Dumpshock Forums > 2072: Game World

Machine Ghost

Aug 17 2013, 01:18 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Banjo’s node, 39th Ave SW, south of the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

Sprogget’s hope dies hearing Cam’s reluctant confirmation that he has no information to contradict the conclusions. But his gut (and other parts) really clench hearing what is being asked. He is speechless for several seconds.

@Cam[Sprogget]: <<Eyes yes, but do they need to be initially living, meat eyes? I’d like to get some confirmation of assumptions, and if lucky some extra information by sending the spirits out before hanging our hoops in that particular breeze. Oyl could do that, if the clinic has slowed down some, but {warningly} you better have some backup support for her in case I am right. This is not like doing the eye in the sky from a relatively safe distance.>>

Figuring that he has all of the information that Banjo can provide at the moment, Sprogget switches to the monocycle node.

September 1, 2072 22:xx; DR’s node, near Underworld 93, south of the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup

@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<Change of plans. No more sensor placement stuff.>>
@self:Not that we really got that started anyway.
@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<My supposition has been given enough credence by Mechanicals security office, that they want us to have a look at what is happening back at the mall. Crow, focus on getting info that might give us an idea of what to expect over there. I’d much rather confirm and fill in the blanks, than discover it just before the tank rolls over us. I already know that wireless is going to be useless if we get very close. No tacnet, no live drone sensors.>>
@self:At least for you. With the ECCM, I might be able to hold a smaller tacnet a bit longer.

@Cam[Sprogget]: <<I have a bit of skill getting around unnoticed, but have never had to use it against alert security. The others with me are likely better. I’ve spent too much of my time in the bowels of gear. You should already know that from the foot patrol after action reports. I’m probably not supposed to see those, but I do get around in most of the tribe nodes one time or another. Surprising what some people will leave around in a working copy, when they are so careful to encrypt the final version. Not that the encryption would keep me out long if I really want in, even if the gear is my main interest.>>

@self:This storm is seriously fragging|degrading visibility. Makes us harder to notice|spot|be seen, but also means we have to get that much closer to actually see|perceive|learn anything. Probably close enough to be inside their perimeter|guard. They won’t be disorganized, and depending how much they spent on that jammer blanket, their own communications might not be effected either. They might be spread thin, but I would not count on that given the resources apparently being allocated.

@Cam[Sprogget]: <<You have at least a few minutes to set up the astral look. We need to finish pumping what information we can from the bomber, and pick up the gangers gear and some pieces of that destroyed drone for later forensics. The information could be very important in awhile.>>

@self:With the matrix skill|power needed to subvert|pwn|fool Fre∑dom’s systems, the drones are going to be tempting|open targets in areas being watched|monitored. For the sensors to be useful here|there|now|then, I’ll need to try to keep|maintain|hold a wireless connection to Banjo. No real help to take him closer than where I can hold contact. He does not need to be even that close to use the scanner anyway. He can stay way back, and I’ll lose connection if I get too close to the jammers. G’Eye though would be good to take as close as possible. He can be the eye|view point that Cam wants|we need. Those jammers are going to smother connections anyway at that distance, so let’s not make it easy for the other guy. I can temporarily disable wireless, so he does not put out any signal to detect, and no path to get hacked either. I need a bit of work space, out of this weather.

@Cam[Sprogget]: <<I also need to do a little field modification on a drone, to make it less vulnerable in this situation. After we ask our questions, can you get someone here to take that piece of trash off our hands? He might have more to say with the right questions, and we sure can not haul him with us. Otherwise, we’ll probably have to just knock him cold, and stash him in a building. We got anyone that was at ’93 tonight, that you can co-opt? Even with all that has been going on the past couple of hours?>>

@self:Wish I had the knock-out patch we talked about earlier, if we had to transport LeFey with the jammer active. Good we did not need it, but would be useful to have now.

Jumping in to take full control, Sprogget looks around using his sensors, and tacnet feeds from the others, to find a close by accessible building with a bit of shelter.

@self:Looks like where Scrapheap dragged|hauled|sat on the bomber kid is as good as any.

@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<I’m coming in {pause and reword} bringing DR in with you, to do a bit of tech work, under a roof.>>

Machine Ghost

Aug 17 2013, 04:02 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Abandoned apartment build, near Underworld 93, south of the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

Directing G’Eye to get back from watching the fleeing ganger at best speed, and assigning LeO to be outside eyes and overwatch, Sprogget maneuvers through the open doorway. It is a tight fit, but DR is barely wider than Sprogget’s meat shoulders, so it is doable. Height is actually more of a problem. He has to squat, retracting the spokes to minimum length to keep from bumping the top of the doorway. Inside, he moves over to the wall away from where Crow is currently getting details from the kid. Exiting from the monocycle node, then switching back to AR for the first time since leaving the mall on the sensor placement patrol, he undoes the safety harness. Getting up, he does a leisurely stretch, while adding his own glare for the kid, muttering not quite under his breath about trash, devil rats, and cleaning the gene pool.

Monitoring question and answer over tacnent, but ostensibly ignoring the others, he gets the tools he will need ready. Most that he needs are already in the coverall pockets, but he also takes a length of fiberoptic cable out of the butt pack. When Banjo arrives outside, he lays back on the monocycle seat again, going VR, and jumps in to get the dalmatian. Using his mechanical hand and arm to help stabilize, and fend off the edges, he slides carefully through the doorway, then floats into a position where his light can illuminate the improvised workbench that Sprogget is currently laying on. Opening and reaching into the main body storage compartment, he uses the camera on the arm to select the smallest available stealth package, which happens to be a motion sensor. Holding it where Sprogget the meat will be able to take it, he instructs the dog brain to hold position, and provide lighting.

G’Eye has not arrived yet, so Sprogget take a moment to check on the progress of the remaining ganger, and temporarily activates the planted stealth sensors, to see which, if either, of the bikes is moving yet, and find the direction it is headed. As the dragonfly drone is about to arrive, he switches back to AR again. Ignoring the dirt, he sits on the floor beside the monocycle seat, directing G’Eye to park there, and shut down. Opening the casing, and using the magnification in the goggles, he locates the connection supplying power to the wireless adapter. Taking the sensor that Banjo has been patiently holding, he asks the drone to get the perma-bond ready, then verifies that he has the correct codes to activate and deactivate the motion sensor package. Opening that, he locates where the signal from stealth tag turns power to the sensor on and off.

@self:These micro-manipulators make fine work like this easy, if still a bit finicky. In the motion sensor package, the external signal|code|trigger controls power to the whole node|device|package. In G’Eye, I want it to only control power to the wireless adapter.

Positioning the cannibalized sensor package, and glueing it in place, Sprogget prepares to switch the drone wireless adapter power through the control of the stealth tags.

@self:Disconnecting {this} makes G’Eye wireless blind. Unhooking {this} means the motion sensor never gets power. Connect stealth sensor {here} and {here} to drone {there} and wireless adapter {here}, and that should do it. Power on!

Knowing pretty close how long it takes the drone to power up and finish its boot process, Sprogget does another check on the tracers planted on the bikes, then goes back to verify that there is no wireless access to the dragonfly, and that no node is visible. Sending the code to the stealth tag powers on the wireless adapter, which he then uses to connect to the drone, and start some precautionary diagnostics, to make sure nothing else got inadvertently damaged with the changes, instructing the system to store the report locally on the drone. Sending the code to turn off the wireless adapter again, he hands the glue back to Banjo, instructing it to store things back where they belong, and close up. He adds a bit of sealant and protective coating to the new connections in G’Eye from his own toolkit, then finishes closing up the drone casing.

@self:Those diagnostics are going to run for a bit, time to get as much information as I can about the jamming|noise|interference at the mall.

Finishing stowing his tools and cleaning up the workbench, the seat becomes a reclined chair again, for a bit more matrix work. Leaning back and relaxing, Sprogget switches to VR for speed and accesses Banjo’s node directly, to build some fairly complex instructions. He starts with a mission goal of using the radio signal scanner to record, map the location, strength, and type of jammers being used to drown out the mall. This is adjusted to limit how far the drone can travel from its current location, and a time limit to bring it back here in 5 minutes or less.

@self:If we get moving quickly, I might need to adjust that last to meet up with us on the way.

Jumping in the drone, he gets back out the door, removes it from tacnet, and the slaved devices. About to send it off, he pauses.

@self:I want to have a closer look at the gear that kid was carrying while waiting. Banjo’s scanner is part of that.

Leaving the scripted task pending, Sprogget has Banjo hold position outside the door. Switching his attention back to AR and the physical world, he gets the gear, and has Banjo look for any signals coming from it. Downloading the sensor data, he activates the mapping script, and sends it off to start the sweep that will give it the best view to triangulate the source of as many of the individual jammers as possible within the current constraints.

@self:He will get the best information|detail about the jammers nearest us, but that is fine|acceptable|sufficient.

Focusing his attention back on the gear, he examines it with the goggle enhancements and magnification, the NLJD sensor from the backpack, and matches that to the saved sensor information from Banjo, trying to learn what it’s capabilities are, and whether he could use it to eavesdrop on other similarly equipped Spined Drakes teams, or if it has anything that would allow him to detect the devices themselves, or someone using them. Picking a moment when Crow is letting the kid sweat, he shows him the gear, but keeps conversation over tacnet.

@Crow[Sprogget]: <<Crow, this gear looks old military. Do you recognize it, and know what it’s limits or weaknesses are?>>

Once the internal diagnostics should be finished, he activates the wireless adapter again, connects, and verifies that the diagnostics are clean, except for being unable to connect to the wireless adapter, and failure of all of the related wireless tests.

ChromeZephyr

Aug 23 2013, 03:05 PM

E: Tribes; Scrapheap
September 1, 2072 22:xx, Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup

Scrapheap listens intently as Crow applies a different, more refined kind of pressure to the Drake teenager. Glad I didn't haf to try and splatter this guy earlier...woulda been ugly. Ugly and no winners, Ghost's truth.

He looks over his shoulder as the monocycle rolls through the doorway, nods at the other ork as he gets out of it, then turns his full attention back to the ganger.

"And don't think we forgot about them 'weird ones'. You tell us about tha soldier boys and them, or you'll wish that bullet had hit your head in'sted a' your leg."

Aria

Sep 2 2013, 12:41 PM

E: Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx, Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup

With the interrogation of the kid more or less concluded and the rather sparse info gathered together and imbellished by Crow's dredged up knowledge you have the unwelcome conclusion that this is indeed a milspec force of one sort or another but most likely running under cover as they don't display any unit idents or other useful military tags. The weird ones are less clear but Sprogget's encounter strongly suggests they are the Dissonants who seem to be running the show.

Now it just remains for you to get your own view of the scene. GEye is tinkered with and set free in it's sweep of the area and then you wait with bated breath for it to return...

...Finally the wind battered drone returns to your rendevous point and Sprogget is able to download the image files. They are grainy and full of wind tossed crap but sufficiently clear to make out the two armoured vehicles outside a gaping hole in the mall. Perimeter security seems to be being run by the Drakes, including the unfortunate that encountered you a few minutes back, which is a plus in some ways - but it does mean the the milspec guys are probably inside doing gods' knows what...

Cam gets back to you shortly afterwards and tells you that a spirit has swept through the mall and found images of (unsurprising) failing resistance as the hackers attempt to fend off well equipped soldiers...

<<@Sprogget[Cam]: They are getting hammered in there! We need to turn back the distraction against them somehow, see if we can pull those soldiers away and give those inside the chance to shore up or better still legit! I don't want to risk any more astral contact, the spirit spotted a mage in the hostiles, but that perimeter looks thin from the vids...can you sneak a drone inside the mall to take a message? That means relying on the dog brain until the jamming goes down... Or get in there yourselves if the opportunity presents itself? We need to make contact somehow, do something...>>

Aria

Sep 9 2013, 04:36 PM

E: Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx, Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]

Gemeaux

Well your luck has run its usual course, a la merde! You’d finally thought this bloody technomancer babysitting was done with but you’ve no sooner handed over the Collots, finally, and suddenly you are embroiled in another fracas with someone who wants their heads on a plate…at least they’ve offered you good rates to get them out of the shit.

So, you are currently crawling through a minor war zone to try and establish comms with their neighbours, grubby barrens dwellers called the Mechanicals! The mercs you’ve seen are skilled, although no match for you and your active camouflage. The gangers they’ve got guarding the perimeter are next to useless and you came so close to one patrol that you could smell the stink of their breath!

The weather conditions outside are atrocious but that only makes it less likely that anyone will interrupt you. The cobbled together repeater should overcome the jamming these techheads are so concerned with, you just need to place it somewhere outside the zone with line of sight to the mall…

Scrambling over a ruined vehicle you spot stealthy movement and your enhanced vision allows you to pick out what can only be described as one of these mechanicals…if the cogs and wires motif is anything to go by…perhaps you can earn yourself a bonus by talking to them directly?

Drakehunters

While you watch the perimeter and wait for the opportunity to do something, anything, and cursing and blessing the wind driven ash that is lodging itself in every crevice, the jamming suddenly sputters and dies, presumably as the jammers run out of juice, or more worrying, that the foe decided they don’t need them any more…

Whilst the blessed signal rushes back to fill the airwaves chatter from the mall is strikingly absent…

Machine Ghost

Sep 9 2013, 08:02 PM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

Diagnostics complete, and having sensor mapped at least the near edge of the jamming, from Banjo’s quick sweep, G’Eye is given instructions about where to go, what to do, and sent off without wireless. Sprogget makes sure that currently unneeded gear is shut down, to limit visibility to sensors.

G’Eye: Res 3, ~~Sig 5~~, Sys 3, FW 6; Hidden; Pilot 3, Clearsight(4,opt), Maneuver(4,opt), ~~Defense(4,opt)~~, Covert Ops(4,opt), ~~Chaser(4,opt)~~, ~~Trailblazer(4,opt)~~, ~~Encrypt(6,opt,erg)~~, ~~ECCM(6,opt,erg)~~, ~~Analyze(6,opt,erg,gua)~~, ~~Purge(6,opt,erg,res)~~, ECCM(6,opt,erg):sensor
Novatech Airwave: Res 3, Sig 3, Sys 3, FW 3; Powered Off; SIN: Megan Kutras, ~~Scan(1), Analyze(3), Browse(3), Command(1), Edit(2), Purge(3)~~

The Drakehunters minus the dragonfly drone head quickly but cautiously to where the drone is supposed to meet them, roughly calculated to save time getting the pictures, while staying outside where Crow figures the perimeter is likely to be, and where the jamming will not block the RFID tags controlling G’Eye’s. They do not have ECCM, and are relatively low power. That actually limits the location more than the expected patrol locations.

There is contingency built into the timing, to allow for delays from needing to avoid Spined Drakes, or their new masters. With none encountered, the main group gets to the meet point first, and the people wait impatiently for the scouting drone to arrive.

When the 'enable wireless' code finally gets a response, Sprogget connects with G’Eye, and directs him to his exact location, then copies the raw sensor data to the monocycle node, and through an encrypted connection to Cam. From the current location, the ECCM does not even need to work. The drone wireless is not as limited as the RFID tags.

Sharing access to the information with the rest of the drakehunters, Sprogget fast scans through the collected data looking for anything that is not the raw infrastructure. The storm has degraded it a little, but the sensor ECCM has compensated fairly well. The enhanced thermographic does a good job of spotting live bodies. The low light camera gets a look at the armored vehicles, and he points that section out to Crow for a closer look. The chem sniffer shows traces of recent explosives, and picks up samples from the passing people and ammunition they are carrying. There is not a lot of sound, other than the storm, but the directional microphone happens to be pointed the right way at one point to hear someone curse the weather.

@self:The gangers are doing the perimeter! Better chance of getting close than I expected then. No sign of the owners of those {tanks}. Must be all in the mall, maybe a driver still inside. Good news for us, bad for Fre∑dom. UBWR might have been able to tell, but with the right sensors that would have been detectable.

As he is looking for and discussing ways to safely approach, and what damage might be possible, Cam comes back.

