Bishamonten Hear My Cry

Bishamonten Hear My Cry
Part of Head In A Jar
Date 2082-03-03 GM Aurora Location Redmond Barrens, Snohomish Status Threat Level: Semi-Prime
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven	Renraku
Usagi Master Morty Stargazer Samsara Holly Rogers And Crew	2 Deckers Mage Multiple HTR Rigger 3 CCU Bots
Casualties and losses
None	Total

Summary

The Runners are brought together by Reverend Toby Newton to address the strange series of child abductions that have been taking place within the Redmond Barrens. Little did they know that Renraku is behind it, and using the children in secret black site experiments to create cranial containment units (CCU) to arm anthrodrones with a living brain in control of it's actions.

Background

Like the rest of the Big 10, Renraku Computer Sytems has no compunctions in the pursuit of knowledge. They will willingly sacrifice the most innocent of children in the cause of "the greater good". As they are doing now within the Snohomish area, at a black site dedicated to perfecting the CCU, or Cranial Containment Unit. With this device, Renraku hopes to surge ahead in the weapons market, providing drones with the perfect operating system; the metahuman brain. Unfortunately, in order to continue this research their must be test subjects, and where better to obtain these "volunteers" than the Redmond Barrens?

The Meet

The runners are each contacted by their fixers to meet at a small chapel within the Redmond Barrens, run by Reverend Toby Newton. Upon arrival, they are each greeted warmly in turn, and told of the terrible fate that has befallen the local metahuman children, many wards of the local orphanage. The Reverend explains that the children have gone mysteriously missing over the last few weeks, sometimes 2 or 3 at a time. He offers to pay a meager 6,000 nuyen to the team, explaining that his church has fallen on hard times and it is really all he can afford to pay. All but Master Morty seem fine working for little to no payment, as their are children involved, but Master Morty nastily sticks to his guns, complaining that he has rent to pay. Morty eventually relents, saying that a paycheck is better than no paycheck, to which Reverend Toby sighs in relief. Usagi gives an impassioned speech as to the importance of the lost children and bringing them any justice they may be due, while Samsara pretty much is just waiting to punch somebody or something. Stargazer unfortunately is filled with mild trepidation, as she considers the situation she has agreed to assist on, and wonders if maybe this job might be a bit to big for her to bite into...

The Plan

The first stop on the legwork express is the Orphanage, where the runners encounter little Emmalyn and Braylin, a pair of Troll children that may have witnessed something of import to the case. Samsara buddies up to the two children, explaining that nothing bad will happen to them now that she is on the prowl, and coaxes what little information they have out of them. The two troll children relate that some guys in red and black driving a white van have been in the area over the last few weeks, and have been picking up children using snacks as lures. The abducted children have not been seen since. Samsara grows immediately suspicious, and draws the Renraku Symbol out for the children to see, of which they confirm were present on the uniforms of the men in the van. Thus armed with more intel, the team heads out to the main abduction site, to see if they can spot anything further to narrow down their search.

At the playground site, there are multiple cameras in use, which Master Morty jumps into to check for footage of the abductions. Finding only a Rating 6 databomb for his troubles, Morty swiftly disarms it and checks the feed, only to find several spots that have been deleted over the last week. Stargazer checks for magical sigatures in the area, only to find the area scrubbed clean. Not to be deterred, the troll mage summons a guide spirit, and asks it to divine the future of the children if the team of runners does nothing to help. The guide spirit shows Stargazer a glimpse of the future; children being taken by Renraku, brain surgery and implantation into curiously football shaped containers, and finally drones with attached CCU's moving in formation to attack. Not having any real leads to follow beyond this, the team hides out around the area, in hopes of catching the white van unaware on it's next "pickup". A van does pull up a few hours later; unfortunately the Renraku team seems to be aware of the ambush, and comes pouring out of the van ready for a fight.

The Run

Taking no chances, Master Morty quickly spots and data spikes the Renraku Decker in the van, dropping the unprepared villain into unconsciousness. Samsara plays hot potato with one of the Renraku guardsmen, eventually winning as the guard explodes into pasty meat sauce. Usagi downs another with a called shot to the shin, while Stargazer drops a Comet on the Van itself. Stargazer's bound spirit Jupiter makes a solid attempt to hug everything, as the battle continues with the Renraku team slowly being wittled down. Eventually, after much shenanigans and Master Morty finally detonating a HE grenade directly on Samsara, the Renraku team goes down, with only two left available for Samsara and Usagi to "question".

As Samsara rages at the defeated Renraku guards, Usagi offers them an honorable death if they share their knowledge of who is in charge and where the children are being taken. Bound by their own sense of honor, the guards agree, giving the location of the black site, and telling Usagi that the leader of the security force is none other than his former Squad Leader Taichi Kaisuke. Screaming in exhultation, Usagi lops off the heads of the two guards, vowing to find his hated foe and end his life as well. Barely conscious after all her spellcasting, Stargazer asks to rest for a day before engaging further foes.

