Flowers for Jackals

Flowers for Jackals
Part of A Scattering of Deadly Petals
Date 2082-02-18 GM Makiiato Location Puyallup Barrens Status Threat Level: Medium
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven David Yang Eighty-Eights Triad	Demon Jackals	Black Chrysanthemum
Harebuck Tora Kokoro Pulse Skimmer	DJ Troll Boss 5 DJ Gangers	4 Ninja Assassins
Casualties and losses
None	5 DJ Gangers	None

Summary

In which the Eighty-Eights Triad chooses to investigate the new kids on the block, a gang called the Demon Jackals. They hire a team of runners to investigate, report, and potentially provide the means to a meet for negotiations.

Background

One of the foremost Triad lodges in the city, the Eighty-Eights have survived despite severing their overseas ties, now linked only with other lodges in North America. This severing of ties has extended to their internal practices as well, and the Eighty-Eights are uncommonly accepting of cyber/bioware and technomancers. While they are not as powerful as the Yellow Lotus and they do not have the connections the Octagon does, the Eighty-Eights continue to compete for territory, serving in many cases as the middleman between the Asian gangs of the Seattle Sprawl. Sensing the opportunity to expand their influence David Yang arranges to meet with a team of runners to advance the cause of the Triad, and potentially increase their influence within the city.

The Meet

The four runners meet their Johnson David Yang, Grass Sandal of the Eighty-Eights and front of the Triads external interests. After picking up the tab for the table, Mr. Yang explains that a new gang has risen in the Puyallup Barrens, called the Demon Jackals. They are a mixed metahuman gang, reportedly with a few awakened in their ranks. They have not been particularly open with other gangs, preferring fighting over talking. Mr. Yang also explains that he wants to know more about this gang; who they are, what they do, and if they are working for anyone with whom they owe loyalty to. He offers 16k nuyen to do the job, and offers an additional 2k reward if they can arrange a meet with the leader of the gang. The runners all agree to the terms, finish their dinner, and head out to plan their attack.

The Plan

While Tora checks with the locals within her home turf in the Barrens, Skimmer and Harebuck call up their various contacts to see if anybody knows anything about the new gang. Pulse searches the Matrix, finds a couple of reports, the first mention is only a couple months old and fairly obscure references on BBS, around the same time there's reports of people going missing, but there's no obvious connection other than area and timing. A small-time gang got into a scrap and a member reported having their cyber arm taken. Skimmer first speaks with Zigzag, his ghoul cleanup crew with knowledge of organ legging, but turns up a dead end. Tora asks around the area, but normal folk don't appear to have any knowledge of the Jackal's activities. Harebuck tries his street doc assistant Amanda, but she has nothing to offer. Skimmer on a hunch, calls his Hapsum Do Master Nameless, who offers the information that a Troll Adept former student left his tutelage and joined a gang not to long ago, which he recalls as the Demon Jackals. He also mentions that if they have taken up organ legging, it is a new direction for them. Having only the clues of the latest areas the gang has been working out of, the team decides to go fishing and see if they can hook some gangers.

The Run

Entering one of the potential areas, Tora and Skimmer scout out an apartment building that seems to be the most likely suspect for the gangs hideout. Through a window on the second floor of the Apartments, they notice a Troll wearing a biker jacket proudly adorned with the Demon Jackal colors. After being advised of the find, Pulse decides to glide into the Matrix, and see what he can come up with.

Pulse hacks into the commlinks that are in the building, and finds a message thread with one of the gangers and someone called Double Flower. There is a message mentioning a chrysanthemum, with which Tora puts together that it might be the Black Chrysanthemum Triad attempting to get a foothold in Seattle. Searching further, Pulse discovers that the Demon Jackals seem to be harvesting cyberware for the Black Chrysanthemum and are asking about a pickup. Unable to control his overwhelming desire to troll the gang leader on the matrix, Pulse sends a message to the marked commlink, suggesting that the Jackals are thinking about talking to the Eighty-Eights. The troll realizes that something is wrong, as he quickly texts Double Flower that someone has hacked his commlink, and that message was not from him. There is no reply to the commlink, as the true reply is already on it's way via meat space...

