Agreed, I'm going to get ahold of my contact, who runs with the Princes in Puyallup and see what it'll take to get a quiet place to squat and to have him look over Virgil.

BC:

Whatever the details of your call to your contacts are Cedric (which is obviously private) I'd recommend that we at least start driving somewhere as you are working out the details. Conversations that last even a few minutes could be deadly at this point.

Yeah, everytime you've stopped to talk, things get shot at/blown up.

That's why we're moving while we talk, unless anyone has a problem with what I just posted? Let me know and I'll edit.

I will be unavailable for a few hours now. .. . back online later tonight

Cedric:

wonder how they keep finding us...

BC: On our ride Virgil is going to call up Juliette at the clinic to let her know that they have been attacked again to to make sure that everyone is still safe at the clinic. Can I go ahead and handle this entire conversation IC, or would you like me to leave room for you to add input on Juliete's end?

ronin: I just don't know . . . completely and utterly do not know. We have been about as careful as can be expected, so perhaps they are just much better at tracking us then we are at losing them.

Some things we should ask ourselves as a group:
-Were both these ambushes performed by teams working in co-op? Both hired by the same organization?
-Is it possible that we have two independent parties after us for some reason? Group #1 after Dragon, Virgil, and Daedalus for our prior actions (perhaps Julia related), and group #2 after us now for what just transpired with Vinnie?

Am I handling Juliette, when and if the call happens?

Sedna: That is exactly why I chose to post OOC instead of just blindly dialing her up IC. I wasn't sure if some type of behind the scenes communication would have to occur between you and BC. Virgil isn't going to request anything, he is only looking to see if Juliette and the others are safe.

Personally, I think there's two separate parties after us. It's pretty obvious that Erebus and Tenmou were set up. Their employer probably arranged for them to get wacked after they delivered their message in case they survived giving Vinnie his message, so they couldn't spread any tales.

I don't think they were working in co-op though. The level of skill between these guys and the ones who hit us outside of Tommy Wong's is pretty fragging big.

But yeah, I'm open to thoughts as to how they found us, cause I'm getting real tired of getting shot at everytime I sit down.

EDIT: Ronin, Bandit, ha, this is like our old SR campaigns where you guys never wanted to go anywhere or do anything cause you'd always get somehow ambushed, remember?

You know winterrat, I can't help but think how one of Virgil's motivations for leaving places like Aztlan to return to Redmond was so that he could have a quieter life of helping people who just needed to make a better life for themselves. Now the warzone hs come to us

Oh, and that was one of things I liked about the Idea of LiTS, that I could finally hae a situation where I could roleplay doing everything but runs . . . .wow how naive I was
Though since we still have not made any deals with any potential employers we are still just fighting for our own survival.

Two side notes:
BC: Any decision about that phone call yet?

All my teammates: Why don't we just send Dragon up with Erebus while the rest of us stay and guard the transportation. I remember this safe house or Erebus's as having an underground garage. It would be far mre defensible to wait there than to wait out in a city street.

Any thoughts . . . .?

bandit: Sedna's going to handle Juliette for continunity. You can go ahead and call, though.

Thanks BC, post is up.

I would like to thank BC for taking over for me while I dealt with the family issues. Big round of applause for a job well done.

Now that I am back,

perception checks from everyone, sensor tests do apply.

I'm glad I'm not in this then

Well played all, it was fun.

Perception (-1 TN due to Perceptive Edge, much relevant cyberware for vision/hearing if helpful Shadow): 09 05 04 04 03 01 01

EDIT: Ya did good BC. And on a side note, if we get ambushed AGAIN, that makes five combats in less than 2 days for Dragon and Virgil.

We’ve checked for astral surveillance, technological surveillance via drones, physical surveillance, and electronic/radio surveillance. Did we miss something or do our enemies just have superhuman information resources?

PS Bandit, do you have any ideas how to deal with your magic problem for the time being, cause it looks like we might need to draw on your magic even more.