The next day Usagi drives up to the front gate of the black site, openly challenging his former boss to a duel. Upon his jeep is written a japanese insult, intended to further incite Kaisuke into open battle. Unfortunately the only answer comes from a hail of turret bullets, and an angry beast spirit that is tasked with protecting the entryway. Samsara and Stargazer's newly summoned Titan engage the machine gun turrets and the spirit of the beast, while Usagi deals with the gate guard. the foes are quickly destroyed by the combined forces of the team, and the outer door breached. Usagi is briefly trapped inside the door which turns out to be an airlock, as the enemy decker shuts the doors around him, locking him in with neurostun gas seeping into the chamber. After some well placed kicks by Samsara, the outer door is permanently breached, as she pulls Usagi out for a breath of fresh air. She then goes to work on the inner door, opening up a way to an elevator that goes in one direction; down.

Master Morty jacks directly into the elevator port, and engages the spider, but is rebuffed when his powerful data spike is rebounded upon him. Non-plussed, Morty Dataspikes the spider again, this time successfully bricking the fool and stunning him into senselessness. The way to through the Matrix now firmly under his control, Morty unlocks the elevator and sends Samsara and Usagi down to the awaiting ambush. Stepping out of the elevator, the duo are met by three anthrodrones, each bearing a tell tale casing on it's back roughly the size of a football. Accompanying them are 3 Renraku Samurai, each bearing impressive katanas, but not the signature swords of the elite Red Samurai. In the distance, Taichi Kaisuke and two scientists make their escape, jumping on a rocket trolley and speeding away. Each of the Drones bears a Heavy Machine Gun, and uses it in concert on Samsara, who is wounded in the exchange but still strong enough to fight back. The Samurai engage Usagi, trying to end his pursuit of his hated foe. Master Morty finds his way into the security systems, and uses a turret machine gun to take out one of the katana boys. Just as things start to get tricky Holly Rogers And Crew show up and join the fight, apparently on a related job running against Renraku and more than happy to take it to the next level. With there aid, the team takes down the remaining samurai, and removes the CCU's from the anthrodrones, rendering them inert.

Aftermath

Upon investigation, the team discovers several pods containing the living brains of the abducted children, being sustained by expensive machinery. Usagi calls his friend Felipe Chandler who has ties to DocWagon, in hopes of enlisting their aid in the care and recovery of the children's brains. Felipe agrees, offering to ensure that the children are given UCAS identities and that the testing although required will be limited in scope and non-invasive. The team agrees to these terms, albeit reluctantly in some cases, as the general thought is all corporations are bad. Nonetheless the situation is handled, and the good Reverend does his part and pays the runners what he promised, again thanking them for the services they provided that he would have been unable to achieve any other way.

Rewards

• 6k nuyen
• 10 karma
• 32k in Activesofts/Drones/Weapons/Stuffer Shack Stuff/Etc.
• Holly Rogers And Crew Connection 5 Loyalt 3

• Samsara Wanted by Renraku 300k
• +1 Chip with Warboss for keyboard (Samsara)

• Usagi Wanted by Renraku 75k

• 7/6th Run rewards for time
• Private Semi-prime run

Game Quotes

Keisuke-sama Bishamonten hears my cry; of what I pledge here, For the lost I swear vengeance. For this, I will not forgive.

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Master Morty

"A freaking hooding run. Bah. Well, sure it paid 6k, but that's small change for someone of my caliber to be on the job. And for a bunch of children from the barrens that I never knew and will never know? Such a waste of time. I suppose it was the right thing to do, *sigh*, but I got things to do, things to find. At least the survivors don't have to worry about the constant pains of being in a meat body; they have almost gained the level of existence that I so desperately seek, a true enlightenment. Some would say they are worse off because of their new state, but I for one think they are far, far better."

Usagi

One can't process everything.

The synaptic booster speeds me up, so everything is so slow around me. It's been twenty four hours since I found out what Keisuke was doing to those children. Twenty four hours to consider how long it took me to get to them.

It's too much.

Keisuke, you children's gravedigger, I'm fucking coming for you.

Samsara

Aaaaahhhh I hate Renraku so much! Kids, fragging kids! Absolute monsters - death is too good for those bastards. I still can't believe it. Cutting up children and putting their goddamn brains in drones like that, it's just so fragging evil... what kind of people could do this? I wish I could have caught that asshole in charge. I wish we could have gotten there sooner. Just... ugh, what a waste of life. I hope Usagi catches up to that fragger and puts a sword through his guts for him - I'll have to make sure I'm there to see it.

Stargazer

I was not expecting my second job out here would get so stressful so quickly. Renraku are certainly not friendly for a group that is supposedly trying to regain trust within the city, but I suppose that's what is to be expected from the Japanacorp. As much as I would like to say that I was helpful this run, I was only able to get a few spells off and the mana backlash put me out until the very end. Still, it is clear I am getting more used to my magic. Unfortunately I lost Jupiter to one of the Renraku mages, so I couldn't continue to talk with her about what the strange world she came from is like.

I'm also at least now on an engineering project at work, which would be nice... if I didn't know that it was going to put someone else into space before I get the chance. Though maybe it'll provide me with some knowledge of how to funnel magic safely within space in a way to eventually get myself up there.