A Change of Mind

A Change of Mind
Date 2082-05-25 GM Archtmag Location Tacoma, Seattle Status Threat Level: Medium
Factions Involved
ShadowHaven Aztechnology	Ares Macrotechnology
Milliam Pell Prince Gerisa Potato	Golden Sand Retreats
Casualties and losses
	Nate Longton

Summary

The runners extract an Ares negotiator, letting Aztechnology plunder his head for secrets.

Background

After the fallout of recent events in the Salish Shidhe Council, Ares is near certain to achieve their goal of securing territory in tribal lands for their own use. Aztechnology, still dearly wanting the site in question, hasn't quite let go of it yet. While they perhaps can't acquire it, yet, they can certainly act to make Ares's victory a bit less total. With intel on the location of a senior member of Ares's negotiating team, Maria Tejedor was tasked to find and hire a group of runners to extract him. With the negotiator in hand, there would be many ways to turn him to Aztechnology's side.

The Meet

The runners are invited to a mid level italian restaurant in Downtown, Lucianos. Maria, already sitting and eating, invited the rest to join her, meals sitting on the table. Trust in the food was mixed, especially after it was revealed she worked for Aztechnology. Potato ate quite well though.

Maria explained to the runners that the negotiator, Nate Longton, had been determined to be in a luxury getaway named Golden Sands Retreat, a group of cottages by the seaside in southwestern Tacoma. Tasking the runners to extract the man, ideally without detection, the runners were given an initial offer of 14k each for the job. Negotiating for another 2000, the J quickly and eagerly agreed, perhaps a sign that they could have negotiated for more.

The Plan

Driving towards Tacoma, hoping to scout out the cottages and perhaps quickly pick up the target, the team found something disconcerting. Rather than a cluster of cottages by the beach, they were faced with a thick and tall hedge wall, with a Knight Errant staffed checkpoint to enter. Pell summoned a spirit to scout the compound from the air, managing to avoid the astral sight of forces on the ground. Inside, while containing an array of luxury cottages as promised, they found that the grounds were crawling with KE security, with dog patrols, cameras, and boats patrolling the waters. Tasked with infiltrating a gilded prison than a getaway, the job had become more complicated.

Gerisa, wanting a different perspective, contacted Hanako Shinoda. Hanako, a powerful Shiawase seer, offered to look into the future for the promise of information. Agreeing, Gerisa told Hanako what she knew of the job, receiving in turn, a prophecy.

The third door, pain, anguish and fear. A silver tongue bound to rest. A heart of gold sheltered in stone, tainted red by the blood of man.

Unnerved and confused by the dark phrasing, the spent a fair bit of time trying to piece meaning together. The most that they felt they could maybe trust that the third door maybe meant the third cottage, either from the left or right. Fearing that their guess could be wrong, reasonably, they decided to do more prep before entering the compound.

A camera was placed on top of a nearby building, one elevated enough to provide a view of the area. While letting that observe, the team backed off to prep disguises, build bombs, wait for nightfall, and just generally prepare.

The Run

After observing for hours through the camera, the target was positively ID'd, walking out of the 3rd cottage on the left, as he walked the beach and returned inside. Deciding to move forward, the team met again near the compound. Pell summoned a very powerful spirit, its powers concealing Milliam and Dumas from view. The spirit carried her inside, dodging the hidden barbed wire, letting Milliam begin to sneak towards the target's cottage. With the magical cloak dimming the perceptions of those around her, she easily made it there, heading around to the back door, looking for the man inside.

As she approached the door, Milliam realized she had a problem in front of her. There was a maglock on the door and she didn't know how to open those. Thinking for a moment, Milliam decided to start knocking on the door. After knocking for a bit, she realized that she was effectively silent because of the spirit. Getting it to cancel the effect, she went back to knocking. Eventually, the target was roused from sleep and he moved towards the door, looking out the window towards Milliam. Confused and bedraggled, the negotiator stared out in complete shock at the satyr outside. Milliam's lack of reason to be here eventually sunk in though, and he began to stumble away towards a panic room.

Milliam kicked the door down, allowing Dumas to easily secure the target. Unfortunately, it also set off a loud and blaring alarm, alerting the entire compound. Milliam, quickly running over, grabbed the negotiator and sprinted out of the compound, recovered by the spirit's protection. Milliam ran to the edge with extreme speed, easily escaping with the target, before the security even managed to get near the cottage.

Getting ferried back over the wall, Milliam headed to the getaway car. Potato exploded a bomb she placed near a wall, because she wanted to, creating a large and very obvious explosion. Thankfully, they still managed to escape, even with the swarming police, led by the rest of the team which was performing overwatch.

Aftermath

The team crossed districts, heading to a meet with the J. Arriving at a vacant parking lot, Maria waited with a van and a team, ready to quickly "process" the unfortunate man. While not the ideal outcome, she was satisfied enough and paid the team, taking away the negotiator to an uncertain fate.

While the runners still don't know the aims of Aztechnology or Ares, as they push and pull against each other, the runner's actions here alerted a third party, Shiawase, to the proceedings. Perhaps that will have consequences.

Rewards

16k Nuyen (8 RVP) (32k in Cyberware Betaware or lower, Gives Records on File: Aztechnology)

5 karma (5 RVP)

2 CDP

Optional Contact: Maria Tejedor as 3/1 (3 RVP subtracted from other rewards)

Shiawase gained information

Game Quotes

The third door, pain, anguish and fear. A silver tongue bound to rest. A heart of gold sheltered in stone, tainted red by the blood of man.

Player After Action Reports (AARs)

Pell

Well, that went reasonably smoothly. Certainly felt like we've overplanned a tad bit. The aftermath of this might be concerning, though.

Prince

So being a smuggler turned out well. We did things, I didn't know a Satyr could move that quickly. But she yoinked that old guy pretty well and Potato set those charges and blew a hole in the wall. We got out after I guided them past the wall of incoming cops. I'm still very sure that we could have managed to get in as janitors/the help and blasted anyone if things went directly to hell. However any run with no rounds fired, and mostly done from several hundred meters away with one explosion and one mishap with our B&E being more from the woods than I am went well.