As Tora contacts David Yang to let him know about the loyalties and activities of the Demon Jackals, a van pulls up; Pulse sees three figures come out of the van and run into the apartment, however the rest of the team does not see anything. Taking the opportunity to try and hack the car and put a trace on it while the occupants are out. There are sounds of screaming in the apartment, and a few minutes later, Pulse sees four people walking out of the building, carrying a box. They load up the van and quickly peel away, as Pulse decides it is time to hide from GOD and trace the Van's escape. Skimmer goes into the apartment building and finds the Troll member of the Demon Jackals alive in the site of an attack that killed everyone else. Skimmer calls David Yang and asks if he wants to talk to the Troll but he seems uninterested if they can't make an alliance. Skimmer uses a Savior medkit to stabilize the troll wishes him luck, and then leaves the building.

As Tora and Harebuck hear that their is a survivor to deal with, Skimmer calls Zigzag and arranges for the pickup of the dead bodies for the benefit of the ghoul organ legger and his deal to provide "meat" to the ghouls under Glow City. Tora and Harebuck move into the apartment and attempt to help the Troll get to a hospital, but the Troll is terrified by the shadowrunners and refuses to go with them. Harebuck negotiates with the Troll in order to try and get him to let Harebuck look at his wounds and determines that the Troll is stable, but in a bad way. Harebuck lets him know that he needs to make his way to a hospital, the sooner the better. Harebuck calls Amanda and makes a deal to pay 750 nuyen for the cost of care and pickup for the Troll. Before leaving the apartment, Tora attempts to convince the Troll to change his ways by offering up work at the Low Blow Martial Arts School. The Troll seems convinced, albeit terrified by Tora.

Pulse traces the Black Chrysanthemum to the docks near Tacoma, and copies the location data to give to Mr. Yang as Harebuck calls Mr. Yang and requests a meet.

Aftermath

Agreeing to meet at a club, the runners make their way and are brought into a private room. David Yang is already at the meet and greets the runners. David Yang is not happy that the Black Chrysanthemum killed the Jackals and is not sated by the extra information. Yang suggests that the group is gonna take a pay cut, but Harebuck cuts in and tells him that this isn't how the ShadowHaven does business. With a truly impressive negotiation, Harebuck convinces Yang that this is not the way to win allies in the Shadows and the runners are paid the agreed upon 16k for getting the information on the Jackals.

Harebuck gets informed by Amanda that the troll is making a recovery a few days later, and about a week and a half later, Tora sees the Troll come into the Low Blow Martial Arts Studio. She offers him a job, but lets him know that his ganger shenanigans are at an end. The Troll sheepishly agrees, to which Tora grants a rare but genuine smile, secure in the fact that she has saved another soul from the shadows.

Rewards

• 16k nuyen
• 4 Karma
• 2 CDP
• -4 Eighty-Eights Triad Rep

Game Quotes

Tora growls in a truly menacing and terrifying modulated voice: "I'm here to save you, do you want to live or what?"

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Skimmer

"Not entirely comfortable with the outcome of this run. I mean, ultimately, we gave the Johnson everything he asked for, but he still came off all butt hurt that he was unsatisfied with our results. I mean sure, they were basically destroyed and their potential usefulness gone, but that wasn't our fault was it? How were we to know the Black Flower folks were already moving to take them out? I don't know. Still got paid, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I hate it when things go wrong, but did they?"

Harebuck

"I'm not thrilled when shit goes sideways like that. We need to do a better job workin together in the future, so we're all onboard a plan together, not divin' off the edge willy nilly. I'm glad I managed to save our payment, but the fact is any chance I have to work with the 88s or Yang again are burned to ash. That's death for a Face if it goes on enough. I can't be goin' into future meets with Js havin' to overcome this kinda horseshit.