Oil Rig Obfuscation

Oil Rig Obfuscation
Date 2084-10-28 GM Asmodeus Location Sea of Japan Status Threat Level: Deadly
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Charon	Crying Masks	Yomi no Yurai
Bleach Shy Eidolon
Casualties and losses
Shy and Bleach were almost struck into critical condition.
Mundane Ascension for Eidolon

Summary

Shy asked for the opportunity to get the N-51 officially introduced into the Internaional Mercenary Association. Charon delivers, but needs the runners to make the leverage possible.

Background

Shy helped Charon out in a previous life or death situation and the Lodge agent has to deliver on her promise to aid the N-51 in return.

The Meet

The meet happens at the socialite's penthouse in Bellevue where Charon lays out the plan: she has the chance to twist the arm of some of the individuals that decide who gets to join the IMA, but she needs to play the chessboard of corporate intrigue and shifting pressure from some individuals to others. For that purpose, she needs tools and two terrorist groups will work fine for her purposes since she cares little for their well-being: the Crying Masks and Yomi no Yurei. While the former are augmentation-loathing Awakened militants, the latter are radicalized members of an otherwise sympathetic metahuman rights organization in Japan. Charon needs to sabotage a backroom deal between these two and Weapons World that's worth 13,500,000 nuyen. Alternatively, she can hijack the entire operation and turn the groups against the corporations but empower the terror groups in and of themselves. The team decides that Charon's ability to get more things done by empowering the terror groups takes precedence considering the runners themselves get more out of it as well. Hitting the corporations instead of the terrorists is also appealing, although the social adept doesn't quite elaborate the amount of collateral this may cause.

The Plan

The negotiation with the terrorists takes place on a Japanese oil rig and the team either has to snipe the targets far away or risk getting uncomfortably close to highly augmented terrorists to get clearer shots. The team chooses up close and personal despite their sniping abilities.

The Run

Bleach has to strain her core muscles climbing upside down on sheer steel surfaces under the oil rig, planting several kilograms of tamped explosives as a surprise attack. Shy and Eidolon get in good vantage points and line up shots once the two terror groups start arriving. Charon attempts to guide the Yomi no Yurei to the area most hit by the explosive charge below while staying close to the Crying Masks representative, aiming to take the shot for him to make it look like she's on their side. While the Japanese trolls are highly honorbound and need to pay back blood debts like assassination, the Crying Masks are often more pragmatic and will appreciate an ally that saves their life. As a result, the Yomi no Yurei are destroyed almost completely by the explosion and Charon uses Protect the Principle to eat a bullet for the CM rep, escaping on a lifeboat. The YnY rep is far too augmented to die from the massive explosion and gets up on his last legs, shooting explosive shotgun slugs into both Shy and Bleach before the team finally takes him back down with sheer blunt force trauma from sniper fire ricocheting from his armor. Eidolon finishes the job by running up to the guy when he's in critical condition, putting his rifle in the troll's mouth and pulling the trigger. Curious, he shoots the cyberarm off and takes it with him while Shy uses her adept skills to navigate the helicopter Charon arrived on through a violent hurricane-like storm from the Ring of Fire.

Aftermath

Hextech analyzes the cyberarm Eidolon brings back and determines the basic firing mechanism to be a stripped down AA-16, but salvages the .50 caliber barrel of a 12-gauge shotgun with special alloy lining and polygonal rifling, fitting Eidolon's rifle with it instead to increase its performance. Bleach gets somne exclusive smuggling routes opened to the Finnigans, but is advised not to test their limits with large shipments. Shy's informed that Charon managed to coerce the right individuals to give the N-51 probationary membership into the IMA, however this comes at the cost of them absolutely having to participate in the upcoming Rad Wars and not losing. In addition, she salvages a tank of FAB III from one of Garry Foreman's labs for the N-51 to use in the future. What's a little war crime among friends?

Rewards

• For Eidolon: 80,000 Nuyen for Augmentations (20 RVP); +10 West Coast Monolith Reputation, may take Special Modifications 2 in exchange for 20,000 nuyen of the ware budget
• For Shy: Vault of Ages R5 and up to 7 F10P10 Advanced Alchemical Preparations in either heavy crossbow bolts or musket balls; alternatively, take 10 Karma, 10 CDP and 10,000 Nuyen
• For Bleach: Vault of Ages R5 and up to 7 F10P10 Advanced Alchemical Preparations in either heavy crossbow bolts or musket balls; +10 Finnigans Reputation; alternatively, 20 CDP to increase Smuggling Routes knowledge due to getting special blackmail on some border patrols and 10 Karma

• Everyone gets the base 2 CDP
• Everyone gets 2 Black Lodge Reputation
• Mundane Ascension for Eidolon

Game Quotes

Amusing quote from game.

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Bleach - Every time I work with the real pros, I'm reminded of how far below that standard I am. Gonna have to work out twice as hard. Maybe I can use the mag boots to do that, I haven't had a workout as tough as the walk along the bottom of the rig since that run. ( Reject Enlightenment )

Eidolon: Strange working with this particular Johnson again. She has a lot of questionable connections, though I suppose by this point I've a few myself. Something about her feels off but she pays well and seems to dispense with the bullshit most J's level toward runners, giving us the relevant intel and making things seem relatively plain for operational function. I question empowering terrorists, but aiming that at the corps potentially limits collateral damage and will get the corporations to consider them a greater priority to remove... hopefully. Short term, we get paid better. Wins all around... except for the Yomi no Yurei I guess.

Shy : Clean job, great for the Task-Force, Charon's operation of the day was great now only the future can tell me if that was a good thing to call on those favors.