Happy birthday from me as well.
Did a quick edit on the char sheet (forgot the 10 karma starting boost and the CHA*2BP of free contacts Duh! -> counterspelling 2, f1 power focus, spellcasting spec'ed to detection) and my IC post (wrong colors for and ahead of Fortune's Forecast if that's where you want to pull him in).

hey ears, how does your uncle feel about you wandering these days and your parents?

Hmm from the uncle's pov, it's mostly trading one form of wandering (high-tech, large distances, short stays, interaction with haves and wannabes) in for another (lower tech, proximity, slow, longer intercations with working poor / SINless, homeless). Good: new experiences / Bad: harder to behave morally right in the shadows. In the end, he'll probably let it roll, with an occasional eye on things, lest violence and lying other shadow-typical behaviour become too convienient.

The parents on the other hand - as far as they deign to notice - would probably like that he's 'stopped working for the MAN'. Now, he only needs to pick up some decent shadow contacs and get ready for some serious eco-terrorism.

Welcome on board Ears. I've linked your character at the beginning of the thread...hopefully OGDWG can fit you in to his thread?!?

yep yep just had to make sure i had his people in the right behavioral spheres.

right all three of you in my thread have posts up sry for the delay.

@gortrek: if you wish you can try negotiating but you get the idea that she really is losing her shine on you.

@ Aria and OGDWD: Should get my post at the airfield up in a bit. Work is keeping me busy. x_x

Just a note for OGDWD: I haven't really made this clear (sorry) but your package (a father and son - the father is the TM) is in a small hotel near the air port and you need to pick them up from there to take them on your chartered flight...it's up to you whether you want to take Gemeaux with you or handle that part yourself??? Might be worth having the back up though (and someone to restrain you from blasting the heathen scum off the face of the earth?!? )

@Sabs: Amazing what 4 days (so far) Jurying can do for the brain I think I posted Prospero's plea for help and I'm waiting for you to decide what to do but if I've missed your post feel free to give me a short sharp kick!

@Applied Cheese: Nearly completed a starting post for Balefire (although I still have some work to do on 'group' equipment / safehouses etc - most of which will be the property of the former group of the same name...). @Sabs again - given sufficient time stamp lapse do you (Fractal) fancy being recruited into Balefire as a hacker?

Balefire starting post up...

@E:PL - is there any additional info anyone wants? I've sort of briefed you all now although it might be hidden in a number of posts?!? Copperhead & Dealer, assume you have the info that I gave to Aelias! So yes, I want you to go deep into the CZ in Chicago...I would strongly recommend you ask about getting some good armour and weapons for this one (even if you give them back at the end?) - riot armour might be good seeing as most of the inhabitants will resort to throwing rocks at you!!! You will also probably have to either walk or fly as the roads are mostly craters or covered in rubble. And no, I haven't included a pilot in your roster

You didn't miss my post. I need to post.. see Emerging Conflict. I will try to do it today. Work willing.

right i have a few posts for epl to do and those will get done some time today hopefully

@OGDWD Err I'm a bit confused here. Way it looks to me that reporter blew up just around the corner from where Adrian's waiting and 5 minutes later, you have him sitting in that cab, not having seen anything (and not getting questioned by KE)?

Im waiting to see what happens with saint before i put your next post up yes. but also if you read your post and correlate the times they match up.

time-line thus far as far as the game has gone:

20:36:00 -20:40:00 attack on the Crimean
22:56:00 1st explosion (saint thinks its a car bomb) adrian drops Jessica off sometime after this point, he doesnt hear the first blast
22:59:56 Saint arrives at scene of explosion, spots Jessica.
23:00:00 saints hacking fails and she has to confront the very twitchy jessica
23:01:00 the fleeing Jessica is pursued by KE for not having pan active; drones corner her just shy of the 19th st corner.
23:06:42 adrian is trying to calm himself with the Tara mantra after hearing the blast around the corner (JUST SHY OF 10mins past when he dropped the girl off) (so literally the explosion just occured a few seconds/mins ago Ears)

In essence, saint and adrian both are now POST 23:06:42, it took a while for saint to regain composure.

