Needle in a Haystack
| Needle in a Haystack | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Factions Involved | |||||||||
| ShadowHaven | Vengeful Murderer | ||||||||
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Aishar Ophidia Exodus The Librarian | Kiana Yel'nai | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| None | Being Investigated now | ||||||||
Summary
A plot of jealousy, superiority, manipulation, and vengeance leads to many losing their lives. An officer of the law finds her office insufficient, and must put aside her grievances with her prey to bring about justice for her flesh and blood.
Background
Hammerhead Industries: An Ares Subsidiary that has its own pocket of engineering teams to handle smaller, but highly profitable projects. Low risk, high reward crapshoots and an easy place to hide money in by putting it towards a pet project and out of the hands of any courts looking too closely. Their latest project was production of a new line of surveillance drones for military operation, and it was going to be headed by a growing team of awakened and mundane engineers. Unfortunately, in-fighting between the team's leading figures for the position of project manager lead to a string of unfortunate accidents.
Kiana Yel'nai knew she was better than Yulia Prekhov. She knew she was the better speaker. The better engineer. The better leader. The better person. But Yulia was the more shameless of the two. That was the only reason she could see for not getting the position. She knew Yulia would fire her over the spats they kept having over the position. So she quit first. She was going to get her back for it one way or another. 6 months of hard work later and...hah, well, no one was the wiser when this reckless, shameless bitch was too much of an idiot and OD'd with a new friend over. Her neighbor Vance wouldn't be seeing it anytime soon either. And no one knew that creep well anyways. It was perfect.
Maria, the lil worthless brownnoser, was supposed to be next. But something lit a fire in Kiana's heart: They got some two-bit fresh blood right out of university to replace her.
They thought this fucking worthless mundane bitch could replace her?
No.
No she couldn't. She could never compete with her.
She was so easy to fool. So easy to lure away, to trick. To kill. She couldn't have been too smart.
...Lt. Gabriella Monroe heard the news the day after. She wanted to lead a case against it but...this was an awful look for the force. Someone breaks into a high security corporate building, then gets a girl alone and kills her, and there's nothing they can find to identify her? No. best keep it under wraps. Better for PR that way.
She wouldn't stand for it. She'd rather make a deal with the Devil.
...after a fashion, that's exactly what she did.
The Meet
The meet took place in an old, run down, hole-in-the-wall bar that Regina used to love. It was quiet. Comfortable. Good for exchanging secrets. The runners trickled in one by one, and when everyone was settled in the Lt. put down a white noise generator and got to work. She gave them the situation, and the mission: find evidence of who killed her sister so she could make a case over it and force the higher ups to press charges against someone. No one was to die here tonight, she still had her morals. it was 10k a head for the info. Ophidia and Exodus were fine with it, but The Librarian urged Aishar to press for some kind of escrow or materials just in case. And, due to his genuine sympathy, Monroe agreed. She gave a list of her suspects, and The Librarian immediately got to work as she gave her contact info and the vow to bring them an autopsy report so they could handle the investigation. With no desire to associate with them further and not wanting to linger with the pain, Monroe made her way out.
The Plan
The Librarian immediately made deep dives into the three listed suspects to dig up information on them all, as the rest of the team headed to the police department to get a look at the body and find out more about the actual death itself with Ophidia's crucial necromancy. Once they established a profile on the three suspects, they would hone in on the primary suspect and build a case around the Whispers of the Grave, then look for actual evidence to support their findings.
The Run
Ophidia's ritual revealed that the murder was done by someone female whom drugged the girl in an alleyway and then killed her with a taser fist spell. She seemed happy at the time, intoxicated but enjoying her night out with someone she clearly admired and felt a romantic attraction towards. So a female whom she trusted, was in a relationship with, went out drinking with, and could use magic. Of the three suspects (Kevin McCroy, Maria Rosewood, and Ned O'Bar) only one was awakened and able to cast spells: Maria Rosewood. Whereas Ned was another team member and Kevin was not on the same engineering team as the other three, Maria was Acting Project Manager, and clearly seemed to have been someone receptive to a young girl's advances and a fan of partying.
But when Aishar and Exodus were actually looking into her though? She was a sobbing mess. She and Regina (Regi as she called her) were partners. Romantic Partners. She received the news of her death the next day as part of the initial investigation into the whole mess. She was devastated. Furthermore, she was at a meeting when Regina went out for drinks with...someone. And she was heading home when the murder occurred. So it wasn't her. But she did give the runners more ID on the workplace drama that was happening, specifically about the in fighting between the Elf and the Dryad. The team did a search on Kiana and, though she seemed to hide herself as an aware, she was known by others in more secreted places to be a mystic adept. There was their alternative.
Exodus and The Librarian worked together to infiltrate Kiana's apartment the next morning, finding evidence of toxins that could have been used for the murder along with spell formulae which an aware would not have any reason for and a number of drugs of all kinds which, of course, would absolutely be able to overdose someone. She also had illegal connections to shadow community suppliers and took careful notes on the victims. There was their perp. For a quick second check, Exodus and Ophidia went back to the scene of the crime so they could find any trace evidence and build the scene. That was all they needed to give Gabriella her shot.
Aftermath
The group meet up with the Lieutenant again later that second day at the same bar. She's...not happy, to get news back, but determined to see this through. They give her what evidence they have, and the reassurance that, at the very least, Regina did die happy: drunk with love for her sister and the woman of her dreams. And her death was painless. Though it was a cold comfort, it was something.
Now, Gabriella is working to more thoroughly investigate Kiana Yel'nai, and keep her from hurting anyone else. She's confident she at least has the right person. Now all she has to do is gather what's left and bring the hammer down.
One way or another.
Rewards
Rewards for "Needle in a Haystack" 15 RVP
10k Nuyen (5 RVP)
6 karma (6 RVP)
10 CDP (4 RVP + 2 CDP Base)
Game Quotes
Player After Action Reports (AARs)
Aishar: It's nice to for once move through legal means! A shadowrun without a single illegal action committed...ok, that was definetly breaking and entering, but that's a fine at worst
P.S. Using this slot to tag Arcane Eye as it was a run where they got namedropped
Ophidia: It's a pleasure to work with a solid, well rounded team. I suspect we'll be meeting one another in the future. I hope so anyway. I need to check out Arcane Eye PI.
Exodus: Vengeance like that... it's not pretty. So arbitrary, too... what the culprit suffered is nothing compared to what she inflicted. Glad we could solve it without too much violence, at least, though that doesn't erase the crime. It just has to be accepted, I guess. A shame. Though... I do hope Juli doesn't... no. She wouldn't.