Contract #2: Gangland, USA.

Elliott · Post by **Elliott** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 12:49 pm

Tyros hovers a meter or so off the ground behind Bax. Though invisible, the hairs on the back of Bax's neck rise as he feels Tyros' magical presence behind him. A short mental command to not resist his intrusion, Tyros makes a quick turning motion, like opening a doorknob (centering), and moves further into Bax's mind, digging around for information on the gangers, their numbers, location, activities and plan (mind probe, f3).

Stephen · Post by **Stephen** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 12:50 pm

Val whistles through his teeth.

"Sounds like a right fine mess. Luckily, chummers like us don't have to worry about the nuisance of human rights tribunals, whatever happens... What can you tell us about the Scorpions? Any motives other than ransacking Cloud 9? Where are the rest of the residents? Captured, hiding, dead, or the likely combination of all three?"

Post by **GM Nick** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 1:10 pm

"The first Scorpion showed up about a week ago. There's a rumor that he had been selling drugs to one of the residents and figured he could expand his market share. Nobody is really sure how he got in, but there must be some kind of hidden entrance to Cloud Nine. Anyway, once he realized that every citizen in Cloud Nine is outfitted with a sick-chip, he must have gone back and gathered his friends.

I don't think they have any motive besides opportunistic crime. They hole up in city hall and come out in packs, pillaging what they can, defacing property, raping women and beating the men--sometimes to death. We've thought about fleeing, but our status as an independent city-state would make us political refugees, with no rights in Seattle proper.

Those that haven't been killed, injured, or kidnapped have locked themselves away in the residential quarters. Nobody knows where Heckerman is, though he must be alive if you are here."

Post by **GM Nick** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 1:14 pm

Mind Probe (f3)

Resist Spell (Mind Probe)

Tyros' pass along the mind of the ganger reveals only scattered surface thoughts.

(( PMing. ))

Resist Drain (4)

Elliott · Post by **Elliott** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 1:38 pm

Bax suffers a dreadful chill as he feels the malevolent annoyance of the entity behind him. Tyros' disembodied voice drips with authority, "I want to know more. Tell me about your gang and what you're doing in Cloud 9." While Bax speaks, Tyros dig deeper into his mind, taking advantage of turning the ganger's surface thoughts to the subject at hand (mind probe, f3, same info sought, just more detail).

Stephen · Post by **Stephen** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 1:54 pm

Val nods soberly.

"Well I hope Heckerman's alive, if only to uphold his end of our bargain. Do you have someplace relatively safe you can go to wait this out? We'll deal with the Scorpions, right 'manos?"

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 2:30 pm

Doc stares straight ahead out the windshield.

"Yeah, we're going to deal with them," he says darkly.

< Tyros, what's your status? We're going to head to the town hall. Things are liable to get a little dicey when we get there. >

Post by **GM Nick** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:18 pm

Mind Probe (f3)

Resist Spell (Mind Probe)

Tyros burrows into his victim's mind.

(( PM'd. ))

Resist Drain (4)

Elliott · Post by **Elliott** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 5:01 pm

Tyros orders Bax to hold still, "I'm sorry, but you won't feel a thing." Tyros takes his claymore in two hands, steadies himself in mid air, and in one swift motion, like the angle of death, beheads the ganger. Tyros sighs as he wipes his blade clean and does a quick search of the two bodies to see if they are carying anything particularly interesting, like security cards. He then flies up to observation altitude and back towards the rover.

<"I've taken care of the two gangers that got away. It should mean that our presence is as of yet undetected by the rest of the gang. Engaging those two trolls while they were holding a hostage was very rash, gentlemen. We very well could have gotten her killed, and none of us want that on our conscience. I'd suggest a bit more caution before we decide to open fire on hostages. At any rate, there are about 30 Scorpions in and around Cloud 9. Most, including the leader, a human named Roman, are holed up in the courthouse. I'm not sure if Heckerman is there, or even alive, but it seems that's the most likely place to find him, one way or another. Apparently this rape and pillage of the city is just a cover up/secondary action to the gang's real objective, which is breaking into a vault beneath the courthouse. Can't say what is in it, but they are very interested in it and are in the process of drilling through the locks. They've recently suffered a setback with a drill bit, otherwise they would probably already be in it. I'm not sure how long we have before they succeed, but I'd say we probably want to prevent them from getting whatever is inside if we hope to get paid. Doc, maybe you want to have your drones do a recon of the courthouse to see if there is a sneaky way in? I don't think a frontal assault on 30 gangers in defensive positions a great idea...">

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 6:16 pm

Doc hops on the comm channel,

< Save the sermon, Tyros. We've got the hostage safe and sound, and she confirms that our targets are at the town hall. I'll send in the drones to get an idea of what's waiting for us. >

Doc commands the two microdrones to change course, heading in the direction of the town hall.

"Miss, is there somewhere we can drop you off? I'm not sure that this car is going to be the safest place for you to be. At least, not for the next few hours."