Ah thanks, got it now.

Got that

Aria
Fractal actually IS a forensics expert. Well, he is with the right chips slotted, which he has.
Knowledge Skill Forensics of 3 I think, from the Noir Chip bundle.

Let me know what kind of rolls you want me to make

@Soykaf, can you edit your timestamp on that last post in line with the time-line i just gave ears please.

Sabs, try searching for ‘Doza’ in the IC thread…the last time she posted was the interview that she and Jotamon did of the street kid that started all this – he was a witness to the attack and Sammy will have much the same info to offer you (Jazz is older and may have better info if you want to brave her AK toting bad attitude?!?)



As for rolls, a forensics +logic (1hr) extended for as long as you are searching seems appropriate. Not being a forensics expert myself some idea of the sorts of questions you have / clues you are looking for would be helpful! Time for a bit of CSI on TV?



You haven’t said whether you’d be interested in joining the Balefire team on a temporary basis? We’d hopefully run this in conjunction with Freedom (it’s about 2 months later…) but I don’t anticipate your grisly death during the Freedom investigation so…



Balefire is an experiment for this thread. I’m going to try and personally run 4 PCs in the same post so that there’s a ‘full’ team available, at least in the meat (in theory the only additional work is rolling D for each of them?!?). Not sure I’m up to running the hacking side in conjunction so it would be good to have another player involved! If it’s killing me to maintain it I will retire off some of the PCs and recruit more of you



@Applied Cheese: Below is the Balefire group resources – I have created this by taking 25,000 from Silk and Bale and 20,000 from the other two (for now, more to follow – I want to leave some armour and disposable comm links at each ‘location’ and other bits and pieces that it would be useful to have stashed away). In fact most of it is supposed to have come from the old group of the same name which I’ve established over various parts of my games as a GM. I’ve also updated each runner with some of my leftover karma/cash rewards although keeping the bulk of it for Silk as she is the main protagonist.



Anyone got any thoughts about what equipment etc would be useful to have stashed away in safe houses etc then comments much appreciated!

Balefire Group Resources

Input Funds 90,000
Remaining 150

Balefire Fortress [NE 12th Street, Renton] Former Renton Fire Department Station 12
[Comforts: Low / Entertainment: Squatter / Necessities: Middle (Space: Luxury) / Neighbourhood: Low / Security: High]
+Hasty Exit, Workplace
Total: 5000¥ / mnth

Evo MetaAssistant Mechanic Drone [H 1, Ac 5/15, Sp 15, Pi 3, B 3, Ar 2, S 2]
+Autosoft (Vehicle Build/Repair [3]), Tool Kit, 2 Mechanical Arms (Strength 4)

Damaged Ares Roadmaster (-40% cost) [H -1, Ac 10/30, Sp 120, Pi 2, B 16, Ar 16, S 2]
+Chameleon Decals, Morphing Licence Plate + Spoof Chip, Vehicle Tag Eraser, Runflat Tyres
+2x Rigger Cocoon, Rigger Adaption, 2x Small Landing Drone Racks, Internal Mechanical Arm

• 2x AZ-150 Stun Baton
• Defiance EX Shocker Taser +10 Darts
• 3x Colt M-23 +Sound Suppressors +300 Regular Rnds
• 2x Defiance T-250 +30 Regular Rnds
• 3x Flashbang & 3x Thermal Smoke Grenades

Crashpad [SE 49th Street, Renton]
[Comforts: Squatter / Entertainment: None / Necessities: Low / Neighbourhood: Low / Security: Middle]
+Free Access, Quiet Neighbourhood, Poor Condition
Total: 1700¥ / mnth

• 3x Flashbang & 3x Thermal Smoke Grenades

Safehouse [SE 6th Street, Bellevue]
[Comforts: Middle / Entertainment: Low / Necessities: Middle / Neighbourhood: Middle / Security: Middle]
+Quiet Neighbourhood
Total: 5000¥ / mnth

