You have just entered room "Chat 34440049831074683530."
Thematrian1: working now?
MilesMk1: You weren't kidding about the connection...
CirclMastr has left the room.
Umbrafer: Testing again
Umbrafer: Hmm...
Umbrafer: Well, everyone here alive and soforth?
MilesMk1: Sure. I'm still on vacation...
Umbrafer: How was your vacation, by the by?
Thematrian1: (how is?)
Umbrafer: (How will have your vacation been?)
Umbrafer: (Er)
Umbrafer: (How will your vacation have been?)
MilesMk1: (It went well. Saw a lot of interesting stuff, did some shooting, learned what Hush Puppies are, aside from footwear...)
Umbrafer: You didn't know?
CirclMastr has entered the room.
Umbrafer: Tasty things, they are
CirclMastr: ...God this is ugly
MilesMk1: (Nope. The waitress in the place I found out at (on the border of North Carolina and Virginia) was shocked I didn't.)
CirclMastr: ?
MilesMk1: (She also seemed unsure where exactly Poland was, when she asked where I was from that I didn't know this.)
MilesMk1: (Hush Puppies)
Umbrafer: (Well then, I suppose you cancel out.)
Umbrafer: (I bet hush puppies taste better than Poland, though)
Umbrafer: (Poland's flag is, I must admit, nicer)
CirclMastr: (So....)
MilesMk1: (Now that we all seem to be stable, for the moment, anyway...)
Thematrian1: When we left our heroes.
Thematrian1: They were scattered hither and yon.
Thematrian1: Hither being Las Vegas, yon being some gang territory in the Noose.
Umbrafer: Especially if you count Adam.
MilesMk1: Is Adam coming back, eventually?
Thematrian1: I do hope so.
MilesMk1: Las Vegas? Hmm... Weren't the girls in LA? Is Shojo taking advantage of having Martha alone? ;-)
CirclMastr: Oh yes, Seiler couldn't wait to get me alone for some hot lesbian cybering ;-)
Umbrafer: Any move-by-wire involved?
Thematrian1: er...yeah
Umbrafer: So Blake and I were tailing some gangers in a beat-up van, tracking them six ways from Sunday
Thematrian1: Uh huh. Watching them sleep, watching them wake up, watching them wander from place to place.
Umbrafer: They look cute when they're asleep. Like those silhouettes at firing ranges.
MilesMk1: I don't know... Now that I have a pet ganger, I don't know if I'll be able to shoot them.
Umbrafer: Hm. These guys friends of your guy?
Thematrian1: (Ex friends, as he told it)
MilesMk1: (Some of the guys who beat the shit out of him, I think. Or friends of theirs.)
MilesMk1: (I'm kidding about that, BTW.)
Umbrafer: (Hehehe)
Umbrafer: So we're following and following and following.
MilesMk1: (Althogh I won't enjoy it... After seeing how scared they are of sams, it's kind of hard to get any satisfaction out of beating up on them.)
Umbrafer: Meanwhile, Alex is occasionally reciting basic Russian grammar to herself.
Umbrafer: (It's true.)
MilesMk1: Blake is playing with a remote control deck and reading the manual (if Alex gave him one like she planned)
Umbrafer: (Yep, she handed you the spare back. She was keeping it in her bag while in the bar as the backup plan, but you've got it now)
Thematrian1: So: following van guys. They're heading to the address that you have for the ex-UCAS operative.
Umbrafer: "Feel free to play around with the spider a bit. It takes some getting used to, but is probably easier than the other stuff."
Umbrafer: "The LDSD's more forgiving; you can try it later."
MilesMk1: "Hmm... Harder to crash, you mean, since it doesn't fly?"
Thematrian1: (Three times in a row, I read 'LDSD' without the first 'D')
MilesMk1: *smiles*
Umbrafer: (No flying the LDSD on LSD!)
Umbrafer: (I think he did a bit too much LDS during the '60s.)
Thematrian1: They pull up in front of an old warehouse. Boarded up windows &c.
Thematrian1: The leader human and his Ork get out and enter. The others remain in the van.
MilesMk1: (How many total? Do we have an idea what armor they were wearing? Since I wasn't here...)
Umbrafer: Kimji up and over to above the building, same with the Schattenauge. Do I have an opportunity to get a sensor lock on the leader, or do I still have that one?
Thematrian1: you still have it
Thematrian1: (There were nine in all; it's crowded in there)
Thematrian1: (armor ranges from "none" to "secure jacket")
MilesMk1: So for now, we're just watching to see what they do, or do we plan to get involved...?
Thematrian1: The leader is near the center inside, the Ork is just inside the door.