QUOTE (Cam' AM)

<<They are getting hammered in there! We need to turn back the distraction against them somehow, see if we can pull those soldiers away and give those inside the chance to shore up or better still legit! I don't want to risk any more astral contact, the spirit spotted a mage in the hostiles, but that perimeter looks thin from the vids...can you sneak a drone inside the mall to take a message? That means relying on the dog brain until the jamming goes down... Or get in there yourselves if the opportunity presents itself? We need to make contact somehow, do something...>>

@Cam[Sprogget]: <<Slot with the astral contact. You are getting as ..>>
@self:timid|limited|cowardly
@Cam[Sprogget]: <<conservative as Spindle! This is not a time to hide. Get as many spirits as you can moving NOW. Start them at the far side of the mall, away from the breach, and pass the message about what we know. Get them moving out, and passing the information between each other. Do I have to yank Oyl out of surgery? A bit more risk now to reduce losses. She would not let friends stay in danger, and not even know what danger, like this!>>
@self:No Time!
@Cam[Sprogget]: <<I think I can get a drone in to pass a message, but that is SLOW, and going to be close to the fighting.>>
@self:I hope still going on!
@Cam[Sprogget]: <<I'll do that anyway, but get the other going too. Get that started first, THEN dump me structural information about the mall. The drone can use the ventilation system, with a map.>>
@self:I'd ask for a report to pass along too, but it seems right now I know more about what is happening than Cam|Security office| do!
@Cam[Sprogget]: <<AGREED?>>
@self:Drek, Drek, DREK! He is dithering. If Jazz is grandma, at least she has spirit. Cam is an old lady!

Quickly putting together a data package of what they have about the attack and attackers, Sprogget writes a quick text message to his sister, tagging it as tribal business, highest priority, needing immediate action.
@Oyl[Sprogget]: <<Oyl, Fre∑dom being directly attacked by milspec team, with support from Spined Drakes. Jammed first, so they probably do not KNOW what is there. Some magical support in attack group *probably* near hole/vehicles. Cam, maybe Spindle, is holding back to 'protect' Mechanicals people/resources. Trying to get some spirits sent in from far side to pass word/get them moving. Attached is map overlay showing location of large hole blown in mall wall, armored vehicles, and approximate/partial perimeter of Spined Drakes. Raw data attached at end, but don't wait to look at whole thing. Bookmarks on a few reference points. Don't send any support to me. Too close, more likely to attract attention than help here. Likely no comm contact shortly, jammer will block. Best chance is direct to {Monocycle Node address}.>>
@self:Those tags, plus addressing her as Oyl instead of Sis or Osha should get her moving. Wish I had time to|could watch the heads roll|explosion.

Shifting his attention from VR back to AR for a moment, Sprogget digs a stim patch out of his hip pack. Slapping it on the side of his neck, he thinks,
@self:40 minutes. We had better be done here by then, and on the way home.

Machine Ghost

Sep 9 2013, 09:47 PM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<We’ve got no time to do anything close to a real plan here. We need to do what we can to disrupt plans now, while there is still someone active that it might help! Since it is the gangers doing the guard duty, we should have a better chance at getting them to react badly. Those vehicles are important>>
@self:I hope
@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<to the team in the mall. If we can create confusion, we might be able to make them think they are at risk, and pull back sooner than they planned to. The radio gear we got from the bombers does not seem to be jammed, so I expect the team in the mall still has some communication out here. I’d love to take, or take out, those APC’s, but even making it look like they are endangered might be enough.>>

They quickly cobble together a minimal plan with a reasonable chance at keeping them alive, and at least some chance of getting attention away from the people in the mall. Instructions are given to the drones, and visually signals arranged to initiate actions, when the jamming blocks electronic communication. Each of the flying drones moves off on their separate missions.

Banjo needs to get close enough to the APC's, to scan them with UWBR, if his sensor ECCM can get through the jamming. He can signal the team in line of sight using the low-light flash light built into the arm. It is intended for illuminating the workspace when placing sensors, but will work just fine for blink messages at longer range. He will be able to report if UWBR can get through the jamming, if he can see inside the APCs, and how many people are present in each.

LeO is manoeuvring for a position far enough from the rest that firing the Ares Alpha will not bring attention to them, and with line of sight to some of the posted and patrolling Spined drakes further along the perimeter. He has no real way of sending messages back to the team, but with the cameras and laser range finder, both of the larger drones can watch for signals to start or abort an attack, and to switch targets. The hope is to pull resources away from the drakehunters and APC position, while still being able to provide some sniper support for threats right in front of them.

G’Eye is provided with 5 physical data chips containing copies of the raw data and summaries that he can carry on loops of cable with his mechanical grapple, plus instructions for attracting attention of only the mall residents and defenders. Once contact is made, he can use scrolling messages on his body using the chameleon coating to interact with those found, to drop off a chip and go on to search for the next. He is sent off with wireless disabled again, to find his way into the mall through a vent in the roof, hopefully past the intruders that went through the hole in the wall. There are too many unknowns to make much in the way of plans to reconnect with the drone, but if he can get outside of the jammed area after delivering the messages, a signal to the RFID tag will re-enable wireless, and a rendezvous can be arranged then.

The now reduced team, moves away from Banjo, but closer to the APCs, watching for an opportunity to get to them when the action starts.

Machine Ghost

Sep 10 2013, 01:32 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:32; Mechanicals Complex, Oyl’s Soup Kitchen and Clinic
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Florence Darkwind (R4)

Things are finally starting to slow down. No new casualties have arrived in the last while, and most of the people waiting have had initial treatment using the medical stations. Osha is thinking that it is about time to wrap that up, and let others use the standard medkits that do not require medical knowledge to use. Not as good of course, but she wants to get to using mojo to finish the healing on those that she can handle safely herself. To a point, this is the reverse of the usual triage. Do the easy ones first, that will not tire her. Those can then be fully dismissed, and free up the space and resources for those that she will not be able to handle. There are too many with serious enough injuries, that she knows she will not be able to get to them all, before passing out from exhaustion. Not a good idea, if more arrive needing immediate attention.

The muted, but urgent tone and visual AR pattern from the tags on the arriving text message startle her. A quick glance at the tagging and routing makes her wonder,
@self:Immediate tribal business? From Senaka?
Quickly glancing around at the others present, she sees that none of the other tribal members are reacting to incoming messages.
@self:If that brother of mine is using tribal tagging to get personal messages through the filters at a time like this, I will .. I'll turn into the biggest boa I can, and squeeze him until his eyes pop. I'll go mountain lion and claw him to shreds, I'll ..
Reining in her anger, she focuses on the current patient hooked up to the medical station. With those tags, she can not ignore the message, no matter who it is from, but she also can not just stop in the middle of treatment either. Even though this is not currently serious, just stopping[i] could make things worse. Forcing herself into pure medical mode, where nothing matters [i]now, except the damaged body under her care, she finishes up the work, until it is safe to hand her over to non medical support people for the final cleanup.

Then, and only then, she steps away from the station and opens the message. The first word of the message stops the remaining anger cold.
@self:Oyl, not Sis or Osha. He really does mean tribal business.
Reading the message with rising dread, she gets a superficial overview of the current situation.
@self:Senaka, no Sprogget, was in rush when he wrote that. Minimal attempt to clarify to compensate for my less technical knowledge.

Staying on the sidelines? With what Fre∑dom has done for us, and we for them, since they got here? They are friends. By the Mother, what is|are he|they thinking? Where are their alleged brains?

Taking him at his word, she makes no attempt to review the full data package, just jumping between the supplied bookmarks. The fact that the full data package was included is nagging at her, trying to tell her something, but she is not willing to look there. Not yet. She has enough information now to burn some ears off with what needs to be done. She is about to start seeing just how high up the chain she can reach, and how fast, to rattle some action loose, when the last part of the text message finally gets through her mental filters.

@self:No contact, too close, best chance .. He did not say where he is.
Oyl does not have great computer skills, but Sprogget has made sure that the tools on her commlink are current. Now knowing what to look for, it does not take long .. just forever .. to match the routing information on the text message to where it came from on the supplied map. Just barely on the outside of the area marked as having no wireless access, way too close to where those dangerous looking vehicles are sitting.

@self:He’s in the middle of that!

Her immediate desire is to call him, and tell him to get out, but knows that even if that 'best chance' connection address works, that he might be busier now than she was when the text message arrived. Another mental connection is made.
@self:He sent the full data, stuff I can't use, because he is not sure that he is going to be able to later. He might not come back at all! That IDIOT! I am going to break heads for letting him in there with no support! But first, do what I can myself, just as he is.

Focusing inward now, on her connection to the local field of mana, she reaches where her intuition points, pulling .. demanding .. watcher spirits to come do her bidding. She has no need for long term work, so just grabs 1 hour sprites, without trying for anything more. With her training in other areas, even this is at the edge of what she can do reliably. First 1, then 2, then 3, then finally 4 watcher spirits are around her in astral space. She gives all of them an image of the map that Sprogget provided, plus a simple spoken message to deliver describing its meaning with a strong suggestion to tell others and get away from the invading forces. The hardest part, is to get them to go around the mall so that they approach from the far side, each at a little different place so they do not all end up talking to the same person.
@Watcher Spirits:“Show the image, and speak the message to every metahuman you can find, starting from each of your indicated locations, and moving {that} direction”.
@self:No time to think of a way to get them to tell the difference between friends and enemies. Too complex, and they are not smart enough. Starting where I put them, it should be all friends to start, until it no longer matters.

With the messengers on the way, she turns grimly to the job of shaking up some peoples worlds. Taking control of her voice, pitching to cut through other sounds, and loud enough to reach all present, she informs them,

@Clinc[Oyl]: “Everything is stable enough here for now. I need to talk to Cam. And Spindle. Take over. Call me only if you have to”.

Her control is good enough that she only needs to repeat once more in the outer soup kitchen serving area so that everyone that needs to, knows. On the way through, she sees Boiler helping out with some of the soup kitchen work. Detouring slightly. Not giving him a chance to ask questions, she grabs his arm, getting in close to talk to him alone, she puts all of the command she can into her voice.
@Boiler[Oyl]: “Come with me, right now”.

Her tone gets some surprised looks, and a couple open their mouth so say something, then think better of it. She did not notice, already on the way out, half dragging Boiler. She does not try to explain anything to Boiler, instead making the first call on her list, to those that are not on immediate duty, focusing on those that are most friendly toward Fre∑dom people, to Sprogget, and to herself. She makes sure Boiler hears her side of the call, to fill in some of what is going on. It is enough. She can see steam rising, as he lives up to one of the reasons for the handle. The brewery and still being another part. She sends him Sprogget’s data, and a list of people to start calling.
@Boiler[Oyl]: “Save it. Start calling. Use my name where it will help”.

Suiting action to words, she start the next call, heading at a brisk pace toward the security centre. No need to run now. Those calls need to go out first, and being out of breath would not help the image she is going to want.

Having the first people pass the word, it will not take very many calls to have significant backing by the time she gets to Cam. If Spindle is with him, even better.

Mach_Ten

Sep 10 2013, 06:36 PM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Crow

QUOTE (@Drakehunters[Sprogget)

<<We’ve got no time to do anything close to a real plan here.
We need to do what we can to disrupt plans now, while there is still someone active that it might help!
Since it is the gangers doing the guard duty, we should have a better chance at getting them to react badly.
Those vehicles are important>>

<< @Drakehunters[Crow]: I hear ya, squeaky bum time! it looks awful quiet down there though, you have an idea for a distraction? if not I've something sneaky up my sleeve ! >>

Crow looks around at the desolate scene, only able to make out vague details of the APC's in the distance without risking getting any closer.

QUOTE (@Drakehunters[Sprogget)

<<to the team in the mall. If we can create confusion, we might be able to make them think they are at risk, and pull back sooner than they planned to.
The radio gear we got from the bombers does not seem to be jammed, so I expect the team in the mall still has some communication out here.
I’d love to take, or take out, those APC’s, but even making it look like they are endangered might be enough.>>

Gently pressing the transmit button on the comm again, speaking softly rather than trying to subvocalise complex sounds
<< @Drakehunters[Crow]: So, ME an big guy can dress up for a party, grab those bikes and chase one of your drones right under their noses and hope to draw some away for an ambush.
OR, if you can get me a distraction so I can get close enough to one of the APC's to have a quiet little chat with the driver, I reckon we can have away with one or at least do some damage to the other one
that's the best I got other than just straight sneaking past the lot of them, there any heavy munitions inside that place we can use? >>

JxJxA

Sep 14 2013, 03:14 AM

E: Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx, Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]
PAN - Active ; SIN - Maximilien Danton

<<[Vivienne]: I guess this is the point where I get to say: "This is another fine mess you've gotten me into.">>

Gemeaux smiles bitingly behind the cowl of his chameleon suit. His commlink's personality program was in rare form today.

<<[Gemeaux]: Perhaps, my love, but if I do not slip past these talentless goons then you will be stuck here. Wish me luck, yes?>>

<<[Vivienne]: With all my heart, Gemeaux.>>

That line forces the assassin to bite his lip. It scratches at the wound that will never heal. Though he hates to be reminded of his first love's death, he allows the pain to stay fresh. However, he does manage to banish it to the back of his mind as he focuses on the more immediate concern of getting the fuck out of this shithole in one preferably unperforated piece.

The assassin slips next to the anachronistically labeled gentlemen, and draws La Réponse---one of his heavily modified Savalette Guardians. After all, the paraphernalia could be a ruse. If that turned out to be the case, it would be best for him to dispatch of them as quickly and elegantly as possible.

"Bonsoir, amis. Perchance you are associated with the Mechanicals, oui?" he asks them in his lilting, tenor voice.

Machine Ghost

Sep 17 2013, 07:36 PM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

Using the sensor data collected by the Dragonfly drone, the team moves cautiously closer to the location of the APCs, and the hole blasted in the wall of the mall. As they advance, Sprogget loses matrix contact with Scrapheap and Crow, forcing him to drop them from the tacnet. A little further, and even with the ECCM, contact with the drones is becoming unreliable, and they fall back on their local programming and instructions. Only the Monocycle, and PAN sensor gear is still accessible, thanks to the skinlink connections.

@self:This must be some draga carpet tek. Even with best filters, I can’t hold a solid wireless connection to the drones, and the whole mall, plus some seems to be covered.

When the others first get blocked from matrix access, Sprogget links to the skinlinked holo projector in the backpack, for the minimal audio communications currently needed. When he loses access to the drone sensors, he shifts his attention back to AR, just leaving a window open showing the sensor information from the monocycle. Physical signals are safer than the audio.

@self:With this junk in the airwaves, I’m not getting much benefit from the remote sensors.

Quietly talking to Crow and Scrapheap, about how much distraction can be produced, and what that might let them do, Sprogget is a bit concerned about getting too close to the armored vehicles.
@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: “Crow, you better wait to find out what Banjo finds out. If the onboard sensors spot you before you get to the door, those machine guns could really ruin your day. If the door will even open for you to get inside”.

The voice from right beside them comes as a shock. Looking around wildly for the source, trying to figure out what new threat there is, he initially sees nothing.
@self:Magic? Invisible?
Then he notices a place where some of the miserable wind blown ash is eddying around an open spot that it should be sleeting straight through, close enough to where the spatial recognizer says the sound came from. The sensors, even thermal, are not showing anything there though. From what Osha has told him, he figures magic invisibility would cover a bit more than a body sized area, and realizes that it must be some form of full coverage chameleon suit, with thermal damping. He ruthlessly squelches the incipient panic.

@self:Not likely the sort of tek the gangers are going to be using. Neither they or the military team would be asking that either. They would just start shooting. Drek limited sensors anyway! Banjo or G’Eye could have seen that easily with the UWBR, or probably Banjo’s ultrasound. I should be carrying an ultrasound sensor myself, but just now it would have been turned to passive anyway. Do not want to be sending any active signals that could be detected.

He answers quietly, not wanting to be heard beyond that empty spot.
@Voice[Sprogget]: “That we are. You must not be directly involved in this mess, or you would know who we are, or at least who we are not. Your reason for wanting to know”?

@self:Need to be quick. Banjo should be just about ready to try the UWBR on those APCs, then there is not going to be time to talk, whatever happens.

