The Empire Strikes Back

The Empire Strikes Back
Part of Toy Stories
Date 2085-10-27 GM Villiers Location Puyallup Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Saeder-Krupp	Skraacha Team 1	Skraacha Team 2	Chulos
Meltdown Samael Mnemosyne Jin	Shaman Adept FLR Leader	Troll Mage Spirit	Smiley Chulo Slice Mike
Casualties and losses
None :>	All

Summary

The Gang Gets Hired to Blow Up an Underground Plushie Workshop.

They almost got it all!

Background

The Skraacha stole some plushy equipment and supplies from S-K and started making counterfeit Lofwyr Plushies. After the original stock of supplies ran out they started moving their equipment to the coal mines under Wilkeson close to the Zwiegart Fabric facility. Bribes can get supplies but its easier to smuggle short distances. The road south to Carbanado will suffice till connecting tunnels are completed.

The success of the counterfeit plushies generates a swift response wherein S-K bribed squatters to get a general location - Carbanado. S-K then kidnapped and interrogated one of the workshop workers to narrow down the current location. The Skraacha are alerted to active opposition and hire a local Seer Maryann Clay to divine the nature of the opposition and she gets visions of the runners while the runner's get mana echos in their dreams that they've been seen in a divination. The Skraacha use spirit searches to locate the runners and put together a strike team to pre-empt the runners.

The Meet

Mnemosyne, Samael, Meltdown, and Jin all arrive to the Black Tie Affair, dressed as fine as they can. Meltdown is the least dressed up out of the entire group.

The Johnson is up front and brisk about how they want the job, noting that 5k will be paid up front as a bonus - but requires that the negotiations for better pay be skipped. The total pay will be 25k nuyen for the destruction of 12 PFAFF commercial sewing machines and a Coherent Light Applications numerically controlled laser cutter.

He gives the location - #2 Short Avenue, Carbonado - and explains that it's not the building on the surface, but within 50 meters and likely in the OU.

The Plan

Gizoogling the locale and all they could about the missing equipment, the gang opts to do some in-person scouting of the workshop the Johnson had detailed to the party.

It's quickly revealed that Chulos run surface security, with Skraacha running things underground.

Sam slappy hand tac grapples out into the courtyard, sneakin through the stinky building only to find the initial building to be a squatter hideaway. Defeated by further entry into the unit by a rug and table, Mnemosyne summons a giant snake spirit and fears the squatters out of the building - by both fear of snek and the fear power.

Samael, now with distraction at hand, scoots the table and the rug and moves through the trapdoor to find the underground section of this coal-town house. Moving east, he finds a room with a door and stairwell down to the south

Sam goes for the stairs, finds himself in pitch dark, and relies on thermovision. He navigates his way through the underground complex, eventually finding himself in the OU, where he finds the workshop with most of the equipment missing—only 2 sewing machines remain and a partially disassembled but notably different machine.

No guards, just workers. There are basic cameras to look over the workshop and make sure work continues safely, but nothing that will provide strong opposition.

Plan set to wait until shift change for half the party, who will then eep once the other two grab some folks from the shift change as it's the middle of the night

The Run

With the plan in motion to stay up and be the alarm clock, Jin keeps watch over the surroundings, waking the group and passing out around 6am.

Their sleep is short-lived as an hour or so in, the party is dropped in on by a spirit of man around 7, and Mnemosyne tails him back to his master. After a brief panic, involving a memory rewind of the op4, he races back, and the group starts on a chase to the Shaman's lodge. Arriving with haste thanks to Sam's SAAB Dynamit, the group starts combat with the entirety of the Supervisor Squad. This combat goes badly for the Supervisory Squad, the Runners wiping them out in less than a full combat round.

The racket of automatic rifles and shotguns from the first floor alarm the setup team in the basement. They flee into the mines aided by the spirit's movement power. They alert the movers in Carbonado with the laser cutter to drive east to Tacoma instead of north to Wilkeson.

Aftermath

The party then splits - Meltdown and Sam chasing the runaways with the laser cutter, always two steps behind; Jin and Mnemosyne destroying the crates at their site where the Shaman's Lodge - and secondary workshop - resided. Eventually, after much searching and deliberation, the team calls it in and reaches out to the J. He's satisified, the runners are paid in full, and the OU team got away successfully.

Even though the Skraacha manage to save the laser cutter, the loss of the sewing machines and supplies brings the counterfeit plushie operation to an end. Luckily Warboss has a new and better scheme in mind. Time to compose a job post for Shadowhaven...

Rewards

High TL - 16 RVP

25,000 nuyen (includes 1.000 nuyen bonus) - 12rvp

or 50,000 Gear weapons, armor, electronics up to avail 16

4 karma - 4 RVP

2 CDP (Base)

Optional all: Warboss C6L1 (6 RVP)

Mnemosyne; Focused Concentration +1 rank (4 RVP)

Game Quotes

"Scent glands? I think you mean boysmell." - Sniff.

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Jin - Unfortunate that we didn't complete the job fully, but I can't say I'm not satisfied with the conclusion. After all, plushies bring joy - even if monetary value is extreme at the 'projected losses' from our corporate overlords.

Samael - On one hand, a clear success. Both sites removed, production halted. On the other, I don't much like being out maneuvered. Still, a reasonable success even if it sits poorly.

Meltdown - Job was to take out production of some counterfeit plushies, I've never felt more overqualified in my life... But hey, I got paid, so I can't complain.