The Dragon Sleeps Tonight
| The Dragon Sleeps Tonight | ||||||||||
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| Part of Meatgrinder | ||||||||||
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| Factions Involved | ||||||||||
| ShadowHaven | Amazonian Guerillas | Aztechnology | ||||||||
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Blackhawk Fennec Katherine Tyler Swerve |
Darío Patrícia Santiago Xapiri Thëpë Tribals |
Black Ops Goons Blood Panthers Eduardo de la Cruz Xicena | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||||||||
| Black Ops Goons x3, Blood Panther | ||||||||||
Summary
In which the runners are sent to Amazonia to prevent potential diplomatic incidents with Argentina, and end up helping to precipitate one instead.
Background
After the Aztlan-Amazonian War and the "death" of Surrig at the hands of Aztechnology forces, several groups of hold-outs in the jungle loyal to the great dragon decided to continue their campaign against the megacorp in his name, fighting a years-long guerilla war against Aztech forces crossing over into the jungle from neighboring countries. One such group, lead by a pair of Surrig's drakes named Darío and Santiago, have been occupying Iguaçu Falls under the patronage of a western dragon named Boiuna who himself served Surrig - Boiuna allows the drakes, along with a small force of guerilla soldiers and jungle tribes-people loyal to them, to use the falls (and the potent dragon line they sit on) as a base of operations in order to secure the place of power and prospect the valuable Awakened crystals there while he pursues his own agenda elsewhere.
Unfortunately, Iguaçu Falls lies right on the boarder with Argentina, a corporate state under the dominion of Aztechnology - the megacorp has been using this boarder as an infiltration point into Amazonia in order to conduct black operations and geomancy the site of power in their favor. Following the events of Sangre Por Sangre, the feathered serpent Xicena was sent south in order to assist with these efforts. Xicena however has her own agenda: retrieve a powerful artifact-level athame called the Heart of the Jaguar from the hands of Darío and Santiago, who stole the weapon from a group of Blood Panthers during the war. By recovering it, she hopes to restore some of her lost status within the corporation.
With all of this activity, fighting between the opposing forces was inevitable. The resulting brush fire incidents have forced Hualpa to send his diplomatic envoy (a drake named Patrícia Silva) to meet with the guerillas and discuss terms. However, Patrícia (who greatly admired Surrig's conviction) finds that she has a lot in common with the guerillas and their allies (the tribal Xapiri Thëpë elves), and has nursed a desire to gain some measure of freedom from her great dragon overlord for some time. After learning that the projected numbers of Xapiri Thëpë (believed to be under 10,000) fall far short of their actual numbers - and that they can be a potent ally against Aztechnology which Hualpa has been content to leave to their own devices - she decides her talents can be best put to use as a liaison with the tribes and throws in with the guerillas.
All of this brings us to the mysterious Johnson of the run, who is very interested in maintaining stability in the region. Regardless of whether she has been kidnapped or willingly joined the cause (the J isn't sure one way or the other on this point) Patrícia's presence among the guerilla forces has the potential to imply a tacit support for the group's strikes against Aztechnology (which could potentially provide a casus belli for Argentina to invade Amazonia). She decides to a group of runners to return the errant drake to Hualpa and stymie the rebel forces in the area.
The Meet
The Johnson arranges to meet with the runners in her booth on the eighth level of Dante's Inferno, sending passes to their fixers to be passed along along with instructions to be discrete. Kate, Fennec and Swerve are sent to the roof to wait in line (where they manage to charm their way past the bouncer, with Swerve successfully concealing her banshee-ness), while Blackhawk (being a distinctive and unsociable Infected changling) is sent to a discrete street-level entrance where his pass allows him inside. Kate and Fennec party their way to the lower levels, while Swerve (being a veteran nightclub staff member) simply attempts to look like she belongs and is waved through; meeting up with their fourth, the crew locate their Johnson's booth and are allowed inside past the privacy shell.
Once the white noise generators are activated and the Faraday cage engaged, the J explains the details of the situation (detailed above) and what she needs of them - recover Patrícia (or her body, if she is already deceased when they arrive) and return her to Metropole. She promises forty thousand nuyen if they are able to accomplish this task, as well as additional incentives if they're able to sufficiently hamper the guerilla activity in the area in order to allow the boarder tensions to cool down. The crew agree to the task, and are provided with plane tickets on a cargo flight into São Paulo - they'll have to make it the rest of the way to Iguaçu Falls on their own. When the team look away, the J has vanished without a trace, leaving only the still-smoldering stub of a cigarette behind.
The Plan
Knowing that they're heading into a particularly dangerous situation, the team plan for the worst - Kate contacts Jet Set to arrange a potential extraction, paying the VTOL pilot to be on standby in Buenos Aires for a few days awaiting their call to run the boarder and pull them out. She also gets ahold of her Huk contacts in Metropole, trading one of her many cool weapon trophies in order to make sure that there's a suitable river boat waiting for them in São Paulo so that they can navigate their way to the falls via the jungle waterways. Meanwhile, Fennec hits the grids with a few T6 Matrix searches, digging up everything she can regarding the situation on the ground from both legitimate and less-than-legitimate (read: conspiracy theory boards) - this searching reveals rumors of incursions by Aztechnology commandos into Amazonian territory via the Argentine boarder, along with chatter about the shifting of the powerful dragon line in the region.
