Contract #3: I, Robot?

[GM Nick]

Mind Probe (f3) (Tyros)

[Spellcasting (6) + MAG (6) + Power Focus (2) + Victim Drugged (-2) = 4]
6 5 6 4 3 4 6 4 1 3 4 2
[WIL (4) = 2]
6 3 1 6

Resist Drain (4)

[WIL (4) + LOG (6) + Focused Concentration (2) + Centering (4) = 6]
4 5 2 5 1 2 3 4 5 2 5 2 1 5 5 2

Tyros manages to plunge into the man's memory before he lapses into full unconsciousness.

(( PM'd. ))

[Conway]

"Well THAT.....was unexpected. I think what we can expect now, is for this place to be extremely well staffed and remarkably efficient. I mean, we're way the frag off the beaten path here. I don't think we want to know how fast they will respond to a more obvious security breach. Especially topside. Val, can you glean anything useful from this chum's tablet? Im guessing that thing has gotta have some diagram's, schematics or something. Maybe even some matrix credentials if we're lucky."

[Elliott]

Tyros' mind churns as he processes the images flowing into his brain from the ork's, all other movement and attention lost in the distraction.

His voice is monotone, as if all traces of his normal speaking behavior and intonation are gone, although the Scottish brogue remains, somehow ingrained on a deeper level from even subconscious thought; the words are matter of fact, prophetic even, "from here there is a hallway which leads to a staircase. The top of the stairs is watched by a camera. There is a heavy security drone standing guard, although it sleeps, waiting for an alarm. Beyond the camera is a keypad, the pass code to which is 51426. The code access an elevator, which rises a very long ways, into the center of Mitsuhama. It ends at a laboratory within which Dr. Takahara is working. Beyond the lab is the enemy in vast numbers."

[Stephen]

"Well, looks like Tyros took care of our immediate needs."

Val picks up the unconscious ork's tablet. He fishes around on it quickly to see if he can find anything of use to the team.

[John]

Max wears a heavy frown on his face as he grimly says,

"I'm worried by how easy that sounds. Val-- you have any way to tell if blowing the ladder scrambled the security?"

[GM Nick]

Val flicks the display with his fingers, looking past environmental readings, statistics, and other irrelevant data. Swapping to a different screen, he locates a set of 3D blueprints for the environmental ducting.

[Elliott]

Tyros shakes his head slowly, clearing his thoughts and moves towards the door, "Let's head for the stairs. I can take the lead and get to the camera. Do we still have those swell little lenses that loop the camera's feed?"

[Drew Buddy]

Doc shakes his head.

"I think we're all out of those. We may have to do this the low-tech way. Tyros, you could get to the top of the stairs, unplug the camera, then plug it back in once we're at the top. They may notice this, but with the camera working again, they may assume it was a glitch. In that case, if they send someone to check it out, it'll more likely be a technician than a security team. Val, you think you can commandeer that drone?"

[John]

Max looks at the group and asks,

"Are we assuming Val won't be able to do anything with the camera?"

[GM Nick]

A string of Japanese emanates from the unconscious technician's comm-set.

[Stephen]

Val lifts his eyebrows at the ork's commlink. He picks it up and hands it to Sinjin.

"Care to translate that for us, 'mano?"

[Stephen]

While Sinjin lends an ear to the jibberish coming from the technician's commset, Val further studies the 3D blueprint of the environmental ducting, attempting to see whether the ducting provides access and exit points that the team, or a single operative, could use to bypass the camera and drone at the top of the stairwell. He also flicks around the tablet to see if he can find any real-time utility status monitors in order to determine whether any electrical fault has occured as a result of the grounding ladder's destruction.

"Node security in this place is a real bitch. I'd rather not deal with the drone unless I have to, but I guess I'm prepared to do it if it becomes necessary. Give me a sec. There might be another way."

[GM Nick]

Val flips through layer after layer of schematics. If the team goes through waste treatment, they can bypass the main service corridor, but the route would also take them past the auxiliary guard barracks.

[Elliott]

"I kinda doubt the camera isn't hard wired into the building, which makes unplugging it and plugging it back in a little tricky for one so technically inept as myself. Let me check though."

Tyros moves through the doorway and down the hall, looking for the staircase going up and the camera at its top.

[Stephen]

Val informs the team of the option of infiltration via the wastewater treatment facility.

"I have a feeling it might be easier to bypass that camera and drone than risk alerting an entire barracks full of guards. Any opinions on that?"

[Drew Buddy]

Adams paces the room,

"I agree, but it's a tough call. The camera is going to be a slitch to get by, given that it's pointing down a stairway that has no cover. But if we can get by it, then things will be a lot simpler. On the other hand, the guard barracks adds a lot of variables to the mix."