Elliott · Post by **Elliott** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 8:52 pm

<"Oh I'd save it, but I'm afraid we will run into similar hostage situations before this day is done. I though we were a company that couldnt survive innocent blood on our corporate hands? We got lucky in this instance, you really think we should repeat that scenario? Let's just be more cautious, agreed?">

Before his microphone cuts out there is the faint sound of his muttering something about hypocrisy.

Post by **GM Nick** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:43 pm

"You can take me to A block, it's a residential complex near city hall. I've got friends that I can stay with."

She looks at the team and shakes her head. "Be careful. Some of those gangers have some pretty heavy firepower."

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:54 pm

Adams double checks the visuals from the microdrones, and leaves the feeds open in AR.
Switching the Steel Lynx to voice command, he pops his head out the window and looks back at the waiting drone.

"Come on, buddy, wanna go for a ride?" He says to it, slapping the side of the door. The drone rack sits open, waiting for its passenger to dock.

"Unless we have any more business here, everyone get in, so we can return miss--uh, sorry, I don't think we got your name."

Post by **GM Nick** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 8:29 am

"Sophie."

The Rover growls and lurches forward, tires chirping briefly as they do a cursory realignment. A myriad of small shops and businesses fly by on either side of the vehicle, windows either smashed or vandalized. Debris litters the streets.

"Eden lost," mumbles the girl quietly from the back seat.

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 11:26 am

Doc drives in silence for the few minutes that it takes to reach the residential district.

"Okay, we're here. Sophie, things are about to get very violent out here, so stay inside, and stay hidden. The less we have to worry about civilians, the quicker we can get this job done, and get these bastards out of your hair."

The tires crunch over loose pavement and debris as the rover rolls to a stop.

Post by **GM Nick** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 8:39 am

Max, who has been stewing in an unusual silence for several minutes, waits for the young woman to exit the car. He watches, tight-lipped, as she scurries to the residential building and slips inside. The elf turns back to his comrades, eyes burning.

The subtle ache from the hastily repaired buckshot wounds do nothing but add to the swell of fury that's building like an atomic reaction inside him.

"I'm going to murder every single last one of these damned, dirty trogs."

Stephen · Post by **Stephen** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 12:17 pm

Val cocks an amused (and slightly concerned) eyebrow at the smoldering malice in Max's voice.

"Well don't run off too quick. The rest of us would hate to miss the show. Hey, Doc. Those drones feed you anything useful yet? Like maybe an approach to city hall that minimizes the possibility that we'll all be slagged to oblivion in a trog killing zone? Such things aren't high on my priority list today."

Post by **GM Nick** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 1:17 pm

The Dragonfly skitters across the horizon, too small and far too fast to be noticed by the naked eye. It approaches city hall--relaying a visual in fish-eye to Doc's AR feed--and slips through a window that's been left slightly ajar. Hovering cautiously down an empty corridor, the drone maneuvers around a door and into the main foyer.

What was once a large, carefully appointed business floor has been reduced to squallor. Members of the Scorpions are strewn about, some sleeping on bedrolls or in make-shift hammocks, others seated at graffiti-covered desks assembling weapons and preparing ammunition, while a few others spasm periodically in a disused corner as they live vicariously through BTL chips.

Empty liquor bottles, crushed styrofoam food cartons, discarded pneumato-derms and BTL chips litter the floor.

In stark contrast to the sloth and filth of the ganger's accommodations, a bedroll has been placed in the back of the room by a large stained glass window. An Ares Alpha is leaned carefully against a table, atop which a Renraku portable workstation has been set.

The dragonfly hovers near the rafters to avoid detection. It counts at least 15 gang members in the foyer.

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 1:48 pm

Doc stares with unfocused eyes while he processes the feed from the drone. Blinking twice, he returns to the here and now.

< Okay, fellas, we've got 15 or so gangers in the town hall. Most of them seem to be strung out or at least not on alert. I think a surprise attack would do well here; Catch 'em with their skivvies down.
< Tyros, did you kill that meat-puppet? We might have used him to transport a little package to his friends. >

Doc retrieves a brick of high-grade plastic explosive from his pack, and studies it. Missed opportunities.

< Anyway, no sense worrying about that now. I say we go in quiet, try to get inside; Maybe through the back. >

Doc keeps an eye on the drone feed, looking for a route into the building that isn't guarded.

< If we set up a diversion, they won't know what hit 'em. >

He starts the rover as he speaks over the comm, and begins driving to their destination at a more respectable pace.

< We could use the Lynx to draw some of them outside, while we strike from within the building. Otherwise, we'll be laying siege to a defensible building, and I'd like to avoid that scenario. >

Post by **GM Nick** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 2:51 pm

After a a few minutes of silent recon, the dragonfly uploads rudimentary floorplans to Doc's commlink.

