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Warlordtheft
Monday, September 14th, 2:40 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

"Well Void, lets go checkout da local news ta see if da incident at Snuffy Q's or da parking lot attracted attention. Good ta know if we iz wanted by da pawns. I don't think so, but ya never know. "

Zo sets himself up in front of the computer and checks out its matrix connection. Seeing it good to go, he heads over and pulls up some of the news faxes and police watching boards.
Sephiroth
Monday, September 14th, 2:42 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Jovan listens indifferently to Void's and Zo's awkward, stumbling difficulties with the stolen computer. Our resident academic Dr. Jones is leaving the task of research and data analysis to a pair of untrained hyperviolent street toughs. How cute. They will probably need me to do the analysis myself after I'm through with the first interrogation.

He pauses. On the other hand, giving them a bit of assistance would serve as a good reward for not investigating me thus far. Hmm. It would also help to further train them to appreciate me, and make them less of a danger - especially that ganger with his militaristic anti-Infected bent.

<<@team: As our two resident soldiers appear to be having some difficulty, I think that the prisoner will have to wait for a few minutes. I will write up instructions.>>

He briefly considers whether to entrust these beings with the research for his Renfield "project" while they are in the Spaniard's data. As a powerful crime boss, the Spaniard must have had intelligence files on the various law enforcement departments in the Seattle metropolis (and elsewhere). If the paranoid hermetic's earlier hunch is correct, those files should include information on key personnel in the various departments... making them an excellent place to start planning the next step of his scheme. But is the plan's success worth placing on the shoulders of these metahumans, who could easily betray him, defeat all he has worked for, and leave him enslaved to the Grays and their alien surveillance technology? No. There is still a possibility that they are agents of the alien spies. Even if they are not, they would not understand what I work for. The project must be kept a secret. I must work in the background, yes.

Monday, September 14th, 2:50 pm

Jovan sends the completed data search instructional file to Zo and Void. <<@team: A few additional comments. You would do well to run cross-referencing searches with the Blind Man against keywords associated with the man I mentioned to you before, the artifacts dealer Pertwilling. Note how many correlations appear in the files. Also keep track of any mentions of organizations that have fought the Blind Man's operations in the past, such as the UCAS Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as the drug cartels whose products he undoubtedly helps move. Human and arms trafficking associates of his will additionally be helpful.>>

A few seconds go by. <<@team: Oh, and of course, any magical artifacts, tomes, grimoires, and the like. But I don't expect you lot to recognize the names of such arcane items.>>

He finally sends out the Rover for the captured sharpshooter to be loaded up, retrieving his plasteel handcuffs from the back seat beforehand.
Glyph
Monday, September 14th, 2:42 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Void briefly pauses in his plodding but methodical search of the data when he gets Jovan's additional instructions, then resumes his search, letting the instructional file guide his efforts. Jovan may seem to be a bit of a control freak, but Void doesn't mind as much as most people would - he prefers having people giving him instructions when he is floundering. Which is usually any time he has to operate outside of his comparatively narrow specialty of threatening, or inflicting, violence. He is actually surprised that Jovan didn't glomp onto the data himself as soon as they got here.
pbangarth
Monday, September 14th, 2:45 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Professor smiles to himself. A good way to get a team to trust each other is to get them to succeed in a joint task. This kind of thing is his specialty, so he plans to check their analysis later to see what might have been missed. Let's see what the kids can do on their own.
pbangarth
Monday, September 14th, 2:45 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

After a moment of observing Zo and Void flustering over the computer, Professor realizes his mistake. Ah. This was one of the roles I was supposed to fill in this team. Yeah.

"Alright. Alright. Sorry. It was remiss of me to ask you to check the computer. That's my job. Just thought I'd give you boys some fun homework. Here. Give me a few minutes to whip up some food, and I'll get on it myself."


He puts together a ploughman's lunch and sets it out for the team. The most noticeable feature of this dish is that it is not soy-simulating-something food. Real cheese. Real ham. Real apples. Real whole wheat bread. A separate plate goes into a receptacle in the wall of Jovan's room similar to those in prison cells. He closes the outer door on it and sits over at the computer.

Fingers fly. Hems and haws bracket screen changes. Notes and images start appearing in team members' commlinks. The Spaniard's operation was just starting up in Seattle, and his connections in the city were still few and far between. It appears the silver-eyed woman was supplying incomplete and incorrect information to her boss about the team's progress and encounters. According to her reports, the team was stymied and not finding the missing trucks. No mention is made of the successful encounter with the Vipers, nor any of the man with the hat.

There are separate folders for each of the team members, apparently originals at the time of hire, that describe each member's basic skills. A note in Professor's file suggests a possible link to BM.

A much larger folder for BM contains research on the Blind Man's presence in Seattle. The connection to Professor involves an incident in Washington regarding a smuggling operation of BM's that may have been exposed by Professor. Three operations run by BM in Seattle are covered in some detail. The cover file suggests these are just scratching the surface of BM's network in Seattle.

The first is a smuggling operation out of Tir Tairngire involving high value reagents difficult to find elsewhere. <<@team:file>> Pertwilling is implicated in this. There is more information on him, as he seems to have dealt with the Spaniard in Europe. <<@team:file>>

The second is an arms dealership that has connections worldwide. <<@team:file>>

The third is the lightest of the three. It is a list of possible connections in the aerospace industry. Researchers in space exploration, ship design, exobiology, who are in various corporations, but predominantly in Ares and Evo. <<@team:file>>

"Well. Looks like I have some options here. After we have eaten, and after Jovan has interrogated the prisoner, we should talk. There is more data here, but I need to decrypt it before I can read it."
Warlordtheft
Monday, September 14th, 2:45 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

"Ya know we should probably stick with the gun-runners fer now." Zo stops for a moment. "Tho we probably could use a vacation to da Tir, an let things cool down here a bit."
Glyph
Monday, September 14th, 2:45 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Void, looking up from the plate of food, which seems to be commanding most of his attention at the moment, frowns.

