Ace Powers Commits Tax Fraud

Ace Powers Commits Tax Fraud
Date 2082-09-27 GM Niven Location Downtown Seattle
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven	UCAS
Maestro Envy Cold Hands Jennifer McCallister	6 IRS Agents

Summary

The Runners are brought together by Ace Powers to assist him in concealing his illicit tax-related activities from the authorities. Much as many of the more seasoned runners expected, it was a classic moment of Ace Powers needing to conceal his white-collar crimes from 'The Man'.

Background

Ace Powers is no stranger to the business of tax fraud. A man in his position has to do what has to be done to come out ahead. After all, sometimes the art of the deal requires utilising methods that are less than... legal. Unfortunately, UCAS didn't see things the same way. As such, their federal agents quickly found their feet upon the ground, looking into any potential documentation of the illicit activities of Ace Powers within the Charisma Associates branch of Horizon.

The Meet

The Runners are contacted by their fixers and given an address within downtown Seattle. Upon arrival, they discover that the financially endowed Ace Powers has elected to meet them in... an alleyway. This alleyway, looking over the Charisma Associates branch of Horizon, serves as the base point for the rather energetic briefing the runners receive.

Supposedly, Ace Powers finds himself in a bit of a pickle. A group of inspectors, federal agents sent on the behalf of UCAS, are looking into his business dealings. Specifically, they have a vested interest in his tax payments. Unfortunately for Ace, he doesn't exactly pay his fair share. This would typically be no issue, something false books can easily handle. As it turns out, however, Ace's books are yet to be fully 'cooked'. As such, he requires the Runners to infiltrate the Charisma Associates branch and purge it of a particular server, one that contains information that would be best kept out of UCAS's hands. In short, he requires assistance committing tax fraud.

An original offer of 16,000 nuyen each is made to the runners. Almost immediately, they lift the price to 20,000. However, this additional payment comes with a clause: no one is to be killed, at least as far as employees and contractors go. The agents are fair game, so long as it doesn't spill back on Ace. The Runners, motivated by the potential of a quick payday, agree without delay. After all, the federal agents arrived while they were haggling...

The Plan

In truth, the Runners had little time to formulate a concrete plan. As such, their impromptu plan was to rely on their strengths. Jennifer McCallister a potent Technomancer, wasted no time in declaring that she would quickly seize control of the host and overwhelm any Spider daring to defend it. To facilitate this, she gained access to the limo of Ace Powers, giving herself a place to enter the matrix in relative safety.

Cold Hands, on the other hand, would infiltrate the building. Moving into position to stealthily gain access to the branch, she departed from the group, readying her gear and talents for whatever came next.

Of course, all of this would be for naught if the federal agents beat the Runners to the server room they would need to gain access to. To ensure this would not happen, Maestro and Envy would utilise the art of deception, distracting the agents through the use of their wit and Maestro's magical talents.

The Run

Quickly setting to work, Jennifer McCallister enters the matrix, eager to seize as much control of the building's host as possible. In almost no time at all, she finds herself facing the defending spider. This, of course, does not go well for the unlucky individual, who soon finds themselves data spiked into unconsciousness. After this, the technomancer sets their sprite to obliterate various patrol ICEs, utilising their free reign within the host to facilitate the easy completion of the run.

Cold Hands, taking advantage of their ally's successes, slips through the backdoor of the structure undetected, any cameras that might have spotted her being disabled by her matrix dwelling counterpart. Soon enough, she enters the stairwell, combining a mixture of stealth, luck, and 'pretending to belong' in order to ascend the building, moving closer and closer to the server room on the third floor.

Meanwhile, Maestro and Envy move towards the building, the former having covered the two in a potent physical mask intended to disguise them as federal agents. This allows them to enter the building without issue, slipping in behind the genuine UCAS investigators. Once within the buildings, they instead adorn magical masks that disguise them as Horizon employees, Maestro posing as a new employee and Envy taking the role of a senior worker due to her ability to utilise an AR name-tag. The two, not wanting their allies to be exposed, quickly approach the federal agents.