Umbrafer: I'm going to try to find out as much as I can; is this the location where Mr Big Wig was staying?
MilesMk1: *Loads one predator with APDS, another one with Gel, loads AK-98 with EX rounds and IPE offensive grenades, loads silenced Browning MP with regular rounds*
Thematrian1: It isn't, actually; it's almost exactly on the way.
Umbrafer: (You sure you aren't forgetting some guns there? ;-) )
MilesMk1: Hmm...
MilesMk1: That was a "Hmm" about something else, but now that you mention it...
MilesMk1: (I have three more in the van, you know. ;-))
Umbrafer: (We're going to have to get another van to carry your guns.)
MilesMk1: GM, is this by any chance the warehouse I was told about?
Umbrafer: (And my missiles.)
MilesMk1: "Jonah mentioned another warehouse his "friends" were watching for someone, BTW - supposedly worth something... I was going to tell you guys about it when all this shit happened."
Umbrafer: "This is probably the place. Wonder what they're doing in there..."
Umbrafer: Any place the Kimji can get in?
MilesMk1: "Actually, I don't think it is, from what I remember... Maybe we'll still get a shot at it."
Thematrian1: Sending the Kimji around to scout, right?
Umbrafer: Yep
Thematrian1: There's a broken window high on the far side, that the Kimji's ears fit through easily
Umbrafer: "Meep" *Flyflyfly*
Thematrian1: (Meep?)
Umbrafer: What does it look like inside? All one big room, or something else?
Umbrafer: (Kimji sounds)
Thematrian1: The warehouse itself is one big room: a maze of assorted boxes
MilesMk1: (We found the Ark of the Covenant!)
Umbrafer: Kimji's going to fly through, keeping high, looking for the leader.
Thematrian1: Leader and some Troll you don't recognize are holed up in a shallow opening, talking.
Umbrafer: Anyone else visible, and any good places to sit close enough to listen without being noticed?
Thematrian1: Yes. The place is a maze.
Thematrian1: (Answer to the first question is also yes, but none nearby)
Umbrafer: What do they look like?
Thematrian1: (Big, strong humans and orks. Mostly they're lounging, or carrying things from one place to another. Four in all)
Umbrafer: Can I identify what's being carried? (Also making my way towards the Troll and Leader, with subtlety being the prime consideration)
Thematrian1: Boxes. Beyond that, roll to perceive.
*OnlineHost*: Umbrafer rolled 7 6-sided dice: 2 5 1 1 6 2 3
*OnlineHost*: Umbrafer rolled 1 6-sided die: 2
Umbrafer: Less than impressive
Thematrian1: The box you picked to examine contains some sort of explosive, you think.
Umbrafer: Hmm...
Umbrafer: Going down to listen to conversation. Keeping the closest route to the top of a stack of boxes in mind.
Thematrian1: Right now, they're discussing an Urban Brawl game they both saw.
Thematrian1: In gripping detail.
Umbrafer: Same one as was being discussed last week?
Thematrian1: No
MilesMk1: (Urban Brawl... Hmm, perhaps it's time to think of safer career options...)
Umbrafer: Hm. Anything of particular note about the game?
Thematrian1: It was an upset.
Thematrian1: And some players were injured, but that's not "of particular note" so much as "routine and expected".
Umbrafer: *Relays to Blake, otherwise waits*
Thematrian1: An hour passes. They move on to other historical Urban Brawl games.
MilesMk1: "Were they talking like this before? Sounds like some kind of code..."
Umbrafer: "That's what I was thinking."
Umbrafer: Recording some of it, just in case.
Thematrian1: All right.
Umbrafer: Incidentally, Blake was the one listening to them talk about it before
MilesMk1: *Listens to the tape, tries to see if there's any kind of pattern he can pick up on.*
Thematrian1: roll intelligence
*OnlineHost*: MilesMk1 rolled 6 6-sided dice: 3 6 6 2 3 5
*OnlineHost*: MilesMk1 rolled 2 6-sided dice: 5 6
*OnlineHost*: MilesMk1 rolled 1 6-sided die: 2
Umbrafer: Woo!
Umbrafer: Blake! Blake! Blake!
MilesMk1: Yay.
Thematrian1: You listen carefully, and soon you're convinced.
MilesMk1: 14,11,5
Thematrian1: They really are just talking about Urban Brawl.
MilesMk1: Doh.
Umbrafer: Aww.
MilesMk1: "These are either some really smart gangers, or they
MilesMk1: 're really talking this much about Urban Fucking Brawl..."
Umbrafer: "Combat biking's better, though they won't use real vehicles."
