Where is all the ham gone? - Part 2 - Revenge of the Pumpkins
| Where is all the ham gone? - Part 2 - Revenge of the Pumpkins | ||||||||
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| Factions Involved | ||||||||
| ShadowHaven | Halloweeners | Yakuza | ||||||
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Moth Eight-Zero Shonen Couronne Century | ||||||||
Summary
The runners responded to a cry for help with a location attached. This took them to Big Pink Exotic Pet Supply. There were signs of trouble, and that the owner and his son had fled a group of Halloweeners. The runners found the man and his son at his warehouse before the Halloweeners did, and were able to set up to defend. They defeated the Halloweeners and learned that they were working for a Yakuza woman. The runners made sure there would be no more trouble for Mr. Eli and his business.
Background
Mr. Eli Svenson is an honest and kindly old man who sells pet supplies to many Shadowhaven runners, including Crypt3ch.
On 5/31, Mr. Eli had hired runners to recover a shipment of meat stolen by the Halloweeners. See report for details. The Halloweeners stole the ham to impress the Yakuza, who needed it to feed a certain pet.
The Meet
The runners met at Big Pink Exotic Pet Supply. They could see that the door was hanging awkwardly off the hinges. Moth observed a recently painted-over Halloweener tag on the side of the store. Shonen observed with his knowledge of urban combat tactics that it looked like the purpose was to threaten. Some damaged goods and knocked over shelves, but no real indication that anything had actually been stolen. Couronne and Eight-Zero verified from the camera feed that the Halloweeners had come in and made threats, including shooting Mr. Eli with a grazing shot to his shoulder. This violence was only stopped by his son emerging from the back with a shot gun. Mr. Eli and his son fled in their car. The Halloweeners paused to make a phone call, and then left in pursuit. Couronne and Eight-Zero were able to trace Mr. Eli's license plate to a warehouse in an industrial neighborhood. The runners drove to that address with Couronne and Eight-Zero in one car, and Moth, Shonen, and Century in the other.
Moth observed that only Mr. Eli's car was at the warehouse. No sign of Halloweener vehicles. She knew from her knowledge of gangs that the Halloweeners had a safehouse in this area, but not exactly where. Couronne and Eight-Zero explored the matrix and found nothing hostile. Couronne was able to see, with her themographic vision, sign of two life signs huddled at the back of the warehouse. Moth picked the lock on a door so they could head in. Shonen led the way in case there was violence, with Moth close behind. As they approached, Moth spoke gently and soothingly to Mr. Eli and his son, calming them, and assuring that the runners were friends, here to help.
Eight-Zero still watching at the external door noticed a Halloweener car drive by. They were searching the area, and would find the warehouse soon.
The Plan
Mr. Eli's son gave Couronne control of the warehouse host to be its security spider. Eight-Zero used her small unit tactics, combined with Shonen's knowledge of urban combat, to plan an ambush at the most likely entry point. Eight-Zero, Shonen, and Century took positions of cover setting up cross-fire for anyone who entered.
Mr. Eli and his son and Couronne waited in the most secure interior space - the bathroom. Moth guarded the door under the cover of an RPC cloak, ready to make sure no one got past that point, and to inspire the team over DNI.
The team agreed to try to avoid property damage to the warehouse goods as much as they could, while sending a message to the Halloweeners that made it clear they could not attack Mr. Eli again.
Mr. Eli emphasized that what mattered most to him was the safety of him and his son.
The Run
The Halloweeners approached the expected entry point - large warehouse doors to the northwest corner of the building. Eight-Zero, Shonen, and Century held their positions, staying in the stealthy cross-fire ambush. Couronne discovered that there was a decker helping the Halloweeners, using sophisticated equipment, with five Halloweeners slaved to her deck, offering them greater than usual protection against cyber threats to their cyberware. This was the first sign that the Halloweeners were working for someone. Moth gave a rallying speech to the team, ensuring they would act quickly and decisively when they were ready.
Two Halloweeners concentrated on kicking down the warehouse bay door. When they finally got it open, the other three stepped inside into the area of the ambush, brandishing their weapons, clearly planning to cause violence for Mr. Eli and his son. Shonen felt comfortable that attacking them was within his honor code, and sliced one with his katana, wounding him. Century shot one with an incredibly effectively shot between the eyes; one shot, one kill. Eight-Zero proved equally formidable, taking down another with her shot.
The Halloweener Lieutenant, still in the doorway, pulled out a grenade launcher and aimed a frag grenade into the ambush area, threatening to hurt everyone in the combat and do considerable damage to the warehouse goods. Century heroically leaped on the grenade, and proved to be the minotaur for the job, taking the blow like the tank he is, and shrugging off any damage. Shonen finished off the 3rd Halloweener bifurcating him with a deadly katana strike.
