Zone de Réseautage
| Zone de Réseautage | ||||||||||
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| Part of Rad Wars 2084 | ||||||||||
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| Factions Involved | ||||||||||
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ShadowHaven Argyle Decoy-5 Guillaume Henri Ménard | MET-2000 | Disciples of the Cleansing Fire | ||||||||
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Astrid Eidolon Fennec Jane Excalibur Red Rain |
SOX Guards SOX Patrols |
Toxic Shaman Twisted Adept | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||||||||
| Toxic Shaman x1, Twisted Adeptx1 | ||||||||||
Summary
In which the runners are tasked by a hacker with planting a device to provide remote access to the SOX OffNet.
Background
In the SOX, Aetherlink has set up a wired Matrix grid called the OffNet where many of the secure facilities in the exclusion zone store valuable data on the experiments conducted at various black sites there. A hacker from The Helix called Kaleidoscope has heard rumors of the kinds of premium paydata to be had, however they have no desire to go into the SOX to find a jackpoint, having read that dissonance pools can form in areas with strong concentrations of toxic mana. Knowing that there is a spy from Saeder-Krupp (of whom Aetherlink is a subsidiary) on the Helix and not wanting to risk posting the job for runners there, and having had run-ins with people from ShadowHaven before (see: Escape From Tomorrowland, Kaleidoscopic Dreams, À Longueur D'avance), Kaleidoscope decides to hire a Seattle crew to get the job done.
The Meet
Mrs. Johnson (aka. Kaleidoscope) contacts the runners via their fixers and arranges a meeting at E-Wasted in the Haven's host. Rezzing in and paying for the group's simsense drinks, their prospective employer tells them that they need a suitcase-sized device (which is essentially a suped-up data tap with some signal boosters and "extra code") planted in the SOX and connected to Aetherlink's wired OfFNet, which is rumored to run between the secure facilities within the exclusion zone and hold many valuable corporate secrets. Unfortunately they don't know the exact location of the jackpoints which provide access to the network, so the runners will need to find that out for themselves and ensure that the device remains connected and intact for the 30 or so minutes that they plan to be inside pilfering paydata (after which it will self-destruct). They also send a private message to the two technomancers in the group (having identified them by their living personas) with a paper written by Renraku research scientists discussing the manifestation of dissonance anomalies on the SOX Matrix corresponding to high levels of toxic mana, warning them to stay safe out there. The group accept the job, though they attempt to negotiate for higher payment and hazard pay - Kaleidoscope declines to increase the offer, though they do say that if the group manages to obtain footage from the ongoing Rad Wars that they would be willing to pay for it, and that if they're successful they will give those who are interested a recommendation to the Helix.
The Plan
Left to their own devices by their J without an operating budget or an easy way into the SOX, the group is left with the choice to either hire smugglers to get them inside or else register as mercenaries with one of the Rad Wars teams. Fennec, already signed up with N-51, suggests joining the UCAS team, though the rest of the group are uninterested in such a prospect; thus does the Matrix fox seek out a furlough to Paris in order to be able to meet up with the rest of the group, though this places a hard 3 day time limit on their job. In lieu of joining the Rad Wars, Astrid suggests the Charognards, who Red Rain is able to network with through her smuggler contacts. As well, she contacts Alexandria and tells her about both the localized SOX Matrix and the wired network, offering her access to both in exchange for her help with scouting out the unfamiliar grid and keeping an eye out for online hazards (the AI readily agrees to this), along with Bellerophon to network with a local guide named Decoy-5 who can show them around the blasted landscape SOX and help avoid danger from toxic paracritters.
After kitting up, the group (sans Fennec) board Red Rain's VTOL for a trip across the Atlantic, brushing up on their French on the way there - while waiting for them to arrive, Fennec enjoys her vacation from the tour of duty and stocks up on supplies with which to bribe both the MET-2000 patrols (mostly contraband and luxuries such as cigarettes and chocolate) and the local tribals (basic supplies such as fresh water, medical kits and iodine tablets). Arriving well outside of Paris and the eyes of Marianne, the team pick up their technomancer and head to Nancy, where a rep from the Charognards - Henri Ménard - waits for them at a bar there. While Eidolon and Red Rain guard the VTOL, the rest of the team negotiate for passage into the SOX, with Ménard accepting a thousand nuyen per head in exchange for telling them of a spot along the boarder wall where the automated sensors are defective and a t-bird can make ingress. Jane also picks up Kaleidoscope's device at a dead drop in the city, opening the briefcase to find some signal boosting equipment and a modded control console with a powerful courier sprite inside it.
The Run
Once her craft is loaded up with the team, their gear and the supplies, Red Rain prepares to run the boarder, singing (badly) along with her Asamando pop tunes to center herself while she pilots the VTOL on a stealth course to the spot along the Charognards smuggling route; thankfully her skills are up to snuff, and the plane's signature masking manages to defeat MET-2000's faulty radar scanners. Inside the SOX, she contacts Alexandria to give her access to a local device so that the AI can search out the grids for interesting bits of information (though the wireless section turns out to be largely bare save for the Rad Wars combatants and warnings of radioactive hot spots) then heads to the coordinates to rendezvous with Decoy-5. Their guide shows them a safe place to stash the VTOL where it won't be spotted out from the air, then leads them in the direction of a nearby tribal village where they can search for someone who knows where they can find an OffNet jackpoint.