JxJxA

Sep 18 2013, 05:07 AM

E: Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx, Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]
PAN - Active ; SIN - Maximilien Danton

"You are correct, mon ami," answers Gemeaux, seemingly unfazed by seeing Sprogget look his way---likely because his gun is still leveled at them, "in assuming that I am not involved in causing the conflict. Alas, I am but a lowly agent de l'ombre in the employ of a colleague in need. He is quite interested in making contact with you, so much so that he asked that I brave this...fracas...in order to place a particularly important piece of technology outside of this zone de guerre to pierce the veil of signal jamming."

Machine Ghost

Sep 18 2013, 11:06 PM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

@Voice[Sprogget]: “Ah! That must be a repeater with a non-wireless link on one side. Probably a laser link.”.
@self:Or maybe just a recording to transmit when activated?
@Voice[Sprogget]: “I too have been making attempts to reestablish contact with the besieged. I have an agent of my own, a small drone, currently attempting to carry information past the intruders, to supply some information they may not have inside because that jamming blocked them before they could learn. It has had little time yet to succeed”.
Quickly reviewing the jamming map, Sprogget continues,
@Voice[Sprogget]: “The edge of the effective jamming is just under 75 meters further away from the mall. Since that gear may have been cobbled together quickly, another 15 meters should put it safely outside. I assume that it needs to be placed where it has a direct line of sight back to a matching unit, probably on the roof. I would assist in that, but once the jamming is circumvented, others can pass the information. We have a project in progress to attempt a distraction, hoping to get the main attackers attention elsewhere long enough, to give those inside some relief. Distraction is all I can currently do, not having the power needed to directly attack 2 armoured vehicles, with probably 20 trained professionals with military gear, plus magical support, plus the gangers they have armed and doing sentry duty for them here, and probably a few Dissonant techmancers, if they can work through the jamming. That is what the current information says is here. I want to”.
Sprogget does not get a chance to say what he wants. The multitude of signals that he is used to, that have been overwhelmed by the jamming are suddenly flooding in again.
@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: “The jamming is gone! Commlinks active and at risk again.”.
Back to the hole in the air he says quickly.
@Voice[Sprogget]: “It seems that important tek you carry is suddenly less important. The jamming signals are gone.”.
Not taking the time to reestablish any of the commlink connections, he dives virtual, and sends through the holo projector, “Very busy now. Still listening through sensors, and responding through here”.

@self:Banjo First. Without the jamming, he should be close enough now for a look.

Keeping a connection open to DR, with access to its sensors, plus the normal PAN devices that have been temporarily merged with the Monocycle sensor package, Sprogget connects then shifts his attention into the node of the C-D Dalmation drone. There he instructs it to slave itself to the bionode, rejoin the tacnet, go active on the sensors to get a good look at the APCs, then go evasive, and get away from the threat represented by those turret mounted machine guns. He also cancels the status reporting using blinks from the flashlight, and setups up a quick disconnect, so that if his bionode gets attacked in the matrix, the drone can be quickly shifted to fully autonomous mode, and will disable wireless connections for 5 minutes. This is configured as a deadman switch, so that it can be triggered by Sprogget stopping a 'keep alive' signal. Much easier than sending a command while simultaneously trying to keep his brain from being fried.

Not waiting for the results, he immediately shifts back to DR, and looks around in the Matrix for LeO. Finding the Owl, he connects then shifts there. Again he starts the process for getting the drone back on the tacnet, with the same disconnect configuration. LeO only has passive sensors, and is supposed to stay as discrete as possible anyway. He leaves the visual signalling in place, in case matrix access is lost again, but more direct instructions will have priority. As he returns to home base in DR, the initial scans from Banjo are starting to build a 3D picture of the area around the armoured vehicles, and their contents. It will take a few more seconds to fill in details, but he can already see that both have someone aboard. While that is filling in, and Banjo is starting the retreat, he repeats the steps needed to get Scrapheap and Crow back on tacnet, and finally the monocycle, with the new shutdown configuration. DR's dog brain gets some extra instructions. If the shutdown is triggered, and no countermanding instructions in 2 minutes afterward, he is to attempt to get back to the shop, sending a medical alert to the tribe/Osha when getting close.

@self:No point in starting up the commlinks just now. Available resources are enough to send messages, and Oyl has the address for the monocycle. Might miss comm calls, but just not interested in that right now.

With the basic picture taken, Banjo is hurrying to put a solid building between itself and those machine guns. Sprogget examines the live feed closely while it is still available. A full building, even those around here, will be enough to block the UWBR. Even without the walls of the APC.

@self:Drek! 2 in one, 3 in the other. One of them laying down. Resting|Sleeping|Unconscious? In the middle of the attack? Impossible|Unlikely|Not betting on it! That is either a mage doing astral overwatch, or Probably|fits information someone Weird one|Dissonant? in VR for matrix overwatch.

With the full tacnet just barely coming up, knowing that the others are not used to just immersing themselves in sudden volumes of data, and wanting to the keep the guy with the repeater in the loop, he provides an urgent but quiet running commentary.

@Drakehunters,voice[Sprogget]: “Sensor Data coming in. 2 APCs, each with 2 or 3 inside. 1 each at controls. Gunner? Driver? Both? Drek! Each APC carrying 2 aerial drones. Full capabilities unknown, but I doubt they are all for recon. Looks like all armed. One person laying down. Suspect that is a Weird One, Dissonant. Others could be too. Could be mage in astral. Losing data feed. Building now blocks line of fire from the machine guns. Crow, I doubt you could sneak up on those for a quiet chat. That feels like they are on full alert in a combat zone”.

Sprogget sends a command to Banjo, to switch to all passive sensors, and try to stay unnoticed while getting further away from the active weapons, and potential threat of those drones. Now that the Dalmatian is slaved to the bionode, passing that sort direction is simpler. The slaved nodes are almost part of him. Or at least like extra features added to the console he is sitting in front of. Similar to being a spider for one of the building nodes, with extra floors suddenly being added to the building system.

@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: “Recommendation? Trigger LeO to start distraction now? Any reason not to?”.
Switching to the team matrix connection, he continues,
@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<Tacnet full up again. Team conference chat active with it. With that Dissonant around someplace, I have setup a cutout. Right now, if any of the drones or commlinks gets hit with a matrix attack, that will redirect right to me. If I can not handle it, and that Dissonant was strong, everything on the tacnet should drop off, and disable wireless temporarily. As a minimum, that means only I am directly exposed, and could mean the attacker loses the connection needed to attack me. If something like that does take me down, the monocycle has instructions to try to get me back to my shop. You have 2 minutes from when that safey is triggered to use the AR controls to cancel that, if it seems like a good idea.>>

@self:Never any time!

@voice[Sprogget]: “We are ready to activate an armed drone over {there}, to start thinning the ranks of those patrolling gangers. If they are not already on the way out now that the jamming is down, that could bring some or all of the military gear inside out through that hole. Plus those aerial drones, and whatever the APCs and gangers do. The intent is to keep attention away from us here, but can not really count on that once things start happening. Would you like to join our team tacnet, and get a live feed of the action? I trust you a little, just because you talked instead of shooting, and the repeater seems like something Freedom would do given a chance. I can trust a little more because with the available tek, the configuration needed means I would effectively own your commlink for the duration. It would have to be slaved to the master tacnet node. I also have a cutout prepared. I noted a matrix threat earlier, and I do NOT mean the virtual scream virus, that I could not neutralize. If that attacks while the tacnet nodes are active, the cutout can be used to drop everything from the tacnet, and temporarily disable wireless to limit exposure. If you do not wish to be part of our group tacnet, I recommend reducing your wireless footprint as much as possible. Hidden is not really enough, but is probably the best you can do, unless you are setup to use skinlink to access all of your devices. If you can, at least turn the signal power down to minimum levels, to make it hard for others to connect from more than a few meters away”.

With the immediate local needs momentarily taken care of, Sprogget expands his concern to the rest of tribe. He sends a quick message, with attached link for the encrypted raw data feed.

@Cam[Sprogget]: <<Jamming went down seconds ago; live sensor feed {encrypted feed link}; seconds old recording {encrypted UBWR data}.>>

That is when he notices that something is still missing. The wireless signals do not contain anything he recognizes as being from Fre∑dom tribe, or the mall. He passes that unsettling bit of news along.

@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<I see no signals from Fre∑dom.>>
@voice[Sprogget]: “I am not detecting matrix links from the mall”.
@Cam[Sprogget]: <<No wireless connections visible at mall from here.>>
@self:I hope that means they deliberately went dark to hide! I could send the code to reactivate wireless for G’Eye, but I think I have enough to juggle here right now. Later maybe. Maybe Banjo will spot something with the signal scanner.

RdMarquis

Sep 19 2013, 06:48 AM

E: Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx, Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]
SIN: Spencer Lovett, PAN: Hidden

"Consider this a show of good faith." The other runner broke his silence and pulled out his commlink. A tacnet would be useful. More importantly, with the tribes under attack, every second counted. "Okay. Distraction's good. But, then what? Is there any chance of repelling them? Do you have another location to fall back to?" If Mordred sounded a little on edge, it was because he was facing something of a personal worst case scenario. One of the few people in the world he considered family was in danger. For the adept, this was no longer just a run.

Mach_Ten

Sep 19 2013, 04:31 PM

E: Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx, Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]
SIN: Jim Crow, PAN: Hidden

"We need eyes in there! or we gotta get rid of those guys and without any heavy munitions...

The Ork glances around at the new arrivals, but seeing as the bullets haven't started flying he continues his observation of the Fre∑dom mall and it's para-military oppressors, with a small wave of acknowledgement of their prescence.

Must be the backup we need, Jack, get off the carrion and help me scan this place, unless you wanna find a new body ta follow around like a stray dog!

"Sprogget, can you point out some less than obvious entryways into this joint ? I only recall the loading bay and a couple a' windows that Scrap was telling someone ta leave through !"

Machine Ghost

Sep 20 2013, 05:26 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

If he had not been in VR trying to watch all of the sensors at once, the twitch at hearing the new voice would have gotten him ribbed. At least by scrapheap.
@self:I really need more|better sensors!

Taking a quick look around for matrix nodes, and not finding anything new close by, he figures they are at least technical savy enough to keep hidden. He hoped the extra delay while he composed himself was not too noticeable. Publishing a small ARO containing the current address of his bionode, he says calmly through the holo project audio.
@DrakehuntersPlus[Sprogget]: “Slave the commlink to the node at the address in the ARO by the monocycle. I’ll take it from there. Normal functions will still work. You heard the safety bit, so in case of serious matrix trouble, your wireless goes down. That will lose PAN for 5 minutes, unless everything is skinlinked, or until you enable it again using physical controls. Do you need help slaving that”?

@DrakehuntersPlus[Sprogget]: “Repelling? I can not think of anything available that could directly take on those APCs, unless they make some really stupid mistake. For now I would be satisfied with making enough noise to get those inside to pull back, and give some time to the hackers.

We have a … complex I guess, south and a bit east of here. Not far. Not sure exactly how well it would stand up to those APCs and mercs, but if we knew they were coming, people with mechanical skills can arrange an interesting welcome.

I have a toolkit here. If I could get physically beside, or under those, I could strand them. That would take time, and I want those …”
Sprogget can't think of sufficiently descriptive word, and continues after a brief pause.
@DrakehuntersPlus[Sprogget]: “pieces of drek OUT of the mall, not just stranded. If that is all we can do though, at least they won't be used for awhile to attack our complex.”

At Crow’s frustrated comment, Sprogget thinks,
@self:With the jamming down I might already have eyes in there. What good though, other than to tell earlier if the distraction is pulling them out?

He says dryly, still using the holo project audio,
@DrakehuntersPlus[Sprogget]: “We are not used to being quite this level of warzone here, and demolition is only minimally used when trying to do salvage work. I’ll bring that to the attention of management first chance”.
@self:You listening Cam?

@DrakehuntersPlus[Sprogget]: “The mall has been carefully renovated. To look abandoned and ready to fall on anyone foolish enough to enter. Extra entrances have been totally sealed, and some will just lead to dead ends or dead-falls. Looks like this bunch knew a lot of that. Why they went through the wall, I expect. Real used space is mostly the top floors. Mechanicals did a lot of the infrastructure work for that, so if I can just remember … Scrapheap, did you work on that? I know they pulled in people to help, even if they were not carpenters”.

@self:I guess it's time to find out where G’Eye got to, regardless of the extra risk to him. Physical message passing is no longer required. If someone risks lighting up enough for contact.
Sending the coded command to have the RFID tag enable wireless on the dragonfly, he continues,

@DrakehuntersPlus[Sprogget]: “Crow, we may already have some eyes inside. Not sure what good it will do for now, but I am reactivating wireless on G’Eye. With the jamming down, I can connect and find out where he is”.
He expands that for the new people,
@DrakehuntersPlus[Sprogget]: “That's a drone I sent to try to pass physical data through the jamming. Very good sensors, if I dare fully use them. If he … it … had been here, you would never of snuck up on us”.

Having allowed enough time for the wireless to be up again, Sprogget reaches for the access ID of the drones hidden node.

Aria

Sep 20 2013, 11:58 AM

@E:Tribes - Drakehunters
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup

Sprogget

With the jamming gone you are conscious once more that the mall is laced with wifi inhibitors to help maintain the illusion of dereliction. Obviously with whatever has been happening inside some of that has been damaged as the signal is leaking out once more and you make contact with G’Eye. The tiny drone is hovering over a damaged grating while the sound of sporadic shots fill its audio sensors.

Then a squad of soldiers march almost directly underneath, heading in the direction of the breach in the wall. They are moving cautiously but are obviously not at risk. In the centre of the group a hunched figure stands out, bound in plastic restraints you can see a forlorn looking Jazz being dragged back towards the waiting APCs…

Drakehunters, Gemeaux & Mordred

You wait for Sprogget’s signal for the distraction or for an alternative plan from the Mechanicals that might give you some chance against two armoured vehicles…

Osha
[September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C]

As you stride into what passes for command for the tribe Cam and Spindle look up at you and your posse in surprise.

“Osha? Can I help you? I’m trying to keep your brother alive and the shit off our doorstep so unless it’s bloody urgent can’t it wait?”

LeFey
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Down in the basement under the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup

Crouching beside Jazz you can hear the muted sounds of combat going on above. There are a couple of other frightened tribals down here with you too but they don’t seem to be paying you much attention, wrapped up in the fight above.

Suddenly Jazz stiffens and then bows her head in resignation…

“I’m sorry, I’ve got to go. I’d try to get you through to Prospero but I don’t want to risk opening up the passageways. He’s the life of this tribe and I’m not about to risk that, even to keep you safe. Stay here, waiting for the fighting to stop…I think it’ll be over soon, one way or the other…”

JxJxA

Sep 21 2013, 05:30 AM

E: Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx, Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]
PAN - Active ; SIN - Maximilien Danton

Beneath the sheen of chameleon coating and the protective cowl, Gemeaux scowls. It is one thing to have to brave a tiny warzone for a purpose. It is another to see that purpose immediately stripped away, and be left standing unsure of what to do. Professional pride dictates the need to finish the job anyway, and place the blasted repeater anyways. However, the immediate situation calls for another course of action. Still, the idea of having to turn over his commlink to an unknown quantity and put Vivienne at risk...

<<[Vivienne]: It's all right, Gemeaux. You can give him the commlink.>>

Gemeaux slips the commlink from his pocket and hands it to the ork.

"Like my companion said, a gesture of good faith. I must ask one favor. There is a personality program on the commlink. Please leave her be. She is a memorial to someone who was quite dear to me."

