it's quite possible for someone to live happily and even legally in the Pueblo Sector and be persona non grata in the Pueblo Council itself. Track me? The point is, again, that there'll always be some level of security and any time you cross into or out of the FRFZ. Count on it.
Why? Because the Free Zone's a very special case, chummer. The laws and jurisdiction in any given sector theoretically match those of the owning nation, but in practice these sectors rarely enforce those laws as vigorously as they could. (That's the beauty of the Free Zone.) To continue with the Pueblo example, it's quite possible for someone to live happily and even legally in the Pueblo Sector and be persona non grata in the Pueblo Council itself. Track me? The point is, again, that there'll always be some level of security and any time you cross into or out of the FRFZ. Count on it.
She also found some information forum poster, named Shadowcat had posted a bit about Denver:
QUOTE (Shadowcat)
Netsite2060
… it was that way for years, with all the different sections walled off, needing a passport and fifteen different types of ID to go from one to another. All sort of stuff happened here.
What happened to change Denver? Summer, 2057. You remember '57, don't you? There was that huge drought in the Midwest. Food production dropped all over, in some places to only 25% of normal. That's pretty normal, though. A little tight, but not a big deal.
Then those NeoAnarchs blew up the hydroponics farms in Boulder. That's when the drek really hit the fan. Suddenly food prices went through the roof. It wasn't even the price, really - there just literally wasn't enough food to go around. Smugglers actually started transporting soy products, is how bad it got.
To make a long story short, FreeCal made a contract with the city for ten kilotons of algae flown in from the western seaboard. The food landed in Denver International Airport… and Theodore Harleson, a petty UCAS bureaucrat who had a lot of gripes against FreeCal, stuck it in quarantine for a period not to be less than 7 days.
Needless to say, all hell broke loose. People were crowded up around the UCAS walls, yelling and screaming, so much that the border guards nervously deployed extra Lone Star crowd control units. Shadowruns to go and collect portions of the food cache were just in the planning stages when the Sioux governor finally gave in to his advisers, and sent in a team of Wildcats.
When they blew the gates open, the crowd howled out in hunger… and the food riots of '57 began. They lasted almost a month, ending up with almost twenty thousand people killed and over a hundred thousand injured. Harleson, needless to say, was not among them, having booked himself a flight out the minute it started.
That time was crazy. Open war came close to breaking out several times, only stopping by the grace of corporations and countries glossing over the matters as a 'local incident'. Lone Star ended up fighting Knight Errant as both sides struggled to control the crowds and protect their people. Corporation arcologies were put under siege by hungry crowds who saw food being flown in by LAVs.
In the aftermath, there was a huge push from all sides, the UCAS included, for the declaration of the Denver Free Trade Zone. Everyone in the city was for it, barring a few staunch conservatives, from the top of the highest corporation to the bottom of the shadows. With an almost unanimous vote, the legislation passed, and the walls came down.
The Denver Free Trade Zone
The walls actually had taken a lot of damage just in the riots. Some of them even got rebuilt by the sections, but the biggest change was in the policies governing movement around the city.
In the region ascribed by the Denver Free Trade Zone, anyone can go anywhere. No fuss about passports, or ID, or citizenship. Goods can enter the trade zone and be distributed freely. Only when you leave the Denver area do you have to show your passports and visas, going through customs to make sure you're not transporting things illegally.
As a result, land value in the free trade zone has multiplied. Everyone and their kid brother wants a piece of Denver. Huge areas of the city are even today still in development, with millions of yen sunk into the construction. The suburbs are turning into high density apartment complexes, or luxury housing for those who can afford it.
Prices of a lot of goods has dropped a great deal in the free trade zone. Someone from Seattle can ship in a load of cyberdeck parts, selling them in the CAS. At the same time, demand rose, leaving market prices stabilized around normal.
While movement and trade is free, upkeep still isn't. The city laws and ordinances are set by the Council, but they're enforced by the separate zones. And of course, some of them are more willing to overlook certain violations than others, especially if you happen to be a citizen of that region, but by and large, they toe the line.
With all the prices going up on land values and whatnot, a secondary set of suburbs has evolved just outside of the free trade zone, cheap housing. Another type of visa has been created (at least in the UCAS and CAS), the Free Trade Zone Visa. This allows for relatively easy travel between the suburbs and the zone, with only a couple of minor checks at either end.
Yeah, I know, you and every single one of your smuggler friends is drooling and asking, "Where can I get me one of those?" Answer: You can't. By and large, anyway. These visa's are new, unencumbered by decades of red tape and bureaucracy we Shadowrunners like to slip through, and are strictly controlled. Only around 400,000 exist, period. In order to get one, you have proof of employment within Denver, /and/ have to be a registered citizen of the region issuing the visa.
That second part is the tough one. They check your records against other files, too, as part of the application process. I've seen more than a few cocky Seattle runners disappear when they tried and used their fake UCAS SIN to get a Free Trade Visa. Be forewarned, as a minimum, they check your blood and retinal scans, not to just see if it matches your credstick, but to see if it matches /any/ of their extra files. If you have a criminal record in any name, in any country, or even left a sample at an intrusion site but didn't get caught, I'd strongly advise against trying.
And don't think about hacking in. The IC on the government systems is blacker than SIN, and faster than death. Most often, they won't even kill you - they'll use you to find out who else is smuggling things out of their country, and then, /maybe/ they'll kill you.
The Aurora Warrens
Welcome to the neighborhood, chumboy…the worst one in all of fragging Denver. The Warrens is less a "place of interest" than a place to stay the fragging hell away from. You think the Barrens in Seattle are bad? They got nothing on this slum. Nothing. Matter of fact, the Warrens are still standing purely on the sufferance of the relocation committee, which could send the bulldozers rolling in on any giving morning.
The sector's put no money into maintaining the high-density housing in the Warrens, and it shows. Lone Star patrols the area once in a blue fragging moon, DocWagon responds to calls from the Warrens on a "when we get around to it" basis, and firefighters could fragging care less about minimizing collateral damage. In real English, that means that the smoke-eaters will let a building burn to the fragging foundations if the fire appears to be well-entrenched, and concentrate on stopping it from spreading to surrounding buildings. Anywhere else but the Warrens, they'd make an effort to knock out the fire and save at least some of the building.
Most of the buildings in the Warrens have no power, phone, or sanitation hook-ups, and those that do receive these services illegally.
2061 Update
Written by Loki
Yeah, things have changed a lot in the last four years. Hell, there used to be times when gangs would have wars in the street, throwing around firebombs and killing each other left and right and the cops didn't even blink an eye. Not anymore.
Since the Denver Free Trade Zone was ratified in late 2057, the whole city turned around. It used to be that a corp only built in Denver to keep an eye on what everyone else was doing - a city full of nothing but spies looking at each other's like seagulls on a fence. Now, the FTZ offers actual economic advantages. Being able to transport anything around in the
city lets corps play all sorts of shell games with data and equipment in the local government. With the tax laws as they are, they can even do weird things to skip out entirely on the bill.
All this was bound to have an effect on the entire city, even the sprawl. Land values went up everywhere. Corporations started seriously looking at the Sprawl as not just another place to dump SINless refugees, but as a place to do business in. There was even some talk about scraping the entire thing off the face of the earth like some bit of discarded rubbish and 'paving over it with solidarity'… and plasticrete. Heh. Gotta love the way politicos talk.
So why's the place still around? Well, funny thing. The city council looked at it, figured out how much it would cost - somewhere upwards of around thirty billion nuyen for relocating all the people currently there, bulldozing it, paying the workers, doing all the new construction work. Oh, and the security fees for guarding all this work against he people who already live there - don't we feel loved? Anyway, they didn't have that kind of money, so they looked at the UCAS (whose sector it's in) and told them they could foot the entire bill. You can pretty much guess their reaction to
that news.
Granted, it's a lot 'nicer' around the sprawl these days. With all the money flowing into the city, everyone's a little better off. Hell, the outskirts of the sprawl even got cleaned up in some cases. Every now and then a corporation gets real interested in how cheap the land looks and buys up a bit of it, cleans it up, clears all the rubble and whatnot off - only to find that the prices on security are about ten times as much as if they'd built it somewhere else in the FTZ. If I had two nuyen for every company that went under in the last three years from the gangers, I'd be a rich man.
… it was that way for years, with all the different sections walled off, needing a passport and fifteen different types of ID to go from one to another. All sort of stuff happened here.
What happened to change Denver? Summer, 2057. You remember '57, don't you? There was that huge drought in the Midwest. Food production dropped all over, in some places to only 25% of normal. That's pretty normal, though. A little tight, but not a big deal.
Then those NeoAnarchs blew up the hydroponics farms in Boulder. That's when the drek really hit the fan. Suddenly food prices went through the roof. It wasn't even the price, really - there just literally wasn't enough food to go around. Smugglers actually started transporting soy products, is how bad it got.