• 3x Flashbang & 3x Thermal Smoke Grenades

Secure Parking Garage [Sea-Tac Airport, Seattle]
Total: 500¥ / mnth

Chrysler-Nissan Jackrabbit (-40% cost) [H 0, Ac 15/35, Sp 120, Pi 1, B 8, Ar 2, S 1]
+Smuggling Compartment

• Ingram Smartgun +30 Regular Rnds
• 3x Flashbang & 3x Thermal Smoke Grenades

Combined Programs [Across all members]

• Analyze [6] Ergonomic, Optimised
• Browse [5]
• Command [5]
• Edit [5]
• Encrypt [5]
• Purge [3]
• Reality Filter [5] Ergonomic
• Scan [5]
• Armor [5]
• Attack [5]
• Decrypt [5]
• Disarm [5]
• Exploit [5] Mute
• Spoof [5] Mute
• Stealth [6] Optimised
• Track [5]

• Firewall [6]
• Agent [5]
• TacNet [2]
• Facial Recog [3]
• Gait Analysis [3]
• Visual Spotter [3]

Combined Autosofts

• Covert Ops [3]
• Clearsight [3]
• Electronic Warfare [3]

I think I said I would happily play in what ever scenarios you threw me into.
So, if you want I will play in Balefire. I think you have a read on Fractal, he's a hacker with paranoia issues, and disguise/social skills.

@FREEDOM
Logic(5)+Forensics(4)+PuSHeD(1)+Encephalon(1)=11d6:
1) 1 6 5 4 3 1 5 1 6 2 5 (5) Hits
2) 3 6 6 5 6 4 6 4 1 2 2 (5) hits

So 10 hits in 2 hours.
As for what I'm looking for:

The big thing: I want to build a 3d matrix model of what the evidence says happened here.
Computer(4)+edit(5)+vr(2)+encephalon(2)+PuSHeD(1)=14d6: 4 6 6 3 3 5 5 5 1 3 2 1 4 5 (6) hits
If you want to do programming +edit instead it's the same Dicepool.
Then I want to analyze it for inconsistencies, etc.

I'm looking for blood samples, hair samples, dna samples. I don't have a lab, so I'm bagging and tagging everything. So I can find someone with a lab who can do the analysis for me. I'll try to look up the old post to get the info i need. Detailed trideo recordings of EVERYTHING.

Why can't I have rolls like that?! @_@

Roger, timestamp is now 23:06:42 on last post.

Yep, you’ve got some great rolls there! You can start the 3D model…I imagine the equivalent of Google Maps combined with a 3D camera in your commlink will be able to map you the basic model very quickly (certainly a damn sight quicker than the CAD software I use day to day ). Easy enough then to plot the location of the bodies and any evidence you bag up.

Note that the area is the old Biotronik campus. I think it’s marked on the 2072 map…

A quick summary of findings looks something like this:

• The attack fits into the timescale of being ‘this morning’ around 9-10am. Backed up by the vid clips Prospero gave you.
• The gangers were surprised and put up some resistance but were basically walked over by the ‘foe’
• You find dog tracks. Alsatian sized prints
• You find tyre tracks from the vans that they drove off in
• There are spent casings from the gangers’ weapons. The attackers used a combination of caseless hollow-point rounds or stun rounds fired from SMGs or assault rifles
• There is probably too much blood for identifying one individual – Sammy throws up at this point and becomes pretty useless for interrogation purposes. The attackers seemed to be fully covered so you don’t expect any other sort of dna type evidence from them – plenty from the gangers!
• With the vid footage and your model you can plot the course of the attack in your representation
• The supposed Crush gangers turned up after the original attackers had left. They sprayed some graffiti which is still fresh, fired off some rounds and ‘staged’ their presence – presumably so that if KE could even be bothered to turn up they could write it off as ‘gang violence’
• They left on motorbikes and on foot
• Widening your search parameters / area of search you find two of the ‘Crush’ pursuing a street kid and then being involved in an altercation on NE 40th St where they appear to be shot by a sniper (you don’t get a view of the sniper from the camera you are able to access). Some ‘runners’ get mixed up in it and drive off with the kid (Jotamon, Doza and Jamie)
• More info can be gleaned from reading the IC thread for Dysfunctional Family stuff or asking more specific questions of me

