I need a sounding board for my run tonight, and I want to make sure what I'm thinking of makes sense, or is viable.

Here's the pitch from our Johnson: There is one man inside a "plantation" of what amounts to some kind of Earth First cult, and he needs the most harmless extraction possible -- but he's a hostile target. It is out in the wilderness and the only Matrix out there consists of the equipment on-site. It's just that isolated. He is a Matrix user of reasonably high skill, and has gone off the grid some time ago, and our Johnson wants him back on the grid -- theirs. Our only job is to come up with a plan for extracting him, but we figure we can double our fee by writing ourselves into the plan, and participating.

There's no heavy tech on the grounds, but there's at least one mage and the camp is protected by spirits. This much out Johnson was able to tell us, and why most of our recon has been very remote, so far.

Information we have gathered: There are two servers, one is running extra large and hot (thermal photography) and is some degree underground, connected to its own generator. In a separate building is a standard-issue server, connected to its own generator. This server wires out to a small garage where 4 drones (2 armed, 2 unarmed) are maintained and serviced. As far as people on the ground, there's something like a dozen of the cultists (identifiable because of robes) and around twice that in backpackers and tourists.

This is what I've drawn up so far...

Get within signal range and probe the two servers. The signal range is good, because on the low-altitude flyover that got us our thermal imaging, I was able to (for lack of a better term) ping the nodes. (It was a kind of perception/sniffer/analyze extended test to identify all the nodes over the area that were in range. So I should have some hard numbers off that once the game starts today.) Probing the servers will get us admin accounts that will set us up for the actual run.

Once we're in signal range, we'd also capture the wireless signals, and identify the IDs that are issuing commands to the drones. Watching this traffic gives us the option to spoof the drones during the run.

It also couldn't hurt, since we'll have the time, to detect for hidden nodes, but their presence seems unlikely. No one at the camp is really allowed to have electronics, or just plain doesn't like them there, so the only setup is for the security drones to protect this campsite/plantation from critters.

That would cover the legwork we didn't manage last session. Once we have that information in-hand, we pitch back to Johnson for the actual extraction. There's only two of us on the team (hacker and a technomancer), so here's hoping the Johnson has the funds and the manpower to do this.

The actual run...

At least three tactical teams, consisting of SWAT-grade guys and maybe a pair of mages. Neuro-stun, SNS rounds, and maybe some flash bangs get a good scare into the tourists, so no one decides to play hero, and can be guarded by one team. The second team covers the cultists and the potential mages, but mostly to lock down the spirits we've been told are there.

While they're herding people, the TM and I (hacker) each spoof a set of commands to a pair of drones, since you can send a whole set of instructions that the drone will follow. I'll send a command to the armed drones to patrol the cultists, and an additional instruction to open fire on any cultist who shows hostile movement. The TM will issue commands to the scout drones to further patrol the tourists and keep them scared and herded.

The third tactical team is with me and the TM, because we're going to spoof at the same time the first two squads move in. So, that all happens at once. When the commands are issued, TM and I dump out meat bodies for hot-sim, and then we'll each single out a server. We then stealth onto our respective servers and reboot them at the same time. If these are the only nodes for our hacker-in-exile, he'll be a sitting duck once those things shut down. As soon as TM and I roll over and puke on someone's shoes (dumpshock from the reboot), Team 3 enters the underground server room and SNS's the hacker-in-exile, then zip ties the bastard as we all walk out.

Minimum of blood shed and hassle. Near zero risk to myself and the TM, since we're only spending one combat turn in the Matrix anyway, and that's to reboot the servers.

The way the Johnson pitched the job, this is a personal, high-priority target they don't mind sparing any expense to extract. Without cracking Unwired for some of the more goofy tricks, this was the cleanest and most professional way I could come up with to extract one man from a defended campsite.

. . .

Please, poke holes, ask questions. I could use a sounding board before I get myself and the new guy killed.

when planning a run always ask- what is the STUPIDEST response you can think of? someone will do that.

in this case, my first assumption would be that one or more of the tourists were part of a runner team on their own job (wetwork, paydata steal, or extraction), because if one group wants something, then another group probably wants something similar as well. either way, expect one of the crowd to do something very stupid at the worst possible time.

i fully expect there are more drones that you are unaware of- possibly offline, well hidden, wired-only turrets. either way, expect at least one physical security feature you didn't find yet.

remember, SnS can be lethal! especially if you dumpshock the hot-sim hacker first! make sure you have a medic with a good medkit in the extraction team for this reason.

have a PLAN B for each point of failure. first point of failure is that the hacking attempt triggers an alarm and theres a lot of black IC. make sure the entry teams have a way to open locked doors- shotguns can be good for this. having radar sensors in helmets is a great option as well, if you can get it.

Depending on how exctly they're isntalled, a physical removal of the servers might be an option - wether frying them with an EMP weapon of one stripe or another or putting an heavy sniper bullet, assault canon shell or antitank missile into each deoeding on how much physical protecton they have. That should take care of whatever nastyness they're packed with and make spoofing the drone's commands easier as there will no longer will be a competing signal.

The EMP weapon is the best option as far as collateral damage go, and if you can get an area attack it's likely to fry the backups too. That would also be better from for the 'harmless' angle.