Machine Ghost

Sep 21 2013, 05:36 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Florence Darkwind (R4)

Oyl is incensed by the blatant attempt to put her at fault before she has even said anything. Their body language tells a different story. Cam at least seems to be feeling a bit guilty, but Spindle just wants the problem to go away. Controlling her posture to be alpha dominating in the situation, making sure that all present can hear her clearly, she adjusts the tone to provide subtext about what she thinks their worth is. Fully prepared to ride right over anything they might try to say, she lights into them with controlled fury.
@Leadership[Oyl]: “Trying to keep Senka alive are you? You are doing such a good job that he is going in almost alone to try to deal with 2 military TANKS that have attacked our friends at Fre∑dom”.
She notices one of the side screens changing to display Sprogget’s map, with an icon blinking at the location she had determined from the message routing. Immediately, the adjacent display starts cycling through the bookmarked sequence of snapshots. Someone, she does not know who, with better technical skills, has loaded the data. She thanks them in her mind. Pointing at the displays, she continues venomously,
@Leadership[Oyl]: “I presume that you have seen that, and understand what the map is showing. Do you even have any contact with my brother at the moment? No. Right after he sent that information, he headed closer to the mall, into that jamming field. Right towards those tanks, and the hole they blasted in the wall is my guess. That, AFTER you had refused to do the minimal courtesy of trying to warn the hackers about what he had already discovered! Do you have any idea just how much he hates being jammed? Well, at the moment it is Sprogget out there, doing the best he can for the future of the tribe. You might think you can push Osha, sister of Senka, off with simple misdirection, but here and now you are facing Oyl, proud member of the same Mechanicals tribe as Sprogget.”, letting her tone show that she is not sure they are part of the same tribe.

@Leadership[Oyl]: “I do not know how much good it will do, but I have done what I can to deliver that information and warning. Later than it should have gone out. I was in the middle of patching up some of the damage done by those Spined Drakes that seem to be guarding the tanks. I did not see the message until that was safely finished. How long have you known?

Trying to keep the drek off the doorstep are you? Well that looks to me like 2 very large pieces of drek, and the mall is our doorstep. Not only is it our doorstep, it is our friend and neighbors home. Not doing too well are you? On any count. How may groups do you class as our friends? Or class us as their friends? How many do you expect would provide any sort of help if we were the ones being attacked? I can assure your that the numbers will be smaller, a lot smaller, if the Mechanicals can not stir themselves to do everything in their power to help their very good friends. Those tanks and Spined Drake gangers that you are so busy trying to ignore. They are next door at the mall just now. Where will they be tomorrow? Why not here? What’s to stop them? No one else is going to care!

Oh that message I got? It included an explicit request for me to NOT send magical support to him. It seems he knew the drek over there had some magical support, and figured magic would just attract attention. On top of the gangers, the tanks, and whatever else came with the tanks. How did he learn that? How long have you known? How much magical support do you really know about”?

She finally pauses, and shifts her stance slightly, to invite a response, while implying that they really don't have anything plausible.

RdMarquis

Sep 21 2013, 11:27 AM

LeFey
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Down in the basement under the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
SIN: Iwakura Lain, PAN: Hidden

Having effectively abandoned her former life and taken part in a gunfight, LeFey was sure Winter had no idea what it was talking about. "Trust me, I did it a good, long while ago." Any further words were cut short by the arrival of the two armored vehicles. She moved to contact the tribe, but the intruders had other plans. With a crushing, intense pain, LeFey was wrenched out of the digital world and into unconsciousness.

She came to in the basement, where Jazz told LeFey the same thing people had been telling her all her life. "Hide. Stay safe while the capable people handle things." When the other technomancer left, she buried her face in her hands. LeFey wanted to scream, but she was too tired. Too tired to do anything but feel angry and wait for the pain to fade. The instant it did, her paragon spoke. You are about to do something foolhardy.

<<I thought you wanted me to fight the Dissonance.>> She snapped, in no mood for lectures.

Very much. But facing its followers alone, as you plan to do, will help no one. Least of all yourself. Nor will you fare any better if you act in anger.

LeFey slumped against the wall with a sigh. <<I know, I know.>>

You will need our aid. Call forth my shadow. The technomancer nodded and settled into a kneeling position. LeFey closed her eyes, plunging back into VR. The Idoru was waiting for her there, standing in the middle of a dance studio, floating in the misty expanse of her bionode. LeFey remembered then. Summoning this sprite required a particular ritual. She eased herself into the first steps of a familiar dance routine. LeFey's reflection in one of the mirrors shifted, becoming a tall, red-haired woman in a flowing purple dress. As they danced faster and faster, the floor and walls faded away, leaving only the witch and the woman in the mirror.

The sprite walked through the glass, bringing with her a bow and a quiver of arrows. She smiled slightly and inclined her head. Breathing heavily, LeFey returned the gesture. The witch opened a portal to the mall for both of them and stepped through.

Machine Ghost

Sep 22 2013, 05:08 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

Sprogget realizes that neither ghostly runner was comfortable enough with the administration functions needed to slave the commlinks to another node, not a regularly used function he had to admit. Slaving peripheral devices to a commlink was not that unusual for PAN security, giving up control of the commlink to another node was not. Switching his focus from virtual to the more mundane augmented, he hits the release for the harness, shifts to accept the ’link from the first to accept the offer. Working his way manually through the clumsy seeming interface, since the AR interface currently only recognizes the PAN gear of the owner, he locates the option to slave it to another node. Physically pointing it to ARO he published a moment ago, to get the target address into the commlink, he confirms the operation step by step. Meanwhile he talks to the other that is concerned about the personality program.
@self:Her? She? It seems that even those not as comfortable|intimate with the tools|beings of the matrix treat them like people.
@ghostPeople[Sprogget]: “Personality program”?
@self:That is extremely close to full AI. Glad Frankenhunter is off doing more research. Those 2 together might a bad thing for either or both!
@ghostPeople[Sprogget]: “She probably can set this up way faster than I can, using the manual interface. Just tell her to slave the commlink node to the node in the ARO. Once I approve that on my end, she should be able to feed your PAN sensor data to the tacnet link, and get the team overlay back for you.

She will still have full access to the normal comm functions, and can even cut the slave link from your end. While it is up, she is about as safe as anyone can be on the matrix. To get to her, any attacker would have to literally go through me. That is what that automatic cutout is insurance for. I am unsure how much she can see, given the structure of that tacsoft node, but living in the matrix world, she might even get early warning before the cutout can activate. That cutout is sort of a deadman switch attached to a simple script. Tell her to gut it, and just tie to … that is watch … the trigger signal. That is going to be part of the tacnet data. She can make better decisions about what to do at the time than I could put in the script. I am pretty sure she will not have much access to the tacsoft node, other than the data link, or I would ask her to watch out for me!”.
@self:An AI trying to run on a bionode. What a concept! Of course Frankenhunter was supposed to be impossible too. If that central node was a real device, an AI could transfer there, and really make this tacnet sing! I wonder just how close she is to a real AI? The best references I have right now are MCM and Frankenhunter.

His assumption is correct. Even with his head start, and the delay while french accent either hesitates or talks to the commlink, he gets a slave connection request from the other commlink, before he can manually configure this one. He mentally authorizes that connection.
@self:She seems as fast as I would be in full VR. Probably finds that it took me forever to authorize that, since I am running at meat speed just now.
@ghostPeople[Sprogget]: “You are connected, you should have tacnet overlay now, or just coming up”.
Manually confirming the final 'are you sure' prompt, the commlink in his hand finally makes the connection request, so he can authorize that request too.
@self:7 connections now. Just about my limit.
Holding the commlink out to be taken by it’s owner he says.
@ghostPeople[Sprogget]: “There. Manual part done. I’ll finish up soon as I get back to VR”.
As soon as the commlink is gone from his hand, he sits back down on the monocycle seat, fastening the harness again, while having the monocycle node delete the temporay ARO.
@ghostPeople[Sprogget]: “Not a good time to put faces to names, but handles would be good to put tags on the tacnet feeds. Otherwise you will be trans and …”.
Looking at the information for the other commlink he realizes there is no need.
@ghostPeople[Sprogget]: “Never mind. Your software is good Gemeaux. She already added a tag for you. Trans and Gemeaux”.
Secure in the harness again, he switches to VR. Now having full access, he quickly finishes the tacnet setup on the Trans Avalon, and brings it into the tacnet, then continues through that interface. Since he has to deliberately slow down while 'talking' to those in AR, he does a few more things at the same time. The cutout script is copied onto the Erika Elite, with no attempt to activate it. The personality software seems smart enough to take it from there. If not, he will probably hear about it shortly. Another copy he takes over to the Trans Avalon, and gets started, so that it will activate the same as the other commlinks and drones.
@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<For completeness though, to match the tacnet tags, The monocycle is DR, Scrapheap is the one with the face, and the final here is Crow. LeO is a flying platform, main weapon a customized Ares Alpha. Banjo is really a co-opted flying construction drone, but has good sensors. Detailed capabilities available through the tags. I’m Sprogget, but I have no specific tag here. I’ll usually show as an extra aura around one of the drones, as I bounce around matrix side while physically sticking with DR. G’Eye is another sensor platform, but not currently part of the tacnet. Been out of range.

Gemeaux, your personality program should be able to interject comments into the team feed, or direct to me, if she chooses. Try to keep it pertinent though, since some here are not very used to the volume of information provided.

About that distraction. LeO was to.>>

That is when the connection to G’Eye goes through, and Sprogget gets to see Jazz being hustled along by the squad.

G’Eye: Res 3, Sig 5, Sys 3, FW 6; Hidden; Pilot 3, Clearsight(4,opt), Maneuver(4,opt), ~~Defense(4,opt)~~, Covert Ops(4,opt), ~~Chaser(4,opt)~~, ~~Trailblazer(4,opt)~~, Encrypt(6,opt,erg), ECCM(6,opt,erg), ~~Analyze(6,opt,erg,gua)~~, ~~Purge(6,opt,erg,res)~~, ECCM(6,opt,erg):sensor

@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<Drek! G’Eye just make contact again, and look what he sees!.>>
Sprogget inserts the best view into an AR style window in the tacnet feed. It is not part of tacnet. G’Eye is too far away to contribute extra information, or make use of what they have here. But a simple video insert is doable, to get people up to speed, and pass non tactical data around.
@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<They’ve got Jazz, we’ve got to spring her, if at all possible. She’s one of the real doers at Fre∑dom.>>
@self:Opinionated|Bossy|Pushy but also Spirited|Focused and gets things done. Plus she is a Dronomancer, and I have not had a chance to talk to her about it yet.
@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<They are headed for that hole in the wall. Not much time before they get there..>>
A timer popups up in the tac feed, showing a countdown to Sprogget’s best guess of when they will arrive at the hole, while he works to command G’Eye remotely, to get him to discretely follow the squad. He does not want to jump in to the dragonfly. With wi-fi inhibitors still partially in place, the connection might drop again at any time, as the drone shifts position. He was probably lucky to get that initial solid clip. He takes a second to inject a text message into the data feed for the Mechanicals C&C center, just in case they do not know what they are seeing.
@Control[Sprogget]: <<Jazz Captured!>>

Aria

Sep 24 2013, 04:37 PM

@E:Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]

Scrapheap

After some grunting and groaning you’ve managed to lever off the rusted grating and you’re able to plunge down into the waiting darkness. Thankfully the sewer is all but disused and lacks the overpowering stench that you might have expected. In fact it’s almost a pleasure to be out of the stinging ash clouds. You hear the skitter of claws disappearing at your intrusion, nothing that will bother you. Hopefully the schematic that Sprogget pulled from the Mechanicals database still holds true and this route should take you close to the hole in the wall…

Sprogget

Your plans are coming together but you’ll need to act fast before those soldiers emerge… despite the flying crud in the air you can see the perimeter gangers suddenly converging towards the mall…someone has clearly given them some sort of signal and they are abandoning their watch, if there was ever a time to do anything…

Crow, Mordred, Gemeaux

Things are happening now…

Osha
[September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C]

Spindle scowls at you and his eyes flare red…almost like those of a devil rat cornered by some of the tribe children. Rat prefers to avoid conflict but if pushed into a corner it will fight like nothing else, better tread this one with care…

Cam steps between you both despite your non-verbal warning

“We have known long enough what’s going on. Enough to know that we want no part in this! Family always comes before friends, you know that Osha. We do not expect help from others, although we won’t refuse it…we are doing what we can here but I will not throw our people against trained soldiers. Sprogget was told to observe and if possible get intel to those inside the jamming field, not to get involved himself. Everything seems to be focused on the mall now and I am diverting our people that way to help if they can, but I doubt it will do any good. I… shit, the jamming is gone…get her out of here!”

He turns his back on you. He points out an incoming message to Spindle “Jazz has been taken? What the hell is this all about? Why would they want just one techno? There are what, nine or so of them in the tribe?”

LeFey
[September 1, 2072 22:xx; Down in the basement under the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]

The sound of fighting is retreating now. Suddenly you hear a low mechanical whine and a very large and intimidating hound drone steps out of the shadows, it’s back adorned with what look like small machine guns! Somehow you know that it belongs to Jazz, it just feels like her…

Machine Ghost

Sep 25 2013, 04:52 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

Feeling helpless seeing Jazz being hauled along, Sprogget thinks,
@self:If they get her into one of those APCs, she might as well be dead. Buried, and forgotten by the rest of the world. Buried … undergound …
Something is nagging at his memory.
@self:The UWBR map of the APCs, holes, underground, the sewers!
Quickly bringing that snapshot back up, he looks specifically at the parts of the street captured in the data. Previously, he had been focusing on the vehicles and their contents.
@self:Yes! There, and there. Grates of the sewer|storm drain systems, and … no, can’t quite see, but there should be one close to where they will probably take Jazz after getting through that hole. There’s a chance. But the time! Move it, move, move!

@drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<Scrapheap, get over here to DR, now! There is a chance that we can snatch Jazz clean away from them.>>
His tone of excitement, hope, and maybe desperation says a lot more than just the words. Shifting his attention back to AR, Sprogget hits the quick release for the harness, and reaches for the backpack strapped to the monocycle, while continuing to bark commands / entreaties / information through the tacnet interface.
@drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<The sewer. Anyone got a flashlight to help? Should lead from over there, to just about in front of that breach. Squad comes through, we distract, you take Jazz down. Tools here, open grating, wire cutters for restraints, move now, no time, feed details on the fly. Abort later if have to.>>

With Scrapheap headed out, the first priority critical path is in motion, and Sprogget flops back on the monocycle seat, not bothering to take time with the harness. The monocycle is not going to be moving until he gets the details needed. If they get attacked just now, he is in serious drek, but that is a calculated / necessary risk. Switching back to VR, he dives for the Mechanicals tribal control system, and pulls up their infrastructure database. The information always has extended well beyond their [semi] officially recognized boundaries. With Fre∑dom moving in, the mall surroundings are included in equivalent detail. Maybe not the mall itself, the hackers keep some things to themselves, but the surroundings are detailed, the information should be gold. Quickly locating the position of the wall breach, he looks for access to the underground infrastructure.
@self:Yes! There!
Tracing the path back from that point, to the entrance he had pointed Scrapheap to, he verifies that the route should be clear. Grabbing a snapshot of the route and surroundings, he copies it to Scrapheaps commlink, then moves to incorporate it into Scrapheaps AR display, along with a copy of the timer estimate that is going to drop with tacnet.
@self:Nice that I own these slaved comms right now. Speeds things up.

@Scrapheap[Sprogget]: <<Here is the best data from the tribe database. I am going to try to slow that squad down, but don’t count on any extra time.>>
Sprogget is about to tell Scrapheap, that he is going to turn off wireless when the tacnet connection is going down, but hesitates. The AK that Scrapheap is using is skinlinked, but the googles are not. In the sewer, the extra risk of having an active signal seems less than the benefit of keeping the vision, and audio, sensor enhancements. Especially since that signal is not going very far anyway, with the ground making a fairly effective barrier. He settles for setting up a reset for the signal level, and a script that will turn it down to minimum range.
@Scrapheap[Sprogget]: <<Going to lose tacnet down there. Instead of letting it glitch out, I am cutting it clean, and reducing comm signal power. Hit {this} icon when you get in position, so we can try to reconnect.>>

After the almost grunt of acknowledgement, he removes the commlink from the team tacnet, triggers a minimally delay on the script to reduce the signal power, then commands the commlink to immediately unslave itself from his bionode. As the node separates, then fades from his view, he thinks,
@self:Scrap is on his own now. Until he gets close to the surface at the other end. Next, get contact with Jazz.

