Cutting Teeth

Cutting Teeth
Date 2081-6-30 GM Purkinje Location San Francisco Status Threat Level: Low
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven	Cutters
Beartrap Canter Limerick	8 Street Soldiers

Summary

A crime syndicate hired a team of shadowrunners to embarrass a street gang in a false flag firefight over internal politics.

Background

The Grass Sandal and the Red Pole of the Black Chrysanthemum in San Francisco are in disagreement over offering an alliance to the local chapter of the Cutters, though the Vanguard (who outranks them both) is in charge of making that decision. The Red Pole, who is the military commander of the triad, believes the Cutters are in a strong position and respects their businesslike demeanor. The Grass Sandal, who serves as the face of the triad and acts as a liaison to outside resources, knows the Cutters are currently in a politically charged situation in the sprawl, as they're on the verge of war with the Chulos, and they're already at war with the Ancients, who are allied with the First Nation. The Cutters may be strong in numbers and firepower in San Francisco compared to these other gangs, but the Grass Sandal does not think it is wise to extend an offer of alliance when their enemies are so many and they are likely to anger so many gangs at once, which would be a resource sink in a time during which they are still recovering from their war with the Smoke Circle Society. The Vanguard is going to meet with the two soon, and the Grass Sandal would like the Cutters embarrassed in some way that will reflect poorly on their candidacy without being traced back to him.

The Meet

A representative of the Grass Sandal invites the team to meet him at Fong Wu Restaurant in Chinatown of Downtown San Francisco. It is a busy restaurant full of tourists and locals that claims to have been one of the premier restaurants in Chinatown since the 1950s. He recommends the orange cuttlefish, a Cantonese dish somehow both chewy and crunchy at once. He does not reveal his connection to the Black Chrysanthemum, instead saying his "older brother" has been mingling with the Cutters, and while they are well-regarded locally for fighting against Saito, they are also avoided for being brutal cutthroats, and he does not want his brother affiliated with them when he is up for promotion at a meeting with his boss in a few days. The team sizes the representative up, and they get the sense he is being forthcoming. He goes on to explain that he would like to see the Cutters embarrassed, but not in a way that starts a gang war or reveals that shadowrunners were hired, as the presence of shadowrunners shows there is a big-money interest behind the scenes, and a local gang war would end poorly for people in the area. The team agrees to take the job under these conditions in exchange for three credsticks, each loaded with 12,000¥.

The Plan

Beartrap, who is a local, knows some information about the gang scene. The Cutters are well-regarded, but they are on the verge of a costly gang war. Posing as a rival gang and hitting an asset of theirs is ruled out, as it could spark a gang war. Manipulating anyone inside the gang or sabotaging Cutter assets is also ruled out, as they might blame it on the Chulos. After some research, they decide to pose as the Iron Crosses, a racist go-gang based out of LA and the nearby PCC - a gang from out of town that has no stake in the SF gang war. They plan to hit an asset on Cutter turf to embarrass them. Crone and Limerick borrow some low-quality firearms and motorcycles from some contacts, and Beartrap makes some alchemical preparations to help them survive despite using this subpar gear. She also does a deep search on the Matrix to determine a specific warehouse on the waterfront in Fremont is being used for storage and distribution of drugs, which Crone confirms by having a spirit survey the area.

Once everything is in place, they drive to the vicinity of the warehouse and begin defacing Cutter tags in full view of the locals. Limerick sees some of them watching and decides to go aggro on them, shouting and threatening them to do something about it and go run to the Cutters for help. The team leaves, then shows back up a few hours later to find the Cutters ready for them. They plan to have Crone do a drive-by and peel out of the warehouse parking lot to draw them away so they can throw Molotovs through the windows.

The Run

When Crone does the drive-by, a couple Cutters hop into a car to give chase, but most don't fall for it. Limerick and Beartrap charge in nonetheless, advancing on their cover position behind some crates before they can form a firing line. Limerick uses a sawed-off double-barrel shotgun and a pair of knucks to put down the group of gangers that swarms him. Beartrap swerves to avoid a volley of automatic gunfire and hurls a Molotov, flushing the gunmen out of their position and finishing off the thugs that were rushing Limerick. Meanwhile, Crone is having trouble shaking the Cutters in the car because she cannot jump into the motorcycle she's on. She narrowly dodges a lead pipe being swung by the grunt riding shotgun, then retaliates by having the angel she was channeling appear in its Biblical horror, which frightens the driver into hitting the brakes for a moment. She escapes in the confusion and returns to the warehouse after Limerick and Beartrap finish off the remaining gunmen with a machete swipe and a double-barrel blast. They burn down the warehouse and leave Iron Cross tags before leaving and reporting the scene to the local news.

Aftermath

The news story catches on in time for the Vanguard to see it, and he decides now is not the best time to extend an offer of alliance to the Cutters. The Grass Sandal's representative reports to the team that they performed well and pays them as promised.

Rewards

• 12,000¥
• 2 Karma
• 2 CDP

Game Quotes

Humanz rule!

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Crone

Running the border again was exciting! Playing as a fascist was... unpleasant... to say the least, but at least any blowback will happen to them and not someone innocent.