To make a long story short, FreeCal made a contract with the city for ten kilotons of algae flown in from the western seaboard. The food landed in Denver International Airport… and Theodore Harleson, a petty UCAS bureaucrat who had a lot of gripes against FreeCal, stuck it in quarantine for a period not to be less than 7 days.
Needless to say, all hell broke loose. People were crowded up around the UCAS walls, yelling and screaming, so much that the border guards nervously deployed extra Lone Star crowd control units. Shadowruns to go and collect portions of the food cache were just in the planning stages when the Sioux governor finally gave in to his advisers, and sent in a team of Wildcats.
When they blew the gates open, the crowd howled out in hunger… and the food riots of '57 began. They lasted almost a month, ending up with almost twenty thousand people killed and over a hundred thousand injured. Harleson, needless to say, was not among them, having booked himself a flight out the minute it started.
That time was crazy. Open war came close to breaking out several times, only stopping by the grace of corporations and countries glossing over the matters as a 'local incident'. Lone Star ended up fighting Knight Errant as both sides struggled to control the crowds and protect their people. Corporation arcologies were put under siege by hungry crowds who saw food being flown in by LAVs.
In the aftermath, there was a huge push from all sides, the UCAS included, for the declaration of the Denver Free Trade Zone. Everyone in the city was for it, barring a few staunch conservatives, from the top of the highest corporation to the bottom of the shadows. With an almost unanimous vote, the legislation passed, and the walls came down.
The Denver Free Trade Zone
The walls actually had taken a lot of damage just in the riots. Some of them even got rebuilt by the sections, but the biggest change was in the policies governing movement around the city.
In the region ascribed by the Denver Free Trade Zone, anyone can go anywhere. No fuss about passports, or ID, or citizenship. Goods can enter the trade zone and be distributed freely. Only when you leave the Denver area do you have to show your passports and visas, going through customs to make sure you're not transporting things illegally.
As a result, land value in the free trade zone has multiplied. Everyone and their kid brother wants a piece of Denver. Huge areas of the city are even today still in development, with millions of yen sunk into the construction. The suburbs are turning into high density apartment complexes, or luxury housing for those who can afford it.
Prices of a lot of goods has dropped a great deal in the free trade zone. Someone from Seattle can ship in a load of cyberdeck parts, selling them in the CAS. At the same time, demand rose, leaving market prices stabilized around normal.
While movement and trade is free, upkeep still isn't. The city laws and ordinances are set by the Council, but they're enforced by the separate zones. And of course, some of them are more willing to overlook certain violations than others, especially if you happen to be a citizen of that region, but by and large, they toe the line.
With all the prices going up on land values and whatnot, a secondary set of suburbs has evolved just outside of the free trade zone, cheap housing. Another type of visa has been created (at least in the UCAS and CAS), the Free Trade Zone Visa. This allows for relatively easy travel between the suburbs and the zone, with only a couple of minor checks at either end.
Yeah, I know, you and every single one of your smuggler friends is drooling and asking, "Where can I get me one of those?" Answer: You can't. By and large, anyway. These visa's are new, unencumbered by decades of red tape and bureaucracy we Shadowrunners like to slip through, and are strictly controlled. Only around 400,000 exist, period. In order to get one, you have proof of employment within Denver, /and/ have to be a registered citizen of the region issuing the visa.
That second part is the tough one. They check your records against other files, too, as part of the application process. I've seen more than a few cocky Seattle runners disappear when they tried and used their fake UCAS SIN to get a Free Trade Visa. Be forewarned, as a minimum, they check your blood and retinal scans, not to just see if it matches your credstick, but to see if it matches /any/ of their extra files. If you have a criminal record in any name, in any country, or even left a sample at an intrusion site but didn't get caught, I'd strongly advise against trying.
And don't think about hacking in. The IC on the government systems is blacker than SIN, and faster than death. Most often, they won't even kill you - they'll use you to find out who else is smuggling things out of their country, and then, /maybe/ they'll kill you.
The Aurora Warrens
Welcome to the neighborhood, chumboy…the worst one in all of fragging Denver. The Warrens is less a "place of interest" than a place to stay the fragging hell away from. You think the Barrens in Seattle are bad? They got nothing on this slum. Nothing. Matter of fact, the Warrens are still standing purely on the sufferance of the relocation committee, which could send the bulldozers rolling in on any giving morning.
The sector's put no money into maintaining the high-density housing in the Warrens, and it shows. Lone Star patrols the area once in a blue fragging moon, DocWagon responds to calls from the Warrens on a "when we get around to it" basis, and firefighters could fragging care less about minimizing collateral damage. In real English, that means that the smoke-eaters will let a building burn to the fragging foundations if the fire appears to be well-entrenched, and concentrate on stopping it from spreading to surrounding buildings. Anywhere else but the Warrens, they'd make an effort to knock out the fire and save at least some of the building.
Most of the buildings in the Warrens have no power, phone, or sanitation hook-ups, and those that do receive these services illegally.
2061 Update
Written by Loki
Yeah, things have changed a lot in the last four years. Hell, there used to be times when gangs would have wars in the street, throwing around firebombs and killing each other left and right and the cops didn't even blink an eye. Not anymore.
Since the Denver Free Trade Zone was ratified in late 2057, the whole city turned around. It used to be that a corp only built in Denver to keep an eye on what everyone else was doing - a city full of nothing but spies looking at each other's like seagulls on a fence. Now, the FTZ offers actual economic advantages. Being able to transport anything around in the
city lets corps play all sorts of shell games with data and equipment in the local government. With the tax laws as they are, they can even do weird things to skip out entirely on the bill.
All this was bound to have an effect on the entire city, even the sprawl. Land values went up everywhere. Corporations started seriously looking at the Sprawl as not just another place to dump SINless refugees, but as a place to do business in. There was even some talk about scraping the entire thing off the face of the earth like some bit of discarded rubbish and 'paving over it with solidarity'… and plasticrete. Heh. Gotta love the way politicos talk.
So why's the place still around? Well, funny thing. The city council looked at it, figured out how much it would cost - somewhere upwards of around thirty billion nuyen for relocating all the people currently there, bulldozing it, paying the workers, doing all the new construction work. Oh, and the security fees for guarding all this work against he people who already live there - don't we feel loved? Anyway, they didn't have that kind of money, so they looked at the UCAS (whose sector it's in) and told them they could foot the entire bill. You can pretty much guess their reaction to
that news.
Granted, it's a lot 'nicer' around the sprawl these days. With all the money flowing into the city, everyone's a little better off. Hell, the outskirts of the sprawl even got cleaned up in some cases. Every now and then a corporation gets real interested in how cheap the land looks and buys up a bit of it, cleans it up, clears all the rubble and whatnot off - only to find that the prices on security are about ten times as much as if they'd built it somewhere else in the FTZ. If I had two nuyen for every company that went under in the last three years from the gangers, I'd be a rich man.
The thing that sent Jamie almost into dumpshock, was the information on the new ruling council of Denver. A great dragon name Ghostwalker. She did a bit of research, but like dragons are, he has kept his work pretty secretive, except when he destroyed half of Denver upon his arrival to the new world.
QUOTE (6thWorldWiki)
Ghostwalker is the most recent Great Dragon to come into the spotlight of the Sixth World. He is a Western Dragon with scales colored in pale ivory with blue highlights. In his metahuman form, he prefers a tall male human with white hair. Ghostwalker has claimed all of the city of Denver as his domain. His translator is young male ork by the name of Nicholas Whitebird.
Ghostwalker has a remarkable affinity for spirits, and seems to be accompanied by them at all times. During his attacks on Denver, he was reportedly seen destroying certain powerful spirits throughout individual areas in Denver.
Ghostwalker first appeared in his astral form on December 24, 2061 from the astral rift in Washington, D.C. over the site of Dunkelzahn's assassination. He immediately flew to Denver, somehow picking up his body along the way, with a veritable army of spirits, and launched a month-long campaign of attacks against the city, focusing on the Aztlan district. In January 2062, Ghostwalker met with the Council of Denver and assumed control of the Front Range Free Zone. Aztlan is forced out by CAS troops, who seize the Aztlan sector. He creates the Zone Defense Force to defend his new empire.
Ghostwalker appears to be on good terms with Hestaby, Hualpa, and Masaru. The other dragons in Denver at the time either left or are now allies with Ghostwalker, including the dragon Perianwyr. The only great dragon Ghostwalker seems to show overt hostility to is Lofwyr.
The relationship between Ghostwalker and the late Dunkelzahn is unknown. They appear physically alike in both age and size, as well as certain physical characteristics. Rhonabwy offered condolences on Ghostwalker's loss when he first appeared, which led some to believe that Ghostwalker and Dunkelzahn are somehow related. It is unlikely that Ghostwalker is Dunkelzahn reborn.
