RATS in The Barrens Part I

RATS in The Barrens Part I
Part of All The World's a Stage
Redmond Amateur Theatrical Society
Date 2084-12-30 GM Villiers Location Seattle Metroplex Status Threat Level: Medium
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Crimson Crush	Night Hunters
Blue Jay Thunder Variance Runner4	Character1 Character2
Casualties and losses
	6 dead
Each runner owes a shadow service to Naomi Fisk

Summary

The runners get tasked with setting up a play. First step is to get a script (Spectacular spectacular), a director (Naomi Fisk), and a venue (The Goldhammer Circus) and were given a fee of 12,000 nuyen and a budget of 30,000. Told to go up to 10,000 nuyen and 3% net revenue for each. After negotiations they got 1000 nuyen bump and they could keep leftover budget if any. Blue Jay asked if the money could be taken in vehicle related gear and was told it could be done. The runners asked for a small budget (2500 nuyen) in case they needed to hire a decker. Ms. Johnson said yes even though she didn't have the money. Luckily it was never asked for by the team. They were given contact info for their targets - Naomi Fisk, Victor Chekov, and Ticket Agent. After several rounds of legwork, text & voice with contacts including Ms. Johnson, three rounds of social engineering, and some 'aggressive ballistic negotiation' returned to Ms. Johnson successes in hand.

Background

A group of wealthy individuals is interested in the expansion of the performing arts in the Seattle Metroplex, both promoting culture and the arts to the poor and downtrodden as well as exploiting and manipulating the performing arts for private gain.

The Meet

The runners converged on The Stage Door Deli to meet Ms. Johnson Katherine Davis. She greeted them warmly and gestured to the soykaf & bagels as they all settled into well upholstered furniture. Then down to business. Ms. Johnson laid out the three tasks she needed completed and payment offered. A fairly short round of negotiations, judgements of intentions and hyperbole on all sides and agreement was reached.

The Plan

The plan was twofold: lowball their negotiation targets because greed and sequence their actions geographically because efficiency. First south to Naomi, a quick hop to West Kent for Victor, north to Touristville for the Ticket Master, then back to Ms. Johnson. Blue Jay set an agent on a quick matrix search for the targets on the drive to Tacoma but the remainder of the legwork through the run was based on knowledge and contacts. Thunder drove his car separately from his mates in the good wheels

The Run

The first stop for the team was the Dame du Dance studio to recruit Naomi Fisk as Theatre Manager and Director. Ms. Johnson had hinted that Naomi would be reluctant partly due to her thriving business and partly some unspecified 'personal issues'.

The Director

Thunder arrived seconds before his mates and saw a familiar face speeding off (so to speak) in a Jackrabbit, Once together they entered the empty studio and headed to the office where they could hear muffled sounds from inside. The runners knocked and when they heard a 'come in' entered to see a tense human woman facing away from the door dabbing at her face. When she turned and saw three flashy shadowrunners unknown to her showing up unannounced on her doorstep...well...not a good start for social engineering. Her mood changed substantially when Variance discretely offered her his pocket square as an impulsive act of kindness not a social ploy. This round of negotiations were much more protracted with offers and counter offers. The adage that "Those who can do, those who can't teach" is bullshit. A sensei in the acting and influence skill groups, dance and disguise is no slouch. As a matter of raw skill she was more than a match for the runners and she had the same clothes and fragrance. Unfortunately, as a mundane the tools of a social adept and magicians are not directly available to her. Solid negotiations, promises of future shadow services, and promises of artistic freedom won the day and they saved 3k of their budget,

The Script

Flush with success the runners head to see their screenwriter (all in the good wheels as Thunder sent his car home on autopilot and grid guide). On the way to Victor Thunder called Charli Relford to ask about Victor, Jack Pot! Armed with background up to personal finances the runners drive to his favorite hang out - Mon Hing across from the West Kent precinct station. A cop hangout with the late breakfast early lunch crowds in full swing. Dressed to the nines the runners stand out as....overly dressed. Victor wasn't interested in negotiating with a committee and asked who was in charge. Variance replied that he was wherein Victor asked Thunder and Blue Jay to go talk to a cop about tickets to the Police Ball. Thunder complied and bought 2 tickets, Blue Jay ignored the request. Oddly Victor didn't pursue it; perhaps he noticed that when ever he looked at her he got interesting tingles?

