The Lost Scales

The Lost Scales
Date 2082-06-03 GM OrionsRequiem Location Downtown, Seattle Metroplex Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven The Draco Foundation	The First National Bank of Seattle	Saeder-Krupp
Harebuck Absolute Zero Samsara Vip3r	Bank Manager Bank Guard Bank Aware

Summary

In which the runners are hired to rob a bank for some special scales.

Background

The Draco Foundation, after losing a master-crafted statue of Dunkelzahn to a robbery several months ago, have been looking for new opportunities to honor the fallen President on the 25th anniversary on his death. The Foundation found out about a set of blue scales that were held in a safety deposit box at the First National Bank of Seattle. The Foundation wants those scales.

The Meet

The runners are invited to the Dragon Metameat Bar & Grill in Downtown, while Samsara isn't dressed appropriately for the high-class establishment, the runners manage to talk her in with the mention of a reservation for Ms. Johnson. The group are led to a private room in the back where the Johnson, a pleasant-looking UCAS elf woman waits for them in front of a table filled with food and drink.

Ms. Johnson tells the group that there is a bag within one of the safety deposit boxes at the First National Bank of Seattle, within the underground vault, and that they wish for the bag to be retrieved by the group within four days. When asked about what the bag is, Ms. Johnson simply refers to them as scales, as one would find on a lizard or other reptile. While she initially offers 18k to each of the runners for the job, but thanks to the negotiating tactics of Harebuck and the rest of the team, it is negotiated to 20k for the job, however if the job is done within three days, then each of the runners will also receive one of the Draco Foundation's coin of favor, which can be traded for one favor from the foundation of the holder's choice, so long as it is within the Foundation's power.

Satisfied with the terms; Ms. Johnson leaves the restaurant and the team head to a Skraacha safehouse that Samsara has rented from Warboss.

The Plan

Absolute Zero falls into the Astral and projects over to the bank, finding a watcher spirit and FAB II coating the outside of the building. While deciding against pushing through the bacteria, Zero heads to the front entrance and finds a Force 4 Mana Barrier that is meant to keep out pesky astral entities. However Zero slides through the ward with little issue, and sees that the insides of the bank is free of the heaviest astral security, though there are Awares and Explorers that seem to guard the lobby. After a quick interrogation as to what it is that Zero is doing trying to break into the bank through the ward instead of asking for permission, the runner claims that she is being profiled and sleazes back through the ward, returning to her body.

Vip3r gets onto the Matrix, finding the destination host for the bank and diving it, and penetrating the embedded data host. She narrowly avoids detection by the IC and the spider that are searching for threats in the host, and searches out the clientele files for the safety deposit boxes, disarming the data bomb and copying the file, before going to find the personnel files of the bank to see if anyone could be bribed or influenced. Able to jump out of the host before convergence or being spotted by the Spider, Vip3r returns to the team and begins to search through the files for the box that they're looking for.

Harebuck gets on an idea for how to distract the guards in the bank if the team is going for an infiltration solution and calls up Deulara Leorel. Claiming that the bank is discriminating against the changeling community, and asks for Deulara to spread the word to the OtherCON members to start a protest outside the bank. While Harebuck is questioned as to whether or not this discrimination is actually happening, he dissuades Deulara from pushing back too much by promising to send some money to OtherCON in order to cover any potential costs that might come up.

Finally Samsara goes to Weirdboi on the recommendation of Warboss and gets Elastic Joints, while the team secure a shielded box that the street sam to fold herself up in. Vip3r calls Freya to set her up a burner S-K SIN after learning that the safety deposit box that holds the scales is a Saeder-Krupp owned box.

The Run

Vip3r, using her disguise as a Saeder-Krupp employee to enter the Bank and approaches the teller. Introducing herself as Frau Brackhaus she is introduced to the bank manager, and explains that the box is not to be opened because it's a top-secret product that is meant to be revealed later that year. While the box is scanned by the bank's security, Vip3r fills out paperwork and the manager agrees to take her downstairs. Heading down in the private elevator, they are stopped for a moment by the security Aware who assenses Vip3r, and discovers that she is a technomancer. After telling the manager about this secret, Vip3r tries to intimidate the manager into keeping it to himself and explaining that S-K sent her there to review their Matrix security as well as store this "new product." The manager backs down and moves down the hall to the vault, unlocking the door and heading inside.

Once the team is inside, Harebuck and Zero outside begin the protest of those who work with OtherCON. They begin chanting and picketing, some of the guards come out and tell the crowd to disperse, but Harebuck's charismatic demeanor holds off the guards inciting violence, instead convincing the guard to call the manager. Considering the protest outside his bank as being an emergency, he leaves Vip3r in the vault, and heads upstairs. As soon as they are alone, Vip3r uses her Skinlink ability to dive back into the host and find the security system, looping cameras and bringing forward the extra-secure safety deposit boxes after closing the vault door.

Vip3r lets Samsara out of the box, and the two discuss the pros and cons of smashing open the door. Samsara decides to try and give some restraint instead of jump-kicking the door, and just shatters the lock on the safety deposit box, pulling out the carbon-fiber bag that holds the scales. Samsara opens her third eye for a moment and looks at the scales on the Astral, going blind for 10 minutes. Samsara stuffs herself back in the box and Vip3r puts on an act of terrified anger.

Outside, the manager suggests that if the changelings will just be orderly they can sign up for accounts at the bank, and then, thoroughly distracted, rushes back down to Frau Brackhause to make sure things are okay. Vip3r manages to lie her way past the guard and the manager, claiming that S-K will hear how unsuitable their bank is for storing valuable items and storming into the elevator and out of the bank before their tampering can be discovered.

The team pile into Harebuck's truck and head to the Draco Foundation where they receive their fee as well as the coins of favor.

Aftermath

Samsara gives her coin of favor to her sister Lily Stone, explaining as best the monk can about what they mean.

Harebuck gives his coin of favor to Deulara Leorel and OtherCON.

Vip3r and Zero grow closer as friends.

Rewards

• 20k Nuyen (10 RVP)
• 5 karma (5 RVP)
• A Draco Foundation Coin of Favor
• 2 CDP

For Vip3r:

• May Purchase Honest Face at chargen price.

For Harebuck:

• +15 OtherCON Rep

For Samsara:

• Weirdboi (3/3 Skraacha Cyberdoc) (5 RVP taken from Nuyen or Karma)
• May Purchase Double Jointed at chargen price

Game Quotes

Amusing quote from game.

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Samsara

Robbing banks is so cool! I got to punch a vault open and steal what I'm preeetttyyy sure were President Dunklezhan's scales (side note - soooo pretty, I made sure to get a selfie), that was awesome! Also Warboss introduced me to his cyberdoc so I could get these elastic joints put in for the job, which was super nice of him. Vip3r was great at getting us inside and Harebuck's distraction worked perfectly - I hope those changelings get their accounts. I still don't trust those Draco Foundation people to follow through on their word, but I gave the coin they gave us to Lily and told her she should decide what to do with it.

Vip3r

How often do you get to say "I saw this in a trid once," and then try that thing and ACTUALLY pull it off?

By all accounts, my plan was like, definitely not a good one and there's no way it should've worked. But I actually managed to learn enough German to carry a conversation in two days, march into a bank and open an account as Frau fucking Brackhaus, convince a couple of awares that I was maybe a dragon, and get out with a bag of Dunkelzahn's scales without a single hitch. I was fully convinced we would end up going loud at some point, and I'm shocked that we didn't.

And now we all have these coins to cash in on a favor from the Draco Foundation. I don't know if I'll ever need it, but it's a good thing to have just in case, yeah?