This Isn't Your Grandmother's Juggernaught

This Isn't Your Grandmother's Juggernaught
Date 2082-01-31 GM Aurora Location Sprawl Outskirts, Seattle Metroplex Status Threat Level: Medium
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Homesteaders	Cobalt Trolls
Babylon Hound Oathbane Pell Silverpaw	Ganger Thugs Ganger Mage Juggernaut
Casualties and losses
	Ganger Thug, Ganger Mage

Summary

In which the runners save some homesteaders outside the sprawl from angry gangers.

The Meet

The runners are told to meet in a basic chatroom host on the matrix and are met by a stereotypical farmer persona. The J explains that they are part of a family of homesteaders who have been paying protection money to a gang called the Cobalt Trolls - recently the gangers have been demanding more money than they can pay, and are now attacking the farm and wrecking up the place. The homesteaders have taken shelter in an old bunker and are safe for the moment, but they need help and are willing to pay what they have. The team agree to assist without pushing for more, rezzing out and agreeing to meet up in southern Puyallup before crossing the boarder.

The Plan

While the rest of the team head south, Babylon (who lives in Tarislar near the south end of the Metroplex) astrally projects over to the farm, avoiding the spirits at the boarder as she goes. She spies out five gangers, one of whom is Awakened, who are squatting in the farmhouse and seem to have spread food around the entrance to the bunker, as well as a large hulking creature rapidly approaching the farm which she identifies as some sort of paracritter. Speeding back to her body, she calls her fixer Ether (a smuggler with the Ancients) and promises to do some work on the side in exchange for the coordinates of a smuggling route the team can use to cross the boarder without dealing with the authorities.

Piling into Oathbane's vehicle, Hound and Silverpaw take turns scuffing the paint as they attempt to off-road with a sports car, making their way along the trail to the Ancients - Babylon passes off a small bribe to get them through without any issue, and a short time later the runners arrive at a hill overlooking the farm to assess the situation. They find the gangers have lured the juggernaut to the farm with food so that it will tear its way into the bunker, and come up with a plan to deal with the problem.

The Run

Pell and Hound set up with their sniper rifles while Babylon and Oathbane come up with a way to deal with the juggernaut. Spying out a truckload of food the gangers have used to bait the creature, Oathbane takes control of it on the matrix with technomancer bs while Babylon has her air spirit float over and use its psychokinisis to open up the container so the creature will smell the food and chase after it. The spirit gets a bit lit up by bullets after its spotted out by the ganger mage, but Hound takes them down with a gel round while Pell starts putting gangers down with stick-and-shock. Oathbane pilots the car away from the farm while avoiding notice of the gang's matrix support and the juggernaut follows (with some encouragement from Pell's beast spirit) while the rest of the gangers flee in panic after Babylon sends her guardian spirit to put some fear into them and let them know the farmers don't need their protection. The snipers confirm with their scopes that the massive critter has chased after the truck and torn it apart to get at the food inside, and doesn't seem interested in returning to the farm to mess with the homesteaders.

Aftermath

After cleaning up the mess a bit to ensure the juggernaut won't come back, the team knock on the bunker and let the farmers know that they're safe. The homesteaders are grateful and offer what little cash they have (which most of the team give right back), as well as some food to take back and help deal with their cost of living. Everyone pats themselves on the back for a job well done.

Rewards

• 4k nuyen
• 4k nuyen in reduced lifestyle costs from stores of food given as an extra reward
• 7 karma
• 2 CDP

Game Quotes

Hound: [glares at Babylon, who is rudely smoking in the car with him] Babylon: [proceeds to blow smoke directly in Hound's face]

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Babylon

Not a bad gig at all - I get a call from some farmers outside the sprawl who are getting harassed by some third stringer gangers and need help. Ordinarily I'd squeeze them for all they're worth and get the Ancients in on the protection racket, but honestly these people didn't even have enough to make it worth the effort, and I can call it my good deed for next month. Team was solid - never worked with Hound or Silverpaw before, but they both knew how to shoot well (though their driving could be better). Pell was good to work with as usual and had a cool beast spirit that I got to hang out with, and I even managed to get along with Oathbane (which was a nice change of pace from our usual dynamic). Didn't even need to kill any of the gangers either - I'm pretty sure none of them are going to mess with those homesteaders again, but if they do then I guess the boys will get to collect some protection money after all. Either way I get to feel good about myself and eat some real food for the next few weeks, so it's a win in my book.

Pell

This was a fairly relaxing (somehow) job, for once. Got to hang out with Babylon again, and meet up with some other chummers as well. Hope those farmers will stay safe.