Upon reaching them, the two runners offer a tour of the building, informing the investigators that it is Horizon's prerogative to assist in any way possible. This, unfortunately, does not sit well in the investigator's mind. They begin to question this claim, poking holes in the story of the two conmen. Before such questions can go any further, however, Maestro utilises his mystical arts, influencing the mind of the elven investigator through magical means. The result? A successful ruse, the investigators being taken to the fifth floor and away from the server room on the third.

Meanwhile, Cold Hands continues moving towards her objective, undetected and unexpected. Upon laying her eyes upon the server room, she noticed two guards, one augmented and the other awakened. They are armed and ready for a fight, something the Runners would rather avoid. Jennifer McCallister, is not out of tricks quite yet. Using the PA system of the building, she pages the guards, attempting to take them up to the fifth floor in order to leave the server room unguarded. Somewhat taken aback by the sudden call for their presence, only one of the security guards leaves, the other remaining the protect the server room's entrance. This, however, bodes ill for the man left behind.

In a burst of speed and fury, Cold Hands strikes the nerves of the single security guard, knocking him unconscious in an instant. Afterwards, she makes her way through the electronic security measures of the door, dragging the unconscious body behind her as she moves in. It doesn't take long for her to patch her comlink into the server after that, granting Jennifer McCallister all the access she needs. The technomancer quickly exploits this newfound access to turn the server into a glorified brick, wiping any and all data of any conceivable value from the device.

Shortly after, Maestro smells the definitive scent of burning electronics. With this cue made clear, he and Envy know that the time to depart has come.

Aftermath

With the job having been completed with minimal fuss, the Runners quickly made themselves scarce. Cold Hands, having remained completely unseen thanks to the efforts of Jennifer McCallister, elected to leave the way she came, slipping into the shadows.

Jennifer McCallister, on the other, merely exited the matrix, emerging within the comfortable confines of Ace's luxurious limousine. The spider who she had thoroughly beaten was undoubtedly not going to wake from their time in the matrix in a manner quite as pleasant. Of course, the technomancer didn't leave the investigators without a gift. Spamming the AR-space of the structure with imagery linked to the Halloweeners Gang, she hoped to throw UCAS off of the Runners' scent.

Finally, Maestro and Envy leisurely left the agents behind. After a brief bout of lies and a refusal to hold the elevator for the bewildered agents, the two merely waltzed right out the front door. Maestro, wishing to leave his mark, offered the receptionist his soon-to-be-famous calling card, the Joker of Trebles.

Eventually, the Runners meet up with Ace Powers in the alleyway once again, informing him the job is done. Ace, pleased with the rapid competition of Run, quickly pays them their 20,000 nuyen. Afterwards, he departs in his luxurious limousine, leaving the Runners in the alleyway to enjoy the spoils of 'Working for the Man'.

Rewards

• 20k nuyen
• +1 Reputation: Horizon

Game Quotes

"Let's be honest, it's Ace Powers. There are white-collar crimes all over every file in there." - Cold Hands

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Maestro

"I must admit, it was rather simple all things considered. I walked in, utilised my mastery of the mystic arts, then left behind a bewildered band of bumbling baboons. The agents were clearly not up to my standards, but that's no surprise. At least the receptionist had the wit to recognise the extreme value of my calling card."

Cold Hands

"Ace Powers is as about as sleazy in person as you'd expect, albeit with the expensive polish of a corpo suit. Helping such a man evade taxes isn't what I'd call a noble undertaking, but the pay was - as expected of Horizon - sufficient. I'm glad no one had to die over a job like this, though admittedly I've killed for less."

"I suppose that's the luxury of being an established runner. You get to pin a higher price tag on your moral compromises."

Envy

A nice and easy run. Drop in, take what we want, and walk out the front door. I was made for this drek.

Jennifer McCallister

Man those "Halloweeners" really did a number munching on that Spider and his IC huh? All in all, a very interesting job. Ace Powers' less-than-lawful exploits are legendary. Tax fraud though? seems like poor planning. Anyways, it all worked out.