Jack's Bonanza

Jack's Bonanza
Part of Hail to the Pumpking
Date 2085-06-18 GM Asmodeus Location Seattle, Snohomish/Redmond Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Pump King Jack Saint Nick Charon Unknown Retired Runner	Shiawase	Knight Errant
Artemisia Babylon Fennec	Shiawase Samurai
Casualties and losses
	None

Summary

During the events of The Cure For The Soul the three runners were roped into doing some work for Jack in exchange for his aid. Now, he wants to secure Saint Nick for some kind of purpose and the runners snatch him right under Shiawase's nose before the poor gunrunner is taken to parts unknown by the megacorp's agents. Unfortunately, the string of sidequests continue as more favors are pulled on to make this possible.

Background

See The Cure For The Soul and This Is Halloween H20 -- Jack's gained more influence, but Asahiro's established Sophocles into an unofficial Shiawase corptown with extensive corporate presence in the area. As a result, Kunitoshi's efforts to cleanse the area from crime have made the lives of illegal shadow elements more difficult in some ways.

The Meet

The meet has Jack detailing that not only is Saint Nick an oddball in terms of his behaviour, he's also being tracked by Shiawase. Asahiro Kunitoshi aims to run his feudal daimyo M.O and establish proper order in Sophocles. To this end, he's co-operated with Knight-Errant to purge one criminal element after another. Saint Nick, as an expert in illegal arms and armaments is also on his list. Jack wants to keep the guy out of Shiawase cells, but he also wants to figure out what's wrong with his brain and possibly fix it. To this end, Babylon, Fennec and Artemisia have to move quickly.

The Plan

The plan is to first find Nick somewhere in Redmond and then get him the hell out of dodge, bringing him to Jack.

The Run

After extensive Search power usage from Babylon's spirits, the team finds Nick hiding in a van under an overpass. Drones are flying about searching for someone, most likely the gunrunner, and Artemisia identifies the plus one of Nick's as a shedim. Babylon however identifies him as Saul Amundi, an unusual creature of shadow that has displayed higher levels of intelligence during previous interactions with runners. Saul plays the part of an innocent guy looking out for Nick perfectly while Artemisia's ramblings about him are misinterpreted as quirks of her questionable mental stability and schizophrenia. Gomorrah the ally spirit assenses him and notices him to be a spirit, but Saul elaborates that he's a spirit of man, not some creature of darkness as a bold-faced lie. The team re-focuses on securing Nick and plan for a way to get him out.

Unfortunately, Nick isn't leaving until his workshop is secure. The team has to clear his workshop in Snohomish of valuable equipment before he's willing to work with them, so they reluctantly agree. Nick is taken to a safe location and Babylon calls on the Ancients to help out as physical labor. Unfortunately, Knight-Errant's already formed a perimeter around the workshop, making a quick drive and grab a difficult deal. Pressed for options, Babylon calls Charon to ask for her to wave Knight-Errant elsewhere. After the Lodge member presses for more context, she agrees as long as she's owed a favor for being helpful like this. The ex-vampire shows great interest in Asahiro's blade Sohayamaru and makes a point of wanting it for herself. Still, her connections behind the scenes permit her to dismantle the cordon and cause K-E to no longer be a factor in the run.

Finding a way across the border with Nick is difficult, however, and the team looks for potential secret routes around the Redmond/Snohomish border. They find one that can fit the van: Rat's Nest's closed mine where VITAS victims used to be dumped. After applying proper chemical protection in case of infectious vectors, they open the mine entrance and drive in. Once inside, they find unusually technological fake blockades. After Saul heads forward to investigate, his head is blown clean off. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to kill the boy. While decapitated, he gestures for the team to look at the trid projectors which self-destruct upon discovery. This reveals a recently dug tunnel in the road itself, but attempts at spirit scouting lead to the team abandoning further inquiries. They decide to drive through with the headless man spirit and Nick still in tow, reaching Snohomish mostly unharmed.