Then he notices that the drone sensors are showing the gangers moving away from the perimeter they have been maintaining / guarding.
@self:What are they doing now?
Ignoring that for the moment, Sprogget shifts over to slaved Banjo node, and sets up the instructions to get the blimped sensor placement platform started searching for Jazz’s hidden bionode, providing a link to the location information provided by G’Eye.
@self:There! Between G’Eye physical spotting, Banjo searching with radio signal scanner, helped by the ECCM on the sensor, I should have a node location quickly. Even if the remaining Fre∑dom wi-fi inhibitors are blocking Jazz from a direct connection, this should find her. Then I can use G’Eye to make actual contact past the blocks. Meanwhile …

Machine Ghost

Sep 25 2013, 04:57 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Florence Darkwind (R4)

Oyl
@self:Known what long enough?
At Cam's comment about family before friends, Oyl has a acid comment ready about that not meaning that friends get deserted at the first sign of trouble. Delivering information through the sprites is really minimal risk. And that still has not answered the question about the magical support is being used. Astral scouting could give a major boost to the hackers effectiveness against intruders.

The news that the jamming is down though stops her before she can say anything. They should now have enough real control to supply support, and she is not going to endanger Senaka and his group by distracting appropriately effective efforts. The 'get her out' though, that is not going to happen. She stiffens,
@Leadership[Oyl]: “We'll continue this later, but I'm staying”.
Turning to those that came with her, she gets them moving out, holding back the most computer knowledgeable of the bunch. Bit's handle is pure Mechanicals, but it has multiple meanings.
@Leadership[Oyl]: “We are staying”.
With a glare to show she means it. For Cam, she signals, "Watching, not interfere real work".
Leaning over, and controlling her voice to just reach her shanghaied expert, she gives quick instructions,
@Bit[Oyl]: “Tell me what the screens are saying, keep me updated”.

The dwarf nods, and an icon quickly shows up in Oyl's view. A set of old style headphones, overlaid with Bit's drill bit logo. Accepting the ARO, she thinks,
@self:Slot, I should have thought of that much!

The private connection established, Bit starts a running voice over commentary using her subvocal microphone, while feeding images, and sets of windows through her commlink, to the contact lenses. Some of the commentary is somewhat more technical and detailed than it really needs to be, but she has been around Senaka enough to get the gist. She does not interrupt with questions, or advice on the appropriate level of detail. She limits herself to trying to understand the context and implications of the supplied data, and moving some of the AR windows around for her own convenience after Bit has placed them, keeping the video feed from Sprogget's group where she can glance at it occasionally, while Bit is telling her about the other things that Cam is doing, and the resources that are being moved around.

Bit
To an observer, Osha would appear to be quite relaxed, only moving her hands occasionally to adjust the AR windows. Her eyes give the lie to that. Jumping around to look at the new and old windows as information is added or updated. Bit is the one that looks as busy as she really is. Her hands twitch constantly, as she uses the AR interfaces to collect the data, organize, package it, and feed it to Oyl's personal display, while providing the simplified explanations. She has to extend herself, but at the same time, this is what she enjoys best, when not involved with an intricate bit of technopunk work on a piece of electronics. She does wish she could do this from VR, but as unwanted guests, and extra bodies in the control center, trying to appropriate one of the chairs intended for that would not be accepted. Best to do the best she can standing out of the way against the wall with Oyl.

Oyl
Focusing first on the information about and from Sprogget,
@self:He is still safe!
Tacnet, the drones, where did he get those? LeO, Banjo, I don't recognize them, Scrapheap, Crow, who's that? not Mechanical, not Fre∑dom, fuzzy looking 3D density map of the armed vehicles and surroundings, They do not look any better here than in the low light image sent earlier
Then switching to other Mechanicals sensor data, and the people being moved around by Cam. A detailed overhead map of the area around the tribes home complex, shifted and zoomed in to show the hackers mall, especially the space between the complex and the mall. The previous jamming boundary is shown, and Oyl notes that some of the Mechanicals people tagged on it are already quite close to that boundary so he was not leaving Sprogget's group totally unsupported. Well looks more like ready to take advantage, if something useful happened there, but not committing anything either. Not really support. The map also shows the holes in the sensor networks, from the previous infrastructure damage, slowly flashing a dull red Drek, they were really cutting things up there!. The information about the hacker sensor network is flagged as estimated, as of, and no current data. There is a small text in the corner, cycling between yellow, to dull then bright orange and back saying, the live sensors are still suspect, and may be comprised Oh, that is why so much of the information shown is double tagged! Sensor detected, and verified by eyes.
Back to new data from Sprogget, Gemeaux, Mordred added to the tacnet Where are these people coming from? The image of Jazz being forced through the mall corridor Jazz! She is not just another member of Fre∑dom. She handles the administration for about half of what gets done over there! The sudden flurry of activity around Spoggets punked monocycle, then Scrapheap moving like he's late for a hot date, and down into the Sewer before losing contact what? The Spined Drakes tentative icons shifting around. Nothing new seems to be happening there, so Bit starts to switch to other ongoing activities, when a new message comes through from Sprogget, and Bit immediately routes it to her display. No voice over is needed for this.

@Control[Sprogget]: <<Assessment: Military group pulling out. Spined Drakes preparing to loot mall, and bash anything hacker related. Opportunity: With them pulling together to swarm into the breach, access available to other entrances. Get in ahead of them, and use the hole as a choke point, kill zone. Info: You **may** have contact with Fre∑dom control shortly. Repeater with laser link (mall side) being placed. Coordinate -- ⚙.>>

Oyl looks past the AR data windows, giving Cam a glare. If he looks her way, he is going to get a blast from body language messaging, "Action! They attacked both tribes".

Machine Ghost

Sep 25 2013, 05:06 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

Another look at the tacnet sensor data, shows that yes, the icons tagged as gangers on tacnet are moving away from their perimeter positions.

@self:If they got a signal, there would be no need to gather for a chat. They are not going to all fit in those APCs, even if that returning squad means the others are ready to leave. Loot the mall and rage on remaining hackers? That’s likely|probably|bad news! C&C is seeing this, but are they understanding? Them first. If they start moving, they have a chance to ambush a whole bunch of Spined Drakes that have been taking pot shots at both tribes all afternoon!

Composing a quick message, with his current understanding, and idea, he fires it off with the live outgoing sensor feed, tagged to immediately show to any live people on duty, not just get filed with the data stream. That done, he sees about getting the promised link to the hackers activated. Talking can be done at meat speeds, so he shifts his attention back to the physical world around the monocycle, still keeping the tacnet information up, and few of his own reference windows.

While talking to the team about his interpretation of the movement, and Gemeaux about the repeater, he keeps his hands busy, straightening the tools dislodged in his haste to get the tool Scrapheap could use to help with the grate. Not wasting time, but not frenzied either, he puts the toolkit back in the backpack, and makes sure that things are properly fastened down again.

@drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<It looks to me like the gangers are pulling in toward the hole blasted in the wall, and I already showed you some of the military coming out with Jazz. I think that means the milspec group is planning to pull out, and when they do the Spined Drakes are going to swarm the mall, looting and killing. I told C&C that, plus Gemeaux, even with the jamming down, there does not seem to be any contact with those in the mall. I think hope that with the damage done, their own protection is blocking them. We need that repeater active soonest, to find out. Setup at the nearest line of sight location you can find, and get it active. If some of the more technical are watching, it could draw attention, but with that shrinking perimeter, we can follow, moving away. Please hurry, it could be very important to get our C&C talking to anybody in control over there.>>
Sprogget heard a muttered word or 2 in French, as the shadow of a man moves hastily off a short distance, digging some gear out from under the disguising suit. It sounded sort of self derogatory, like he had failed to do something, and had been reminded of it.
@self:Well at least that did not need any convincing.

Finishing buckling the safety harness, he is ready to get moving. Back in VR, he sets DR to follow the lead of Crow and Mordred. He has a lot more things to do in the next couple of minutes. The monocycle will have to handle the situation as best it can. With the autosoft, it is more discrete than he is anyway. To bad he has not managed to get back to the shop, to install the chameleon coating. That could be used to either enhance the steampunking, or make the whole monocycle as close to invisible as pure technology is capable. Checking the sensors, they gangers are still pulling back.
@self:If they keep packing together, you could throw a rock and hit 3 of them. I hope they do not crowd the entrance when Jazz is coming out. Or maybe I do. That could be one more thing to have the squads attention on when Scrapheap is ready to keep that date. I’ll have to rib him later about his technique for picking up a girl! ‘I’ll crawl through a sewer for you!’

Not wanting to take the time for slow voice speed conversation, Sprogget dumps a summary of the tentative plan to cause a distraction to a file, attaching links to the information about LeO’s capabilities, the modified Ares Alpha, the sensor map that Banjo had done of the APC with UWBR, and the infrastructure information showing where Scrapheap could intercept the squad. If he had enough time.

@drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<Tentative plan summary for causing a distraction to give Scrapheap a good chance of grabbing Jazz and getting out again in one piece.

2 main options.
1) If the squad is bringing Jazz close enough to the sewer grate on their own, have LeO target the APCs.
- As a mechanic, I think I see a weak spot in those vehicles, even with the armor. I figure that if LeO focus everything he can on that spot, a lot of damage is going to get through, maybe even total it. Timed right, that could get **everyone’s** attention off of Jazz, and on the APC.
2) If the path is too far off for a direct extract, the Ares Alpha has some pepper punch grenades. Lob them in a little offside, could get them to move over enough. From the drone pictures, they don’t seem to be using full chem gear, just respirators. They are not going to have time to figure out what the gas is either. Then scatter untargeted fire to keep their attention, and give Sprogget time to get Jazz clear.

Other options? The weak spot data is available, if you have something strong enough to finish them off, if the first blast is not quite enough. After that, it looks like open season on anything moving, until we have to get clear. I have more work to do NOW, but will be listening, if you have ideas.>>
Dropping the file into the tacnet display, where they can see enough to know what it is about, he collects the data that Banjo has waiting for him, and jumps over to G’Eye’s node.
@self:It’s past time to talk to Jazz, if I can. But things are happening that affect multiple people too. The other drones can wait a few more seconds. They are fast enough to catch up.

The camera shows the back of a dejected looking Jazz, surrounded by the squad of intruders. He extends his perception through the local matrix area, looking for any hint of other icons. Tentatively finding nothing, he focuses on Jazz’s node, that Banjo had identified for him. Looking for connection information, and making as sure as he can that it is really Jazz there, not some other hidden node close enough to confuse Banjo. He gets the access information, and Daedalus is assuring him that yes, that node is another follower/adherent to machine tinkering and inventions. That will have to do. He sends a connection request, with a text message, a polite knock on the virtual door.
@Jazz[Sprogget]: <<Hey there grandma. Looks like the wolves have invited you to lunch. Would you like to make other dinner plans? -- ⚙.>>

Aria

Sep 25 2013, 04:48 PM

@E:Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C]

Osha

Although the others in the control room have turned their backs on you and Bit, Cam’s clockwork fairy has risen off his shoulder on her fibre optic tether and is observing you with beady glowing eyes.

The large AR screens are filled with information, assessments, deployments and a host of other seemingly meaningless data. You note with some concern that the amount of people on the wall is worryingly thin, but that it represents the bulk of the Mechanicals fighting force. The hit and runs have taken a toll, a toll you’ve seen in the bloodied bodies through the clinic this afternoon, and it looks like the perimeter of your tribe is almost non-existent now, Cam relying on what’s left of the sensor network to warn of anything coming from anywhere other than the mall to your north.

Spindle is muttering to himself under his breath, mutters punctuated by a strange chitter, and then a shriek as his shamanic mask manifests about him. The air next to him shimmers and blurs, enough to tell you that the spirit he has summoned is powerful enough to warp the real world from the astral. He sags into a chair and hangs his head panting and were it not for the seeming ineffectual nature of his actions during the attack you might almost feel a pang of something for this weary form.

[September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]

Sprogget

<<@Sprogget [Jazz]: Sprogget? What? These fraggers aren’t exactly taking me out to dinner! Shit, I gave myself up to them so that they’d leave…they want a techno called Summer and they’re too stupid to know I’m not her. If you’ve got a way out that won’t risk the tribe then I’ll go for it but you’d better be damn sure it will work otherwise I’ll haunt you until the end of your sorry days! They’ve got a Dissonant called Winter with them so I don’t want to stay connected for long in case they shut me down. If something goes wrong find Summer, find out what the hell this is all about…but we need to protect the well, we can’t let them in here again…>>

JxJxA

Sep 26 2013, 01:28 AM

E: Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx, Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]
PAN - Hidden ; SIN - Maximilien Danton

This is becoming incredibly more complicated... First things first, however...

"Merci beaucoup, mon ami anonyme," Gemeaux replies as he takes back his commlink and replaces it. "I shall have to ask you for your name later, as I think it best to finish my original goal of placing the repeater. It may not be as pressing as before, but I do not like leaving a job undone. After all, bonne renommée vaut mieux que ceinture dorée.."

<<[Gemeaux]: Vivienne, my dear, are you all right? He did not hurt you, did he?>>

<<[Vivienne]: Everything looks normal. However, I appreciate your concern.>>

<<[Gemeaux]: That is always good to hear. The word is given, my dear. Wires on and weapons free.>>

<<[Vivienne]: Understood, Gemeaux. Activating them now.>>

He holsters La Reponse and moves towards his destination, hoping to place the repeater before the rest of hell decides to break loose...

Machine Ghost

Sep 26 2013, 03:22 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Florence Darkwind (R4)

@self:Pulling out? That bunch with Jazz is the whole lot, and those Tanks|APCs are their transportation? The count looks about right. But that should mean that any military magic support is pulling out too!

The previous information is out of date, so Oyl calls the watcher sprites back to her. They are going to have some new jobs to do!

@self:Spindle really exerted himself on that one. Wonder what he called?

Shifting her perception to the astral, she has a look at the spirit, then for good measure assesses Spindle's condition after the summoning, before shifting perception back to the physical world. She is not really satisfied with the result for Spindle. So he's tired. Like that is news. She would like to get the results from a more detail Diagnose spell, but to do that she would have to touch him. In the current circumstances, walking over to put a hand on his shoulder could get some bad reactions all around.

@self:Since Cam has that tek-toy watching me, I might as well make use of it. He should know that those fake glowing eyes are not going to bother me. I could shift to snake, and give him a good stare right back, and even mimic that pose on the teather!

Tilting her head, and shifting her posture with the question, she asks,
@Cam[Oyl]: "obstacle ganger or military mage"?

@self:Knowing where the military force is right now, I can send messengers direct to people!

She puts a hand on Bit's shoulder, and whispers,
@Bit[Sprogget]: “Wait, get me a map showing the mall and surrounding infrastructure, plus the hole, APCs, military group position and movement direction, and identified ganger locations and recent movement”.
@self:If we last the night, I need to ask Sprogget to get me a subvocal microphone, one that I can put on|off easily for shapeshifting.

@Cam[Oyl]: "Sending spirit messengers to mall".

When the map window opens in her view, she expands it to a good size, then gets the attention of the first watcher,
@WatcherSprite[Oyl]:“Find {Nimbus} at the Fre∑dom mall. Show him {this} image, and speak this message to him: ‘Message from Oyl. Time is {current time}. Military on the way out of mall taking Jazz. Spined Drakes about to be coming in. Your repeater being deployed. Requesting reply, at least acknowledgement. Waiting one minute’. After delivering message wait one minute for a reply, then return here and tell me the response”.

@self:Hard to explain to a watcher about sleeping, and VR, so have to try to get a reply to know if the message was successfully delivered.

She repeats the process 3 more times, sending duplicate messages to eBreeze, and 2 others she expects to be involved with the Fre∑dom equivalent of their own control centre.

@self:No point in trying to send a message to Prospero this way. Even if a spirit could find him, he spends all of his time in virtual. The chance of him noticing the spirit is vanishingly small. Although … Sprogget asked me to research mana sensitive biology. Something he is toying with for enhanced offline records security for the hospital I think. Anyway, the GloMoss, that would be easy to grow with the standard hydroponics, that he seem to like for his project would also make a good astral doorbell. Tek could monitor the moss, and trigger a standard sensor signal when disturb by mana. A sprite hovering there would work just fine, so Prospero's tek could notify him about a magical visitor. Note for later.