"If we are to have any success against this enemy, we will need to keep on the offensive. Most of the time, runners have the luxury of striking from the shadows, then fading back into them. But this confrontation is more... personal. Despite his name, this Blind Man will keep looking for us. Pausing for too long only gives him more time to concentrate on finding us. Personally, I think your first idea was better. It sounds like more of a major operation, and we will be operating in our element, not fish out of water like we would be in the Tir. The Tir! Hrrrmph. That blighted kingdom of pointy-eared nazis is possibly the only place worse than... Renton!"

Void gives another grimace, before taking another bite out of his sandwich.
Warlordtheft
[quote name='Glyph' date='Dec 13 2014, 02:33 PM' post='1304812']
Monday, September 14th, 2:45 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

"Hey, it not all dat bad since Prince Zincan took over. Tusker leadin da elves is slotting funny." Zo goes and grab his sandwich. Real food seems to taste different.....too much like when I waz young
Sephiroth
Monday, September 14th, 2:48 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma

Jovan looks pensively at his own plate. A mix of faint, low-level emotions passes over him. Distrust at the purity of this cooking - though it's not as if any poison in it would affect him much. Surprise at seeing real, organic food before him - a sight he has not seen in years, practically a lifetime ago. Bemusement at receiving such a gesture from an employer - and a metahuman who is all too aware of Jovan's disease, at that. Reminiscence of the days when he would eat soy meals not unlike this one on a daily basis - and be filled and satisfied by them. Cynical resignation to the fact that those days are long gone. Though he knows it will do him no good, he accepts the gesture and starts slowly on his sandwich.

<<@team: You are correct about the need to stay on the offensive against the Blind Man, hitman. But the time is not right - we lack the resources and network that we will need to maintain the energy of such an offensive. We need time to build our power base - we need equipment, spies, bound spirits, and more intelligence. I have a pending item of business regarding this Pertwilling character that will give us some of that intelligence, but we will need more. Provided that one of you can suitably maintain a defensive strategy for us, I could arrange for the acquisition of most of those resources.>>

He frowns in irritation at the lack of files the Spaniard possessed on law enforcement here in the Seattle metroplex. Finding and acquiring a suitable flesh tool is no walk in the park, evidently. Some creativity will be needed... later, after rest. And rest, of course, will come after the interrogation.

As the prisoner is being loaded into the waiting Rover, Jovan flexes his magical muscles and summons a humanist elemental from the ether. By the time the Rover's Pilot has returned it to the small garage, the pale, hairless, deathly thin magician is gone. In his place is the man from last night - five o'clock shadow, rainbow-tipped faux-hawk, and all that came with it. He goes to the door of the Rover and prepares to move the prisoner out. <<@team: Time to get this show on the road, as they say. I will update you with what progress I have made later tonight. Make sure we are prepared to pick up our purchases from the Spaniard's network while I am working on the sniper, if you please.>>

Though his plate is empty, he feels no less hungry or fatigued than before. The end of this interrogation cannot come soon enough.
Glyph
Monday, September 14th, 2:48 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Void shrugs at Zo's rejoinder, too apathetic at the moment to even mutter something about "tokenism".

He frowns minutely after Jovan comms them, suspecting their reclusive teammate might be working in a bit of personal business regarding this Pertwilling person, but not really faulting him too much for that. He makes himself eat a good meal, knowing his abused body needs the fuel. Normally it would be more of a struggle to make himself eat when he is not that hungry, but it is good - food of a quality that takes him back to a time when he was far less struggling.

"Very well. While these tasks are being completed, I will be crashing on one of the bunks. The pills are beginning to wear off, and I believe I need to take some reluctant rest to rejuvenate myself."

It is a sign of how much he needs to let his wounds heal that he actually feels like resting, rather than the restless pacing and whirling thoughts that normally hinder his sleeping habits (the downsides to an overclocked body, and an overclocked brain).
pbangarth
Monday, September 14th, 2:50 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

The prisoner is semi-conscious when Jovan removes him from the van. He looks around his surroundings, as much as his restraints will allow, and his slowly focusing eyes settle on Jovan. A calm seems to settle over him. He squints momentarily, in thought. "So. The other one. The one they never see. Your the one who's going to break me, huh?" Jovan is not sure whether that was a question or a statement.

Trained eyes scan Jovan, noting details of the image the mage chooses to present to his prisoner. To Jovan it seems pretty clear that the prisoner has been in death's grip before. No easy prey, this. What a pleasant surprise!

*****

Professor smiles at the eagerness with which his simple meal is consumed. He too attacks his sandwich. Being hunted is hungry business. He nods to Void. "Go for it. I've got some thinking to do." The problem is, there is not enough data to devise any kind of long-term plan. Jovan is right. They have to learn more about the Blind Man's movement's and objectives. But in the end, he thinks, there just is no way they can take down this underworld boss, just the four of them. So, what can they do? Well, his prime goal in the beginning was to clear his name. That means getting proof that he was not the one who stole the scroll. Ideally, it would include retrieving it, though Shiva knows where it could be now.