Here is the recount of the attack (note that the street kid was a bystander not one of the Freedom gangers…Sammy has a slightly different perspective but more or less the same info / lack of info!):



Let me know if you think I’ve missed some vital bit of info. You’ve got a solid evidence base but not much to connect with who the two groups of attackers are. Jotamon and Doza had some which they weren’t able to follow up – Summer might be able to give you this…

Some info on Summer might be useful in tracking down some more intel. Your initial searches come up with a load of hits which are clearly irrelevant but narrowing down the parameters you suspect the person that is referred to is a hacker who has been lurking on the edge of the shadows recently. Silly rumours claim she is somehow able to predict the future through the flow of matrix data…! She has posted on the ShadowSEA network so that may be a starting point?

right posts are up for Fortunes Forecast; adrian feel free to give me an idea of what you want to do next/ you are free to start posting once more, if you go towards the blast zone, which i doubt, you will see, besides the usual responders, a chic by a turned over bike that keeps blinking as if her obviously cybered eyes are on the fritz, but to be honest, what hardware wouldn't be after that?

It's a long shot, but aren't Combat Cabs different than your standard fair? I don't know if that's a leap of logic, but it might help bring characters together. That's your call though, OGDWD.

yes they are different. They are more heavily armored and licensed via a grandfather clause. Lonestar hated them for the perceived special treatment that made them exempt from the prohibition on weaponry/armor erego KE loved them. That is starting to change, but official policy is to let them slide as several cabs are known to carry cameras for KE usage...

@ OGDWD: Don't know if you're waiting for me, but Gemeaux came to meet you at the airfield. Not sure if you lost it with the current shuffle of posts.

Nope sorry for the wait Jx, working on writing a few posts for the time between our last meeting and the first one in retrospect. I should have them up today and get caught up in that thread.

@Freedom
Aria: I'll post IC in more detail but:
Going to go back to my 'lair' leaving them to deal with the clean up.
I want to reach out to my hacker group contact, and see if anyone knows any special forces/black ops guys who could provide some expertise, from seeing the re-enactment to tell me which guys these might have been.

Going to try to reach out to Summer on ShadowSEA.

From my re-enactment can I tell how many guys were involved in the initial attack? if they moved in pairs? or groups of three? all that good stuff. Though I expect I'll need a combat expert to tell me that.

@JX: you need to adjust your time stamp two weeks in the future, as Anselm informed Gemeaux IC. Ive got a delay but am working on my posts to catch up to you.

@Soy/Ears: Keep ICing as you wish until you have concrete needs for me to interact. This will be interesting . Also, be sure to have Adrian realize that he dropped off the lady that blew up... which means that explosive was in his cab lol. Saint finds her comms to be dented but otherwise perfectly fine.

Haha, I might have to milk this XD

LOL, wilco.

Haha, nice. I wonder if she could be the best hacker in the world and still get these numbers.

Data Search + Browse (1 hit)

lol, well among other things, you pick up the latest broadcast about the dangers that "so-called combat cabs" present to "our virtuous city with the regular transport of illegals, subversive undesirables and terrorists" put out by various corp propaganda machines. Generally speaking, if you were to go by your search, only modern day lunatics go around in them.

Yeah, figured as much, but the Matrix is a big place finding just one description means that others are either private or wiped. Public isn't reliable for much, damn. That'll occupy her focus for awhile, I'll roll again for investigating/searching for the combat cab home node when needed.

so you are actively going to hack or search for the node in the cab?

@OGDWD: Got an address for that head-bomb-pickup?