Even stranger is the relationship between Ghostwalker and the Draco Foundation. Apparently, Nadja Daviar and Aina Dupree were in the city of Denver shortly before Ghostwalker's appearance, and they had some sort of private discussion. The outcome of the discussion is unknown, but there has been an air of cooperation and neutrality since then.
Ghostwalker has a remarkable affinity for spirits, and seems to be accompanied by them at all times. During his attacks on Denver, he was reportedly seen destroying certain powerful spirits throughout individual areas in Denver.
Ghostwalker first appeared in his astral form on December 24, 2061 from the astral rift in Washington, D.C. over the site of Dunkelzahn's assassination. He immediately flew to Denver, somehow picking up his body along the way, with a veritable army of spirits, and launched a month-long campaign of attacks against the city, focusing on the Aztlan district. In January 2062, Ghostwalker met with the Council of Denver and assumed control of the Front Range Free Zone. Aztlan is forced out by CAS troops, who seize the Aztlan sector. He creates the Zone Defense Force to defend his new empire.
Ghostwalker appears to be on good terms with Hestaby, Hualpa, and Masaru. The other dragons in Denver at the time either left or are now allies with Ghostwalker, including the dragon Perianwyr. The only great dragon Ghostwalker seems to show overt hostility to is Lofwyr.
The relationship between Ghostwalker and the late Dunkelzahn is unknown. They appear physically alike in both age and size, as well as certain physical characteristics. Rhonabwy offered condolences on Ghostwalker's loss when he first appeared, which led some to believe that Ghostwalker and Dunkelzahn are somehow related. It is unlikely that Ghostwalker is Dunkelzahn reborn.
Even stranger is the relationship between Ghostwalker and the Draco Foundation. Apparently, Nadja Daviar and Aina Dupree were in the city of Denver shortly before Ghostwalker's appearance, and they had some sort of private discussion. The outcome of the discussion is unknown, but there has been an air of cooperation and neutrality since then.
She forwards the information to Kliko and Ludi, and shudders again. Jamie had heard this team was big time, and if the travel wasn't enough, and to find that their destination was under the rule of a great dragon, was not the information she wished to uncover.
07:43:32 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
The soykaff machine in the workshops little kitchenette buzzed and gorgled to life as Kliko himself scrolled through Jamie's report on the Denver Free Zone. 'Drek, heck, at least it looks like we don't be needing any serious hardware. We definately got ta work with disposables for this one.' Preparing a mental list he sipped the first of many soykaffs for the day re-reading the report. At least the family would be taken care of in the time he was away. All-in-all he gathered the job should take at least a week minimum. 'The Vegas route looks promising at least, we could even spend the night there, that should be fun.' Whatever the job was, the crew had to consider what type of jobs they'd walk away from. In Kliko's book that should be about anything involving little kids or spouses 'Though I doubt this is about finding a missing person.' The Great Dragon concerned him somewhat. He looked up some newsclipping ons the trid. 'It would be a definate no-go when the dragon be'd involved.'
Watching his teammates drop in one at a time, Kliko was ready to conclude their planning session and get rollin'
The soykaff machine in the workshops little kitchenette buzzed and gorgled to life as Kliko himself scrolled through Jamie's report on the Denver Free Zone. 'Drek, heck, at least it looks like we don't be needing any serious hardware. We definately got ta work with disposables for this one.' Preparing a mental list he sipped the first of many soykaffs for the day re-reading the report. At least the family would be taken care of in the time he was away. All-in-all he gathered the job should take at least a week minimum. 'The Vegas route looks promising at least, we could even spend the night there, that should be fun.' Whatever the job was, the crew had to consider what type of jobs they'd walk away from. In Kliko's book that should be about anything involving little kids or spouses 'Though I doubt this is about finding a missing person.' The Great Dragon concerned him somewhat. He looked up some newsclipping ons the trid. 'It would be a definate no-go when the dragon be'd involved.'
Watching his teammates drop in one at a time, Kliko was ready to conclude their planning session and get rollin'
23:15:00 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - Felix's Apartment, Livermore
Felix wakes up grumbling as the text from Jamie arrives. He pulls up the visa file and begins to fill it out, grumbling along the way.
23:54:30 Thursday, 30 March 2062 TEXT MESSAGE SENT [FELIX>>>JAMIE]: Here's your fragging application. I'm going back to sleep
06:30:02 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - Felix's Apartment, Livermore
Felix begins reading over the data that Jamie sent out while munching on his breakfast of soy flakes. The information scrolling past his eyes certainly gave him things to ponder.
07:52:20 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Felix strolls in the door of Kilko's office with a small duffel bag over one shoulder and a garment bag in his hand. He places the duffel on the floor and hangs the garment bag from a shelf before grabbing a chair for himself.
"I'm glad I can travel damn light when I reread the border policies of the Denver sectors last night. If you're going to pick up disposable weapons of a heavier style, I'm fairly handy with a shotgun, although I can't interface with a smartgun system so I go with a simple laser sight." Felix indicates the bag as he continues. "Got everything I'll need for a week or so in there, nothing that should draw any attention crossing borders so you should be fine tossing it anywhere in the vehicles."
"If it's possible, I'd like to go with the advance party, both so I have the time to ward part of the safehouse, and because I can cross the border checkpoints without a problem while still able to react to anything."
Felix wakes up grumbling as the text from Jamie arrives. He pulls up the visa file and begins to fill it out, grumbling along the way.
23:54:30 Thursday, 30 March 2062 TEXT MESSAGE SENT [FELIX>>>JAMIE]: Here's your fragging application. I'm going back to sleep
06:30:02 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - Felix's Apartment, Livermore
Felix begins reading over the data that Jamie sent out while munching on his breakfast of soy flakes. The information scrolling past his eyes certainly gave him things to ponder.
07:52:20 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Felix strolls in the door of Kilko's office with a small duffel bag over one shoulder and a garment bag in his hand. He places the duffel on the floor and hangs the garment bag from a shelf before grabbing a chair for himself.
"I'm glad I can travel damn light when I reread the border policies of the Denver sectors last night. If you're going to pick up disposable weapons of a heavier style, I'm fairly handy with a shotgun, although I can't interface with a smartgun system so I go with a simple laser sight." Felix indicates the bag as he continues. "Got everything I'll need for a week or so in there, nothing that should draw any attention crossing borders so you should be fine tossing it anywhere in the vehicles."
"If it's possible, I'd like to go with the advance party, both so I have the time to ward part of the safehouse, and because I can cross the border checkpoints without a problem while still able to react to anything."
08:05 Friday, 31 March 2062 TEXT MESSAGE SENT [JAXX>>>KLIKO, LUDI]: I contacted the Johnson. The meet will be in the CAS Sector. Text me when you arrive and I will get the meet details.
16:51:00 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Yes, Kliko's. I needs to head to da chopper! I lefts my bike back at Franky's. What do you wants me to dos to prepares for our road trips..." Bubba pauses with a furled brow ponderous expression. His face lights up like a kid on Christmas. "I knows! I'll get da road snacks? Also, I got some perty nice weapons dese days... dids I tell yous..." Bubba grins from ear to ear. "I been getting pretty goods with a rocket launcher! But I really wants me a panther cannon... we got anything in da team budgets for that?"
Bubba wraps his hulk arm around Corsair and pulls him in with a little squeeze. "I likes dis guy he has robots, in facts, I am gonna bring you some extra specials donuts for the road trips.
06:30:00 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Bubba's Apartment, Antioch - Sycamore
Bubba, rolls off the couch in tune with his alarm beeping. He passed out last night watching the culinary channel on the trid, the channel featured a special on donuts and pastries. 'Yummy' Bubba thought to himself as donuts and pastries still filled his mind. "uh ohs," Bubba says loudly as he sniffs under each arm pit realizing he didnt give himself enough time to clean up before he left. 'Oh wells nothing my super troll goody colon cant fix' Bubba splashed some cheap colon on, threw a bunch of random clothes and items into a duffel bag, and didn’t bother to change, he then jumped on his chopper and headed to Franks Donuts which is conveniently located down the street. In fact, this is why Bubba moved to the apartment in the first place.
06:45:00 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Franks Donuts, Antioch - Sycamore
"Yo Franky! Bubba blurts out as he walks through the door of Franks Donuts. "I need somethins extra specials for my friend, dos you have anys robot style donuts? You knows, little round ones with white frostings and robot faces? Maybe use can makes me somethins real quicks, ill take da usuals and three extra dozens of special robots kinds."