Messages, or at least the messengers, sent, she gets Bit to continue the information feeds. She is concerned about all that missing perimeter, especially with that note about potentially unreliable sensors.

@Cam[Oyl]: "Coordinate. Patrol with my spirits?".

@self:He may be an idiot about some things, but he is the one handling the whole picture here. Let him assign sections, so he knows where the extra is. No point in trying to do this solo.

Wishing she was in the circle at her lodge, but knowing that it was not really necessary, Oyl decides one more spirit might be useful, even if she does not know yet what she is going to ask it to do. With her current summoning skill, that means it will not be very powerful, but the plant is an aspect of the Great Mother. It is usually the most receptive to her wishes, and has some useful abilities. Visualizing the small cactus that is sitting in the lodge, she carefully feels the mana around her, pulling its astral aspect to her.
A small spirit cooperates, and agrees to perform a single service, within it's limited abilities, when she asks. Meanwhile, it hangs around in astral.

Machine Ghost

Sep 26 2013, 03:55 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; G’Eye node, Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

@self:What would Dissonants want with a well? It would not work for them.

@Jazz[Sprogget]: <<Sorry, reference to an ancient children's story with a grandmother eaten by a wolf.

OK, Find Summer, but I'd rather have your help doing it. Winter Dissonant.>>

@self:Great, now I have seasonal puns running through my head. Let's get summer to spring a surprise, so that winter takes a fall. Summer is Summer, and Winter is Winter, and never the twain shall meet.

Make this fast, in case lose the connection. Prioritize.

Sprogget passes Jazz the grating location reference information, relative to the entrance/exit hole in the wall.

@Jazz[Sprogget]: <<Not sure, but figured you would be dead, or shortly wish you were if they got you out of here. Grating to sewers just outside the mall. Scrapheap trying to get there to open in time. Drag your feet here to give him time. Distraction planned. Try to steer this bunch to get close.

Intel since jamming started: Captured Spined Drake says weird ones, that's plural, working with military, seems this bunch. Weird could be Dissonant. I encountered Dissonant rigging drone. Too strong for me in matrix, but sprite kept attention long enough to destroy drone and dumpshock him.

I don't think going with them is going to protect the tribe. 2 APCs where you are headed, perimeter around much of mall by Spined Drakes. APC's currently have driver plus 3 passengers between them. One laying down when I looked. Maybe matrix/magic overwatch, maybe the one I dumpshocked. The gangers are now ALL moving toward the hole blown in the wall, more than I thought there were members. Suspect the whole gang is coming through as soon as you are hauled out. Figuring to move back in and take over again?

That reported to my C&C. Someone in mall sent visiting merc out with repeater to get past jamming. Jamming stopped before he got clear. No contact even without jamming. Repeater being placed as we speak, hoping the damage done means the optical link is needed. Apparently some magical support with military. You know we encountered mage wearing Spined Drakes colors North East of mall earlier.>>

@self:Like maybe an hour ago!

@Jazz[Sprogget]: <<Any idea if wireless side of the repeater will come up hidden? Access ID? Alternate way to contact your C&C now that I am this close? That should be all for me. You?>>

Sprogget waits, letting Jazz control the disconnect when she is ready.

ChromeZephyr

Sep 26 2013, 04:16 PM

E:Tribes; Scrapheap
September 1, 2072 22:xx, the sewers under the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup

From watchin' da trids ta bein' 'n one. Scrapheap shifted his shoulders and glared towards the skittering noise, his low-light vision just picking up beady eyes glaring at him before retreating away. Crouching, he slipped the AK on it's sling around to his back, then pulled his low-light flashlight out of his pocket and hefted the bolt cutters in the other hand. The tight beam of visible-to-him light showed small lumps of dessicated filth, but no puddles of anything recent or waiting devil rat hordes. It took him a few seconds, but the ork scavenger got the schematic to overlay his vision at a low opacity, and he headed off in in the direction of the hole and the grate he was supposed to open.

Aria

Sep 26 2013, 04:34 PM

@E:Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C]

Osha

Shifting your gaze to the astral you are met by the baleful stare of one of the more powerful spirits you’ve ever seen. The hulking rat form, a beast spirit you judge, is standing on its hind legs, towering over Spindle and Cam, waiting for its master’s bidding. Spindle is clearly suffering from the summoning and from his roiling aura you suspect the damage he has done to himself is significant. Whatever his intentions are he clearly wants a dangerous tool at hand…

"Obstacle ganger or military mage? Sending spirit messengers to mall"

Cam frowns at you and your whispered conversation with Bit "We believe the principal threat is a military mage. Our intel is that the Spined Drakes have an adept lieutenant calling himself Skyfall but no mage. Their numbers have shot up radically though so who knows if that still holds true?”

Moments later your watcher returns, slipping seamlessly into the crook of your arm and looking up at you ”Found him. He said thank you and that the er, thing, should be working about now…” and indeed there is a jubilant shout as one of the techs established communications with the mall…

"Coordinate. Patrol with my spirits?"

“Since when have you started asking me what you should be doing?”. Cam replied acerbically "Our perimeter is weak here” he points out a place on the eastern edge of the mall "I’m focusing our people between us and the mall and that breach on the west side but if the drakes decide to swing round the back of the mall we won’t know about it until they are knocking on our door here…it’s where the initial attacks came from and the sensors there are skragged”

You just have to hope that’s a genuine threat, surely Cam wouldn’t be so petty as to send resources out there just to keep you out of his hair?

[September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]

Gemeaux

Rapidly ascending the crumbling staircase in the building you’d previously identified as being a good location for the repeater you try very hard not to pay attention to the semi imminent signs of collapse. It’s not the same as the hell hole in Chicago but this building clearly hasn’t had the right sort of tlc to keep it structurally sound. The walls are damp with mildew and the footing is slippery but at least you are out of the ash…at least you are until you make it out onto the precarious roof and gingerly make your way to the parapet that offers the best view of your target point on the mall.

<<Gemeaux [Vivienne]: The indicators are green, I am establishing the connection to the Fre∑dom node as you asked…there is some interference from the storm but I have sufficient bandwidth for text communication and limited voice>>

Scrapheap

Hustling through the sewers following Sprogget’s map on your AR display you can feel the adrenalin coursing…you are going to appear underneath the noses of a squad of soldiers and aren’t they going to be surprised?

Sprogget

<<@Sprogget [Jazz]: Ok, so when I see that grating open I’m heading for it. Scrapheap had better be there or it won’t be a pretty drop! Just give me the word, I’ll be waiting!>>

Machine Ghost

Sep 26 2013, 05:10 PM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; G’Eye node, Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

Sprogget agrees that the risk of a Dissonant shutting things down, or just noticing then alerting these guys is quite serious. That was the point of adding the stealth controls in the first place. With the existing instructions, the dragonfly can follow along by himself, without anyone looking over his shoulder. Breaking in again before Jazz says anything, Sprogget adds,

@Jazz[Sprogget]: <<Oh, I am calling from a sensor heavy dragonfly drone close to you. {Here} is access. G’Eye has been modded with stealth RFID signals to enable/disable wireless. {This} will turn wireless off, and {this} on. Turn it off soon as I have a chance to get out.>>

@self:Really do not want to get dumped!

@Jazz[Sprogget]: <<He will keep close enough, that you can turn back on if/when needed. Good ECCM too, to help get past the blocking around here. That should keep him from being noticed, unless someone gets close enough with a NLJD.>>

@self:Or he is clumsy and gets spotted visually, or bangs into something and is heard, of course.

@Jazz[Sprogget]: <<From the new mall doorway, without jamming, you should almost be able to reach me direct, and there will be another drone close enough to one hop relay
.>>

@self:Banjo better be close enough for a new UWBR scan to give LeO good targeting information by then.

After seeing her customized drone in the loading bay, Sprogget is fairly sure technical short hand will not faze her. He does not even bother to reply to the comment about the drop. If Scrapheap is not there, the grate won't even be open.

@Jazz[Sprogget]: <<Full burst of weapons fire on one of the APC's should pull the trigger on everything. Move with that even if the grate is not open. Scrapheap could wait till then to shove it.>>

Mach_Ten

Sep 26 2013, 07:04 PM

@E:Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C]
Crow

Shifting uncomfortably in the rubble, Crow raises his hands from the Ares Alpha to wipe flecks of ash from his goggles,
leaving a messy smear that the nano-clean™ self cleaning coating takes care of in moments.
His vision momentarily unimpaired he risks another short glance over to the APC's as they idle waiting for the troops to emerge with their prisoner

He rapidly updates his AR overlay with current enemy and now friendly targets and settles back down behind cover, making sure to not leave any exposed parts silhouetted for the APC turrets easy pickings.

Far above him in the swirling and eddying mire that is the barrens storm clouds, a shadow flits and it's raucous cawing is lost in the sound of the winds as they howl by.
I hear ya Jack, nothing be done about it now though, just keep eyes open for the signal, if that drone can make a big enough dent in them things then we can pick out it's innards.
Spirit's alive, now I'm THINKING like a carrion bird ...today gets better !

He looks up and across the short distance to where the Mechanical, Sprogget sits in his adapted monocycle, barely able to make out his features he can't tell if he's calm or stressed to the max.
<< @DrakeHunters [Crow} : "Hope this plan works Chum, Scrap I got you topside when this drek hits okay? if they don't take the bait I got some "persuadin" of my own ya hear!" >>

Not his most motivational of speeches as they go, but even after such a very short time it feels strange to not have company close and watching his own back, Damn, thought I was coping with this solo bull-drek he thinks to himself while giving a physical 'Thumbs Up' to Sprogget before realising that in all probability .. he can't see it

Machine Ghost

Sep 27 2013, 03:36 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

Finished the quick exchange with Jazz, Sprogget shifts his attention to the slaved Banjo node. Starting to give instructions, he notes that Jazz is not slow at shutting off G’Eye’s wireless system, as the node vanishes from his view.

@self:Good, that is safe as it can be from detection for now.

LeO is going to need some extra work, but he can at least get Banjo moving the right way again. He can fine tune it in just a bit. Banjo is going to need a location where the UWBR can see the APCs, but this time looking inside them is less important, so the looking can be done through a wall or 2. Inside a building seems the best option, and the infrastructure map shows a couple of possibilities, that are also close enough to the breached wall and sewer grating to have them in view as well. For now though, Sprogget just gets him moving toward the general area, with instructions to avoid notice from the moving Spined Drakes. He is likely going to have to get past some of them, to get in position in time. Over top a roof or two probably. The storm up there both a risk and a benefit. Banjo in motion, he joins the C-D Owl drone. LeO also should get closer, for the best chance at hitting the APC where it will hurt the most. He has more leeway than Banjo for the distance though, and should be able to stay behind the gangers moving the same direction. Good thing too. They both have some built in skills for working on the sly, but Banjo has also been painted in camouflage colors for urban night work. LeO has more general coloring. Nothing flashy, but just not as good in the current situation.

The angle is going to be the important thing, and after getting LeO skulking after the gangers, he brings up the above ground infrastructure model for the area around the APC parking location, out to a couple hundred meters. He inserts the data from the UWBR, showing the exact position of the APCs, then adds to that different colored virtual light sources at the location of each of the vehicles, and at the grating. The light for the grating (green) he spreads out, turning it into a bar that covers the area he wants to be able to target, where he wants to keep the squad members, or any adventurous ganger, away from, while Jazz and Scrapheap get a head start below. 10 meters long and 2 meters high at ground level. The size that LeO's data on the Ares Alpha says can be suppressed with autofire. After a quick mental visualization, he splits that into 2 thin, green, two meter high vertical bar lights at the ends of the previous large bar, and sets them blinking slowly and alternately. Only one on at a time. The light for the APC with the extra occupant (blue), he narrows to a point, and positions as close as he can to the suspected weakness. The actual pinpoint target. The final light (red) is positioned at the turret of the other APC. Anything that light shines on could be in a lot of trouble, once the gunner realizes he has a serious target. Sprogget doubts it is going to be available, but the perfect location would be where the initial (blue) target can be seen, but neither of the others, with a short movement bringing the grate (grate) into view, without exposing to the attentions of the (red) machine gun on the second APC. Finding that is not easy. Looking for it is. He adds one more thing to the model. A virtual curved wall, visible but insubstantial in the model, with a starting radius of 150 meters, centered on that first target.

Setting the infrastructure in the model to be mostly transparent to him, but not to the virtual lights, he looks for the places on the wall with the right color and pattern. What he wants is a place that is only blue, immediately beside a place that is solid green, with no red on or between them, at an edge that is completely shadowed, so LeO can approach unseen, and quickly hide again. What he needs is a place that has blue overlapping or beside the green, blue beside yellow is good too, as long as the APC is really dead Any red is bad, so orange, purple and white are also bad. Orange, and LeO will not last long shooting at the grate. Purple or white for the initial shot, and he better move quick or there will not be a second shot.

He slowly shrinks and expands the wall, watching the edges of the shadows cast by the transparent buildings, looking for the viable options. Closer in there is easier targeting, and better chance of hitting. Further out it is easier to hide, and harder to hit. The APCs are close enough (uncomfortably so) to the grate, that a spot to be able to shift targeting from one to the other is not hard to find. Any of several vertical building edges will do fine. How far the shift needs to be mostly depends on how close LeO is to that vertical edge. With limited time to choose, he goes with a starting location that is purple, blinking to white, that a shift of a couple of meters turns to solid yellow, just above a solid black edge. The first shot will be from a position visible to both APCs, and one probable edge of the squad. If he can shift sideways before the second APC targets and fires, the grate is nicely visible, but so is the first APC. It had better be dead. Moving further in the same direction shifts to solid green, so if the damage done delays response a little, he is golden as far as the 'big' guns go.

The location is the edge of a flat roof that has a structure, building mechanical systems, on it, providing the needed vertical shadow. 135 meters from the APC, 143 from the grating. As long as LeO stays below the edge, none of the main targets of interest will have line of sight during the approach, and the building should be enough to stop anything if he gets a chance to retreat. Depending on how solid the mechanical systems are, bullets might come right through the roof structure, but at least the shots will be blind. He gives LeO the destination location, and time constraints. It is not far, but he is going to need to shift sideways some, from the current path following the gangers. LeO turns and picks up speed, and Sprogget moves back to help Banjo pick the final vantage point.

Either of the initially selected buildings would do, and Sprogget quickly picks one based on where the gangers are currently, and the line of sight to the APCs. Timing the move carefully to minimize exposure to the gangers, while staying out of sight from the APCs, they accelerate, up and over a building, and decelerating hard coming through an opening in the destination building, just before the next ganger comes past the intersection a half block away. It should have been a window, but there was no glass, and not much of a frame. The storm winds were no fun, but they had been able to choose the angle ahead of time, to minimize the cross currents and shear. Inside, Sprogget leaves Banjo to explore using only the passive sensors, and pick the final location for himself. Time is getting tight. He goes back to help LeO get into position. LeO is almost there, but being buffeted and tossed around by some nasty cross currents and sheer below the roof top. It is probably a bit better once clear of the edge, but that is not helping right now, trying to get stabilized before rising to target and shot. What to do?

@self:The arm!

Sprogget has LeO reach with the mechanical arm, to grab hold of the edge of the roof. That provides an anchor point, and a little leverage. It is enough. The drone still shudders and shifts in the changing wind, but it is much more constrained now. He will be able to lift, and line up with the target, without swinging about wildly. With the seconds ticking way, Sprogget gives final targeting instructions to LeO. On signal, lift up, take aim, and focus everything as tight as possible into that weak point. If the grate opens, and Jazz goes in, immediately shift over and start suppressive fire around the grate. If the grate opens, but Jazz is not in, but is down, the same, but aim enough higher to exclude her. If the grate does not open, target the matching spot on the second APC. Now just have to wait. Information from the others will control the timing. Crow and Mordred have been keeping an eye on things, and will see anyone coming out of the mall through the hole. Gemeaux has been busy with the repeater. That is active now, he notes, and Gemeaux is maneuvering for position as well. He is going to be a little further away, but should have a good line. Sprogget is not sure, but thinks he is trying for a spot that targets the grate and hole, without being exposed to the APCs. When Jazz is brought out, Sprogget will signal both Banjo and LeO to go active, simply by changing the status on the tacnet of the APCs from pending to live targets. Timed so LeO has enough time to rise and take aim, then fire just before Jazz reaches the point where she can quickly reach the grating. The UWBR will provide extra targeting information on tacnet to give LeO more accurate information.