Eight-Zero had summoned a machine spirit, to help her shoot so impressively. Her machine spirit took a data spike from the decker who had only been able to detect it so far. Couronne and her agent continued to attack the decker, and finally bricked her deck completely, knocking her unconscious. Century killed the Halloweener Lieutenant with another amazing shot.
The 5th Halloweener decided to make a run for it, terrified.
Shonen moved to the decker's car, verified she was only unconscious, and brought her back inside the warehouse. Century, inspired by another rallying speech from Moth, sprinted after the 5th Halloweener and was able to catch up to her, and talk her into returning to the warehouse, assuring her - sincerely - that she would not be harmed. He took her to the kitchen to help calm her down, while Couronne supplied the Power of Friendship on her.
Moth and Couronne were able to wake the decker with two slap patches. Moth realized that she was yakuza from her tattoos, and began to question her quite persuasively. The yakuza woman revealed that the Halloweeners had offered to steal the ham to impress the Yakuza. When the ham was stolen back, the Yakuza had felt insulted and that it must be addressed. Moth convinced her that it was not going to work out to continue any violence against Mr. Eli, and that the Yakuza would lose face if word got out that an organization as supposedly financially successful as they were had been reduced to stealing ham and taking insult over something so beneath them. The Yakuza woman saw the wisdom of that. They negotiated that she would establish a contract with Mr. Eli as an exclusive pet food supplier to the Yakuza, paying him fairly for his goods, and restoring his lost income, with some additional payment to cover his losses and trauma. Likewise, the Yakuza would pay the runners for their time, sparing Mr. Eli a cost that would undo the economic well-being that had been restored to him, after paying nearly all he had to the runners who helped him on 5/31. Moth helped keep Mr. Eli calm and inspired during the negotiation.
Couronne was sad to return the incredibly expensive bricked deck to the Yakuza woman, but did so graciously.
It was now clear to the remaining Halloweener that the Yakuza were ashamed by their bungled efforts and wanted nothing more to do with them. And Mr. Eli now had the protection of runners and the Yakuza. The runners made sure she understood, and would carry that message back to the Halloweeners.
Shonen followed the Yakuza woman outside for a private conversation, where he offered that his family was looking for work with the Yakuza. He and the woman exchanged contact information.
Meanwhile, Eight-Zero decided to put some pressure on Mr. Eli to still pay them something for their help. With Moth's intervention, he agreed to give them some coupons that he couldn't use, and a discount on pet supplies in the future. Century took the remaining grenades from the Halloweener Lieutenant's corpse.
The job was done. Mr. Eli and his son were safe, and his business was in much better shape than it had been!
Aftermath
The Yakuza have an exclusive pet supply provider to protect.
The Halloweeners learned a lesson, and the meaning of fear.
The runners got paid.
Moth invited them all back to her house for a dinner party, after realizing that the pet supply grade meat was looking good to the hungry Shonen.
Rewards
4 karma
18,000 Nuyen
2 CDP
+1 steak coupon, never expires
+20% off at Big Pink Exotic Pet Supplies
Century only: +5 Fragmentation grenades
Game Quotes
"I am that nice..." ~ Moth whispers back |
Player After Action Reports (AARs)
Moth
Moth here! This was my 25th run. What a great team! Everyone worked well together, and did their best to help protect Mr. Eli and his son. I felt like this job really took advantage of my strengths. Rallying speeches. Persuasive negotiation. Rather keen knowledge of street gangs and syndicate negotiation tactics. I think the folks that don't know me as well were a little surprised by that. But syndicates are my life, as papa's daughter and a made woman for the Laesa. I'm particularly glad we worked so hard to protect and restore Mr. Eli's financial well being. I can't believe Century jumped on that grenade! That was awesome. I can't wait to tell Father Francesco about it. All in all, I totally look forward to working with any of these runners again. They know right from wrong, they stick to the plan, and they are really good at what they do.
Couronne
I thought this was a rather successful run! Although there were quite a few Halloweener deaths, and I couldn't keep that beautiful bricked deck… It was a little backwards that we only met up with the Johnson halfway through the run. It was some pretty cool drek though that he let me be the warehouse host's security spider!
Century
A good start to running with the Haven, if everyone else is as useful as this lot we'll get along just fine. Eight Zero would make a fine CO, reminded me of working under Fabbro in the summer of '64, and I was glad for her direction in establishing an effective killing zone. Remind me next time to use the grenade to add deliberate weathering to my tanks, missed a trick there. Don't blame Couronne for being a little irritato about not being allowed to keep the deck, those fraggers are expensive. Signorina Falena and Shonen both did a very good job as well.