The trip down south proves to be mostly uneventful, save for the fact that it's spent inside of a cargo container with a pair of vampires (who mostly spend their time glaring at one-another, with Kate and Fennec unsuccessfully attempting to break the ice between them). In São Paulo, Kate trades one of her many weapon foci to the local Huk in exchange for the boat keys while the rest of the crew load up on provisions for the trip into the jungle (thankfully the vampires brought a cooler of blood). With Kate at the helm, they're able to navigate their way down the coast towards the Iguaçu river, glimpsing spectacular wildlife like pink river dolphins and a huge flock of colorful birds on their way to the falls. En-route, the team discuss their strategy, which mostly boils down to "scope the situation out and then decide what to do from there."
At night, while passing by an ancient ziggurat that peaks above the jungle treeline, Swerve and Blackhawk notice a distinct change in the background mana, which appears to be aspected to the Aztech tradition - they surmise that the ziggurat is the source, noting that the course of the dragon line they're following appears to bend towards it like a magnet and speculating that geomancy is responsible. They are right. Unbeknownst to them, they are spotted via ley sight ritual by Xicena, who recognizes Kate at the helm of the boat and sets out to confront her.
The feathered serpent makes a show of her appearance to the group, using her animal control power so that she has a flock of tropical birds attending her when she flies over the treeline. The rest of the group attempt to hide below deck, but Xicena is aware of their presence and demands everyone show themselves. Greeting Kate coldly (since the street samurai was partially responsible for her reassignment due to the events of Sangre Por Sangre), she demands to know what the runners are up to in the area. Seeing no way to lie to the dragon who could presumably simply read her mind if she were so inclined, and not wanting to start a fight by trying to do so, Kate admits that they were sent to investigate the guerilla activity in the area. Sensing an opportunity to use the runners as her pawns, Xicena tells them of the Heart of the Jaguar and demands that Kate and Co. recover it from their hands before taking her leave.
The Run
Once they arrive in the basin containing the falls, the team anchor the boat in a shallow inlet and begin the trek through the jungle along the cliffs towards their destination. Their inexperience with jungle conditions quickly starts to show through as everyone sweats profusely in their armor and fatigue starts to take its tole, with the vampires suffering immensely from the highly elevated background count of the place of power; Swerve and Fennec end up passing out, requiring the group to stop and rest while they recuperate. During this time they notice that they're being watched from the trees by camouflaged elves (the Twisted Hairs Xapiri Thëpë tribe, who heard their inexpert approach and came to investigate). Realizing that they're surrounded (and that nobody knows the Yanomanni language), they raise their hands and call for parlay in Aztlanter Spanish - thankfully one of the tribals understands, however they immediately accuse the group of being Aztechnology spies. Taking point with the facing Kate and Fennec manage to convince them otherwise, and the group agree to be taken to one of the guerilla leaders to discuss things further.
Escorted by the Xapiri Thëpë, the group are brought to a cliffside overlook near the falls where they meet a troll calling himself Santiago - while assensing is rather difficult in the midst of the mana line, Blackhawk and Swerve are able to identify him as a drake. Santiago proves to be cordial and friendly enough, though he echoes the suspicion that the group are working with Aztechnology. Lying that they have had no contact with any Azzies, they tell Santiago that they're here looking for Patricia, and just came to talk; not being a face, he admits that Patricia is better at talking, but insists that they be revealed of their weapons if they wish to enter the guerilla base. Reluctantly agreeing to this, Santiago disarms everyone before leading them into to a cavern behind a waterfall.
Inside the caverns, they find rock faces lined with ulmanite, an awakened material which glows in the presence of mana - the ley line causes it to illuminate the interior with an array of vibrant colours. Santiago brings the runners to Diago, the leader of the rebels (and wielder of the Heart of the Jaguar), who tells them that Patricia is here of her own volition and consents to let them speak to her in order to confirm this. Wary of treachery, the drakes prepare in case the runners take violent action to extract Patricia, but this proves to be unnecessary - the run-away feathered serpent drake proves to be rather convincing, telling the team of the natives' plight and that Aztechnology has indeed been making incursions across the boarder. She says that there are many times more Xapiri Thëpë then the census figures would indicate hiding in the jungle and using sites of power like this one to conceal themselves, and that they could be a potent ally against the aggression of the megacorp - thus she feels her talents are best utilized with the guerillas, and urges the runners to allow her to stay and carry her plea for aid back to Hualpa.