The runners could make no headway lowballing on money so they took Charli's advice and focused on other benefits. The Glenfiddich and carton of Gauloises was easy. Doing something with his 1055 page novel. Both Variance and Thunder called Der Opa to see if they could arrange a political publisher. Variance got voice mail but Thunder got through. Der Opa said he was on the task. He asked Thunder if he wanted North Amarica or Europe. North America it is. Thunder got a quick test saying 'Its set' with a commcode. To Thunder's delight it was one of his contacts, Carleton Moreau. However it was the reading at the (Neo-Anarchist) Book Club arranged through Émeraude that sealed the deal. A copy of Spectacular spectacular in hand they headed to Redmond.

The Venue

Even the good wheels take some time to get to the Goldhammer Circus. Time to message contacts to do legwork and for Blue Jay's agent to do a deeper matrix search. Gang knowledge paid off immediately for background on the Crimson Crush. A tidy matrix search was useful as well, Blue Jay was able to 'slip into' Russian on occasion for the Ticket Agent's benefit. When the runners entered the Ticket Agent's tent they were not surprised to see a set of gangers in a tense discussion about gang warfare. Negotiations with Ticket Agent soon evolved into negotiations with the Crimson Crush. Thunder could see that instead of saving money this situation might cost money and did a quick dni call to Carleton to borrow some cash. After a quick sitrep Thunder's fixer laughed and told him he was already an investor. He liked the progress and after sending 5k told Thunder that he would tell Ms. Johnson that the budget had increased by 5k and that Thunder had spent it. Turns out the team got to keep the bulk of it. The Crimson Crush want the Night Hunters eliminated. They have three locations to check. Once the job is done, they will provide protection for any productions at the Goldhammer Circus.

Night Hunters

All six died within 3 seconds. Magic happens quickly but astral signatures linger. The signature left with the two corpses with single gunshot wounds could have been picked up by a forensic magician with Knight Errant had they sent one. What the beat cops saw were corpses that had already experienced the unskilled removal of obvious cyberware so no forensics team was sent at all.

Aftermath

Ms. Johnson is very happy. The team gets full payment plus savings and hints of future work. They owe Naomi a shadow service.

Rewards

Medium TL - 13 RVP 6 Karma - 6 RVP 12,000 Nuyen or 24,000 nuyen worth of vehical related gear - 6 RVP 2 CDP (Bonus) - 1 RVP Negotiation - 1,000 nuyen + negotiated savings (2500 nuyen) 2 CDP (Base)

Blue Jay, Thunder, and Variance each owe Naomi Fisk a shadow service to be paid on table in the future. Thunder repaid a chip with Hez-kukra. All also have a free introductory lesson at Dame du Dance.

Game Quotes

Amusing quote from game.

Thunder:

SPECTACULAR! SPECTACULAR! I caught a glimpse at the manuscript for the play and am convinced it's gonna be a hit and Victor is going to break through! I hope he can let go of that 1000+ pages novel which in my uneducated opinion isn't much more than a door-stopper so that he can concentrate on what his talent really is: Theater. Maybe I can put in a word with Charli and Carleton to push the guy in the right direction. But then again - who am i to critique literature and theatre?
Naomi seemed troubled and work will hopefully get her thoughts off her bothers.
The Night Hunters - Can't believe those supremist idiot keep crossing my path. Gotta put an end to them once an for all. Maybe Hez-kukra knows the source of this evil and we can put a lid on it once and for all.
Ticketmaster gave me two tickets for great seats at the Circus. I still haven't figured out if Patty Cake is in a relationship. Do I dare to ask her to join me? Chameleon never called back. Maybe I'll just go with a friend. Whatever, I'm tired, there'll bee enough time to think about this tomorrow. Or should I call Patty...