08:05:32 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Bubba, carefully balances his donut boxes as he opens the door to Kliko's office. "Sorrys I am lates but I got somethins extra specials for everybodies." Bubba places his plethora of donuts on the table and sits down proudly waiting for the team to enjoy. Bubba was oblivious to his teammates shifting and moving away from him as most caught a whiff of body odor modified by cheap colon. Bubba had a bad habit of turning the heat way up, watching the trid, and passing out as his massive body dropped tidal waves of sweat over the night. Kliko had been working with Bubba on his hygiene problems, but today was definitely a backslide day and just in time for everyone to load up for a long drive.
Yes, Kliko's. I needs to head to da chopper! I lefts my bike back at Franky's. What do you wants me to dos to prepares for our road trips..." Bubba pauses with a furled brow ponderous expression. His face lights up like a kid on Christmas. "I knows! I'll get da road snacks? Also, I got some perty nice weapons dese days... dids I tell yous..." Bubba grins from ear to ear. "I been getting pretty goods with a rocket launcher! But I really wants me a panther cannon... we got anything in da team budgets for that?"
Bubba wraps his hulk arm around Corsair and pulls him in with a little squeeze. "I likes dis guy he has robots, in facts, I am gonna bring you some extra specials donuts for the road trips.
06:30:00 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Bubba's Apartment, Antioch - Sycamore
Bubba, rolls off the couch in tune with his alarm beeping. He passed out last night watching the culinary channel on the trid, the channel featured a special on donuts and pastries. 'Yummy' Bubba thought to himself as donuts and pastries still filled his mind. "uh ohs," Bubba says loudly as he sniffs under each arm pit realizing he didnt give himself enough time to clean up before he left. 'Oh wells nothing my super troll goody colon cant fix' Bubba splashed some cheap colon on, threw a bunch of random clothes and items into a duffel bag, and didn’t bother to change, he then jumped on his chopper and headed to Franks Donuts which is conveniently located down the street. In fact, this is why Bubba moved to the apartment in the first place.
06:45:00 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Franks Donuts, Antioch - Sycamore
"Yo Franky! Bubba blurts out as he walks through the door of Franks Donuts. "I need somethins extra specials for my friend, dos you have anys robot style donuts? You knows, little round ones with white frostings and robot faces? Maybe use can makes me somethins real quicks, ill take da usuals and three extra dozens of special robots kinds."
08:05:32 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Bubba, carefully balances his donut boxes as he opens the door to Kliko's office. "Sorrys I am lates but I got somethins extra specials for everybodies." Bubba places his plethora of donuts on the table and sits down proudly waiting for the team to enjoy. Bubba was oblivious to his teammates shifting and moving away from him as most caught a whiff of body odor modified by cheap colon. Bubba had a bad habit of turning the heat way up, watching the trid, and passing out as his massive body dropped tidal waves of sweat over the night. Kliko had been working with Bubba on his hygiene problems, but today was definitely a backslide day and just in time for everyone to load up for a long drive.
16:51:06 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
'A fraggin PAC!
', "Yeah, well, we'll look into it alright Bubba, lets start with saving up for a gyromount and I will ask around for PAC once you have the cred ok. It appears easy to bring in stuff in this Free Trade Zone, but a bitch to bring anything back heavier then a pistol... by the way Bubba, you got a working SIN? You really want to pack that with some fresh clothes and enough donuts to last a day. Give Jaxx a call when you need a SIN."
08:07:01 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
"Yeah, well, first we gonna hear out the Johnson, hear what he got to say. If there's things you got issues with, now would be the time to tell me. I'm not going to take a job we're not fully committed to as a team, see." Sipping on his first soykaff of the day. "Lets see what Ludmilla dug up on local Denver contacts... the Vegas route Jamie sent last night looks workable enough..."
Something in the atmosphere just changed as Bubba walked in the garage workshop, it could have been either his fine presence or the eau the cologne the giant used as a poor personal hygiene substitute. 'I definately got to trick him into showering a loooong time once we get to Vegas... a higher lifestyle wouldn't hurt either...' All of a sudden, having Bubba ride along on his chopper seemed like a real good idea...
'A fraggin PAC!
', "Yeah, well, we'll look into it alright Bubba, lets start with saving up for a gyromount and I will ask around for PAC once you have the cred ok. It appears easy to bring in stuff in this Free Trade Zone, but a bitch to bring anything back heavier then a pistol... by the way Bubba, you got a working SIN? You really want to pack that with some fresh clothes and enough donuts to last a day. Give Jaxx a call when you need a SIN."08:07:01 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
"Yeah, well, first we gonna hear out the Johnson, hear what he got to say. If there's things you got issues with, now would be the time to tell me. I'm not going to take a job we're not fully committed to as a team, see." Sipping on his first soykaff of the day. "Lets see what Ludmilla dug up on local Denver contacts... the Vegas route Jamie sent last night looks workable enough..."
Something in the atmosphere just changed as Bubba walked in the garage workshop, it could have been either his fine presence or the eau the cologne the giant used as a poor personal hygiene substitute. 'I definately got to trick him into showering a loooong time once we get to Vegas... a higher lifestyle wouldn't hurt either...' All of a sudden, having Bubba ride along on his chopper seemed like a real good idea...
23:13:06 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - Jamie's Flat, Oakland
Jamie freshens up her cup of coffee. Having forgotten to send out the visa form in her eagerness to get started. She sends the form out post haste.
23:14:33 Thursday, 30 March 2062 TEXT MESSAGE SENT [JAXX>>>JAMIE, FELIX, CORSAIR, BUBBA, LUDMILLA]: Visa application attached. Please send them back to me when you're done.
Jamie fills out her own visa and saves it. She then jacks in and acquires four throwaway MSP accounts: two for San Francisco, one for the Ute Nation LTG and one for the Denver LTG.
She scouts a couple of local travel agencies as likely targets for submitting our vacation package with the Ute Nation visas. She packs her bag for Denver , then settles down to code until she gets everyone's ids.
01:13:06 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Jamie's Flat, Oakland
Everyone's visa application was in. Jamie hacks the Pacific Travel host, a local travel agency. She finds an overworked employee and submits a travel package to the Rocky Mountain National Park under that name, including the visas. She downloads the travel information so she can go over the story with everyone else.
That done, she settles in to write some code. Then she remembers Kliko wanting everyone to gather at 8 the next morning. Fraggit all to hell! Why couldn't he have chosen a more civilized time of day. She sets an alarm for the ungodly hour of 6:30, then sacks out.
06:33:15 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Jamie's Flat, Oakland
What is that awful noise? My alarm. Why is that set for....uggg...6:30? Must not be that important.
06:42:47 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Jamie's Flat, Oakland
Drek, I'm late. Jamie jumps out of bed. She hustles a cup of soykaf into the shower with her and cleans herself quickly. She gets dressed and grabs her bag. She just barely makes the 19th street train, but she gets a whole cup of caf in on the ride.
08:16:26 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Jamie drags into the workshop. She gives Kliko the evil eye as she makes herself a new cup of soycaf. "You unrepenatent bastard. Why would you ever think I would be willing to be up this early? Great Dragons, I usually go to sleep around now."
Jamie freshens up her cup of coffee. Having forgotten to send out the visa form in her eagerness to get started. She sends the form out post haste.
23:14:33 Thursday, 30 March 2062 TEXT MESSAGE SENT [JAXX>>>JAMIE, FELIX, CORSAIR, BUBBA, LUDMILLA]: Visa application attached. Please send them back to me when you're done.
Jamie fills out her own visa and saves it. She then jacks in and acquires four throwaway MSP accounts: two for San Francisco, one for the Ute Nation LTG and one for the Denver LTG.
She scouts a couple of local travel agencies as likely targets for submitting our vacation package with the Ute Nation visas. She packs her bag for Denver , then settles down to code until she gets everyone's ids.
01:13:06 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Jamie's Flat, Oakland
Everyone's visa application was in. Jamie hacks the Pacific Travel host, a local travel agency. She finds an overworked employee and submits a travel package to the Rocky Mountain National Park under that name, including the visas. She downloads the travel information so she can go over the story with everyone else.
That done, she settles in to write some code. Then she remembers Kliko wanting everyone to gather at 8 the next morning. Fraggit all to hell! Why couldn't he have chosen a more civilized time of day. She sets an alarm for the ungodly hour of 6:30, then sacks out.
06:33:15 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Jamie's Flat, Oakland
What is that awful noise? My alarm. Why is that set for....uggg...6:30? Must not be that important.
06:42:47 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Jamie's Flat, Oakland
Drek, I'm late. Jamie jumps out of bed. She hustles a cup of soykaf into the shower with her and cleans herself quickly. She gets dressed and grabs her bag. She just barely makes the 19th street train, but she gets a whole cup of caf in on the ride.
08:16:26 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Jamie drags into the workshop. She gives Kliko the evil eye as she makes herself a new cup of soycaf. "You unrepenatent bastard. Why would you ever think I would be willing to be up this early? Great Dragons, I usually go to sleep around now."