Now it is time to wait. Wait and hope. Hope that Scrapheap can get into position in time. Hope that he can open the grating cleanly. Hope that the path taken by the squad gets Jazz close enough to the grate. Hope that the sudden attack on the APC has the squad, and the accumulating Spined Drakes, momentarily focused outward away from Jazz. Hope that the storm and supposedly poor sensors of the APCs keep them from Spotting LeO before he fires. After that, hope that LeO can get out of reach of the 2nd APC before it can target him, while keeping the squad busy while Scrapheap and Jazz get away from that grate underground. Then after all that, hope that LeO can get out of sight and clear before someone manages to get a good bead on him. He is going to expend most of his ammunition with all of that, and there could be aerial drones launching. Hopefully no more than 2, if enough damage is done to the first APC.

Now he waits. He is not real sure about the security of just established link inside the mall. So he does not provide details yet. There is nothing anyone elsewhere can do in the time available anyway. Time enough to do the notifications when the shooting starts. When that happens, he is probably going to have lots of time. The decisions have been made. Once the signal is given, about all he can do is watch. And provide some matrix coverage, although with the strength of that previous Dissonant as a guide, that probably means just pulling the plug so everyone goes dark. That is the point that he will send the prepared message about the rescue attempt in progress. The live sensor feeds will probably tell everything else. People paying close attention to the sensor data and activities could have deduced that something is to be attempted. He sees no point in broadcasting it, risking interception, risking official notice of actions that might be contrary to the established policy.

Way at the bottom of his list, he hopes that the combined Mechanicals and Fre∑dom C&C can get something effective going quickly. He would much rather have Fre∑dom for a next door neighbor, than the Spined Drakes. They are much more interesting, in addition to people that are almost, and could be friends.

Machine Ghost

Sep 27 2013, 03:44 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Florence Darkwind (R4)

Seeing the toll that calling that massive spirit has taken on Spindle, Oyl thinks,
@self:Need to get him some proper care after this. His policies|biases|priorities are not helping the tribe now|any more, but he is still a tribal member, part of the family. I have to smack Senaka into line sometimes too, when he forgets about everything but the tek. Of course he gets even if I ignore the advantages of using some of that tek.

At Cam’s verbal, more detailed response to her quick body language question, she thinks,
@self:Good, at least he is answering pertinent questions. Even expanding on it from the context.

At the watcher’s report, plus the shout, and Bit’s followup AR indication that they have a connection to the Mall control center, she quickly dismisses all of the watchers. Nimbus has the situation outline, those on duty here can fill in the technical details now, and there is no need to provide additional distractions for others over there, repeating the same message.
@self:Those guys|spirits|tools have been busy for awhile. Time to get some fresh, for the next task, so they don't wear out|quit|go away before the job is done.

At Cam's tone, she thinks,
@self:Ignore, well not quite, that. He is under a lot of strain|pressure just now, and I have|was just chewing him out, even if only for following the bosses instructions.
She says sweetly, verbally since he is,
@Cam[Oyl]: “Since that will help the tribe right now. We are part of the same team, and I am just another cog in the mechanicals machine, with your hands on the controls”.

@self:Let him make what he wants out of what I did NOT say.

She, then follows up with an additional nonverbal message,
@Cam[Oyl]: "Use available resources effectively".

@self:Cam is aware of my limits as a mage, so keeping me away from the military group, and even the bulk of the Spined Drakes makes sense. I would have thought he would want more coverage south of us, in case there are other threats around, but it's his call. Not a time|issue to question|clarify|expand on. He is trusting the sensors too much. Not that there is a lot of choice, with how thin people are spread.

She has Bit pause again, while she locates reference points that a spirit can use in astral, to identify the extent of the indicated region to patrol. Ready with those limits, she tugs gently on the connection to the patiently waiting plant spirit.
@Plant Sprirt[Oyl]:“Dweller of the planes, here is the service I desire of you. Until morning comes, patrol through {this} region, and immediately report to me the location of each metahumman aura found. Those may move, so report each time they are noticed. I will be sending some watcher spirits to help you, soon and replacements later. Direct them, use them as extra hands and eyes to help with this service”.

@self:With all of today's activity, the usual residents|street people should be long gone, or hiding in the deepest basement they can find. That simple spirit will not be able to see all of the people, all of the time. Individuals could get missed, but any group moving around should get noticed before they get too far.

The primary patrol established, she goes about arranging watcher spirits to help, sending each directly to the first worker, using the magical link as a reference. Each is instructed to assist, and take direction from the plant spirit.

@self:The watchers will only last an hour, so I'll need to repeat that every hour, as long as the patrol continues. Now to get reporting setup.

Squatting down to talk to Bit, she carefully modulates her voice to carry to, but not much beyond her, since Cam was disapproving of the previous whispers.
@self:She is probably used to it, but there is no need to loom over her.

@Bit[Oyl]: “Setup a live astral watch map for that area, with me as the data entry source”.

Instead of standing again, she decides this is likely to be a long session, and sits on the floor, leaning against the wall, while keeping her legs back out of the way.

@self:Be a lot more comfortable here as a mountain lion, but need full access to the tek.

All of us with any sort of magical affinity have done this many times before, in practice and for real. The spirit does not even have to report to a mage, but that is simpler|faster|more reliable. Let’s see, start with the astral reference points …

When Bit opens the new 3D map window in her view, she moves the view around, careful checking the positioning and tags for the physical world coordinates of the astral landmarks that she and the spirit will be using to specify the locations of any detected auras. The spirit can not read street signs, or GPS, or anything else from the physical world. But it can provide some distance and bearing to known landmarks identifiable from astral. That is enough to approximately plot encounters, and errors tend to cancel out, narrowing the estimated location of any stationary target over time. Moving contacts are less accurate, but anything suspect is going to have Cam trying to match to other information.

Next the boundary she supplied for the patrolling spirit goes in. Now she is ready to add information Cam has available for real time decisions. Each time the spirit reports a contact, she creates a new standard, automatically timestamp icon. The landmarks, approximate distance and bearing information is filled in, along with any close by astral shadow details. That places the icon in the live data, accessible by anyone with the access, that wants to see it. The system is set to automatically do a best fit from the provided information to match to probably physical world infrastructure location. The main information is enough to get close, but often the little local details can be used to narrow the location, to put it on the correct side of a wall for example. The system also automatically shows a shadow around the contact, showing the current level of confidence in the location accuracy, and flags / rejects nonsensical information, in case of errors entering the information.

Normally people looking at the results, configure their own view to fade out the older contacts, keeping the latest prominent. But sometimes all history information is shown, to look for movement patterns. Once enough information is available, the system also starts tentatively linking the various information sources, trying to match the estimated times and locations with information from visual reporting, plus direct and triangulated sensor information on multiple bands. Right now, the area she is working on has minimal reliable multiple source information, with the perimeter people mostly elsewhere, and the sensors trashed earlier. That is not helping her accuracy information any, since there is so little information to connect things to. Still, any group movement or concentration is likely to be spotted.

This all goes through her mind as she enters the information for the first contact reported by the spirit. Checking the icon location, she finds a fairly large shadow. Expected, since the system needs a bit more information, to establish a base for the accuracy of the landmark reference points being used. It does show high up though, probably the top floor of one the little used buildings.

@self:Spotter, or some idiot looking for a ring side seat to the action. Well he|she|it is tagged now anyway.

Between filling in patrol contact information data, she continues to monitor, with Bit's assistance, the overview of the activities and events occurring in real time. The contacts need to be filled in promptly, but they are intermittent, leaving plenty of time to keep current.

JxJxA

Sep 29 2013, 01:41 PM

E: Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx, Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]
PAN - Hidden ; SIN - Maximilien Danton

Gemeaux breathes a sigh of relief when Vivienne tells him that the repeater is working. He tries to send a message to Monsieur Collot in order to test the device as well as notify his current employer of the good news. He switches to French when speaking with his "countryman"---well, his original's countryman at least.

<<@ Monsieur Collot [Gemeaux]: Good news, my friend. I have met with the eclectic band that calls themselves "the Mechanicals." The one called Sprogget was kind enough to include me in his group's tacnet. I am sending you the information that I have now. I am uncertain of the abilities that you "technological sorcerers" possess, but perhaps you can find a way to join the conversation from afar, yes?>>

While he waits for the technomancer's reply, Gemeaux begins carefully picking his way back down the building. He considers tossing a grenade to collapse the stairway behind him, but decides against it for fear of disrupting the repeater. Climbing up the building once was enough. Doing so a second time---and without the benefit of the stairway---would be...undesirable.

<<@ Mechanicals [Gemeaux]: L'appareil est en place---forgive me, the device is in place. I have informed my employer, and you should have contact with him soon. Am I correct in assuming what I am seeing and hearing over your tacnet is that you are planning an impromptu and nearly hopelss assault? Why, I am quite experienced with such things! L'attaque est la meilleure défence!>>

Machine Ghost

Sep 30 2013, 06:14 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; G’Eye node, Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

That the repeater is functioning is excellent news. That the frenchman seems excited by the prospect of trying to take on the forces before them less so.
@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<Assault? Maybe, but the goal is actually a rescue.>>
Thinking about what little he knows about french attitudes, he adds.
@Drakehunters[Sprogget]: <<A damsel in distress.

A full win is as you indicate all but impossible at this time. Fortunately, that is not required for success either. A small distraction, and short delay while making good the escape is enough. The initial distraction is prepared, but any extra to keep the main forces minds off of the escape will of course improve the chances.>>

Sprogget feeds Gemeaux the simplified simulation of the hoped for sequence of events. Jazz exiting the mall surrounded by the squad. The approach to the grating, Banjo's role to provide extra targeting information, [b]LeO[b] attacking the APC, the squad reacting to the external threat, momentarily ignoring Jazz, opening the grate from below, and Jazz going down through it, LeO providing cover to keep any from following, long enough to get clear, then trying to get clear himself. With support from their small team, to either assist LeO in keeping the grate clear, or taking out any trying to stop LeO.

Aria

Oct 1 2013, 11:52 AM

@E:Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]

Drakehunters / Tank Killers

With as much prep done as possible, the tacnet buzzing with coloured tags and visual cues, you all tensely wait for the soldiers to emerge whilst fighting the wind tossed ash that is now beginning to buzz with static charge. The lightening sheets across overhead with a deafening roar, the light lends a surreal quality to the scene, like one of those antique stop motion horror flicks from a couple of centuries back… you see the gathering gangers flinch instinctively.

The first of the anonymous soldiers climb out of the breech and then you can see Jazz being dragged unceremoniously between them. She’s not actively fighting them but she also isn’t making it easy…then again the two hulking forms, probably orcs, who are gently assisting her have no trouble manhandling her thin frame.

As the targeting parameters meet LeO’s instructions the drone rises above the parapet and takes precious milliseconds to align the shot. Whoever the gunner is in the APC has to be given credit for alertness as the turret begins to spin round towards the aerial threat but in the speed of the matrix the mechanical system is ponderously slow. The shriek of hypersonic rounds split the air and at first the hollow spang seems anticlimactic except that the soldiers react dramatically, clearly seeking the active threat. Smoke begins to plume from the downed APC, disappearing into the laden air. A hatch springs open and a desperate looking figure claws its way out, silhouetted by the hellish glare of flames from inside…

Sprogget

With some satisfaction you see LeO confirm the kill…the vision mag piercing the gloom to show you the armour plates near the neck of the turret broken and twisted. Before you have time to exalt in your victory LeO’s sensor grid goes wild as you receive first one then a second active radar paint. One of the signatures originates somewhere to the north of the mall, about fifty meters from LeO’s position, the second comes from above…the crazy bastards must have an overwatch drone up there in the lightening cloud somewhere…it must have been summoned in as you are sure you’d have seen it if it was circling the mall…

[September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C]

Osha

There is a flurry of activity and you distinctly hear Cam say “What the hell is he doing…?” and you have a moment to wonder just what little brother is up to “Frag, he’s attacking the APCs? Damn looks like he killed it!” There is an awed moment before Bit distracts you with the new information one of the other techs has spotted

“New contact here and here. Radar paint. There’s nothing visible on the sensor feeds so they’ve got some sort of cloaking or the sensors are compromised. Ah, Nimbus has just confirmed that’s where the signal for the Disonant Winter originated, seems like there are more players in the game…”

Machine Ghost

Oct 2 2013, 03:43 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; G’Eye node, Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

As soon as LeO goes active, to target the APC, Sprogget sends a blind message to Jazz and Scrapheap.

@Jazz,Scrapheap[Sprogget]: <<Starts in one second!.>>

Then sends the prepared message to C&C, tagged as time critical, tactical information.
@C&C[Sprogget]: <<Rescue attempt initiated. Jazz prepared to exit into sewer during distraction.>>

Immediately, his attention shifts to the view being provided by Banjo. Not to the targeted APC. Everything that can be done, has been done there. His interest is in the grating, and the soldiers guiding Jazz. Willing Scrapheap to get that grating moving, as soon as the soldiers attention goes to the attack.

@self:Come on Scrapheap. Now|immediately|instantly! Get it open so Jazz can jump|dive|drop in.

The kill confirmation is a very satisfying confirmation.
@self:Yes! There was a weak spot there!

The radar paint from new sources though …
@self:What!? Where? 2 more? That one up top must have a death wish. I've been keeping everybody below rooftops, except for quick hops. Lightning seems to like|be attracted to|prefer electronics! LeO must|has to stay in position for a few more seconds, or this could be all wasted! At least he can dodge some, if that is more than a sensor platform up there. Oh, for a friendly lightning bolt about now!

No one seems to have good line on the ground target, except LeO, but that one in the air. Everyone should be able to point at that. Sprogget flips the radar on DR full active, and points it high, to where that signal is coming from.
@tankKillers[Sprogget]: <<If that top side drone takes out LeO quick, Scrapheap and Jazz won't have much of a chance. Painting with radar.>>
He then gets DR moving, away from the others, switching the dog brain from covert ops, to defense.
@self:No one to run over here, so full defense, if we get targeted. My meat is just along for the ride! Hope those temporary repairs hold up long enough. Now, that other radar source.

Expecting that there will be a hidden node associated with that threat, he feels the Resonance, pouring what is in reach into his scan complex form, then reaches toward where the tacnet is showing that radar source. He can not see it. Frustrated, he is about to get some help from a sprite, when he has a thought.

@self:We have a live connection with the mall again. Maybe someone there can help.
@C&C[Sprogget]: <<Forward to Fre∑dom C&C: Attempting to neutralize drone about {radar source location}. Available matrix assistance? .>>

@self:This could get messy fast. See if I can prepare a bit of extra failsafe.

Linking the biomontor and jammer to DR, he sets up a variant of the deadmans switch already active on the the other tacnet nodes. If the biomonitor shows him to be unconscious, activate the jammer at full power, set to explicitly block his bionode, the monocycle, and any gear either of them are carrying, then cut active sensors and attempt to disengage from any pursuit, while getting his meat back to the shop, 'at best speed'. Once close, deactivate the jammer through the skin link, and report status to both C&C and Oyl.

@self:If I'm out, tacnet is down, and DR's sensors are not going to be doing anyone any good.

With that setup, he releases the damaged sprite that had helped attack the dissonant, it cannot help here, then reaches into the resonance finding and molding it into an assistant that can find that node for him. What he ends up with only provides a single task, but that is all he needs.

@MatrixScanner[Sprogget]:“I desire|need|want you to very quickly find the hidden node that should be {radar source location}”.

Machine Ghost

Oct 2 2013, 05:00 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Florence Darkwind (R4)

Thinking about how powerful the spirit is that Spindle called, and how wiped he seems to be now, Oyl thinks,
@self:He exceeded his usual limits. That is not just tired, he accepted physical damage to call that. Is rat starting to feel cornered?

Still not sure it is a good idea to approach Spindle, she considers getting Cam’s recommendation on taking a few minutes with the medkit, and maybe some mana to help him. Things she is actually good at. It would mean being distracted from the spirit patrol reports for a few minutes though.

