Clever Pun About Docks

Clever Pun About Docks
Date 2085-04-14 GM Dawnfire Location Seattle Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven	Major Corp
Trades ThunderRaven Priestess KAPTAIN KILLDOZER	Character1 Character2

Summary

Norville Craddock wants some paydata (meant for the Yellow Lotus) on reagent supply chains and security plans for various paracritter sanctuaries across the world. He pays runners to steal the paydata out of courier's datalock, who is hiding in a cargo ship. The runners pay KAPTAIN KILLDOZER to give them a ride and engage in piracy. They deal with the ship's security, find their target, steal the data, and bounce.

Background

The Yellow Lotus Triad has purchased a great deal of paydata regarding illicit sources of reagents, and is expecting a data courier to be smuggled into Seattle via cargo ship in a container that a number of trafficked metahumans are also being transported in. Hearing about this from a mole, Norville Craddock seeks out runners to intercept the paydata so that he can take advantage of the information instead. In an effort to create an opening for the runners and inconvenience the triad, Craddock tips off UCAS customs agents to the fact that there may be metahumans being smuggled on the ship.

The Meet

The runners are told to meet a Mr. Johnson at Matchsticks. They all make it to the runner bar, are directed to a private room, and meet their employer. He explains what he wants, the data inside a courier's datalock, and lets them know that he isn't too picky about how he gets it but that they may be able to take advantage of the ship being delayed by customs if they feel up to tangling with federal agents. A bonus is offered if they can buy him enough time to act on the information before the triad knows they've been robbed, and the runners turn down the offer of drinks with their Johnson so that they can go ahead and get to work.

Additionally, Priestess gets the feeling that she vaguely recognizes their Johnson from her Vigilia Evangelica days, but can't quite place him.

The Plan

Deciding that the Johnson's plan of attempting the heist while the ship is being detained is too risky, the crew decides instead to hit the ship while it's still en route to Seattle. Trades calls up her fixer to try to arrange for a boat so that they can set out to sea, who puts her in contact with KAPTAIN KILLDOZER, who's mostly recovered from being blown up a short while ago. She also attempts to hit the host of the Wuxing subsidiary that owes the ship, but is largely unsuccessful at her hacking attempts and flees from the host.

The Run

KAPTAIN KILLDOZER ferries the crew out to sea and they track down the cargo ship they're looking for. Trades scrambles the sensors and KILLDOZER is able to get the boat in close without being spotted by the ship's security troops or nearby spirits. Priestess helps everyone onto the ship with rope and Magic Fingers, but her and Trades immediately botch their stealth attempts and are spotted by the ship's security guards and a pair of rotodrones. Combat ensues, with ThunderRaven taking out several of the guards and drones while Trades hacks the ship to ensure the bulkheads stay locked to prevent reinforcements coming in from below deck and uses the ship's mounted guns to blast the security conjurer's spirits. KAPTAIN KILLDOZER does his best to help, largely by scouting piratey encouragements and rigging explosives to the side of the ship's hull. They find the cargo container that holds their target, toss in a gas grenade to knock out everyone inside, and Trades hacks the courier's data lock. She makes a copy of the data, and alters key details of the original to make it useless to the triad without being immediately obviously tainted.

The team destroys the smartgun cameras that the security forces had to ensure no footage of them survived, and make their escape on KILLDOZER's boat. They see that he's placed C4 spelling out "STREET PIRATES" on the ship, but dissuade him from detonating it by informing him of the innocent metahuman trafficking victims still on the ship. He still plans on leaving the C4 graffiti there as a statement, but Priestess sneakily removes it with her Magic Fingers to eliminate as much evidence as the team can manage.

Aftermath

With KAPTAIN KILLDOZER's expert sailing skills, the team escapes before Wuxing HTR shows up and make it back to Seattle in the early hours of the morning. Norville Craddock meets them at a combination pancake joint/dwarf strip club called Shortstacks, looking like he's been up drinking all night, and gladly pays the team for the paydata they've stolen for him.

Using that paydata, Craddock's talislegging operations poach a great deal of parazoological and parabotanical reagents and other magical compounds from the sites the Yellow Lotus were hoping to exploit before they can get to them. Although they have little luck gathering intel on the runners behind the data steal, the triad is furious and wants to put a stop to whoever is interfering with their operations.

Rewards

• 16,000¥ (8 RVP)
• * +4,000¥ up front for operating expenses
• 6 Karma (6 RVP)
• 4 CDP (2 RVP)
• 2 Base CDP

Optional Rewards

• Norville Craddock (Connection 6/Loyalty 1) for 6 RVP
• KAPTAIN_KILLDOZER (Connection 2/Loyalty 1) for 2 RVP
• 1 Rank of Perceptive for 5 RVP
• Shoot First, Don't Ask for 2 RVP
• Gear Reward of up to 32,000¥ in Magical Goods of up to 19 base availability (up to 8 RVP)

Game Quotes

Amusing quote from game.

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Trades

Chum, that was a great reintroduction into the shadowrunning scene. First time I got to blast a spirit with an assault cannon. Hopefully it won't be the last. Standing on the deck of that boat and controlling it like a puppet was novahot. I can't wait to get my hands on another vehicle to ride.