Thematrian1: Another half-hour passes. The time is now 6:45
MilesMk1: *Starts to pass time trying to learn to make maglock pass-keys using his electronics kit*
MilesMk1: *Whil still listening for any info Alex relays*
Thematrian1: At last:
Thematrian1: "So, I'm planning a party."
Umbrafer: (Just a check: people have been moving boxes the whole time?)
Thematrian1: (Yes)
Thematrian1: "And you need some food."
Thematrian1: "Right. Something that'll make us pop."
Thematrian1: "I got just the thing..."
Umbrafer: Staying ready to book straight up if he reaches for the Kimji.
Umbrafer: Also considering the nearest route to the Shattergraves, just in case.
MilesMk1: (What are Shattergraves, and why the route there?)
Thematrian1: The warehouse guy ambles off through the boxes, bellowing for "LEROY!"
Umbrafer: They're the destroyed part of Chicago that resulted from the Sears Tower being toppled in much the same way one would fell a tree.
Umbrafer: It nearly causes a second Chicago Fire in 2039. The area never gets rebuilt, and IIRC there are some nasty things there. In 2061, the Sears Tower reappears for a time.
Umbrafer: During that time, some people go exploring inside, and fall to death or serious injury when it vanishes a short time later.
Umbrafer: That bit, of course, hasn't happened yet.
MilesMk1: (And we want to go there to... hide, if something goes wrong?)
Umbrafer: (Basically)
MilesMk1: (Hmm... On an unrelated note, what book is the Kimji from?)
Umbrafer: (It was created using Rigger 3 vehicle creation rules. The idea comes from the Battle Angel manga.)
Umbrafer: Going to keep an eye on Warehouse Troll to the degree that I can
MilesMk1: (Never read the manga, saw the anime... it was really good, IIRC.)
Thematrian1: (So I've been told)
Umbrafer: (Indeed it was. Manga's even better)
CirclMastr: (Everyone's seen more anime than me)
Thematrian1: (Not me)
MilesMk1: "Hey, Shojo, do you think we're safe enough here to do a phone call? Maybe Ed knows something about this troll dealer..."
Thematrian1: Shojo isn't here.
Umbrafer: (Shojo's in Vegas)
Thematrian1: She's in Las Vegas.
CirclMastr: (Yeah, where the heck have you been?)
MilesMk1: Doh... Meant Alex.
Thematrian1: Having found what he was looking for in a large crate, the troll dealer slings it under one arm and heads back to Mr. Leader.
Umbrafer: "I don't see any EW gear... got any encryption?'
MilesMk1: "No... Well, it's not all that urgent, I'll call him later."
Umbrafer: "Can you email him?"
MilesMk1: "Probably..."
MilesMk1: (Is that something you can do from a pocket secretary?)
Thematrian1: Yeah, I'd assume so.
Umbrafer: (Even if not, we've got a deck in the van)
MilesMk1: *E-mails Ed to ask him about a Troll arms dealer running explosives from this location.*
Thematrian1: "These'll make any party pop."
Thematrian1: They begin to haggle.
Umbrafer: Going to t4ry to get a look at what they're haggling over.
Umbrafer: *try
*OnlineHost*: Umbrafer rolled 7 6-sided dice: 6 6 3 6 2 2 2
*OnlineHost*: Umbrafer rolled 3 6-sided dice: 5 1 4
Umbrafer: 11, 10, 7, 3, 2, 2, 2
Thematrian1: There are several items in the container.
Thematrian1: A grenade launcher, many grenades, and some explosive ammunition.
Umbrafer: Oooh. Can I identify the type of launcher?
Thematrian1: No
Umbrafer: Ah well. Snapping some pictures.
MilesMk1: "Perhaps I should e-mail those as attachments..."
Umbrafer: "If you want." *Shunts them over to him*
MilesMk1: *E-mails* (on the off-chance this yields some interesting info)
Thematrian1: They settle on a price at 7:41. 1200 nuyen
MilesMk1: "Hmm... Couldn't have been anything very exciting, then..."
Umbrafer: For "many" grenades?
MilesMk1: "Probably."
Umbrafer: And the launcher>
Umbrafer: 8?
Umbrafer: *?
Thematrian1: Many, no exact count. More than 8.
Thematrian1: Indeed, it's an excellent price.
Umbrafer: Lots?
Thematrian1: Even unto that.
Umbrafer: "He just bought a grenade launcher and lots grenades for •1200. More than four-four, even."
Thematrian1: (We reverting to rabbitspeak?)
Thematrian1: (Heh)
Umbrafer: I scan for truffles.