It is highly unlikely B.M. stole the scroll for himself. He would move it on to someone else... for a price. But why would he... how would he even know ...? He stops in mid-chew, then throws the remains down onto his plate. "Zo! Tell me again about that man, Pertwilling. You said you heard he was in Seattle, looking for a magical artifact?"
Warlordtheft
Monday, September 14th, 2:50 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

"Prof. he's lookin for some magical widget that could give em or his handlers a short cut to world dominiation. Now de handlers could be a dragon, the Draco Foundation. Ya thinking we can help him ta gain a favor for help against da blind man? "

pbangarth
Monday, September 14th, 2:50 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Professor nods vigorously. "I'm thinking he might be looking for the thing that was stolen from me and for which I was set up to take the fall for theft and murder! We need to find out more about this man."
Sephiroth
Monday, September 14th, 2:51 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Jovan tilts his head slightly. He smiles - the first move in this game of psychological manipulation. "After the performance you put on this morning, I doubt there is a human alive who could break a man as strong as you. Heh. Quite an impressive display."

Jovan hauls the sniper to his feet and moves him, albeit slowly because of the restraints, to a chair at the table. During the transition, he opens himself up to the astral plane and covertly assenses the sniper from behind. His Eye scans the aura, searching particularly for signs of headware and other implants. Once the prey is seated, Jovan moves around the table and returns his gaze to the meat realm.

"Do you have a name and rank, soldier? What shall I call you?"
Glyph
Monday, September 14th, 2:50 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Void pauses outside the door as he hears voices raised slightly in excitement, but then continues to his allotted room. If it is important, they can wake him. Otherwise, he needs to sleep off the effects of his wounds, and the incipient crash from the pills he has been given. He takes off his jacket and boots before collapsing onto the bunk. Sleep comes easily to him for once, although an outside observer would notice him occasionally twitching, even in slumber.
pbangarth
Monday, September 14th, 2:51 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

The man snorts at Jovan's compliment. Jovan's Assensing shows dead zones in the man's ears and eyes and a couple of teeth. He is not Awakened. As well, the man's aura holds a distinctly subdued character, very much like the effect of introducing a lot of implants into the body. The effect seems much more pronounced than the few areas that show up in Jovan's assessment would cause. His aura supports Jovan's perception of his body language. Calm, almost resigned. Strong will. Not easily broken. Is there something else? Deeper in the psyche? No.. no. It's gone. Maybe never was there.

"The Geneva Convention means nothing here, mister. I'm nobody from nowhere." He becomes tight-lipped, literally. He looks down, away from Jovan. It doesn't look like he plans to talk any more.
Sephiroth
Monday, September 14th, 2:51 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

At the other end of the table, Jovan is unfazed by the man's closed-off demeanor. Patience will be required to crack this nut, and patience comes easily to his kind - most of the time.

"True, the Convention has no weight here. That doesn't need to matter, though. You're in hot water either way."

"But you aren't concerned by that, are you? Most would be a little nervous in your position, but you aren't. You're stronger than the rest. And you know that, don't you? No weakling would be doing the work you do. Seems like you could do a lot better than your current employer, though. Don't you think?"
He keeps his eyes trained on the sniper's face and body language, noting any hints of a reaction from his words.
pbangarth
Monday, September 14th, 2:52 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

The man looks up at Jovan. His eyes... blank at first, widen, the pupils dilating. he speaks with a quiver in his voice as a dribble of blood comes down one corner of his chin. "What I think ... what I thought ... is that it wouldn't hurt so much."

Jovan quickly switches to astral perception, and the answer comes clear. Darkness, machine darkness, spreads from the man's teeth back towards where his spine joins his skull. Massive damage shows in his aura. Something is chewing, cutting its way through the back of his throat towards the foramen magnum. Not poison, but something directed, with a purpose.

In moments it is over. The man's body lies still, eyes half lidded, blood flowing freely out of his mouth, slowing as the seconds pass.
pbangarth
Monday, September 14th, 2:52 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Jovan's intellect is far quicker than his body. His mind races to think of a way to deal with this darkness that spreads through the captive's body. "Damn you, foul villain, that you use machines like this. But for naught, haughty one! I have the answer!"

He draws mana from the ether and channels it into a pulse of electromagnetism, centering his focus on the captive. The energy tears through Jovan, sundering flesh and tendons, as if to punish him for daring to manipulate such a foreign power. Lights and other equipment inside the room halt instantly. His commlink winks silent. But through the pain, Jovan sees the astral reflection of the machine attack halt... only moments before it would have reached the intersection of spinal column and brain.

Then horror strikes him. What if such obscenity were used on one of his kind? On him! Knowledge of this tactic must not become widespread. Certainly not to the ones outside. They are too simple to hold their tongues and thoughts. Perhaps Professor is capable of keeping this secret. He is intelligent enough, and pliable enough, to stay quiet. This will take some thought.

But a more immediate problem presents itself. The bleeding continues. The man's throat is filling with blood. Now, if only Jovan knew of a way to draw blood from a man's throat.

*****

Professor and Zo startle as the vehicle backed up to the van hisses and bucks as hydraulic systems click out and back. Jovan's commlink disappears from Professor's active connection display. "Zo, something's wrong in the safe room." He jumps up and runs towards Jovan's refuge, but halts as the commlink reappears. <<Professor@Jovan: You alright in there? What happened?>>
Sephiroth
Monday, September 14th, 2:53 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

The safe room is now completely black. The lights overhead sit defunct, their internal circuits fried by the EMP. The small soycaf machine, lying over on a counter to the side with a few other basic amenities, has been rendered similarly inoperable. It is in this quiet darkness that Jovan now finds himself as he thinks of his next move.