[John]

Max suggests,

"Well, with Tyros being invisible, he could scout ahead and look for some other way in for us..."

[GM Nick]

Tyros moves swiftly over plasteel floor tiles, making his way up the hallway towards the main service corridor. Even at these lower levels, the halls are spotless and spartan. The silvery-white metal is polished to a mirror finish. The troll's reflection is obviously absent, which makes traversing the distance all the more disconcerting. He stops at the top of the stairs, just beyond the threshold to the main service corridor. Craning his neck, Tyros looks up at the security camera.

Directly across from where the troll stands is a security kiosk with a large sheet of transparent plexiglass. A security officer in body armor is lounging in a chair, his attention focused at the hallway through which Tyros has just come.

[John]

Max stands awkwardly awaiting a response from the troll. After a moment, says,

"That's the thing about having a conversation with an invisible troll, you rez?"

The elf waves his arm through the air where Tyros had been standing moments prior.

[Conway]

((Sorry for the lack of posts, busy day. Anything I can share from the commlink?))

Sinjin stands with his brow furrowed, one hand holding the comm link to his ear. His eyes shift from one teammate to another as he tries to listen to two conversations at once.

[GM Nick]

Sinjin holds the comm-set to the side of his head and looks up, repeating the words as they're uttered over the frequency.

"How's that grounding problem in Sector B coming. Do you need any assistance?"

[Elliott]

<"Well, we've got a security guard monitoring the hallway at the top of the stair and the security camera. No sign of the drone, but its probably in some niche somewhere. I'm going to try and take the guard's mind and have him turn off the camera. Be ready to move, once we are through I can have him reactivate it and wipe his memory of the event. Or we can just take him out and hope no one checks on him.">

Tyros moves quietly towards the door to the security kiosk, watching the guard through the window.

[GM Nick]

Infiltration Test (Tyros)

[AGI (5) + Defaulting (-1) = 1]
1 2 5 1 **Glitch!**

Tyros' boot catches on one of the plasteel floor tiles, which rattles.

Perception Test

[Perception (3) + INT (3) = 3]
1 6 4 5 6 3

The guard rises from his seat, snatching his Ares Alpha off of a table. He takes a tentative step out into the hallway and scans both ends.

[Conway]

Sinjin replies through the technicians commlink in Japanese,

<Still investigating. Nothing seems amiss on this level. I'm going to have to go below. We may lose radio contact for awhile, I want to check the substructure rectifier....I'll ring you up if I need an extra hand. Oh, and if you haven't heard, cards at my place tomorrow night.>

Sinjin informs the team of his response and places the commlink in his opposite ear. Never hurts to listen in.

[GM Nick]

The guard at the kiosk takes a tentative step into the hallway, leading with the barrel of his Alpha.

{Hello? Is anyone there?}

[Elliott]

Tyros almost swears, but instead reaches out an invisible hand at the guard (centering) and invades his mind (control thoughts, f4).

[GM Nick]

Control Thoughts (f4)

[Spellcasting (6) + MAG (6) + Power Focus (2) = 6]
2 5 4 5 4 1 4 6 1 5 5 2 4 5
[WIL (4) = 3]
3 6 6 5

Tyros takes a quick, albeit loose grasp on the guard's mind--encountering the same kind of resistance from before.

(( You won't be able to do much with someone who doesn't speak the same language as you. ))

[Elliott]

Tyros forms the image of the guard going back to his security booth and disabling the security cemera and then forces it into the guard's mind.

<"Get ready. I don't want to leave the camera off long, lest it trigger some sort of alarm.">

[John]

Max readies himself at the bottom of the stairs outside of the camera's line of sight.

(( Instead of that, perhaps have the guard go over and simply block the camera with his hands or something. That seems like something that would raise less of an alarm than having him shut off the camera. It's also a considerably less complicated action to try to get him to do. ))

[Elliott]

((Good point. Failing the guard understanding my instructions, I'll simply have him physically block the camera himself.))

[GM Nick]

(( The camera is located too high for the security guard to reach and he won't be able to comprehend your command of disabling it. How to proceed? ))

[Conway]

((Can I give the guard commands in Japanese through Tyros' commlink?))

[GM Nick]

(( Not a bad plan. I'll allow it. ))

[Elliott]

<"Ok Sinjin, tell this guard to go disable the security camera in Japanese. I can't seem to get through to him with mental charades.">

Tyros holds his commpiece up to the guards ear and wills him to obey.

[GM Nick]

The guard shuffles over to the console and dabs a screen with his finger. No sooner, the security camera's lens aperture slides shut.

Resist Spell Ext. Test (1)

[WIL (4) = 1]
6 3 1 3

He shakes his head and looks down at the console, contemplating why he just did what he did.