Perception check for Erebus: (low light and thermo mods to TN)

01, 02, 02, 04, 07

Edit: Memo

To: Dragon and Virgil
From: Erebus
Re: Targets

Dear Dragon and Virgil, I feel it necessary to point out the two large bulls-eyes painted on your backs. The reason I feel it necessary to point these things out is that you both seem to attract random violence at a pace similar to a KKK rally in Harlem.

I'd like to point out that I've been shot at three times, punched, attempted to be strangled, and had missiles shot at me all within the last 5 hours and I'm the SAFE one to be around in this group.

Perception test for Virgil: (currently has a serious stun)
16 04 03 03 01 01

To make your thoughts even funnier, let us consider the fact that not only have you been attacked this much (as the safest one to be around). Dragon and Virgil are not even involved in a "run" at the moment. All of this seems to stem from one urban shamans mild-mannered attempt to do some good

Man I can't wait for winterrat to respond to that . . .

P.S. I don't know of anything that Virgil can do for his magical problmes at the moment. The best step to take is to find someone else capable of astral perception and have them scan Virgil's aura. I'd like to keep the magic use to a low right now seeing as the condition only seems to worsen with each attempt.

Cedric- KKK in Harlem got nothing on us, at least, not unless they started handing out rocket launchers as party favors at the local 7-11s. The way we're going, you'd think every goon in the city has a rocket launcher in his trunk, just in case he runs into us. And I should point out you had A missile shot at you. Just one. Count yourself lucky.

I still shudder to think what would've happened if I missed that perception test...

Bandit- You don't want me to respond to that comment. Of all the things we could be doing, we're dragged into a freaking quagmire here because of you and your goody-goody nature. Are you aware that we're now facing AT LEAST three distinct groups of enemies, if not more, and we're not getting paid what-so-freaking ever for any part of it?!?!?!?!??!?!?!

And oh yeah, now you can't use magic either. You run out of spells and you're getting demoted to meat shield.

EDIT: And yes, I'm aware that at least one group of enemies is on our tail because of Dragon's romantic/sappy/loyal/in love/idiocy with respects to Sybersnake. But I conveniently left that part out of the above pretend rant.

Tenmou's Perception (with a moderate physical wound):
14, 11, 5, 5, 2

Talos sensor test:

Sensors 5, clearsight 3

10 08 05 04 04 03 02 01

yeah... this is why Daedalus wanted as much as possible to not be seen in public with these two.. ::sigh::... but well... we're all marked now : (

And I should know better than to read some of these OOC posts in a public place. I was laughing so hard, people from twenty feet away were staring at me.

I'm still amazed at just how seamlessly you two, bclements and Shadow, have been able to pick up from each other. Very nicely done.

I'll just finish up the Juliette phone call then, last bit of the transition.

Good to see you back, Shadow

Thanks, good to be back.

BC did an excellent job, I think any transition was due more to him than to me.

And since these OOC posts can become a LITS Comedy Central and we’re trading pseudo-flames, let me point out that Mr. “I’m the Safe One to be around in this group” (ahem…Cedric/Erebus) has recently informed us in the main LITS OOC thread that his character backstory is based off of and built on the Hunted Flaw. Oh yeah, you’re the safe one all right. Maybe these guys hitting us are connected to the people after you, and not us.

And Ronin, you should have remembered, if one of us is hunted, we’re all hunted!

Hey RatBandit, can you devote some of this energy to posting IC so I can start posting? I don't want to break up the lovey duvey phone call between Dragon and his flame.

Doesn't make as much sense with Bandit as it did with Rat, oh well I tried.

It ain't me! That's Virgil and his would-be flame. Dragon's minding his own business, driving the car, and keeping an EXTRA CAREFUL eye on his surroundings.

Keep the romantic fools separate and distinct, will ya!?

Yes please keep the romantic fools distinct. One of us (your friendly and alturistic shaman) is busy talking to a women who has done nothing but put herself out of the way to help us . . . a very dangerous proposition at the moment.

The other romantic fool of this group is chasing after a women who is the reason we got ambushed in the first place . . . .

Damn I love these OOC moments.

Hey! Dragon’s not chasing after her! They’re in the middle of sorting out a complex and intricate relationship! There’s a difference.

Shadow- Are we free to post, or are we limited in any way right now?