"Where is that damned Oswald when I need him? And the bloody shaman healer! A medkit... where is a medkit?" He rises to his feet and runs around the table towards the Rover, using the residual heat patterns from the lights and the Rover as his guide. It is in times like these that thermographic vision proves useful.

The magician is still shaking off the disturbing and dangerous implications of the Bind Man's tactic when he reaches the Rover's rear doors. Professor's text message barely registers in his awareness. He opens them and scans the leather interior again, searching in the dark for medical equipment he can use - but it is a futile effort. The tools of the medical shop contained in that small space are still as esoteric and inscrutable as before to an untrained hermetic like himself. He needs something much more idiot-proof.

<<@Professor: Damage control time. I needed to deal with a nasty backup measure from your enemy. Talk about it later. I need a working medkit, a flashlight, and a bag or cooler of ice. Quickly!>> Jovan sends some test signals from his commlink to the door controls, to check if they are still functioning.
pbangarth
Monday, September 14th, 2:53 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

"Zo! There's some ice cubes in a bag in the refrigerator. Grab those and bring them to the safe room. Jovan has some kind of medical problem in there. "
Professor rushes to the aid station by the kitchen and grabs the medkit on the wall, and the survival kit beside it. At the safe room, he takes the ice from Zo, who looks terribly curious about all of this. <<@Jovan:Professor coming in.>>

He steps through the double door "airlock". It's dark inside but his astral perception shows him enough. The captive is in dire straits. "The goods are all here. I see what the problem is. Quick thinking, Jovan. I can help, though I wish Orlando were here. I'm a rookie compared to him." He sets up the multi-light in lantern mode, and prepares a long syringe from the medkit. As he prepares to insert the needle into the man's throat, he says, "This is going to be messy, and I suspect it will be ... distracting to you. But I could use your help finding the blood pools inside him. Did any get into his lungs?"
Warlordtheft
Monday, September 14th, 2:53 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Zo looks at Professor goin through the door and follows in,"What da frag iz up wit da breeder? Is dat blood commin out of hiz mouth?"
pbangarth
Monday, September 14th, 2:53 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Professor stands slightly stunned as Zo barges in to the safe room Professor thought would keep things quiet and under control. "Best laid plans" and all that.

Fortunately, Jovan had the presence of mind (or some ulterior motive?) to hide his identity. But, is that a glint in the magician's eye as he sees blood out in the open? Oh shit.

Professor quickly unpacks medkit and other supplies and prepares to work on the injuries. "There was some kind of anti-interrogation failsafe built into the man. Jovan halted it before it could completely finish him off."
Warlordtheft
Monday, September 14th, 2:53 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

"Well I shoulda figured dat out. Da keeb don't look like he coulda done it to da bruiser, at least not wit his fists, probably break a nail or somethin. Now meetin each other was dat so hard Jovie? or are ya still worried about catchin a Tusker virus and becomin an ork?" Zo laughs. "Is da other guy unconcious still? We might wanna figure out how dis guy killed emself so we don't lose the other guy. Even if it is pulling every tooth an bit of cyber he has."



Sephiroth
Monday, September 14th, 2:53 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Jovan had returned to stand next to the prisoner as Professor entered, expecting the dwarf to close the gate behind him. The magician's eyes seem to be transfixed on the blood leaking out of the man's mouth. Hearing the ganger's voice from inside the gate, though, Jovan's head bolts up sharply, hackles raised and an expression of surprise on his face. Zo could finally get a good look at him for the first time in the lantern light.

To Zo, "Jovie" doesn't really seem all that remarkable. The magician is an elf, judging from the pointed ears and the slight frame - a real dandelion-eater, fragile hands and all, like Zo had suspected. Jovan has a faint five o'clock stubble, which is a little unusual but not unheard of for an elf. His hairstyle - an exaggerated brown faux-hawk, with the tips dyed to be every color of the rainbow - is a common enough look in the nightclubs for breeders and pansies. The guy hasn't been talking like a clubber this whole time, though, as Zo knows - more like a boring academic who doesn't like anybody. He's wearing a dark brown coat, cheap leather with scratches by the looks of it, and some worn-down black pants that look like they could belong to some nobody off the street. There's nothing arcane or esoteric-seeming about him - which is probably by design.

The face is a little different, though, for someone with a careful eye. Or maybe it's the demeanor. His shoulders are tensed and raised, body stiff, like he's just seen a ghost or been shot by an ally (or perhaps both). The eyes are shifting around - from Zo to Professor, to the prisoner, to Zo, to the prisoner, to Zo, to Professor, to the gate, to Zo, to the prisoner, to the gate, to Zo again. Weird looks too, intense ones, especially at the prisoner. Maybe the guy hasn't been around people much, or has never seen blood before?

"Yes... catching a Tusker virus.... right." The monotone is gone. Get him off your back, get him off the scent, they will kill you if he finds out how the Blind Man did this, get him off your back. He is silent for a few seconds. They tick by very slowly. "Suicide method is... unknown. P-probably a poison pill. Will look into it..." Sixteen steps to the double-door gate for escape. Seven at a run. He can hear the blood drops hitting the prisoner's shirt. "What in Ghost's name are you doing in here? Did we not establish that this was to be an isolated area?!" He looks at the prisoner again. There is more fresh blood flowing slowly down the man's face. He pulls his gaze away with effort. Jovan can faintly smell the iron wafting to his nostrils now. "Do you not realize that this is jeopardizing my security against The Enemy?! Against the Greys?!?! Have you led them here to neutralize me and take me away??" The blood taste is on his tongue. It's in his head.
Warlordtheft
Monday, September 14th, 2:53 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.
Zo lets slip an an expression confusion. This is like when your talking to somebody high on BTLs and they start talking as if you were part of whatever trip they were on. To focus, Zo looks toward professor as if seeking an answer, completely ignoring the dying prisoner.