Thanks to the presence of a local, the team manage not to get lost in the radioactive wasteland - the heavy metal deposits play havoc with their compasses and the static interferes with their GPS, but Decoy-5 knows the way like the back of his hand and is motivated by the generous payment from Red Rain. Arriving in the village, they find it in the clutches of a MasterBlaster-type warlord with whom they are hesitant to make any sort of deal, wary both of being double-crossed and of their supplies going into the hands of a petty tyrant. Instead Astrid, being familiar with the lingo of the SOX tribals, seeks out an alternate leadership figure named Guillaume who proves to be a good degree more friendly and altruistic - in exchange for bumping off the current leadership so that he can take over the settlement, and for a generous donation of much-needed supplies, Guillaume agrees to put the group in touch with some "carnie" (ghouls) who are technically-minded and who likely know where to find the jackpoint.
Eidolon manages to snipe MasterBlaster without much trouble, and while Astrid sleeps off some nasty drain and Red Rain goes to do some tune-ups on her VTOL he, Fennec and Jane decide to take a detour to peep at what's going on with the Rad Wars. Within a few kilometers of the village is the edge of the operations zone, where an engagement between MCT and Renraku is taking place. The trio manage to get close enough to observe (and surreptitiously film) the use of prototype plasma weapons by MCT's side, the results of which are both impressive and unlikely to be broadcast via pay-per-view. Satisfied with what they've collected (though he's eager to try and snag some plasma weapons, Eidolon contents himself with some broken pieces of prototype equipment to bring back to Hextech for study), they begin to head back to the village.
Only to run into a duo from the Disciples of Cleansing Fire, a toxic cult in the area - a woman dressed in missionary-style robes and a dot of glowing uranium paint on her forehead, along with a man in an antlered headdress with a staff carved in the shape of a dragon's head. The two are friendly - overly friendly - and are insistent that the trio of travelers take off their helmets to enjoy the air. Unwilling to expose themselves to the radioactive environment, they stall for time until Astrid is able to reach their position and assist with ambushing the dangerous duo; working together, they're able to defeat the pair, though Eidolon takes a nasty wound from the radioactive staff. Jane, recognizing the similarity to iconography of Feuerschwinge and getting the idea to take it to the Draco Foundation via her contact Adowa "Moria" Webster, retrieves the staff and the team return to the village to recuperate for the night before setting out again in the morning.
With Decoy-5's guidance and Guillaume's directions, the team make their way towards a mine shaft where a group of ghouls are known to live - en-route, Alexandria pings them to warn of a disturbance on the Matrix which seems to accompany a large rad-storm heading for their position. Red Rain, driving a Jeep lent to them by the villagers, manages to avoid its direct path by taking a wide birth through some rough territory, while Fennec and Jane notice the signs of dissonance within the static storm that trails after the radioactive clouds. Near the mine, the team are spotted by a MET-2000 patrol, however Astrid has dealt with them before and manages to initiate negotiations, offering the squad of soldiers a substantial bribe in contraband in exchange for forgetting that they ever saw them. The mage is successful in convincing them that it would be easier to take the supplies and avoid any trouble, and everyone parts ways happy.
Finally they come to the mine shaft, where they are met by Argyle and a trio of ghouls armed with well-maintained weapons. Red Rain's presence helps to mollify them to the presence of outsiders, while Astrid and Fennec tag-team the negotiations, offering them supplies in exchange for the location of the jackpoint and access to it. Argyle takes the provisions and leads them to a false rock face which conceals the access port for the OffNet, allowing them to plug their device into it and monitor its progress. Calling their employer to tell them that they're good to go, and that they have an AI willing to tag along for a hacking session, they proceed wait for the all-clear signal; neither Fennec nor Jane are tempted to go poking around for paydata, and thankfully they don't run into any more trouble. Once the hackers are safely out and the device self-destructs, they thank Argyle for the aid and head to the VTOL to exit the SOX - all except Astrid, who decides to stay for a while to seek out her tribe.
Aftermath
Dropping Fennec off to be shuttled back to the N-51 camp, the group return to Seattle and find notifications from Kaleidoscope that the promised money has been deposited into their accounts - plus the value of the Rad Wars footage. The purloined paydata makes its way onto the Helix in the coming weeks, along with several new members accounts. Amrei Veidt sees some interesting footage and secret research data from MCT and hatches a plot against the rival corp which is continued in Contrôle d'Accès.
Rewards
26,000 nuyen (13 RVP)
7 karma (7 RVP)
14 CDP (6 RVP + 2 base)
+2 SOX Tribals reputation
Optional Gear Rewards: Electronics/Matrix Stuff and Foci/Magical Stuff
Optional Quality: Prime Datahaven Membership (The Helix) @ chargen price
Optional Quality: Rad Tolerant @ chargen price
Optional Contact: Argyle (C2/L2 Ghoul Tribal Leader), Decoy-5 (C2/L2 SOX Guide), Guillaume (C3/L3 SOX Village Leader), Henri Ménard (C2/L2 Charognards Smuggler)
For Eidolon:
Optional Quality: Prototype Materials @ chargen price
+ 1 chip on Hextech (for bringing her broken future-tech parts to analyze)
For Astrid and Fennec:
Optional Quality: First Impression @ chargen price
For Jane Excalibur:
Optional Quality: Silence is Golden @ chargen price
For Red Rain:
Optional Quality: Catlike @ chargen price
+1 chip on Alexandria (for giving her temporary access to the OffNet)
Player After Action Reports (AARs)
Astrid : Back at home, at long last...It felt weird at first, feeling that i wasn't attune to the local mana sphere anymore and how bad it felt to be attune to it...Yet i'm happy to be here again met so many interesting people even if...Argyle was scary. Need to find my tribe now !