23:13:06 Thursday, 30 March 2062 - Corsair's Crib, Oakland
Corsair received Jaime's message and opened the attachment. Corsair debated which SIN to use, real or fake, but ultimately decided to go with the real SIN. Since it'd be nice to have Visas attached to his real SIN in the future, or well, his future as a Urban Brawler, he filled out his application for his real SIN.
00:00:15 Friday, 31 March 2062 TEXT MESSAGE SENT [CORSAIR>>>JAMIE]: Visa application attached. Thanks.
07:49:35 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Thanks to the sleep regulator, Corsair didn't need much sleep. He pulled up to Kliko's "office" with his Gaz Willie fleet. He brought both just incase more capacity was needed. He waited in his vehicle until he saw a team member enter as well. Kliko seemed friendly enough, but Corsair felt odd talking to the Ork in casual conversation....
Corsair received Jaime's message and opened the attachment. Corsair debated which SIN to use, real or fake, but ultimately decided to go with the real SIN. Since it'd be nice to have Visas attached to his real SIN in the future, or well, his future as a Urban Brawler, he filled out his application for his real SIN.
00:00:15 Friday, 31 March 2062 TEXT MESSAGE SENT [CORSAIR>>>JAMIE]: Visa application attached. Thanks.
07:49:35 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Thanks to the sleep regulator, Corsair didn't need much sleep. He pulled up to Kliko's "office" with his Gaz Willie fleet. He brought both just incase more capacity was needed. He waited in his vehicle until he saw a team member enter as well. Kliko seemed friendly enough, but Corsair felt odd talking to the Ork in casual conversation....
08:16:32 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
"WHAT THE FRAG KEPT YOU SO LONG! Eight o' clock is eight o'clock and as good a time as any. Some people got to work to earn a living you know. Don't you think for one second that working a job is anything different from a 24/7 job...." Kliko is clearly frustrated with Jamie showing up late. 'For all we knew the job was compromised, hell, my office was compromised!' "Anyway, looks like you did a good job on those visa last night. We should be able to kick off in a few more minutes, you can sleep in the car if you feel tired." 'Wussy'
"I also had words with Ludmilla last night and she got some personal stuff to take care of, it appears she's moving house because we did so well on our last job and chooses to pass on this one. I told her I'd like her with us, but we got to respect her priorities for now. As far as I can see we're good to go, we'll spend the night in Vegas until we get our Denver visa's confirmed. Jamie, you're with Corsair, Felix with me... Bubba, you take the chopper aye... lets roll, Vegas here we come!"
"WHAT THE FRAG KEPT YOU SO LONG! Eight o' clock is eight o'clock and as good a time as any. Some people got to work to earn a living you know. Don't you think for one second that working a job is anything different from a 24/7 job...." Kliko is clearly frustrated with Jamie showing up late. 'For all we knew the job was compromised, hell, my office was compromised!' "Anyway, looks like you did a good job on those visa last night. We should be able to kick off in a few more minutes, you can sleep in the car if you feel tired." 'Wussy'
"I also had words with Ludmilla last night and she got some personal stuff to take care of, it appears she's moving house because we did so well on our last job and chooses to pass on this one. I told her I'd like her with us, but we got to respect her priorities for now. As far as I can see we're good to go, we'll spend the night in Vegas until we get our Denver visa's confirmed. Jamie, you're with Corsair, Felix with me... Bubba, you take the chopper aye... lets roll, Vegas here we come!"
08:16:35 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Jamie glares back at the angry ork. This isn't over. She takes a deep breath. Her reply is flat, holding back the sarcasm, "We don't need Denver visas. We need Ute ones. "
She continues with more animation than she's really feeling, "As far as I can tell, if we can get into Ute with a visa, we can get into the Ute Sector of Denver. We should also have no problems getting into the Free Trade Zone too. It's getting back out that will be a problem. I did the legwork on the visas and submitted them late last night. However, that doesn't mean they were processed. We still have to get them before we can get into Ute and Vegas. Unless you think we can get across the Ute border without them."
Jamie glares back at the angry ork. This isn't over. She takes a deep breath. Her reply is flat, holding back the sarcasm, "We don't need Denver visas. We need Ute ones. "
She continues with more animation than she's really feeling, "As far as I can tell, if we can get into Ute with a visa, we can get into the Ute Sector of Denver. We should also have no problems getting into the Free Trade Zone too. It's getting back out that will be a problem. I did the legwork on the visas and submitted them late last night. However, that doesn't mean they were processed. We still have to get them before we can get into Ute and Vegas. Unless you think we can get across the Ute border without them."
08:16:41 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
"It's still a 7 hour drive to the border isn't it? Perhaps they get processed by the time we get there... I just don't want to waste no fraggin time on visa's. I was already planning on travelling light. We do the meet, hear the J out, do what we do best, and sneak out. I mean we can always ask a local contact to smuggle us out the Free Trade Zone... by the looks of it there must be some major trafficking going on right there. "
"It's still a 7 hour drive to the border isn't it? Perhaps they get processed by the time we get there... I just don't want to waste no fraggin time on visa's. I was already planning on travelling light. We do the meet, hear the J out, do what we do best, and sneak out. I mean we can always ask a local contact to smuggle us out the Free Trade Zone... by the looks of it there must be some major trafficking going on right there. "
17:36:41 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Baker, California
The sun is setting behind the convoy as it pulls into the gas station in Baker. Their tanks are still half full after filling up in Bakersfield, but it does not hurt to be topped off before crossing the mountains into the Ute Nation. They would already be there if it were not for six additional pit stops for "Bubba-fuel." Kliko used the first stop to pick up additional "Bubba-spray." Nevertheless, they would be in Vegas in less than two hours, depending on customs.
18:45:10 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm
The line of vehicles at the boarder is rather longer than anyone expected. It takes about 10 minutes for them to reach the actual check point.
Kliko's Land Rover pulls up with Felix riding shotgun. The Ute boarder guard asks Kliko, "What is your reason for your visit to the Ute Nation?"
In the next lane, Corsair stops at the checkpoint, Jamie seated next to him in the Nomad. The guard asks Corsair the same question.
Behind Kliko, Bubba sits on his chopper, a box of processed donuts riding bitch.
The sun is setting behind the convoy as it pulls into the gas station in Baker. Their tanks are still half full after filling up in Bakersfield, but it does not hurt to be topped off before crossing the mountains into the Ute Nation. They would already be there if it were not for six additional pit stops for "Bubba-fuel." Kliko used the first stop to pick up additional "Bubba-spray." Nevertheless, they would be in Vegas in less than two hours, depending on customs.
18:45:10 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm
The line of vehicles at the boarder is rather longer than anyone expected. It takes about 10 minutes for them to reach the actual check point.
Kliko's Land Rover pulls up with Felix riding shotgun. The Ute boarder guard asks Kliko, "What is your reason for your visit to the Ute Nation?"
In the next lane, Corsair stops at the checkpoint, Jamie seated next to him in the Nomad. The guard asks Corsair the same question.
Behind Kliko, Bubba sits on his chopper, a box of processed donuts riding bitch.
08:16:41 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Jamie settles in to do some coding until the visas come through.
11:27:15 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Jamie's cell phone notifies her of an incoming text message. She checks it quickly and hits the Matrix to pull down the visas. She puts together a travel package from the agency she'd hacked, then sends them out in a text message.
11:31:46 Friday, 31 March 2062 TEXT MESSAGE SENT [JAMIE>>>CORSAIR, KLIKO, BUBBA, FELIX]: Trip Info attached. Let's roll.
11:33:19 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Jamie's swings up into Corsair's ride. She spends the trip chatting with Corsair and coding, swapping around every couple of hours.
18:45:10 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm
As Corsair pulls up to the checkpoint, Jamie breathes deep. Only what information they need. When the security guard asks her purpose, she responds, "Evening sir, visiting Rocky Mountain National Park."
Jamie settles in to do some coding until the visas come through.
11:27:15 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Jamie's cell phone notifies her of an incoming text message. She checks it quickly and hits the Matrix to pull down the visas. She puts together a travel package from the agency she'd hacked, then sends them out in a text message.
11:31:46 Friday, 31 March 2062 TEXT MESSAGE SENT [JAMIE>>>CORSAIR, KLIKO, BUBBA, FELIX]: Trip Info attached. Let's roll.
11:33:19 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Jamie's swings up into Corsair's ride. She spends the trip chatting with Corsair and coding, swapping around every couple of hours.
18:45:10 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm
As Corsair pulls up to the checkpoint, Jamie breathes deep. Only what information they need. When the security guard asks her purpose, she responds, "Evening sir, visiting Rocky Mountain National Park."
18:45:16 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm
Playing the happy orc-jig to the max Kliko proclaims "Pleasure sir... we be goin through Vegas on our way to the Rockies National park for some hiking sir." SIN's ready for submittion Kliko hoped the baseball cap would mask his already balding head and thinning hair. 'Frag, any luck and he'll wave us through, just like that.'