"Prof, please tell me he is high on somethin right now. I know ya mages soemtimes get inta wierd drek and all to make da mojo work....An what do ghouls and da blind man have ta do wit dis? Dey was fighting each other as much as us."
Sephiroth
Monday, September 14th, 2:53 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

For his part, Jovan can barely believe what is happening either. He is fighting to keep his survival instincts from going out of control in the face of this invasive surprise to his privacy. And the prisoner's streams of blood are calling to him, eroding his willpower, like a sweetly perfumed flower laced with pheromones. Phantom tastes are starting to appear on his tongue - the youthful richness of the elf from last night, the beer-tinged flavor of the drunk man from Thursday, the full-bodied juiciness from the last time he had an ork. They're driving him mad and eating away at his focus. And as if that wasn't bad enough, he is now being insulted by someone who has obviously never heard of an alien conspiracy in his life.

"The ghouls? You think the ghouls have much to do with this anymore? You did notice that the Blind Man has operatives in the space science industry, yes? Spaceship design, extraterrestrial biology, the works. Why would he have... have a..." Stop looking at the blood. "... a financial interest in interstellar science when most of his profits can be made on Earth? Either he's preparing for an encounter with extraterrestrials he can exploit, or he has already found them. The Greys will know that, and if they find us, they will write us off as allies of the Blind Man and terminate us, don't you see that? And I, for one, will not allow myself to be discovered and persecuted by any conspiring alien force, no matter what they think of our Enemy!" A careful observer with thermographic vision might notice that Jovan's heart rate seems to increase every time he glances over at the bleeding prisoner. He must have some sort of hemophobia.
Warlordtheft
Monday, September 14th, 2:53 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Aliens--you have got ta fragging be kidding me....drek I should ask for a raise to deal wit dis drek--an unstable mage.

Zo, keeps an eye on Jovan, as one would a rabid animal. His posture implies he's not a threat, and that he is ignoring him. He is still keeping an eye on him just in case.

"Prof, ya should hav a conversation wit Jovie. I think da Ares X-Files Returns BTLs or what ever he's on have fragged his brain. Ya sure he is stable enough ta get any info from da prisoners? I mean something that won't be like some drekking old conspiricy dats been played ta death on da trids."


Sephiroth
Monday, September 14th, 2:54 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Jovan cannot help but to narrow his eyes in a cold glare. He stares at Zo in tense anger for a few seconds, struggling to find words to say - the stimulation from so many sources is proving difficult for him to process at once. Who does this brazen piece of meat think he is, ignoring a being like me? By Ghost, the unjustifiable aggravation never ends with this bunch.

"A 105-old cultural prejudice against hidden power relationships that was initiated by American CIA propagandists has no bearing on this situation or this interrogation. I don't expect a blood-slinging-" He catches his Freudian slip. "...gunslinging street tough to understand." Damn these cattle for making my mask slip. I'm not even certain that most of those deaths on our team were arranged by the Grays instead of by some twisted metaplanar Spirit. But keep going, keep going. Redirect the attention, snipe his thoughts, keep him off the scent, and stick to the strategy.

Still, despite the show of anger, Jovan's threatened fight-or-flight hostility seems to be growing weaker. His body is gradually loosening as the danger of exposure and need for violent action grow more remote. Were he facing another individual, Jovan could easily control their behavior by hinting at his capacity to deal pain, with all future requests kept polite and gentle. It would convince them that it is better to be his ally, to do what he wants them to do. But this ork is a difficult one for Jovan to handle - not only because of the disregard for his strict private boundaries, but also because of the disrespect for his skills and competencies as a Chosen One. The nosferatu is not accustomed to such willfulness.

"It matters little. We are collectively walking into a world of powerful and sinister interests, and every precaution must be made to protect ourselves from subtle ploys. That includes otherworldly ones! We should also recall that a key part of taking those precautions is the extraction of all relevant information from our captive, no? So then perhaps it would be prudent to permit me to resume my interrogation as quickly as possible. Do you disagree?"
pbangarth
Monday, September 14th, 2:54 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Professor watches the drama between his two teammates unfold, and catches the slip-sliding back and forth between blood lust and panic in Jovan's aura. As that seesaw settles a bit, he takes the opportunity. Nonchalantly walking over to the captive and covering the worst of the blood with some clothing, he turns to the other two. "No one is going to get anything out of this one till he heals. And we all are at the end of our ropes after the last couple of days. I know I am. I think it best for all of us to take Void's example and rest so we can think straight and plan our next moves. We'll be safe here for some time, as long as we are careful.

"I assure you, Zo, the one we are up against is worse than most of the trid villains we get served. This one is real, and has our worst interests at heart. I'll stabilize our captive and get Orlando to come for him too. He will be the quickest way to get our captive fit enough for questioning. In a day or two we will all be much more fit to think at a level that challenges the Blind Man. We have three possible avenues to explore. I'll give them some thought and see if I can find anything on the Spaniard's computer to help decide which should be first."


