Where Lobsters Spend the Winter

Where Lobsters Spend the Winter
Date 2082-02-10 GM OrionsRequiem Location Belleview, Seattle Status Threat Level: Medium
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Irena Tachikov EVO	Shiawase
Delphi Frostbite Spider Mara Vichnozeleny	Shiawase Security Spider Shiawase demiGOD

Summary

Irena Tachikov hires a group of runners to acquire Dr. Anthony Rakov, a SURGE and Biocompatibility specialist.

Background

Having acquired Shiawase Asset-D473 with the assistance of ShadowHaven in We Got Ourselves A Convoy! Irena Tachikov returned to Russia and handed off the asset to her corporate masters. However, they still lacked some of the knowledge to keep D473 at it's prime, even with the drug cocktail they also acquired with the transhuman. EVO sends Tachikov back to Seattle with a mission to retrieve one of the members of the team that originally designed D473, a Lobster-like SURGE named Anthony Rakov, who had been acquired by Shiawase from NeoNET slightly before the Lockdown event in Boston. Unfortunately, the target is scheduled to be moved to Shiawase HQ in Osaka within the next two days, so Tachikov hires runners in order to extract the doctor quickly.

The Meet

Tachikov calls the runners to the Stained Sickle, a Vory bar in Tacoma. The runners meet with Tachikov and she explains that they are to acquire Dr. Anthony Rakov for the job to be complete. She initially offers 14k in order to acquire the doctor. Delphi makes some inquiries of the Russian Johnson and learns that it will not be a willing extraction, and while there is a basic dossier on him, there is no detailed information. With the assistance of the rest of the team Delphi gets the Johnson to agree to 20k so long as they don't do anything that incriminates EVO in this job.

The Plan

The team returns to Delphi's office in Loveland while Frostbite goes to stake out the Shiawase facility where Rakov works. Spider enters the Matrix and finds the facility's Rating 5 host. Marking it and diving into the host, the decker discovers the multitude of encrypted files that Shiawase stores on the host. Spider easily dispenses with the Security Spider and the IC after being detected and steals the files of the employee records for the facility. She then proceeds to start decrypting and using nuke-from-orbit in order to destroy the files that remain. Eventually the host converges on Spider, and seconds later, two Shiawase demiGODs appear within the host and begin attacking the decker. While putting up a valiant defense, they eventually have their datajack cord pulled and dumpshocked back into meat space. Deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, the crew instead move location to Vic's zeppelin in the skies above Snohomish.

Having scouted out the facility, the crew examine the personnel files and discovers that Dr. Rakov is a widower who has a 5-year-old daughter. However given that the job did not include the extraction of the daughter, it seems as though EVO is intending on just leaving her behind. The party discuss the new complication and eventually Delphi contacts Tachikov with an attempt to persuade her to have an offer ready for their target, rather than forcing him to work for them.

After much discussion about how to approach the target, the runners decide to contact him on his way to his daughter's school in the morning. To this end, Frostbite and Vic sneak into his apartment complex's garage after Mara does an astral flyby and found that there was a security Aware and a security Explorer monitoring the building. The two mundane members of the party use Spider's help to break into the garage and find their target's car, leaving a Neurostun grenade and a metalink in the car but out of sight in case contacting the target goes badly.

As a last part of legwork, Delphi and Mara go back to Delphi's office and Mara summons a Guidance spirit in order to assist Delphi's divination. She receives a vision of the past, where Shiawase kidnaps Rakov's wife and performs their own acquisition of Rakov. Delphi then sees a Shiawase executive handing Rakov a baby, and informing him that he is to take care of the child and they will take care of the mother. Delphi's final part of the vision is an image of Catherine Rakov, Anthony's wife, in a Shiawase facility watched by various cameras.

The Run

Waiting for the next morning, the crew stays nearby but out of sight as the target begins the morning drive. Delphi calls the phone and is surprised by the pleasant response. However the metalink is in the back seat with Anthony's daughter, Mira Rakov. Eventually handing the phone to her father, Anthony is much less happy to hear from a criminal who is attempting to bargain with him. However through the use of teamwork, Delphi is able to convince them that there is a better life for him and Mira in the hands of EVO rather than in the hands of Shiawase. She also spins a web of lies about how she knows about Catherine and that EVO will try and extract her. This eventually pushes Anthony over the edge and he agrees.

In order to make it look like an unwilling extraction in order to prevent Shiawase from retaliating by harming the leverage they have on Rakov, Spider remotely detonates the Neurostun grenade and knock both Rakov and Mira out. Spider takes control of the car and the party leave their location to go to the meeting place that Tachikov sends them. EVO goons load up the doctor and his daughter for a trip to Russia and Delphi makes a case for Irena to talk with EVO about extracting Catherine. While no promises are made, Tachikov says that "Arrangements will be made" and leaves with the Rakovs.

