Redmond Rodeo Run
| Redmond Rodeo Run | |||||||||
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| Factions Involved | |||||||||
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ShadowHaven Redmond_Rejuvenation_Project | Wild Paracritters | ||||||||
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Limitless Pockets John Galt Metamorphosis |
Devil Rats Bandit Agropelter Shadow Hound | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | ||||||||
Summary
The gang was able to stop the indomitable advance of peak carnivores in Redmond. They also convinced Mint on the ethical dilemmas of running a ranch working with urban Paracritters in Redmond, patrolled only by one of these least responsible gangs in Seattle. A gang, in fact, that revels in chaos. And also that maybe she should reach out to different, less murder-y, channels for revenue. In general, that the financial structure of the RRP is built on a faulty premise fiscally.
Background
Mint had been wanting to provide a steady source of income to the local Talismonger shops, but knew that you couldn't have numerous Talismongers in close proximity without their source of Reagents drying up. Her solution: Lease out some land in Redmond, and bring in harvestable paracritters! Ranches aren't that far off from farms, right? Only, the Paracritters in question tended to have stealth capabilities, or were really good at killing people, or were small. Also, Halloweeners are gangsters, not professional guards. And they don't care about protecting a ranch. And they were probably high. It was just really, really poorly thought through. The animals escaped, Mint was freaking out about the damage they might cause, hiring Shadowrunners ensued.
The Meet
There was...Tension, to say the least, as two distinct foes of the Halloweeners were immediately put off by who she was associated with. It didn't help that her plan was, well, terrible. There's a reason ranches tend to be outside city limits, and not filled with apex predators. Also, they got the distinct impression that she was there as a Corpo trying to "Fix" the Barrens. Not a great first impression. Anyway, she got them the coordinates of the various animal outbreaks--None of them were conveniently close to each-other--And before any more negotiating had been done, Limitless had left to find the creatures.
The Plan
There wasn't really time for a plan, per say, but the general pattern of things was for Limitless to head forward to scout and lay down groundwork, and the gang to come up and provide muscle. Metamorph had the Devil Rats covered, John had a Stun Ball ready, and Pockets was there as backup.
The Run
Limitless pretty quickly found signs of the Shadow Hounds having eaten the Halloweeners. Itself a cause for celebration, made somewhat more concerning by the fact that there were only innocents for them to bite now. Still, she tracked the damn dirty dogs down to a run-down mall, barely functioning, just outside Redmond limits. After the gang grouped up and headed in, they were able to pretty easily catch on to where the Shadow Hounds were when they assensed the aura of Silence in one of the stores. Also the smell of dog piss and generally messed up nature of the store. Limitless ran in and spotted the hounds with Ease, even through their Shadow Blend, and after baiting them into gathering around her, did a sick running flip over them to allow for John to Stun Ball them. First shot didn't work, but second shot did. Huzzah! Pockets called in a contact--Bandido--Who was big on helping animals, and he agreed to take the animals, and maybe release them into the wild if that was what was needed.
With time a-ticking, Limitless tracked down the next set of dangerous critters--Agropelters, trudging through the farms in order to find something big to kill and eat. Knowing she didn't have much time to lose, Limitless sprinted ahead and managed to arrive just in time...To find the Agropelters eating a cow. A nearby farmer was just about ready to jump in, but Limitless managed to scare off the Agropelters before he got involved, and the gang was able to roll up and stun ball these guys, too. By this time, John was feeling a little tuckered out. They ultimately simply tied up the shadow hounds and tossed them into the car, speeding off to their next target--The Bandits.
Pocket made another call to Bandido for advice who, for the record, HATES that shit. He charged 400 Nuyen for the privilege, but agreed to tell Pocket the best ways to lure out Bandits. With the advice amounting to, 'put something shiny and attention grabbing out and hope they get attracted,' the gang set about putting out their car with a bunch of christmas lights on inside and waiting to see if anyone bit. Amazingly, this WORKED, and the critters took an interest after only ten minutes. The initial plan was to let them get in closer and then Stunball them, but unfortunately the first Bandit to arrive ended up being a talented little critter, and almost immediately popped the door open...Just to get tazed by the car.
Limitless full-auto'd one raccoon with Stick-n-Shock rounds, then another. John was able to get off two stun-balls, though only took down one Bandit. Finally, Pockets came in with a Taser and knocked out the last Bandit. After stringing up these guys, the majority of the group headed back to deliver their catches to Bandido, while Metamorph headed to catch the Devil Rats with his own Demon Rat.
Given the Demon Rat could control Devil Rats, this ended rather predictably, and the gang lead the Devil Rats back to their John.
Aftermath
There was a genuine question about how to deal with Mint, here. Half the Runners were of the opinion that she was a Corpo shill looking to make a quick buck, and should frag off to where she came from. The other half saw her as probably just naive, but well-meaning, and maybe thought it was better to see if she'd be amenable to doing things a better way. As it happens, Mint is amenable; she works with the Halloweeners because that's what lets her help, not because she feels some great debt to them. Only thing is, they're realistically the only ones providing financial support and manpower--So if she's going to jump ship, she's going to need more than just ethical concerns. Sure, the Weeners are bad, but inaction is worse and what lead to the Barrens being what they are now. The Runners, seeing the conundrum here, offer contact info to one Messner Vukotic as a potential avenue, and Mint, more than willing to explore alternatives, seems open to the idea of negotiation.
She did ultimately agree the ranching project was a total bust, and to offload the animals. She offered, in the hopes the Runner would buy them wholesale, to sell the Animals to the Runners themselves, but would otherwise likely slaughter them for Reagents or release them into the wild.
Rewards
8 Karma (8 RVP) 10,000 Nuyen (5 Karma) or double that for 18Availability in Animals, Explosives, or Drugs 4 CDP (2 RVP)
Optionals: Mint(3C/2L) 4 RVP Breeze: Natural Athlete(7 RVP)
2 CDP Base
-1 Halloweener Faction Rep +1 RRP Faction Rep
Game Quotes
"These things could actually get a job as a locksmith!" -Dez, arguing that Bandits should be sapient
Player After Action Reports (AARs)
John Galt - If I had a nuyen for every time some drekhead from outside wanted to come in and "fix Redmond"... I could buy another fragging car at this rate. Limitless is a hoot, don't think that chick knows how to not move at a million fraggin' miles an hour. Pockets and Metamorphasis are quieter, but seem like solid folk. Did the job, did well. Can't argue a bit.
Limitless - God, lets hope this damn corpo ain't just another run o' the mill opportunist. I swear to fraggin' god, if that girl starts pullin' shit like a damn murder ranch again, I'm gonna beat her over the head with a sign that says "Stay in your damn lane" until she gets the fucking message. Christ, what a fucking mess. Glad the only deaths were 'weeners, but fuck. God I need a drink...
Pockets - Honestly, I am all for corpo money getting injected into the barrens. Sadly, Mint has been making some big mistakes and now she is in deep with the Halloweeners. She would be in better hands with the Cutters, but we don't do non-profit. I will see if I can find an angle. Can I find a way to clean up Redmond and still turn a profit?