After some moments with a medkit, Professor, with Zo's help, takes the captive back out of Jovan's safe room. A quick conversation outside gets Orlando on the case. Once the prisoner is safely away, Professor will take that much needed rest.
Warlordtheft
Monday, September 14th, 2:54 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

After helping Professor move the patient, Zo heads over to the comfy chair and sits in it, puts it in recline and to take a nap. Notably though, his two holsterd pistols are still within arms reach.
pbangarth
Monday, September 14th, 7:00 pm.

A news item appears in the networks, but is mundane enough to garner very little public attention. A gang of bikers had been found killed outside a parking garage in Tacoma. a few appeared to have been harmed by some kind of explosion, though no physical trace of explosive was found. The majority, however, were shot to death and left in the streets.

#####

"The extraction team found no one?" The man is obviously angry.

"Yes, sir, but they dealt with the gangers who failed to keep the targets contained. The message they left is clear."

"And leads on their current location?"

"None, sir. We are continuing the search."

"Go, then."

"Yes, sir."
The employee leaves quickly.

#####

Tuesday, September 15th, 8:30 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Orlando had responded quickly to Professor's call and returned for the prisoner. He later reported that the other prisoner also had a suicide tooth, similarly loaded with nanites. He couldn't hide his admiration for the elegance of the technology. "Amazing tech. I've removed it, and I'm studying it." He also reported that the various purchase made by the team through the Spaniard's quickly disappearing network would arrive on Wednesday.

After ample time to rest, and good food to recharge, the team is alert, strong, and ready. All but Jovan are seated around a table, and the whole group is linked through their commlinks.

Professor starts. "I've been looking through the Spaniard's files, and doing some thinking. Your comments yesterday have been helpful.

"We are indeed not ready yet for any kind of major confrontation with our opponent. But there are a couple of opportunities to do guerrilla-style strikes to cut parts of his network, and possibly garner some information and profit. The gun-running here in Seattle looks to be the easiest target, and wouldn't require us to leave town. My searching indicates a shipment is due on Saturday, giving us a few days to prepare.

"The Tir connection might be a little more difficult, but it interests me more because this Pertwilling fellow may be connected to the problem I originally wanted to deal with, the theft of the ancient document that got me cashiered out of my career. Also, we have had some initial contact with him, and that may give us an inroad to his dealings. I don't want my personal feelings to colour my thinking, so I'd appreciate some questions and feedback before I decide what we do next."
Glyph
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:30 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Void feels better after his rest. It seems that getting the hell kicked out of him is a sure cure for his usual twichy restlessness - not that he wants that particular sleep inducement anytime soon. He turns his usual unblinking stare on the professor, his face mostly impassive, but slightly thoughtful-looking.

"As Sun Tzu says...'If we know that our own men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory.' It is good to have more time to prepare, to strike this shipment of weapons, but we should gather as much further intel as we can in those several days. Operating in the Tir, now that will take more logistical support - they are a paranoid police state from all that I have heard, so all of our documentation must be in order, yes, yes. And I am still wary - we will be outside of our home ground, but this... Pertwilling... might be more, more... entrenched, shall we say, with the local interests."

At that, Void seems to subside, although he seems to be waiting for the others to chime in more than expecting a reply, at least at this point.
Warlordtheft
[quote name='Glyph' date='May 11 2015, 12:33 AM' post='1312256']
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:30 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.


Why does this tusker sound like a chinese fortune cookie...

"Its not dat bad since da Tusker took over. But I think hittin some of the blind mans ops in Seattle is da better choice. We are more familiar, we gots some contacts, an we dont hav ta worry about crossing 3 sets of borders. Da Salish can be really tricy cauz of who ya might be dealin wit. Some ya can bribe, some ya can be chummers wit and others are gonna hate ya. Prof, ya know where da shipment is commin from?"
Sephiroth
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:31 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Jovan sips from a glass of water as he listens to the conversation from within his declared "sanctuary." He is seated at his own table, with a hermetic incense candle and various paper notes strewn messily in front of him. He glances at one such paper as Professor speaks. A note written in the margins reads:

PERTWILLING ADDENDUM: Kingpin has open offer to steal "item" from Cold Tea 3rd party. Allowing 3rd party to reconsider by Thurs. If no reconsideration, would pay us to acquire by ≈Mon. Payment includes Rfd treatise. Prof connection must be concealed from Pert.


Jovan considers the note for a moment. <<@team: I wonder... I could take care of linguistic support, but handling the Tir Tairngire connection may not require travel to that country. A couple questions. Do either of you street toughs have connections to weapons dealers, armorers, or law enforcement? And for you, Professor, do you have information on where this shipment drop-off will occur?>>
Glyph
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:31 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Void doesn't reply to Zo, although he is still much more cynical about the "new" ruling council, darkly suspecting them to be little more than puppets of the real rulers of the Tir. That's actually how he thinks most places are run.

He responds to Jovan, though. <<@team: I am familiar with an arms dealer - the same one who our recent friends got their fine weapons from, actually. Coincidence, I think (strange, yes, to hear myself say such a thing) - he is impartial about whom he sells to, and takes no sides. He is close-mouthed about his suppliers, as logically anyone in his business would be, but he might be interested in purchasing any... acquisitions... that we make. I know the man - he simply cannot be intimidated. But he still might let something slip, if someone inquired about when he might be expecting a certain kind of gun. People bedevil him with such requests all the time; they would elicit little suspicion.>>
Warlordtheft
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:31 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

<@Team> You need guns, I can get em. You need ta know who's dealin certain guns an where, I can probably figure it out.>>
Sephiroth
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:32 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Jovan nods to the empty room in assent. <<It is getting extra guns and selling off acquisitions that I am looking toward, yes. The lack of in-roads to law enforcement will make orchestrating these strikes slightly trickier, so a different route will be required.>> He seems to be thinking out loud.