Aftermath

After being paid, the runners go their separate ways, however Delphi and Mara return to her office for another divination, wanting to read the future and see what the fate of the Rakovs might be. Succeeding on the divination ritual, Delphi sees a familiar scene in the ball. The Lobster-like body of Doctor Rakov leaving his home after hugging Mira and getting into an unmarked vehicle in the snow. Delphi's vision shifts to a featureless facility in an snow-covered land, and Rakov stepping into the facility where a cryopod opens and D473 is revealed. The transhuman's eyes open and he says "Hi Delphi" before the vision ends.

Rewards

• 2 CDP
• 3 Karma (3 RVP)
• Either 20000 Nuyen or 40000 Nuyen worth of Cyberware, Bioware, Geneware or Grade Upgrades up to Avail 18 (10 RVP)
• Optional Contact: Irena Tachikov at 6/1 (6 RVP)

Game Quotes

"Your daughter is lovely, this is not a threat" - Delphi to Dr. Anthony Rakov

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Mara

A first contract with the ShadowHaven. Have to thank Ohrwurm for connecting me. The job was fairly straight forward, extract a scientist, Anthony Rakov, employed by Shiawase and deliver him to the fixer, AcqCented, apparently in the employ of EVO.

The job was, for all intents, straightforward. We gathered intel, made and executed a plan. In the end we were able to deliver the target and his daughter to the contract holder and made off with a tidy sum. Perhaps it's my background speaking, but the other 'runners were quite fascinating.

• Delphi - I met her first, an elf. The particular cabbie I called had another call for service to the same destination so we shared the ride. At first she appeared mundane, but a closer examination revealed she's a seer. Appears to operate some sort of investigatory service out of Puyallup. Drugs are a constant fixture with her, it seems, from all the paraphernalia. And the fact that she was high for most of the contract. She seems rather effective at negotiation. Lovely cat, as well.

• Spider - Decker, competent, though perhaps prone to biting off a little more than she can chew. Gathering details about our target's schedule she appeared to have angered the resident security of the host, Delphi pulled her connection before the situation became permanent. She was able to limit the target's communication, hack his car, and set off the neurostun grenade. All in all a solid matrix operative, I believe.

• Frostbite - The astral space around him was twisted terribly. I suspect due to SURGE. I did not spend much time talking with him or being near him. He had a strange way of interacting, though, almost as if he were more computer than person. When it came time to sneak around, he was game and appeared to have completed his objectives with no issues.

• Vic (Vichnozeleny) - Arrived to the job a bit behind schedule. She had a blimp, though, that came in handy. And a very large rifle that she didn't use. The blimp was really convenient as a mobile base. From what I could tell she was competent, when it came to her task, working with Frostbite to sneak into the garage and put things into place. Appears to enjoy chess.

Delphi

Another job for 'AcqCented', another corporate extraction from Shiawase. I don't doubt this one was related to my old pal D473, especially after seeing them in the crystal ball again... no fragging idea how they saw me back, but I'm gonna be having nightmares about that for a while... frag magic is weird sometimes. Really gonna have to look into that. Still, at least this one had kind of a happy ending, I guess? I mean, I convinced the J not to just abandon our target's kid to the wolves, and maybe even extract his wife as well if only to keep him loyal to his new employers, so that was nice - no idea if she'll actually follow through on her promises, but I suppose that it's better than if we didn't try, and at least it should help me sleep at night (and I fragging need it after the last month).

Team worked well on this one. Frostbite was... well, pleasant to be around as ever, but he knew how to do his job - I feel a little bad for all the drek we were giving him about his aura, not like it's his fault he's a walking wound on the astral. Gonna have to try hard to be nicer in the future. Never worked with Vichnozeleny before, but she had a cool blimp and an even cooler Gauss rifle that I kind of wish I got to see her use - maybe next time. Spider seemed... well, I don't know really. I asked them not to frag around in that host, but they nearly got traced back to my office, and now I'm going to be worried about Shiawase corpsec kicking in my door for weeks. Still, they handled the matrix side of things and got us what we needed to do the job, so I suppose I can't complain that much. The new girl Mara was interesting - first time I've ever been picked up by Clyde with another runner on the same job. She seems to have a bit of a thing about novacoke - I should probably avoid offering it to her in the future - but she's a capable mage and knew how to summon guidance spirits to help with my divinations, plus she liked my cat, so she's good in my book.