Elliott · Post by **Elliott** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 8:25 pm

<"Nope, sorry, I had to kill the two gangers. Would have been too difficult to maintain a puppet for so long. I could see if one goes outside on patrol at some point and acquire a new one. The bomb is a good idea.">

John · Post by **John** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 1:01 am

The burn of Max's hatred is reaching a fever pitch as he sits in the rover. It's becoming increasingly difficult to control himself in the face of so many trog gangers, but even being crushed under the weight of his own vitriol the elf recognizes the need for tact. Taking a look at the plans, Max offers the idea,

<If we create a small diversion outside, we could lure one of them out and load him up with Doc's surprise. Getting in and geeking the leader with a suicide bomb should be a fantastic way to break morale right from the start. Once the bomb blows, we have the Lynx lay siege to it from the front. Meanwhile, we take up positions at both of the fire exits and storm the building on two fronts once the lead starts to fly. Doc, you got any more explosive that what you'll be sending with our future friend? If so, we could rig the front steps to blow when the scumfraggers come lurching out-- further diminishing their numbers without adding any significant risk to us right off.>

(( Sorry for being MIA this weekend! ))

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 1:14 am

Doc stares out the windshield as he continues to drive, but a slight grin crosses his face as he rattles off his latest shopping list. He keeps his comm channel open for Tyros' benefit.

< Yeah, I have two bricks of this plastique, plus four cans of the foam that I used on the weapons cache. Got a few pressure and optical sensors, if we want to set up some mines. I also have a few gas grenades; Nothing lethal, but it'll stop 'em from breathing. We pop a couple of those though the window, and they'll have to run out. In fact, if we set up a killzone ahead of time, the General back there might come in handy. >

He points with his thumb over his shoulder at the belt-fed machine gun sitting neatly behind the rear seats on its smart platform tripod.

Post by **GM Nick** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:09 am

The Rover slows to a stop at an intersection. At the opposite end, city hall looms out of the center of Cloud Nine.

John · Post by **John** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 10:14 am

Max extracts his binoculars from his pack and looks over the converted city hall for a long while as he tries to suss out any patrol patterns or apparent security measures.

Conway · Post by **Conway** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 10:24 am

Sinjin pipes up,
"Ive also got a few blocks of commercial explosives. But, what you might find more interesting are these narcojet gas grenades. Had an old friend of mine hook me up with these. He uses them for burgling, says they work like a charm. Lobb a few of those inside and no one will be stirring. We could do this whole thing with no shots fired. At us, anyways."

John · Post by **John** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 10:28 am

Max takes a smoke from his pack and, still holding it, uses it to point at Sinjin for emphasis as he says,

"Now that is interesting. How many do you have? How do they work? Is it possible for the victim to wake up until the chemicals wear off?"

Elliott · Post by **Elliott** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 10:42 am

"<Can we confirm if there are any hostages present in the main area? I wouldn't want to blow them up along with the gangers. I don't think we can rely on the narcojet grenades alone. Some of these guys are pretty 'wared out and may have internal respirators. Plus it is pretty hard to knock out trolls and orcs due to their size with gas. No harm in adding those grenades to the mix though once we set off the initial suicide bomb. Might want to keep the river out of sight of the building right now. I'm sure they have lookouts and we don't want them to be on their guard yet.">

Tyros flies down closer to city hall and makes a circuit of the building, looking for any gangers the are outside. (anyone stationed on the roof?)

Post by **GM Nick** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 11:24 am

Tyros makes a low pass. There don't appear to be any gangers outside or on top of city hall.

Post by **GM Nick** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 12:21 pm

Perception Test (Max)

Max scans the outside of the building through his binoculars. He doesn't detect any defenses.

John · Post by **John** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 12:36 pm

Max lowers his binoculars and reports,

<I don't see any apparent defenses, and there don't seem to be any patrols. Strange, but not unimaginable. I mean, these guys are raiding what is basically a colony of pacifists. They have literally no reason to expect resistance, so there's not much need for defenses. Doc-- give me your goodies and let me slip up there and set the trap.>

Max thinks for a moment and adds wistfully off-comm,

"Makes you wish we had another QUARK, doesn't it?"

Max gesticulates an explosion with his hands while creating a corresponding sound effect with his mouth. The way his cheeks puff out both expose the elf's age and make him seem younger.

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 1:04 pm

< And what'll you do when you sneak in close enough to set the charges? I'll head in there, and lay a couple down. Sinjin, how about you? Wanna set up some traps? >

Doc loads up the infiltration and demolitions activesofts, and begins sneaking toward the front entrance.

Post by **GM Nick** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 1:28 pm

Doc stoops low and begins skirting a hedge on his approach to the city hall's entrance. He pauses halfway, craning his neck. A sound has just entered his range of hearing. It sounds like...

Drew Buddy · Post by **Drew Buddy** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 1:31 pm

Doc halts his progress, and goes prone.

< Guys, we've got bikes incoming. Tyros, Max, can you see them? >

Post by **GM Nick** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 1:35 pm

Tyros switches to astral vision. As he does so, a tight cluster of seven golden auras appear a couple of blocks past city hall. They're converging on the team's location, fast.

Contract #2: Gangland, USA.

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