Playing the happy orc-jig to the max Kliko proclaims "Pleasure sir... we be goin through Vegas on our way to the Rockies National park for some hiking sir." SIN's ready for submittion Kliko hoped the baseball cap would mask his already balding head and thinning hair. 'Frag, any luck and he'll wave us through, just like that.'
11:33:19 Friday, 31 March 2062 - 680 Garcia Ave, Pittsburgh
Jamie's swings up into Corsair's ride. They chat, about nothing in particular, swapping around every couple of hours.
18:45:10 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm
Corsair see's Jaime about to answer and doesn't want to confuse the rent a cop and keeps his mouth shut. Her words come out smooth and call and Corsair nods along thinking, Shit she's probably been in situations like this tons of time. Crap, he thinks, I need to get used to this 'running thing quick, I'm gonna stand out like a sore thumb.
Jamie's swings up into Corsair's ride. They chat, about nothing in particular, swapping around every couple of hours.
18:45:10 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm
Corsair see's Jaime about to answer and doesn't want to confuse the rent a cop and keeps his mouth shut. Her words come out smooth and call and Corsair nods along thinking, Shit she's probably been in situations like this tons of time. Crap, he thinks, I need to get used to this 'running thing quick, I'm gonna stand out like a sore thumb.
18:45:15 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
The seemingly happy-go-lucky orc responds to the guards query, "Pleasure sir... we be goin' through Vegas on our way to the Rockies National park for some hiking sir."
Jeff, the guard, looks at him, "Hiking? In the Rockies?"
18:45:33 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
When the security guard asks her purpose, Jamie responds, "Evening sir, visiting Rocky Mountain National Park."
Max, per his boarder guard name tag, kindly asks, "Have you guys been there before?"
The seemingly happy-go-lucky orc responds to the guards query, "Pleasure sir... we be goin' through Vegas on our way to the Rockies National park for some hiking sir."
Jeff, the guard, looks at him, "Hiking? In the Rockies?"
18:45:33 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
When the security guard asks her purpose, Jamie responds, "Evening sir, visiting Rocky Mountain National Park."
Max, per his boarder guard name tag, kindly asks, "Have you guys been there before?"
18:45:35 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
Jamie keeps her face neutral as alarm bells go off in her head. He's fishing. Lets keep it to what I can document.
Jamie replies, "No sir, but the travel brochure has some great pictures. It looks like a beautiful place to see."
Jamie keeps her face neutral as alarm bells go off in her head. He's fishing. Lets keep it to what I can document.
Jamie replies, "No sir, but the travel brochure has some great pictures. It looks like a beautiful place to see."
18:45:18 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
"Yeah, the real thing still beats the sim-experience hands-down sir." 'Should have passed the border during rush hour, no time for questions then.' The corp script he was hiding in the palm of Kliko's hands started to get sweaty. 'He better fall for this one, shame to waste our gas money on bribes before we get to the Mile High city.'
18:51:32 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
Driving away from the borner, Kliko turns to Felix. "Say Felix, you think you can sling some mojo or conjure a spirit or something to move a gate bar or spike strips or anything of the sort?... just checking out our options in case any of the crossings turn sour if you know what I mean... afterall, magic is the big unknown out there... actually its the reason it freaks Ludmilla out that much.... these ruski's, they don't mess about when they mean business..."
"Yeah, the real thing still beats the sim-experience hands-down sir." 'Should have passed the border during rush hour, no time for questions then.' The corp script he was hiding in the palm of Kliko's hands started to get sweaty. 'He better fall for this one, shame to waste our gas money on bribes before we get to the Mile High city.'
18:51:32 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
Driving away from the borner, Kliko turns to Felix. "Say Felix, you think you can sling some mojo or conjure a spirit or something to move a gate bar or spike strips or anything of the sort?... just checking out our options in case any of the crossings turn sour if you know what I mean... afterall, magic is the big unknown out there... actually its the reason it freaks Ludmilla out that much.... these ruski's, they don't mess about when they mean business..."
18:45:22 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
"Do you know what you two are getting into young men?" he asks in a condasending parental tone, one that Kliko has used many times when he thinks his teenagers are doing something utterly stupid.
18:45:39 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"Do you have this brochure with you?"
"Do you know what you two are getting into young men?" he asks in a condasending parental tone, one that Kliko has used many times when he thinks his teenagers are doing something utterly stupid.
18:45:39 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"Do you have this brochure with you?"
18:45:42 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"Ah, we actually don't have a physical copy of it sir," Corsair said, mind thinking quickly. "We, ah, found it on the matrix. The pictures they had on their were really nice. Just need to get a way from the grind of city and the job. Just need some R&R. Seemed like a nice place to get away from it all. If we see you on the way back, we'll let you know how it is!" Corsair finished, slightly impressed with his sensible response. He looked for at Jaime, giving her a marginally surprised look, raising his eyebrows as a faux shoulder shrug at her.
"Ah, we actually don't have a physical copy of it sir," Corsair said, mind thinking quickly. "We, ah, found it on the matrix. The pictures they had on their were really nice. Just need to get a way from the grind of city and the job. Just need some R&R. Seemed like a nice place to get away from it all. If we see you on the way back, we'll let you know how it is!" Corsair finished, slightly impressed with his sensible response. He looked for at Jaime, giving her a marginally surprised look, raising his eyebrows as a faux shoulder shrug at her.
18:45:25 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
'I know that tone.... best not act like the smartass you are chummer...' "We were planning on hiring a local guide sir, someone who knows the area and wildlife well. They had some pretty wild encounters in the trid documentary... but a guide should keep us safe right?"
'I know that tone.... best not act like the smartass you are chummer...' "We were planning on hiring a local guide sir, someone who knows the area and wildlife well. They had some pretty wild encounters in the trid documentary... but a guide should keep us safe right?"
18:45:30 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
"Do you boys know why they still call Denver the Mile High City?" his tone now growing with some inflections of disbelief.
18:45:49 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"I get the Vegas for R&R, but why the Rockies? Are you camping?"
"Do you boys know why they still call Denver the Mile High City?" his tone now growing with some inflections of disbelief.
18:45:49 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"I get the Vegas for R&R, but why the Rockies? Are you camping?"
18:45:42 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
Jamie just smiles at the guard nodding along with his explanation. When the guard asks about their plans, Jamie replies cautiously, "Well, we had planned to at least a little bit."
Jamie just smiles at the guard nodding along with his explanation. When the guard asks about their plans, Jamie replies cautiously, "Well, we had planned to at least a little bit."
18:45:33 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
"Ehm, because of the skyscrapers sir?" 'Yeah, Jeff must feel real smart right now, you're as slick as an eel Kliko.' Now all he had to do was undergo the border guards lecture on how stupid hiking was and how they best stick around in Vegas or Lakeside...
"Ehm, because of the skyscrapers sir?" 'Yeah, Jeff must feel real smart right now, you're as slick as an eel Kliko.' Now all he had to do was undergo the border guards lecture on how stupid hiking was and how they best stick around in Vegas or Lakeside...
18:45:36 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
Jeff pauses, holding back his laugh, but a smile escapes. "No, sir, it is because it is a mile above sea-level, and it is winter right now. Do you understand what that entails?"
18:45:54 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"Did you pack any cold weather gear?" He looks into the van through Corsair's window.
Jeff pauses, holding back his laugh, but a smile escapes. "No, sir, it is because it is a mile above sea-level, and it is winter right now. Do you understand what that entails?"
18:45:54 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"Did you pack any cold weather gear?" He looks into the van through Corsair's window.
18:45:59 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"Honestly, sir, we haven't. Ain't never been camping ever either. Figure we can score some camping gear at the camp grounds. Said they have a mighty fine supplies store there," said Corsair crisply. A smug feeling coursed through his body. He was starting to get the hang of this.
"Honestly, sir, we haven't. Ain't never been camping ever either. Figure we can score some camping gear at the camp grounds. Said they have a mighty fine supplies store there," said Corsair crisply. A smug feeling coursed through his body. He was starting to get the hang of this.
18:45:45 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
"... Ehmmm..." deliberately pretending he was contemplating the question "... it must be very cold out there?" ... "I did not bring no winter-clothing with me"... "So basically you are saying that we can freeze up there?" ... "That sounds like no fun at all sir"..." No, I've only got this weeks vacation"... "Can't we like make it a Casino-tour trying our luck in Vegas and Lakeside instead?" ... "Do we need an extra annotation on our visa for that sir?"
"... Ehmmm..." deliberately pretending he was contemplating the question "... it must be very cold out there?" ... "I did not bring no winter-clothing with me"... "So basically you are saying that we can freeze up there?" ... "That sounds like no fun at all sir"..." No, I've only got this weeks vacation"... "Can't we like make it a Casino-tour trying our luck in Vegas and Lakeside instead?" ... "Do we need an extra annotation on our visa for that sir?"
