Ain't Afraid Of No Ghost

Ain't Afraid Of No Ghost
Date 2082-05-14 GM Asmodeus Location Auburn, Seattle Status Threat Level: High
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Aztechnology Woedica Kryptman	Dreadnought Deathburg
Swerve Duchess La Rapide Pell	Spirits of Man
Casualties and losses
None	None

Summary

The spirit ship is finally fooled to change course, none the wiser.

Background

During Hell or High Water Duchess and folks encountered a spooky mist and ghost ship. They evaded it, but didn't manage to neutralize it.

The Meet

Kryptman meets the team in one of the closed cafes of the Aztechnology pyramid mall at midnight. She briefs them with the information Aztechnology's own research into the matter has turned up: the vessel appears to match the telltale signs of an American Civil War era dreadnought, most likely USS Deathburg. A devoutly Christian crew with borderline xenophobia in their hearts, they were active during the Civil War and rampaged across the waves before being sunk. Though there's no promise this thing is the exact same ship, it surely lends its appearance to the spirits. Woedica wants the ship gone from harassing Aztechnology shipments and since hiring runners is cheaper than throwing HTR at it until it dies, she'll prefer higher profit margins. Duchess asks for a bit more than that, and while Woedica refuses to pay extra, she will offer a small restriction on the risk the team is taking by luring the ship and its mist to a lake in Seattle instead of having them go to it in the Pacific where its domain is. With promises of bioware and a boat, the team agrees to the terms.

The Run

With a speedboat in their hands and some confidence, the team drives into the lake as the ship emerges from the water, splitting in half to reveal a way to a surrealistic lake of blood riddled with scaffolding. Meeting some of the inhabitants of the ghost vessel, Duchess carefully introduces herself and asks for the leader. The spirits present, speaking with a thick southern drawl are nothing if not welcoming, albeit peculiar, and mention the fact that they're there to ensure their God-given rights are not violated. The 'Captain' as he is called is further along the shantytown built on the lake and the spirit Duchess is talking to decides to let them get a hold of the man. Meanwhile, Swerve and Rapide contemplate whether the blood lake is full of actual blood.

It is.

Lamb's blood.

Suppressing her nausea all of a sudden since she drank it like an idiot, Swerve sticks to the back while Duchess offers a mummified holy saint's hand and a copy of the Holy Bible to the Captain as offerings. Turns out, the ghosts are very amicable to conversation now that they got off on the right foot. The Captain isn't sure how any of them got here, nobody knows one another but they're united in their desire to prevent invaders from attacking American soil. They seem to still be under the impression that the United States is a thing and are under the impression of Mexico attacking north. Duchess uses Aztechnology's presence in Denver as a sign of just how deep inland they've gotten with a ground assault and convinces the spirit to head to China to terrorize "Mexican supply lines." It's a tense moment, but the civil war era naval crusade agrees to it and tells the team to get going, since they've got waters to terrorize. The mist begins retreating as the group speeds to shore and involves the J of what happened.

Aftermath

Things went surprisingly well. Cost a pretty penny to acquire Christianity-aligned reagents, but the payoff got to them in the end and Woedica offered her services as compensation if the runners turned down the money to increase the profit margins on her next progress report. The odd dreadnought and the mist that possessed it weren't seen in Pacific waters since, going to haunt the waters south of China, eager to sink more heretics.

Rewards

• 32,000 Nuyen

May change nuyen at double rate for:

• Hand of Glory or Reagents
• Foci up to 18 Availability (Will incur Records On File with Aztechnology)
• Bioware up to 18 Availability
• For Duchess: Aztechnology Nightrunner (Reduces Nuyen bounty by 28,000)
• Optional Contact: Woedica Kryptman, 5/2 Aztechnology Investigator (Reduces Nuyen bounty by 14,000 Nuyen)

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Duchess

Who'd have thought it? That Aztech Hernandez isn't so bad after all. She might have tried to screw my team the first time I did the job she asked for, but this time she cut the price in return for a chip. I was sorely tempted to say "screw you, bitch" and just take the damn boat (it was a beautiful boat) but in my line of work it's who you know that counts almost as much as what you ride.

Besides, were would I keep a boat? In the clubhouse car-park? The omae from the club would've trashed the thing on a joyride the very next time they got drunk or stoned. I very much want a boat of my own though. Perhaps I need to move out of the clubhouse and into somewhere with a garage?

About the run: I have to say that those insane spirits, lost in time as they are, remain a lot less disturbing than working alongside not one, but two banshees. Damn those things give me the shivers every time I look at them. I was half expecting them to lose it and dive into the blood water. Might not have been a bad thing for all concerned if they had. Better an amnesiac spirit that a blood-sucking soul-thief.

Pell

Well, that was unnerving as it can be. Christianity's lore is all bloody and visceral, it seems. Getting more brainware without letting the Azzies get my biometrics seems like a good deal, though.

La Rapide

I hate Christians with a passion. Well not all of them but the ones I care about. Can't fault them for what they do, but I still hate them. Still, these guys seemed... better. I definitely liked their astatic with the whole blood, Too bad that it was lamb blood. And it still was a bit too holy for me. And I got to visit the planes for the first time. Well, I technically did, but it doesn't really count.