Then things start happening around Sprogget’s position.

@self:He is doing WHAT!?! He totaled one? If he survives, I’m going to kill him myself! There is NO way he can take on what the displays are showing there, with what little he has with him.

Then more bad news.
@self:More? And more info saying sensors might be lying? A Dissonant? How strong? One drone?|contact in the air?

Then finally something that makes sense. Bit shows Sprogget’s message about Jazz and the Sewer.

@self:Killing that APC was a distraction? That is some distraction! It got *my* attention! Now, where is Jazz? And brother, you had better be getting your hoop *away* from there, and not wasting any time doing it!

She has to force herself to turn away, to fill in another report from the spirit, then non-verbally says to Cam,
@Cam[Oyl]: “I should check Spindle injury”.
giving him information to prioritize, and allocate. He should know how little attention is really needed to feed the astral patrol reports into the system. There is nothing she can do for Sprogget and his group from here, but Spindle is right here.

JxJxA

Oct 3 2013, 11:22 AM

E: Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx, Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]
PAN - Hidden ; SIN - Maximilien Danton

Gemeaux chuckles.

<<@Sprogget [Gemeaux]: Mon frère, I have no intention of losing. I find the best way to approach these events are to cry out le mot de Cambronne and defy both charlatans and chance alike. However, I am intrigued by the mention of a damsel in distress... Please, continue...>>

As he communicates via commlink, the assassin slips his sniper rifle from his shoulder and prepares for the unavoidable adventure that surely is to come...

ChromeZephyr

Oct 3 2013, 05:16 PM

E:Tribes; Scrapheap
September 1, 2072 22:xx, the sewers under the Fre∑dom Mall, Puyallup

Scrapheap's lungs burned as he settled in under the assigned grate on the map. He'd misjudged the distance of a crumpled section of the sewer and had nearly fallen further into the ancient waste removal system, but had managed to get a grip on a solid pipe in the wall to drag himself back up. A couple scrapes buzzed angrily from where he'd dragged along the concrete, but he pushed them away and listened hard for any activity above him. Hearing none, he snapped the bolts holding one side of the rusted grate to it's frame with a grunt of effort. The bolt cutter was re-purposed to an impromptu brace to hold the grate in place, allowing the ork scavenger to swing the assault rifle back into his hands to wait for the fireworks to begin.

He didn't have long to contemplate the utter insanity of what he was doing there, as barely 30 seconds passed after he set the cutters to hold the grate before the tramp of heavy feet overhead pushed even more adrenaline into his system. Then the now-familiar roar of the heavy assault rifle attached to Sprogget's drone filled the air, and there was Jazz's feet above the grate. Scrapheap snarled and smacked the brace with the butt of the Kalashnikov, bringing the compromised grate down with a screech of tortured steel.

Machine Ghost

Oct 3 2013, 05:34 PM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; G’Eye node, Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

At Gemeaux's response to the rescue information, Sprogget thinks,
@self:Ah!. Apparently that did strike a cord.

@Gemeaux[Sprogget]: <<The … rogues … captured one of our friends in the mall. They should be bringing her out through the hole marked on the tacnet very soon now, apparently intent on carrying her away in one of those APC's. I believe my drone will be able to deprive them of one of those, while providing a distraction to allow her to vanish underground. Another member of our group is hurrying to be able to open the door for her. Then it is a matter of keeping the soldiers busy long enough for them both to get clear. Tacnet will show when the distraction is starting.>>

@self:This is someone apparently very used to weapons, stealth and killing. He better already know without being told not to jump the gun, and spoil the surprise! Probably be insulted if I tried to tell him his business.

Aria

Oct 4 2013, 04:04 PM

@E:Tribes
[September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup]

Tank Killers

The tacnet suddenly lights up with new threat indicators and you watch in some disbelief as an area of parking suddenly moves…something that you can’t quite see is shunting aside burnt out wrecks and other debris and is accelerating towards the mall. A jet of flame heralds the rocket that springs out of nowhere and surges towards LeO’s location…

At the breech the gangers are floundering under this unexpected turn of fortune, the soldiers are less phased and are making for the remaining APC when Jazz suddenly drops out from between them…

Sprogget

There, you have the node, nodes in fact…you notice in passing that Jazz has dropped into the grating, it’s working…at least until the section of car park where the nodes are comes to life and starts towards you. And then LeO dispassionately reports a radar lock and you see the missile homing fast on the AR window that represents LeO’s POV…

[September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C]

Osha

Before you can start to treat Spindle his rapidly aging form drops into a couch and you feel his essence wing free. His astral form is a much truer reflection of this man than the husk before you. His rasping voice is the same, but stripped of the honey that he usually uses when he wants his own way.

~Your fool of a brother has kicked the wasp’s nest. Now we need to go and resolve this before he gets stung and brings them down on us! I did not want this fight, now there is no choice. Understand this, he may be family but there will be repercussions for this. There is always a price!~

He and the hulking rat spirit streak away north leaving you with a parting word indicating he’d been listening to your exchanges

~Forget the patrol, send what resources you have to the attack or that mage will run rampant~

Machine Ghost

Oct 5 2013, 05:35 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

@self:Yes! There is a node, several! And Jazz made a clean break. Way to go Scrapheap! Come on LeO, stay alive, keep them busy for just a little longer.

What the frag is THAT‽ The nodes are moving with it! Radar lock‽ Missile‽ Drek!

Knowing it is probably too late, he still has to try. Sprogget sends hasty instructions to the slaved node.
@LeO[Sprogget]: <<Emergency power straight down, now!>>
@self:If he can just get below the edge of that roof … Then survive having half a building fall on him if the missile hits the edge …

@self:That blur|distortion… Magic!

He mentally adds a tag to the tacnet for the still not really seen moving area. 'Magic Effect'.

Machine Ghost

Oct 5 2013, 05:46 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Florence Darkwind (R4)

Even as she is aborts her movement towards Spindle, obeying the directive to get what she can to the attack, Oyl is thinking about what some previous items mean.

@self:Spindle already knew about the mage, and had at least some indication of the power. Otherwise, he would not have had that monster spirit already prepared. Kicked a hornets nest did he? Did they have enough information to know that's what it was? Did you give him your information?

That hording of everything, from everyone, including information from the tribe, has got to stop!

If that spirit is any indication, there is no way I can get effective forces into that. I am going to have to use throw away spirits, and just keep calling and sending more! My poor spirits! Every time the mage takes the time to smack one of mine, it will give Spindle and his beast a little more time. I need to MOVE.

She barks at Cam, who would not have gotten the astral message.
@Cam[Oyl]: “Patrol aborted, Spindle's orders”.

Starting to reach for mana, she quickly puts her body on almost auto, to get clear of any people in the room, and get settled for a potentially extended and exhausting session. She is officially 'on duty' now, so she takes one of the chairs at the active consoles. She is too busy now to talk much. Cam is going to have to figure out on his own what is happening. Spindle's body slumped over, her sharp retort and unfocused look should tell him everything he needs right now. Even her near unconscious choice of chair is informative. If not, he should not be coordinating things here.

The patrolling spirit only offered a single service, so it is no longer of any use, and she dismisses it. Job complete. Then she gathers herself to call more, repeatedly, as long as she can function.

Machine Ghost

Oct 7 2013, 10:56 PM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Florence Darkwind (R4)

Pulling the 4 watcher spirits back to her, Oyl thinks,
@self:Damn Spindle anyway! He could have waited a few seconds. Rat often hunts in packs. That would have made it a lot easier to give targeting instructions!

She gives curt directions.
@Watcher Spirits[Oyl]:“Find and report to me the location of the physical body of a mage|not physical adept who may or may not be actually home|in the body right now”.
She gives each watcher a different starting location.
@Watcher Spirits[Oyl]:“You|watcher 1 start here|{apcs location}|,
you|watcher 2 start here|{Sprogget’s location}|,
you|watcher 3 start here|{Winter’s location}|, and
you|watcher 4 start at the middle between the other 3. Go now”.

@self:First one back, or first one disrupted gives me a location!

That done, she feels for the form of another plant spirit in astral. It comes to her easily, offering to do a single service and taking minimal effort.

@Plant Spirit[Oyl]:“I apologize|feel sorrow for the danger|damage that I need|must|am required to send you to. I need you to use all of your abilities and powers to do as much damage as you can to the physical body of a strong|high level|powerful mage, as fast as you can, until he is unconscious. He may be {out of body} when you arrive”,
@self:I feverently hope!
@Plant Spirit[Oyl]:“but attack the mage’s body regardless. Defend and protect yourself from others as best you can while doing this. You will find the body …”
Waiting for the watchers to do the locating,
@Plant Spirit[Oyl]:“{THERE}! Go”!

She cancels the searching being done by the other watcher spirits, giving them all new instructions.
@Watcher Spirits[Oyl]:“You 2, your focus|person|entity|champion is {Spindle’s aura}, for you other 2, it is {beast spirit aura}. They should be in astral near {mage location}. Go there and attack|distract any that are attacking them, in the astral or physical planes. If none are attacking them, do the same to any that your individual|entity is attacking”.

Everything available is active now. She keeps track of what is happening through the mental links, and waits, ready to immediately replace any spirit that is no longer able to continue. The watchers at least, she can re-target, if that seems advisable. Changes for the plant spirits instructions will need a new spirit.

Aria

Oct 8 2013, 04:29 PM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C

Osha

Whilst you work to contain your fuming at Spindle’s obfuscation you send your spirits into the fray, feeling the fear quake of one of your watchers as it approaches the foreign air elemental that is concealing some metal monstrosity. The spirit glares balefully at the watcher but otherwise doesn’t interfere with it as it plunges inside only giving you a brief glimpse of Spindle’s astral form outside as he and his rat spirit snipe ineffectually at the elemental…

As your plant spirit approaches you can in fact see that Spindle and the beast are harrying, nipping in quickly and darting away rather than trying to deal significant damage but it is clearly enough to draw the enemy mage as another vengeful astral form emerges…presumably leaving his body unattended for the tender ministrations of your thorny summoning…

September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup

Tank Killers

You see the missile emerge from thin air, suddenly designated ‘Magic Effect’ on the tacnet, and streak towards the hovering weapons platform that had just wreaked havoc on the waiting tanks. The damsel has plunged out of sight, hopefully into Scrapheap’s arms, and the soldiers and gangers are reacting like a kicked ant’s nest…

LeO plunges precipitously over the edge of the building and then the area is lit by the flash of an explosion…for a moment you are convinced that it is dead but then you get a flickering feed through a broken lens and you realise that LeO is crumpled at the base of the building, barely functioning but never the less miraculously alive

Sprogget

In the brief moments before LeO makes its desperate evasion attempt you catch a glimpse through the illusion of a silhouette that makes your blood run cold. You could be mistaken but it looked remarkably like an Ares Citymaster and although technically it’s an APC it makes the one you destroyed look like a tinker toy.

The feed from LeO flashes out in the explosion and you are grateful you weren’t jumped in.

September 1, 2072 22:xx; Astral space outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup

Osha

As your spirit dodges around the elemental and its battle with Spindle and his beast and enters the metal box you are confronted by fuzzy images of auras that are immediately dismissed as being mundane. Two metal cocoons conceal further auras and it is in one of these that you discover your foe, lying supine and vulnerable to your attack…

Machine Ghost

Oct 9 2013, 12:12 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Mechanicals’ Complex, C&C
CMT Clip: Response 1, Signal 3, System 1, Firewall 1; Active; SIN: Florence Darkwind (R4)

Watching through the senses of the spirits, Oyl gets a different sort of birds eye view of the action, limited by what the spirits themselves notice. This is not at all like she is there, and has any direct control over what to look at. What she perceives, is only what the spirits noticed, not what was actually available to the senses. The fear emanating from the one watcher, approaching where the AR had shown a radar source, then confirmed by Fre∑dom C&C as the location of the dissonant, gives her an early hint at the likely location of the mage. Quickly confirmed as the watcher enters the metal structure.
@self:A vehicle? Another APC? Spindle outside is a good indication this is the spot too!

The plant spirit is a little smarter, a little more observant. It shows in passing a bit more detail about what Spindle and his spirit are doing. The extra aura heading out might be bad news for Spindle, but it is excellent news to her, and spirit she has directed to attack.

@self:Aces. With him out, it should take a few extra seconds to respond to an attack on the physical body! Then that should pull attention away from Spindle too. Whipsaw!

She pays close attention to what the plant spirit is feeling and sensing, in case she needs to alter the instructions for the next attempt.

@self:Mundane auras. More than just the mage in here. How many? More metal boxes with auras inside? Medical life support? No, cocoons, the mage in one, the other? Hiding in a cocoon like that might be good protection from physical attacks, or being tossed around by vehicle movement, but here, it just means the spirit gains that shield from physical attack too!

She watches with some glee as the plant spirit pushes into the cocoon protecting, and trapping, the mage's body. Size is not a problem for a spirit. She has no real view, but Oyl can feel the spirit pulling the 'essence' of the cactus plant that it is an aspect of out of the air and mana. She can easily visualize the interlocking spines gripping and holding, as they fill the little space around the mage, slowly squeezing and strangling the now doubly encased body, followed up by direct physical attacks. There is no room to really 'swing' inside the cocoon, but unarmed combat includes choke holds, and other attacks that do not need room to move.

@self:That box|trap|cocoon might even protect the spirit from external magical attack! It is a barrier. The spirits found|detected the aura inside, but would there be enough showing to act as a target for a spell? Can an astral form see|perceive|target something inside there, without first going inside as well? I hope not! Any magical attacker should definitely have to be astrally inside the vehicle anyway.

Sure looks like this mage was confident in the physical protections, plus being hidden by the spirit. Or the spirit did not offer any extra services to protect it's summoner. Or even that it is unhappy with having to take orders. That powerful of spirit could creatively interpret orders, so that it could ignore my poor little spirits!

Machine Ghost

Oct 9 2013, 12:13 AM

@E:Tribes
September 1, 2072 22:xx; Outside the Fre∑dom mall, Puyallup
Bionode: Res 4(5), Sig 2, Sys 4, FW 3; Hidden; Biofeedback Filter(4), Analyze(3), Command(1), Edit(1), Scan(1), Sniffer(3), Spoof(1), Stealth(3), Shield(1), Tacsoft(2), Simrig(1)

[ Spoiler ]

As LeO starts the drastic dive, trying to get some cover from the missile, Sprogget's attention on the apparent launch point is rewarded by a glimpse of a vehicle, before the camera looses LOS.

@self:A Citymaster? With missile rack too? Slot!

Urging LeO to more speed, and the missle to self destruct, he see that LeO is going to be able to at least avoid a direct hit. The momentary hope cuts off though, as the missile still detonates above Leo.

@self:Proximity?

LeO is moving away, but is not outside the blast radius. His downward motion is accelerated, pounding him into the ground before he can adjust. There is still a flicker of a signal though, so maybe not quite ready for the drone graveyard yet. Sprogget removes the glitching node from tacnet, sending orders for a full power down, both to reduce the chance of further damage from shorting components, and to make it look dead to anyone looking for signals. Not waiting for the power down to finish, he removes LeO from the slaved nodes list, and tags the nolonger team member icon as disabled.

@self:To be checked / salvaged later. If there is a later. Citymaster!

He belatedly updates the magical effect tag on tacnet with the information from LeO's final view over the rooftop. Citymaster, missile rack. Not being sure the feed to C&C would have shown it, he sends a quick manual extra.

@C&C[Sprogget]: <<Magically hidden Ares Citymaster with missile rack seen {here}>>

He instructs DR to keep moving, and to pay extra attention to keeping under cover from any more missiles. ~~That active radar has been making him a more visible target, but it could not be helped~~.

After that, he goes back to something he might be able to do something about. Those hidden nodes that match the location of the Citymaster, that the Crack sprite had found before melting back into the resonance it had been formed from. Pouring a little resonance into his existing analyze complex form, he goes through them quickly. Trying to get a feel for what the nodes are, and how powerful the tek behind them is. Keeping an eye out for any Dissonants, after the experience with the rigged drone, and what the Spined Drake had said about 'weird ones'.