<<Our larger mission, in a sense, is to wreak as much ruinous vengeance upon the Blind Man as possible. In that vein, the obvious goal should be to strike at both operations with the same effort. Now, it just so happens that I have an open offer from Pertwilling for a job - to "acquire an item," as he put it. He does not know that he has offered it to our team, nor does he know our relationship to the Blind Man. If we do this job, we acquire an in-road to his dealings and his graces, to better strike at the reagents smuggling operation later on. 'Warfare is based on deception; hence, when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away.' That too was a saying of Sun Tzu, was it not, Void? To emphasize misdirection, as I understand it.

So suppose we arrange to strike at both the arms delivery point and Pertwilling's target at roughly the same time, this coming Saturday. Suppose that we have a third party handle the first, disguised as us, while we handle the second with our own disguises. The Blind Man's forces will believe that we will have hit only the arms shipment, giving our team an alibi to keep Pertwilling from suspecting our involvement. After all, we would be 'too busy' with his assignment to also be hitting the shipment, so we couldn't possibly be the same group! This way, we walk away with a cool twenty-five thousand nuyen each from his job, along with all of the weaponry liberated from the shipment and circulated back to us. Going forward, we also misdirect the Blind Man's forces towards reinforcing one operation as we slowly infiltrate and needle another, and allow Pertwilling to arm us with powerful magical artifacts all the while. As for the third party and the disguises, well... perhaps that houngan is more valuable than I first thought.>>
Once can still faintly hear remnants of a magician's contempt in his voice.
pbangarth
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:35 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Professor thinks a moment. "Interesting idea, Jovan. One thing... why would the team we hire to hit the arms shipment look like us? If it works properly, they don't get identified at all. The longer the Blind Man is kept in the dark about our workings, the better. And if we want to keep Pertwilling in the dark, a team that doesn't look like us can't possibly be identified to him ... as us."
Warlordtheft
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:35 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

<@TEAM> Hmmm, Jovie if da point is ta wreck blind mans operations to frag all. Da easiest thing ta do woul be ta rat out to da Pawns da whereabouts of his operations. Dats assumin he hadn't bribed dem or is chummy wit Ares. If dat is da case, we could get ta know who's da one bein bribed an take dem out or blackmail dem. But dat plan is a bit complicated. Prof, do ya know if da Blind man deals in Ares arms that mysteriously fall of da back of a truck?. THe spaniard seem to have gotten a load of Colts, but dat could be second or third hand suppliers.
pbangarth
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:35 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma.

Professor scratches his chin. "Yeah, I don't know what the arms are in this shipment or who made them. Details are pretty sketchy. What I have is the name of the one who is to receive them from Blind Man's people. Goes by the street name of Cargo Bill. He frequents a place called DeClerry's in Tacoma. Supposed Mafia establishment. The pickup is supposed to happen by the Crying Wall, so maybe it will come through the Ork Underground."
Sephiroth
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:36pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma

Jovan starts awake. He seemed to have fallen into a trance, staring blankly at his papers. Perhaps it was the sandwich from yesterday afternoon that was keeping his focus away from the task at hand.

<<Precisely, Zo. That would be the easiest way, and it is for that very reason that we would run into a trap if we attempted it. Remember that the Blind Man would know to bribe law enforcement to gain more breathing room for his operations. Prosecutors and chiefs of police would be some of the most delicious targets for him to corrupt, and likely a few captains too, at a minimum. If he does have those higher-ups in his pocket, then our notifying them of the arms meetup would give us away. It would be no different from telling the Seattle governor's office staff that we intend to blow up his mansion, and no less unhealthy.

That is not to imply, of course, that I would dislike raising the ire of Knight Errant. Throwing the city into a bit of chaos could be a delightful way to draw out the Blind Man's forces. But we should get more established and better equipped first.>>
Warlordtheft
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:36pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma

<<Yeah but da thing ta remember wit all dis is dat the pawns on da streets are da last to know and deres alot of layers between da captains and da street cops. An whose ta say we walk right up an drop dis info in there laps? If we did dat, 1 dey wouldn't believe me or you, 2. they probably make an excuse ta frag us. Nah, wat I have in mind is ta leave dem just enough info to find it, but not enough ta know where its commin from. Also like I said, blackmailin the one bein bribed is da way ta go. But dat assumes someone is bein bribed. >>

Glyph
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:36pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma

Despite his reticence when it comes to the planning phase of a run, Void finds himself drawn back into the conversation.

<<It also assumes that anyone cares about a suit being bribed, or that the city's rented thugs would be interested in actual police work. My personal experience is that when they need an arrest, they either grab the first SINless person they find, or they just lean on everyone until they cough up the perp so they can go back to business as usual. If we want to stir other people up against the Blind Man's operations, the competition might be a better bet - the bigger operations, and the syndicates.>>
Sephiroth
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:37 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma

Jovan responds with characteristic precision in his words. <<I am not quite as familiar with Knight Errant's standard procedures as I would prefer, but logic dictates that any sting or ambush operation against high-level crime by law enforcement would have to be organized by a captain or other high-standing officer, does it not? The "street cops," as you called them, would presumably be too fearful for their own lives to attempt to hit an arms delivery without major backup. So I assume that the ignorant officers would not get involved without tipping off their corrupt superiors. Is my deduction inaccurate?