18:45:44 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
In disbelief the guard warns Kliko of the dangers of the mountains, "You had better stick to Vegas. If you get the crazy notion of heading up to the Rockies, you might want to stay in a cabin, and you will definitely need some tire chains. Your vehicle should be just fine, but it will be a difficult drive. Have you ever driven in the snow before?"
18:46:03 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"Sir, I do not think you two understand the seriousness of the situation." Max leans down so he can speak eye to eye with Corsair, "Experienced outdoors-men die every year from frostbite, hypothermia, and exhaustion, let alone the ones that just get lost. You had better stick to Vegas. If your heart is set on seeing the mountains, you may want to stay in a hotel. It is a long drive. You had better be prepared before you leave the city, not when you get there. What happens if you break down in the mountains before you get to your destination?"
In disbelief the guard warns Kliko of the dangers of the mountains, "You had better stick to Vegas. If you get the crazy notion of heading up to the Rockies, you might want to stay in a cabin, and you will definitely need some tire chains. Your vehicle should be just fine, but it will be a difficult drive. Have you ever driven in the snow before?"
18:46:03 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"Sir, I do not think you two understand the seriousness of the situation." Max leans down so he can speak eye to eye with Corsair, "Experienced outdoors-men die every year from frostbite, hypothermia, and exhaustion, let alone the ones that just get lost. You had better stick to Vegas. If your heart is set on seeing the mountains, you may want to stay in a hotel. It is a long drive. You had better be prepared before you leave the city, not when you get there. What happens if you break down in the mountains before you get to your destination?"
18:45:50 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
'Nice try for a trick question chummer' "Ehhh, no sir, I just recently got my license sir... but my father put some winter tires on the car if that makes a difference?" 'Yeah, as if you can ever check that you fragger.' "I think we best first try our luck in Vegas and see how we go from there sir..." 'Now be a good dog Jeff and wave us through...'
'Nice try for a trick question chummer' "Ehhh, no sir, I just recently got my license sir... but my father put some winter tires on the car if that makes a difference?" 'Yeah, as if you can ever check that you fragger.' "I think we best first try our luck in Vegas and see how we go from there sir..." 'Now be a good dog Jeff and wave us through...'
18:45:59 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
Jamie adopts a look of surprise following along Corsair's admission that they haven't been camping before. Since Corsair has been doing so well with the border guard, Jamie remains silent, nodding when appropriate.
Jamie adopts a look of surprise following along Corsair's admission that they haven't been camping before. Since Corsair has been doing so well with the border guard, Jamie remains silent, nodding when appropriate.
18:46:02 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"Ah, see can see the confusion. We're staying at a low altitude and on the East side, just taking day trips to go skiing and such. This late in March, at the low altitudes and on the East side, we shouldn't be in any danger. Thanks for the warning though. Definitely something to keep in mind," Corsair finished, smiling at the man. He struggled to maintain his composure, getting slightly annoyed.
"Ah, see can see the confusion. We're staying at a low altitude and on the East side, just taking day trips to go skiing and such. This late in March, at the low altitudes and on the East side, we shouldn't be in any danger. Thanks for the warning though. Definitely something to keep in mind," Corsair finished, smiling at the man. He struggled to maintain his composure, getting slightly annoyed.
18:45:58 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
The guard looks at the tires, then back at Kliko, "Winter tires maybe, but you will still need chains, kid. If you decide to try your dumb luck on the mountain, stop at the UTD checkpoint, and you can have one the workers put chains on your vehicle for about 50 nuyen."
He hands the two IDs back and waves them through.
18:46:03 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"Careful going over the pass. Make sure you pick up some winter gear before heading out into the mountains," Max waves them on.
The guard looks at the tires, then back at Kliko, "Winter tires maybe, but you will still need chains, kid. If you decide to try your dumb luck on the mountain, stop at the UTD checkpoint, and you can have one the workers put chains on your vehicle for about 50 nuyen."
He hands the two IDs back and waves them through.
18:46:03 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"Careful going over the pass. Make sure you pick up some winter gear before heading out into the mountains," Max waves them on.
18:52:25 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Ute Nation, 1 mile west of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
Felix ponders Kliko's question for a minute before responding. "Moving a gate or spike strip can be done with a simple Levitate spell or by a Land Spirit. The difficulty increases greatly with the weight of the object being moved, for both the difficulty of the spell and the force of spirit needed. If the border crossing had no magical guards or spirits in support, it would be incredibly easy to get past. It's the presence of magical guardians that make it more difficult to sneak past. I mean I could literally pull the information and answers he wants from his head if there were no magical guardians at the border. Instead I was spending the effort to appear non-magical to the border guards, so that if I did need to pull something they wouldn't expect it from me"
"Spirits can also conceal the vehicles or people, and while I can alter the appearance of people or turn them invisible there are countermeasures to either. Some sensors like ultrasound and radar go straight past invisibility, while anything capable of seeing onto the astral plane can tell if there is a spell on a person. In other words a spirit or elemental summoned by a mage 300 miles from here could be assigned look at people crossing and tell the guards if there is a magical effect on anyone moving past"
"As far as blowing through the crossing, I can certainly move objects in the 300kg range, and spirits have a variety of powers beyond physically moving objects. Stunball, Mass Blindness and Ball Lightning can all help with blowing through checkpoints, along with Mindprobe that I had mentioned earlier. The challenge is that the more powerful the spell, the longer the magical fingerprint it leaves behind, and it will hang around for up to six hours. I can erase it, but not if we are speeding out of the area."
Felix pauses for breath as he thinks back across what he's covered. "I don't know what Ludmilla's experiences are, but I was unaware of the Russians having a strong magical tradition. I've heard far more about the Aleuts, including some ugly rumors about magical happenings out there. I had thought that popular perception had placed the "ugly magic" label on the Blood Magics from South America and the Toxics that pop up from time to time. If its more of just a fear of the unknown, well that should lowly change as you start to know what it can do."
18:55:16 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Ute Nation, 1 mile North of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
'Wow, you mean you can actually read peoples mind? Better not try that with me" winking "I'm always thinking about ways on how to kill people in the same room." A casually concealed lie... In fact, Kliko's thoughts wandered between himself starring some orxploitation video clip featuring hot elven chicks, his luck (they were heading for Vegas afterall) and the job at hand.
"I bet 300kg on the far end of a bar can really make a difference. This car got some wiz-tech to conceal itself as well. I mean I bought it with some upgrades after a long tour down in the PCC. It can't like turn invisible, but I can change stuff like the color and license plates, confusing drones in auto-tracking mode... I can even randomize the gridguide transponder codes in case some hot drek decker is tracking us through matrix... I guess if worst comes to worst we got a pretty good chance to drive right through a border crossing with that mojo's of yours and the cars tech.... the armor should be able to shrug of any small arms fire from border guards."
"We used that invisibility thing to trick some camera's before yeah. I wouldn't worry to much about the ultrasound though 'good I got me one of those Ares ultrasound sights, guess the salesman spoke true afterall...can't wait to blast an invisible motherfragger to pieces.'. I got some hot drek tech to take care of that, radar is tricky though... an area jammer could solve that I guess. We should ask Ludmilla about that when the time comes, she's really into that sort of stuff.
Felix ponders Kliko's question for a minute before responding. "Moving a gate or spike strip can be done with a simple Levitate spell or by a Land Spirit. The difficulty increases greatly with the weight of the object being moved, for both the difficulty of the spell and the force of spirit needed. If the border crossing had no magical guards or spirits in support, it would be incredibly easy to get past. It's the presence of magical guardians that make it more difficult to sneak past. I mean I could literally pull the information and answers he wants from his head if there were no magical guardians at the border. Instead I was spending the effort to appear non-magical to the border guards, so that if I did need to pull something they wouldn't expect it from me"
"Spirits can also conceal the vehicles or people, and while I can alter the appearance of people or turn them invisible there are countermeasures to either. Some sensors like ultrasound and radar go straight past invisibility, while anything capable of seeing onto the astral plane can tell if there is a spell on a person. In other words a spirit or elemental summoned by a mage 300 miles from here could be assigned look at people crossing and tell the guards if there is a magical effect on anyone moving past"
"As far as blowing through the crossing, I can certainly move objects in the 300kg range, and spirits have a variety of powers beyond physically moving objects. Stunball, Mass Blindness and Ball Lightning can all help with blowing through checkpoints, along with Mindprobe that I had mentioned earlier. The challenge is that the more powerful the spell, the longer the magical fingerprint it leaves behind, and it will hang around for up to six hours. I can erase it, but not if we are speeding out of the area."