MilesMk1: (More than four-four?)
Thematrian1: (You find none)
Umbrafer: Ah well. Back to watching.
Thematrian1: (Rabbits in the game Bunnies and Burrows can't count above four, except for a rare few with great mathematical ability)
Thematrian1: (They can count four-one, four-two, four-three, four-four, LOTS)
MilesMk1: (Is that based on how many fingers thay have on their front paws, or something?)
Thematrian1: (How many paws, actually)
MilesMk1: (Ah.)
Thematrian1: Leader scoops up the crate, and with OrkBuddy he returns to his van
Umbrafer: Flying up toward the exit as he leaves, taking a look at all below, and trying to get a good picture of Mr. Troll's face.
Thematrian1: The van gets into gear, and off it goes.
Thematrian1: Easily done
Umbrafer: Follow follow follow, after marking the location on a map or somesuch.
Thematrian1: This time, the van stops three blocks from a run-down apartment complex.
Thematrian1: It sits there.
Umbrafer: The target location, or no?
Thematrian1: The complex is the target location.
Thematrian1: 8pm arrives unless you act
Umbrafer: "Anything you want to do here?"
Umbrafer: I'm going to prep the LDSD for launch.
MilesMk1: "Other than watch, and see what happens? Can't think of anything that wouldn't involved a lot of unnecessary risk..."
Umbrafer: The spider is going to crawl onto the LDSD, which is then going to head for the rooftops.
Umbrafer: Watching and waiting.
Thematrian1: at 8:04, it's dark enough, and the whole nine-person gang piles out of the van
Umbrafer: Kimji coming in under cover of darkness. Thankfully it's quite cool; you said the only meta was the Ork?
Thematrian1: Yep
Thematrian1: And he's not watching the sk
Thematrian1: y
MilesMk1: *Gets into costume*
Umbrafer: Following them relatively closely, staying somewhat above.
MilesMk1: (Of course, the one time I'll actually be prepared for a war, nothing is going to happen. Except maybe a traffic stop, and wouldn't that be interesting...)
CirclMastr has left the room.
MilesMk1: ?
Thematrian1: He said he'll be back
Thematrian1: They approach the door and try to open it. It's locked.
Thematrian1: They go into a short huddle
Umbrafer: Can anything hear what they're saying?
Thematrian1: Yeah. There are two factions: the blow the door open faction and the break a window faction.
MilesMk1: (BTW, at this point, I have on my full armor, including hood, webbing for multiple pistols, magazines and two grenades, and carrying an AK with a grenade launcher.)
CirclMastr has entered the room.
Umbrafer: What are the gangers carrying?
MilesMk1: (Less than I am probably...)
Thematrian1: And how
Thematrian1: Typically a pistol and a melee weapon each
Thematrian1: OrkBuddy has the launcher
MilesMk1: (Oh, and I'm wearing stun gloves...)
Umbrafer: All in all, the break the window idea seems better. The pick the lock idea would be best, but so it goes...
Umbrafer: I will not, however, volunteer this information to them.
Thematrian1: hehe
Thematrian1: Finally the gangers cross the street and hide behind a rusted-out mailbox
Thematrian1: Or, you know, try to
Thematrian1: eight guys, one mailbox
Umbrafer: *Peers around, completely unable to see them*
Umbrafer: Where'd the ninth guy go?
Thematrian1: Guy nine is Mr. Leader
Thematrian1: He walks up to the door and rings the buzzer.
Thematrian1: "Who is it?"
Umbrafer: Rising up a bit further with the Kimji.
Thematrian1: "mrblmazlemph"
Umbrafer: Eh-wha?
Thematrian1: That's what he said
CirclMastr: (He Rule of One'd his Fast Talk! heh)
Thematrian1: "I'm sorry?"
Thematrian1: ::more insistently:: "Mzphlmrghr!"
MilesMk1: "God, this hurts to watch... Makes me want to knock some sense into them and start training my own competent gang. We'd rule the Noose. Ah, the prestige... Heh."
Thematrian1: (Hey, you've already got one)
Umbrafer: (Gotta catch 'em all!)
Thematrian1: Astonishingly, this plan does not work.
Thematrian1: Leader sighs, removes a grenade from a jacket pocket, places it gently at the door, and runs like hell.
Umbrafer: Rising up further and getting over the roof for cover, if possible.
Thematrian1: ::whump::
MilesMk1: "Do you have anything watching for someone leaving the back way?"
MilesMk1: "'Cause they don't."
Umbrafer: "Taking care of it."
Umbrafer: Moving the Schattenauge over to cover the rear
Thematrian1: No security alarm. Once the shrapnel settles, the nine charge for the ex-doorway.