Feel free to post, and to advance your self to Erebus house, and beyond.

Shadow, I advanced us to close to my building over the next five minutes or so, the building was semi described in a previous post including location of my apartment and the fact that it's one window overlooks a next door building. In case anyone were planning on ambushing us in the apartment building or anything like that.

Shadow:

I feel it is necessary to clarify something here. Dragon is not ‘a big samurai’. He’s not even close to big. He is about 5’7, 5’8, roughly 155-165 lbs. He’s lithe, wiry, and muscular, sure, but given his height and weight, there’s no way the average individual would consider him ‘big’. Just wanted to clear that up because it seems that everyone likes to refer to him as ‘the big samurai’, when it’s actually quite possible he’s the shortest (and maybe smallest) in the group.

And yeah, it’s all the cyber and bio that makes him seem big and strong.

Good point winterrat, but don't forget to include some estimate for the weight of all that cyberware into Dragon's total weight. Depending on what cyberware a PC has their observed weight is likely much greater than it was before modification. Though I don't think this is ever covered in detail within the SR rules.

Ha oh yeah, so he would look bigger, so I guess he is big, just not very tall. It’s still odd to hear him described as big though, since almost none of my characters are ever very big.

Well what is his body and strength stat?

Heh um, 8 and 6

EDIT: That's cyber and bio-modified.

All right fine! Just kill my self-image of my character. He's big! There, are you all happy now!? He's big!

So hes big

Oops, I took it that you were about 6-4 and 280lbs, I pictured you as a line backer rather than a running back. My bad.

Erebus is taller and probably a little heavier, at 6-1 and 220lbs plus cyber, so I'm going to switch to the "tiny samurai" or maybe the "diminutive samurai" or perhaps the "little scrapper"

How about the 'vertically challenged yet physically well-endowed samurai'?

Or we could just leave it at 'the big samurai', since, as Shadow has so kindly pointed out, he's big. At least, once you factor in the cyber and bio.

Cyber and Bioware modification to a body doesn't necessarily increase its size, it could simply make it look denser than natural.

Ah, thank you Grendel. We can refer to me as 'the extremely dense samurai' then. Although I'm not sure that's an improvement.

When you find this love of your life you can tell her that you're her density.

*SMACK*

"Hey McFly, oh McFly!"

I am sorry to break up this priceless exchange of humor . . .but even though Virgil is still on the phone I felt that I should still comment on our current situation. What would we like our plan to be . . .

If they are following us then it is likely that they do not have anyone waiting for Erebus upstairs so he likely would be safe going up to his doss alone leaving the rest of us free to hold positions in the garage and guard our exit.

Ronin: Is is possible for you to snap a picture of our tail as you did of the merc at our first ambush?

I don't know what's worse, the fact that everyone seems to love telling bad jokes, or that I understand them. And they are pretty funny to me too...

Anyway, on to biz. Should we split up or stick together? Personally, I'm for staying together at this point. We haven't been able to lose anyone yet, what makes us think we can this time? At least we'll have strength in numbers.

If we all go into the apartment it might give our tail time to call for backup and perhaps prepare another welcoming committee for us. I really think it is more prudent to try and ID who is following us, who they are working for, and perhaps prevent another assualt as opposed to merely being ready for another one to happen.

Thoughts . . .

Yeah, everyone else sound off please before we move forward?

And I'd like to say it doesn't really matter, cause you know the guy behind us has a rocket launcher in his trunk anyway. And if he's on a bike, well it's just slung on his back, and he'll fire it at us one handed while flying towards us at full speed, just like in the animes.

Hey now, being called a disciple of Woo is one thing, but I swear the next one of you neanderthals that compares me to a Anime.... BOOM!

While strength in numbers is always good, if we all go up to Erebus' place, it gives time to gather reinforcements and we betray the location of a runner's hideaway, which is rarely good.

If Erebus goes up alone, or with some assistance (can Virgil project?), the rest of the team can keep an eye on things at street level and intervene if things look like they are about to go south (again).

Plus if things go to crap on the street and erebus has a view of the street, he can possibly get to a position where altitude can be to his advantage...

SR13