I agree that targeting and 'persuading' whichever officers are on the Blind Man's payroll is a sound tactic. It seems to me, however, that a key problem here is that of the timing. The Blind Man knew that we would come for the Spaniard's intelligence files. He may not know which of his secret operations were compromised by the Spaniard's investigating, so it would be difficult for him to anticipate where we will hit him next. Nevertheless, if we guide a few KE officers towards the dropoff and they make an 'errant' comment that reaches the ears of the Blind Man's network, then I doubt he will be fooled by our anonymity. Imagine it: his enemies get information about him from a dead rival, and then he receives a tip-off that his upcoming arms delivery has been discovered by an "anonymous party" - there is too much of a correlation, you see? He will realize that we plan to derail the delivery. Not to mention that he can easily command his KE "allies" not to allow the shipment to be stopped.

If KE wasn't practically owned by the Blind Man, having them take care of this delivery would be simple and easy. But they most probably are in his pockets, and I think that makes it too risky to get them involved. A gang, small-time runner team, or other criminal group would be safer.>>
Warlordtheft
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:37 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma

<<So what if we don't go ta KE but to some other corp? Like Horizon? I'm sure dey wuld like to take down Ares a peg or two. Lonse star might be another possibility. Dey could put resource in dat we can't. May they'd throw a get outta jail card since dey runnin da prisons. Another crime syndicate, like da Yaks or vory might be interested. But I got no fraggin pull wit dem. Glyph do ya have any contacts wit either of does groups? >>
Glyph
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:37 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma

Void curtly shakes his head in the negative.

<<No, no, I'm afraid that my old connections expired... violently and messily and all over the place. Hence my reduced current... circumstances. The ones left, no, much lower on the food chain. But it is not a significant difficulty to find these people. Getting them to pay attention to you, yes, that is the problem. So much data, so much dross, to wade through, to get anything useful. Professor, were you able to find any such tidbits? Verifiable, juicy little secrets that might make some vile little man somewhere sweat, or might make other vile little men perk up and smile?>>
Sephiroth
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:37 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma

<<I wonder. We may have enough information to work out where to look for such secrets - if the Blind Man's people will be doing the delivery near the Crying Wall, they'll have planned on being inconspicuous and friendly with people they would encounter en route to the delivery. That suggests the complacency of the Skraacha gang. We could easily twist that into blackmail material in the Underground if I extract a few additional "confessions" from them. This Cargo Bill person will also likely have information we can use.

There is a tiny handful of other small groups that loiter near the docs at night - I have seen them in that area before. I do not know their gang names, but I remember that one group held primarily ork and troll members, while another looked to be at least half-composed of Asians. Triad, perhaps? Small criminal groups like them would be useful for a proxy strike like this and much easier to reach than a Mafia don. Lone Star would also be a very potent ally, I agree.

In any case, selecting and plying those parties must come later, when we have more concrete details about Saturday night's dropoff. For now, we should focus on quickly extracting information from our two likely targets: the Cargo Bill man, and the Skraacha gang controlling the tunnels out of the Underground. Within the next 24 hours, if possible.>>


pbangarth
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:37 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma

Professor assimilates the suggestions the team offers. "Some good ideas there. I think we should .... " His eyes de-focus, in the ways eyes do when the person is scanning data projected by a commlink. "Oh! This is juicy! I have some new data to study. Give me ten or twenty minutes to digest it and I'll get back to you."

Tuesday, September 15th, 9:00 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma


Professor reconvenes the crew. "I was a little curious about some of the images in the Spaniard's data files we were able to retrieve. I did a little steganalysis and lo and behold! There is information hidden in the images that expands on the basic text info. It looks like the Spaniard was not a hundred percent confident in the loyalty of his team and hid major info from the casual eye.

"So here's some added detail on the arms shipment. It seems that Cargo Bill is playing two or three sides against each other. He is deeply connected in the Bigio family of the Mafia, but the arms shipment he is running is not for them but for the yakuza... the Shotozumi-Rengo that has been slowly nibbling bits of Tacoma away from Bigio. This would slot the capo off big time if he were to learn of it. Blind Man seems to have provided the shipment and has lined up the Tartarus Ring of the Seoulpa to do the delivery through the Orc Underground. If the Bigio organization were to learn of this shipment, and the betrayal by Cargo Bill, they would very likely set up their own interception, as Bigio takes pleasure in sticking it to the yakuza. And of course dealing with betrayal. The proprietor of DeClerry's, according to the Spaniard, is Vince "Bonecrusher" DeClerry, tight with Maurice Bigio, the capo of the family. If we could find a way to get him to believe that Cargo Bill is shafting them, the stage would be set for a hit on the shipment without our doing anything at all. That would leave us free to concentrate on the Pertwilling issue.

"Any thoughts?"
Warlordtheft
Tuesday, September 15th, 8:38 pm, team HQ, dock warehouse district, Tacoma


Zo thinks for second. "The gangers in underground allow dis for a fee. Even the Mafia and Yaks pay up since it means less drek to deal wit. Usually in return for stuff and not causing a fragging turf war in the orc underground. We might wanna let da Rings know dat it is for da Yaks as well. Dey still bitter at dat whole occupation thing last century an da bloody split from da Yaks decades ago. I think I could set up a meet wit Vince. I'm just another pretty tusker face. Zo laughs.
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