Shiawase's sent a convoy to intercept the team, as they're informed by Bolt due to his scouts being all over Redmond. Grateful for the heads-up, the team sends Artemisia to intercept the convoy while Fennec stays in the van and Babylon heads ahead to the workshop to speed up extraction of equipment into a bunch of trucks. The work is hectic and fast and Fennec's attempts at breaching the incoming convoy's Matrix security is spotty at best. She does manage to disable some swarm drone security and fool forward scouts, but the primary convoy still keeps barrelling through Snohomish.

Artemisia engages out in the open with the convoy, at first dodging overwhelming firepower with supernatural agility before being driven into the farmfields and bombed into a pulp. The convoy continues driving on after neutralizing the threat, but in the cloudy evening Artemisia begins slowly regenerating and recovering from the grenade barrages, realizing she's stuck in the midst of a farmfield with no transportation. With little else to go on, she starts running to catch up.

Aftermath

Thankfully, the Ancients and Babylon's spirits manage to evacuate most incriminating and irreplaceable equipment in time and peace the hell out before Shiawase's convoy gets on site. Nick is brought to Jack who thanks the runners, offers them compensation and asks them to leave. He promises not to 'harm' Nick in any way and begins digging into his psyche in hopes of repairing whatever damage caused him to suffer his delusions. Time will show how successful the spirit's attempts at mental repair are. Nick has to lay low for a time, now owing his business' survival to the Ancients and having to do some work for the gang in exchange for their help. Asahiro Kunitoshi isn't entirely satisfied with the result, but the gun runner is out of Sophocles' hair for the time being, which he'll have to consider good enough. Charon's amused by the run in general and promises to be in touch for future work.

Rewards

• 16 Karma (16 RVP)
• 18 CDP (8 RVP)
• +1 Connection for Saint Nick (1 RVP)
• Optional Contact: Saint Nick, 3/3 Cured Christmas Past (6 RVP or 12 CDP)
• Optional Quality: Tough as Nails (1 rank) for Artemisia at Chargen Rates

• Run Consequences:
  1. Nick gets his BTL mindfuckery alleviated by Jack rearranging his mind. This may improve his quality of life. His connections are now increased to include the Ancients and not by choice.
  2. Jack saved Nick from getting murked by a Shiawase Samurai sent by Asahiro. Unfortunately gun running continues, at least not in Sophocles. Good enough, he says.
  3. The gang is obligated to do a run for Charon. They owe a chip. Oh no.
  4. Charon is now aware of Asahiro owning Sohayamaru. She wants that sword to permakill spirits because it's rad as hell.
  5. A Shiawase Samurai support mage knows Artemisia's Astral Signature. This is probably fine?
  6. Some random dude with a BMW Interceptor in Snohomish was delivered 50 hamburgers by prime runners. Living the dream.
  7. Saul Amundi warns the runners not to ever pray (what did he mean by this) and leaves to the NAN with a stipend. A weird shedim is now loose in North America with nothing to keep it in check.

The team has to pay a total of 10,000 Nuyen to repair the Interceptor and alter the chassis to make it difficult to recognize as the same vehicle Arti stole to fight Shiawase panzer riggers out in the open. Fennec pays this 10k like a chad.

Game Quotes

Amusing quote from game.

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Artemisia: Ow. Ow. Ow. I am writing this from the car ride back to my bookshop. Awful job. I am in terrible shape and I am only getting more hungry. Embarrassing, I made a fool of myself and very practically in front of ... no. No. I can't ... they are nothing alike. Focus yourself. Steel yourself, Artemisia. You have been through worse. Goddess, I am weary. I am in pain. I am weak. Lend me warmth. The joy of the solstice. The joy of gifts given freely. Please.

Fennec: Wow! What a fun time! I got to hang out with Babylon on a job, I got to meet that funny vampire Artie-senpai again, and I got to meet SANTA! It's a great day! I loved every second of it. Like - like Santa! I love that guy. Weird zombie guy sure made Artie nervous though - in fact, she seems nervous all the time! I wonder what the deal is? I kinda wanna find out... actually, I really wanna find out! I wanna know more about her. She's got a bookshop, right? Something something humble book keeper? Sure makes me think!