That's plan B. I thought about it more while I was at work, she might've paid with her commlink, the cab probably has a specific peripheral for that, or it's slaved to the cab node. Going for the peripheral would be easier, but I'm quite well aware that Combat Cab's reputation would be up in smoke if a hacker could bypass the systems easily. I'm not sure if this plan I'm working on is diabolical or just overly complex. O,o. First hacker character ever, trying to iron out the faults in my logic.

@Ears: if you look at our map ( here). Youll see up north in everett a new tag for you where you picked your fare up.

@Soy: i dont know about diabolical, you certainly could try to if you wish. Though a group that "regularly transports terrorists" might be a bit of a tall order for you there.

also, remember if you need to roll something your progs arent going to be running at 6 as you have them but at the hardcap of 5 due to your comlinks limitations.

Nice, Google Maps sure is handy.

Flippin' A! Arg, (redundant statement is redundant) hackers are so freakin' technical.

(First thing is first, buying system, response and firewall upgrades to 6. >.< THEN Electronic Warfare)

Agreed, without having hacked any similar nodes before, it's hard for me to gauge a stupid hacker move. Plus, it was a last ditch effort idea if we had get info on Jessica. So no frying brains just yet.

(rudimentary idea: It involved finding vehicle node/peripheral first. Have Ears' character call in a system problem, run sniffer program to intercept wireless access ID on security tech. Spoof access ID to access node, search for recently logged commlink payment transfers. This is, of course, under the most idealistic of conditions. Had a few others, but I'm really just trying to exercise the knowledge I have so I can role-play a hacker more efficiently.)

-Writes up a "THINGS TO REMEMBER" for Saint- Me thinks this will help.

@SoyKaf Adict
What I'm actually thinking (and can't have a civilian like Adrian say): There's cameras connected to horribly insecure systems with always-on wifi everywhere. Thanks to the cab's record we know where Adrian picked her up and when. So if we find an low-sec cam covering that spot you could hack it, go back to the time of the pick-up, watch where she came from and repeat the process til we see something enlighting or that technique fails.

@OGDWD
Curious what Adrian's fixer of that kind of question from that kind of customer.

And completely unrelated but: Where do you want us to handle Karma -> Improvement conversion on a scale from "Downtime + reasonable explanation" to "Neo: Can you fly that thing? Trinity: Not yet *gets her cell; speed-dials operator* Tank I need a flight programme for a ..." scale?

Hmmm... cams are all around, imparting that kind of info in a "man I wish..." scenario would do.

Sounds fair enough...a bit of searching on the shadow data bases will give you the name "Sticks" who has recently gone freelance (possibly a slight liberty there?!?) from the Deepwatch mercenary group...sure he could help you!

You can tell there were 15 attackers in fire teams of 3. Two of these were dog teams with a big alsation mutt in each...you have some of the communal space footage from inside the buildings and the dogs were used to target and bring down individuals who received 'less lethal' attacks from the foe...

Is anyone else waiting for me for GM actions? I think Mr Hill and Gemeaux still need to meet up and possibly retrieve their package?!?

I'm sure people are busy before Christmas so happy to pick things up in the New Year if that's a help?!

Sticks Knowledge skill roll:
Logic(7)+Military(3)+PuSHeD(1)= 11d6: 6 5 1 6 2 4 5 5 4 2 6 (6) hits

after analyzing the footage, who does he think it is? And he'll charge Fractal 2k for the info
Especially knowing that it's a squad that used attack dogs. (gah that's grizzly)

I'll post up an IC post once I have that info.

He thinks they are corp security trained rather than military from the way they move. They are clearly black ops because they have no unit signatures or conspicuous gear...

The dogs weren't used to attack - it's weird but you think they were identifying targets that were taken down with non-lethal weapons and carted off in the vans...

so I need to find someone who knows enough about corps to tell me which corp moves in 3 man teams.
Sticks doesn't really have corp-security knowledge. I'll have to back burner that.

I know what happened of course.. and why the dogs, but Fractal has no clue.