[signal. Beep]
[secure.com.transfer//encrypt/tracescramble]
[relay12324.5]
[click]
“Angel, this is the opportunity you have been looking for!”
“Drummond, how very nice to hear from you…”
“Got a meet Babe. Some quality Biz that marks you and the crew as big time. Meet at this [vid location 232.42 Seattle] 7pm sharp, Mr J and the Principle will be there. Make sure the others are nice, this one has the potential for repeat work. You was asked for by name this time!”
“You are a sweetie, any idea who the Principle is? … Please? You know you want to tell me. You wouldn’t want me walking into the place not dressed for the occasion, now would you?”
“Ok , ok… her name is Natalia, high class suit, that’s all I have! Still waiting on that drink!”
“you couldn’t afford me sweetheart!”
[click]
Work. Real work. The prospect of a decent pay check and a better class of clients. High-class Johnsons! Now that definitely sounded interesting! {smile}.
The Troll rang “got da meet. We doin diz? We meetin up?”
“Club Penumbra 5pm, dress nice.”
“Me always drez nice.”
{sigh}, it would be one of those days. Another argument about dress codes that the Troll wouldn’t understand or care about, another need to cast spells to mask his filthy dishevelled rags… ugh! Still he has his better points. He takes a bullet better than anyone I know!
5pm Club Penumbra
The argument over and the troll being suitably ‘attired’ (even if the smell wasn’t completed masked), We squeezed into a booth and turned on the white noise generator. I never quite get over the eerie silence it generates as it muted sounds from outside the booth to almost nothing.
We quickly discussing the meet, the bar was identified as a Clear Skies bar. A hangout for riggers and pilots and other types interested in aircraft. A decent enough place for the downtown sprawl. Local go gangs was the Crazy 88. No one had a specific contact, but area was better than average. Dress code was essentially just smart casual so street leathers and blouse would do. One item of interest was the dwarf bouncer was considered to be very competent and respected.
Everyone agreed to a low profile for the meet, pistols only and no long blades. Angel knew that wouldn’t stop the muscle in the group trying it on… hopefully they would be a bit sensible.
Clear Skies 7pm
Typical. Swords, shotguns, a snipers rifle. Exactly WHAT did they think this was? The Dwarf looked at each our group with a professional eye. Everyone handed over the heavier stuff. Paid off a couple of Crazy 88 to look after the van, Ewan seems quite taken with me. Maybe that will be useful later!
The bar is a little strange. Still cant work out this interface with the machine. I like to think of it like astral presence, and manipulating astral forms, but it obviously isn’t.
We get shown to a back room. I immediately feel a presence and notice a projecting mage. He calls himself Evans. Nice polite chap, access to the higher mysteries so I couldn’t get much. May be worth looking up.
The principle is wearing a really sharp looking suite, I’m suddenly feeling a little underdressed, its an Arden studio suit. Her handsome body guard is interesting, he is magically masked. She appears normal which means nothing of course!
Natalia introduces herself. She spends some time on pleasantries gauging us. We discuss her suit, she points out a cuff that needs re stitching, (I didn’t like to say, but I absolutely agree that needs sorting out). She doesn’t introduce her bodyguard.
She advises that she knows of our group. We have something she likes. In short, magic. Our magical skills are specifically what is required for this run. It makes us more suitable that other more established groups.
The offer
A simple repatriation of an item stolen from her corporation. It is magical, is well protected and the job falls into two parts.
1. We need to find a pneumonic courier, and obtain the location of the item, plus any data on its movements, security measures or current use. The location of the courier is unknown, but we know where he will be to receive the data at 13:00hrs and that it needs to be at the drop by 17:00hrs. He carries the day in headware memory, it will be heavily encrypted and have counter measures.
2. Once we have the data we will be given the opportunity to secure the item and return it.
The first job pays 20k Nuyen per person if successful. If we can replace the data with false information and perform the extraction without triggering alarms, a bonus of 20k would be available.
The job is acceptable, and the price is set, everyone agrees. I confess that my tendency to negotiate these fees is probably overcome by my trust in Natalia. Anyone wearing an Arden Studio garment has class, and is worthy of respect.
The Plan
We’ve relocated to another bar, a place called Ken’s Place, we find a quiet table and erect our own white noise generator.
The obvious plan is to abduct the courier. With Cats aid, I can probably control his thoughts and force him to voluntarily yield up the data, he wont even know we were there. We will however require Jack Flash to help. This data management stuff is his beef.
The Troll rings Flash but I end up speaking to him. As ever, he dangles useful information like a carrot, we discuss price. Settle on 500 for the dope on the courier, plus his home address, and another 2.5k if the extract is simple, 4.5k if it isn’t. I swear he just likes to argue over price just for the sport of it.
The plan therefore is simple:
1. Track down the courier, get a sense of his astral self so that we can keep track of him.
2. Carry out physical surveillance and astral scrutiny.
3. Ensure he leaves his home and we have the right man. Track him to his office, and then wait for (a) him to contact transport, (b) him to leave in his own transport, or (c) him to leave in some other way.
4. If he contacts transport Jack will intercept it and we will provide a fake transport and work our magic on him whilst in transit, If he takes his own we will need the rigger to cause an accident and then we stop to help. We abduct him and carry out the magical influence. If he leaves in another way we should detect that via the watcher spirts and carry out an abduction as required. Any body guards can be frustrated by a suitably powerful city spirit.
5. Once we have him, Jack can transfer and modify the data, if he resists the spell they we will render him unconscious and extract the data more directly. If we have an hour, I may be able to try again with the thought control to erase his memory of the incident.
6. If it all goes wrong, then a snatch and grab with the unconscious courier is required and a quick getaway. In this circumstance, the summoned city spirt will obscure the van.
Surveillance
11pm Phase 1, we have his address. Astral surveillance during the late evening. The owl shaman and I observe the target. She’s very capable at night, her aura is strong, how very different to daytime… it always amazes me that the nocturnal totems allow themselves that weakness. She find our target and we both study him. The dull blackness of the headware implant is like a sickness in him. A few minutes observation and I have his aura committed to memory. Both Owl and I can summon watcher spirits to keep track of him now.
Very funny troll. Owl is a very attractive woman. If only you knew! Still you will have to pay the price for that jape sometime… and you too metal man rigger.
Time to sleep.
The plan is set, the run will just need a little luck and a lot of diligence…