At something of an impasse, the team discuss the situation over comms, noting the difficulty in extracting an unwitting Patricia - they contemplate leaving and returning at night with their weapons, but several members of the party express their sympathies for the rebels' situation. However even if they were willing to abandon their mission, there's still the matter of the Heart of the Jaguar to consider, as a hit to their reputations is one thing while the wrath of an angry dragon is quite another. The team speak to Diago and admit they're a team of runners who came looking for Patricia, but have no desire to take her back - however they need his stolen Azzie artifact, and are willing to do whatever it takes to get it. With some help from Patricia, they're able to convince the reluctant Diago to part with the spear in exchange for actionable intel against the megacorp's forces in the region. Blackhawk and Kate elect to stay with the rebels while the more socially-inclined members of the party return up-river to parlay with the feathered serpent and attempt to come to an agreement. While the street sam and the vamp chat about life, the fox and the banshee pilot their boat with the current of the ley line back to where they met Xicena.
The feathered serpent is at first incised that they've not only returned empty-handed, but that Kate has elected not to face her - the faces are able to placate her however by explaining the magnitude of the situation, telling her that they doubt they will be able to steal the Heart of the Jaguar but that an exchange of information may potentially help avoid the need for violence here. Xicena is clearly angry with Kate's actions leading her to be stuck down in South America instead of back in Aztlan, so Swerve and Fennec tell her of the shitstorm that's brewing and that they can ensure she's far away when it hits the fan if she's willing to provide them with useful intel for the guerillas. Playing on the feathered serpent's past sympathies for these types and her desire to leave the current situation as soon as possible, they're able to convince her to disclose information regarding one of the zigurrats which Aztechnology has been using to redirect the ley lines. Xicena reveals the existence of a hidden entrance which should allow them to sneak into the quarters of the security coordinator there (Eduardo de la Cruz, a hated rival in the corp who she hopes to see take the blame for all of this) and steal data on the movements of the Aztech troops in the area. Warning them not to betray her and to return with the Heart of the Jaguar post-haste, the dragon leaves them to their task.
Reuniting at the falls, the runners make their way under cover of darkness to the coordinates Xicena gave them, coming to a stone steppe pyramid near the river's edge - the vamps note how the astral eddies seem drawn to it, along with the flow of the water. With Blackhawk leading the infiltrators and Swerve turning them all invisible, they use the passage Xicena told them about (pressing on a certain brick on the second level to reveal a secret door leading inside) to make their way inside, using the hidden escape tunnel to make their way to the security coordinator's office unseen and unheard by the Azzies within. Kate, with some remote assistance from Fennec and her tailtip sprites, is able to tap into the wired network and access his terminal, copying every map and personal file she's able to get her digital hands on before slipping away unnoticed by both the intrusion countermeasures and de la Cruz himself.
Unfortunately, on their way back to the boat anchored nearby the crew encounter a patrol of Azzie troops who have come across it first and are currently ransacking it - acting quickly, Blackhawk gets into a sniping position while Kate draws them out onto deck. A short exchange of bullets and grenades ensues between the combatants, with Kate nearly shot in the head and Blackhawk almost blown up by the commandos. A regenerating Blood Panther proves to be rather difficult to put down for good, and once more Kate is glad of her carrier status as she's covered in ghoul blood for what seems like the umpteenth time in her career, but the runners are able to come out on top without damaging the boat and quickly make their way away from the ziggurat and back to the falls.
Aftermath
The recovered intel on Aztechnology's movements and security tactics proves to be valuable enough to convince Diago to exchange the Heart of the Jaguar for it, with Patricia giving the runners a recorded message to bring back to Hualpa's people in Metropole along with an address where it can be dropped off. Reconvening with Xicena upriver, Kate hands over the spear and thus avoids being eaten by a dragon for another day; the feathered serpent takes the spear and flies away, deciding to settle the score with her when there isn't a sniper with a big gun nearby. Fennec also makes sure to covertly send copies of the intel Aztechnology's movements to the DGSE via Colonel Berger, since she has a bomb in her head and would very much like to curry as much favor as possible with them as a result.
Returning to Metropole, they anonymously drop Patricia's message into the mailbox of a government building then call their Johnson and report that they were unsuccessful in recovering the drake. She is none-too-pleased with this outcome, as it will mean a continued escalation of tensions in the region, and thus not only forgoes payment to the team but also places a black mark on the runner's records.
Rewards
(1.8x duration modifier)
12 karma
42 CDP
2 notoriety (refusing to finish a job + knowingly working for a dragon)
For Blackhawk:
Optional Quality: Will to Live @ chargen price
For Kate:
Optional Quality: Catlike @ chargen price
For Fennec and Swerve:
Optional Quality: Honest Face @ chargen price
+1 chip on Colonel Berger (for Fennec, for the intel)
Narrative Consequences:
-The guerillas gain valuable intel on Aztechnology's black ops within Amazonia for their ongoing campaign against the megacorp's forces.
-Patrícia stays in the jungle with the guerillas, sending information on the situation and a plea for aid back to Hualpa with the runners.
-Xicena takes the Heart of the Jaguar back to her superiors in Aztlan, regaining some of her lost standing; she will remember the runners assistance, however her enmity towards Kate remains.
-Regional conflict with Argentina is averted for now, but increased activity against Aztechnology will lead to further brushfires on the boarder for the mysterious Johnson to put out - more work for SH!