Felix pauses for breath as he thinks back across what he's covered. "I don't know what Ludmilla's experiences are, but I was unaware of the Russians having a strong magical tradition. I've heard far more about the Aleuts, including some ugly rumors about magical happenings out there. I had thought that popular perception had placed the "ugly magic" label on the Blood Magics from South America and the Toxics that pop up from time to time. If its more of just a fear of the unknown, well that should lowly change as you start to know what it can do."
18:55:16 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Ute Nation, 1 mile North of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
'Wow, you mean you can actually read peoples mind? Better not try that with me" winking "I'm always thinking about ways on how to kill people in the same room." A casually concealed lie... In fact, Kliko's thoughts wandered between himself starring some orxploitation video clip featuring hot elven chicks, his luck (they were heading for Vegas afterall) and the job at hand.
"I bet 300kg on the far end of a bar can really make a difference. This car got some wiz-tech to conceal itself as well. I mean I bought it with some upgrades after a long tour down in the PCC. It can't like turn invisible, but I can change stuff like the color and license plates, confusing drones in auto-tracking mode... I can even randomize the gridguide transponder codes in case some hot drek decker is tracking us through matrix... I guess if worst comes to worst we got a pretty good chance to drive right through a border crossing with that mojo's of yours and the cars tech.... the armor should be able to shrug of any small arms fire from border guards."
"We used that invisibility thing to trick some camera's before yeah. I wouldn't worry to much about the ultrasound though 'good I got me one of those Ares ultrasound sights, guess the salesman spoke true afterall...can't wait to blast an invisible motherfragger to pieces.'. I got some hot drek tech to take care of that, radar is tricky though... an area jammer could solve that I guess. We should ask Ludmilla about that when the time comes, she's really into that sort of stuff.
19:10:09 Friday, 31 March 2062 - Ute Nation, 7 miles North of Primm - Land Rover Kliko & Felix
They were rapidly approaching Vegas now. In the far north planes could be seen landing and taking off Henderson airport. "the Strip is right next the Vegas freeway, just let me get on my mPhone to see what local motels are available... sure we'll pay the casino's a visit, get some chow, spent some nuyen, but we best lay low overall and hit our bunk early tonight. We're still a long drive away from Denver... You think I should try and pick up an acting career Felix?... I fooled that border guard just fine"
"Say how would spells like this mass blindness affect cybereyes. I mean technically my cyber ain't fles you know. How does that work?"
They were rapidly approaching Vegas now. In the far north planes could be seen landing and taking off Henderson airport. "the Strip is right next the Vegas freeway, just let me get on my mPhone to see what local motels are available... sure we'll pay the casino's a visit, get some chow, spent some nuyen, but we best lay low overall and hit our bunk early tonight. We're still a long drive away from Denver... You think I should try and pick up an acting career Felix?... I fooled that border guard just fine"
"Say how would spells like this mass blindness affect cybereyes. I mean technically my cyber ain't fles you know. How does that work?"
18:47:22 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2.2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & JamieAs Corsairs pulls away, Jamie takes a deep breath and lets it out again. "One down and one to go." she quips casting a glance back toward the checkpoint.
She turns back around watching at the traffic take off from the border. "You did really good with that guy."
She turns back around watching at the traffic take off from the border. "You did really good with that guy."
18:47:28 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2.2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"Not too bad yourself!" Corsair replied. "Kind of gets the heart racing a bit," he said, placing his hand over his chest. "Pretty fun too. So any speculation over what you think this 'run is going to be about? Too bad I have to leave most of my toys at home. Hopefully we don't need much heavy artillery."
"Not too bad yourself!" Corsair replied. "Kind of gets the heart racing a bit," he said, placing his hand over his chest. "Pretty fun too. So any speculation over what you think this 'run is going to be about? Too bad I have to leave most of my toys at home. Hopefully we don't need much heavy artillery."
18:47:37 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2.2 miles west of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
Jamie smiles, "I'm not sure what we're going to be doing. I prefer versatility over power. Besides, if you really need something you had to leave it behind, you could ask the Johnson to provide it. 'Course it might be better if you didn't let on you had one back in CalFree."
Jamie smiles, "I'm not sure what we're going to be doing. I prefer versatility over power. Besides, if you really need something you had to leave it behind, you could ask the Johnson to provide it. 'Course it might be better if you didn't let on you had one back in CalFree."
18:47:45 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, ~2 miles east of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
"Good idea," Corsair responded nodding. "Sneaky....I like it. Say, you think we'll be able to catch some live urban brawl action while we're in Denver? The Denver Thunderheads are a pretty solid squad this year. Six and two so far this season. I think they got a match against the New Orleans Tomestones coming up soon. Crap, I didn't bring my schedule," he said checking his cargo pant's pockets.
"Good idea," Corsair responded nodding. "Sneaky....I like it. Say, you think we'll be able to catch some live urban brawl action while we're in Denver? The Denver Thunderheads are a pretty solid squad this year. Six and two so far this season. I think they got a match against the New Orleans Tomestones coming up soon. Crap, I didn't bring my schedule," he said checking his cargo pant's pockets.
18:47:52 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, ~2 miles east of Primm - Corsair & Jamie
Urban Brawl! I would have never have peged Corsair as an Urban Brawl fan. I guess it could be worse. He could like baseball. Jamie muses, "I'm not sure. We might have some trouble moving from sector to sector, so it would depend on where the stadium is. Once I get connected in Las Vegas, we could check."
Urban Brawl! I would have never have peged Corsair as an Urban Brawl fan. I guess it could be worse. He could like baseball. Jamie muses, "I'm not sure. We might have some trouble moving from sector to sector, so it would depend on where the stadium is. Once I get connected in Las Vegas, we could check."
18:50:01 Friday, 31 March 2062 - CFS/UN Border, 2 miles west of Primm - H-D Gideon, Bubba
Bubba's rolls up to Jeff's station at the boarder. Even sitting on the bike he sits more than a head taller than the guard.
"And where are you heading sir?" he nervously asks the giant.
"Me's goins to da Windy City!"
"Chicago!? Why the hell would you be heading to Chicago?"
"No, San Vegas!"
"That is Sin City. Can I see your ID, sir."
"Ohhhhhhh," Bubba says as he learns something new. He hands his ID to the guard then asks, "Den what's da Mile High City?"
"Denver. You heading there, too?"
"Den what's da Big Asshole?"
"Big Apple. New York City. Have you been drinking?"
"Yeah. Me drinks lots of milk. Has to, to wash down all de donuts!" Bubba's smile is ear to ear with the thought of those delicious breakfast pastries.
Jeff shakes his head as he runs the SIN. He returns to find Bubba with eyes closed and smiling.
"You alright sir?"
"Oh, mes? Me good. Just can't wait to get to San Vegas! Da Mile High City!"
"Las Vegas. Here." He hands Bubba a small blue device that looks like a cheap cell phone, that has a large plastic white tube coming off of it. "Take a deep breath and exhale into the tube, nice and slow."
"Ex-a wha?"
"Breathe out into the machine."
"Okays." Bubba does as instructed and hands the device back to the guard. "Me feels funny now. Kinda dizzy."
"Zero point zero zero. Hmmm... so, going to go lose all your money in Vegas than?"
"Me is meetin a big woman like me! Her names Mary!"
"Okay, well be safe." He waves Bubba on after returning his SIN.
Bubba's rolls up to Jeff's station at the boarder. Even sitting on the bike he sits more than a head taller than the guard.
"And where are you heading sir?" he nervously asks the giant.
"Me's goins to da Windy City!"
"Chicago!? Why the hell would you be heading to Chicago?"
"No, San Vegas!"
"That is Sin City. Can I see your ID, sir."
"Ohhhhhhh," Bubba says as he learns something new. He hands his ID to the guard then asks, "Den what's da Mile High City?"
"Denver. You heading there, too?"
"Den what's da Big Asshole?"
"Big Apple. New York City. Have you been drinking?"
"Yeah. Me drinks lots of milk. Has to, to wash down all de donuts!" Bubba's smile is ear to ear with the thought of those delicious breakfast pastries.
Jeff shakes his head as he runs the SIN. He returns to find Bubba with eyes closed and smiling.
"You alright sir?"
"Oh, mes? Me good. Just can't wait to get to San Vegas! Da Mile High City!"
"Las Vegas. Here." He hands Bubba a small blue device that looks like a cheap cell phone, that has a large plastic white tube coming off of it. "Take a deep breath and exhale into the tube, nice and slow."
"Ex-a wha?"
"Breathe out into the machine."
"Okays." Bubba does as instructed and hands the device back to the guard. "Me feels funny now. Kinda dizzy."
"Zero point zero zero. Hmmm... so, going to go lose all your money in Vegas than?"
"Me is meetin a big woman like me! Her names Mary!"
"Okay, well be safe." He waves Bubba on after returning his SIN.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.