Umbrafer: LDSD slides out a little, covering the front doorway. Kimji following them down to the door. Van moving closer to the building.
Thematrian1: There are two fire escapes, but both are on the far wall so it's easy to watch both at once.
Thematrian1: A window on the third story opens.
Thematrian1: A man jumps through, grabs the fire escape railing, and pelts down the steps.
Umbrafer: "Man running from rear. Fire escape, third floor."
MilesMk1: "Throw it up on the monitors?"
Umbrafer: *Does so*
Umbrafer: LDSD deploys rifle, slides over to cover him.
MilesMk1: *Looks at guy to see if he matches the ex-UCAS bigshots description*
Thematrian1: He does.
MilesMk1: "And, what, no shooting yet? No escort? The hell is he doing out on the street alone? This is just getting weirder and weirder..."
Thematrian1: Speaking of shooting, you hear some from inside.
MilesMk1: Wkat kind?
Thematrian1: Explosive bullets, probably into something hard rather than flesh.
Umbrafer: "Going to grab the Wig, or do we sit and watch?"
Umbrafer: Schattenauge is going to get a sensor lock on him.
*OnlineHost*: Umbrafer rolled 6 6-sided dice: 5 3 2 1 6 2
*OnlineHost*: Umbrafer rolled 1 6-sided die: 1
MilesMk1: "Hmm... Perhaps we should play good samaritans and offer him a ride?" *grins*
Thematrian1: You've locked him.
Thematrian1: He hits the street, and pauses a moment.
Umbrafer: "I'm up for that." *Driving towards his location*
Umbrafer: What is he doing?
MilesMk1: "Are you hoping to grab him for our usual questioning, or were you thinking we should handle him with kid gloves?"
Thematrian1: He makes his decision, draws a gun, and starts climbing the fire escape agian.
MilesMk1: "Because my usual method of getting them into the van isn't all that conducive to having the..."
MilesMk1: "Huh."
CirclMastr: ("Damnit, I forgot my contacts!!")
Umbrafer: "Weird."
MilesMk1: *Watches for any signs of reflex enhancement*
Thematrian1: He's fishing around in his jacket for something else as he climbs.
Thematrian1: His movements are unnaturally sure and precise. Some high level of Boosted, if you had to guess.
MilesMk1: "I'm betting he's going back to torch the room, now that he realized they're amateurs taking forever shooting at the door..."
Umbrafer: "Maybe."
Umbrafer: Where's the Kimji and what is it seeing?
MilesMk1: "Because if this guy can take them all out, this'll get interesting."
Thematrian1: The Kimji is still over the roof, seeing not much, IIRc
Thematrian1: From inside the building: crash, bang, shoot shoot shoot, scream.
MilesMk1: (I thought the Kimji was going to follow through the door...)
MilesMk1: (or down to the door, anyway)
Umbrafer: (It was folllowing the gangers in, yes)
Thematrian1: (Oh, balls, so it was)
Umbrafer: (Staying out of sight)
Thematrian1: Correction: the Kimji sees the gangers bust down a door, shoot a man inside, then leave and break down another door two doors down.
MilesMk1: (All this on the first floor? Heh...)
Umbrafer: Interesting. What did the man look like?
Thematrian1: (Argh. Make that climb two flights of stairs, bust down a door, &c)
Umbrafer: Guy came out of the third floor?
Thematrian1: Yep
Umbrafer: Kimji's going to leave the gangers to their incompetence and head for the place where the guy came from/is going to
MilesMk1: (If they live through this, we can amuse ourselves by sending them snapshots of their work, and watch them scramble.)
Thematrian1: He found what he was looking for. Even in the dark you can tell that it's a grenade. He activates it, holds it for a long moment, and lobs it into the room that the gangers just burst into, which was also the room he fled.
Umbrafer: Ah yes, I am taking periodic snapshots. Incidentally, if I'm in that room I book.
CirclMastr: (Why is the rabbit unafraid? Because he's smarter than the fox)
MilesMk1: (Is that another Bunnies and Burrows quote?)
MilesMk1: (I'm going to have to send you guys a link to the "Peter Rabbit and the SS Death's Head Division)
Thematrian1: There are screams of terror and pain
Thematrian1: (Yes, please do)
Thematrian1: Some bullets are fired through the window. They hit air.
Umbrafer: What does the bigwig look like?
Umbrafer: Also, are there any verifiable casualties yet?
MilesMk1: (http://www.metrowargamers.com/articles/Peter/peter_1.htm)
MilesMk1: *Waits to hurt people if necessary, and watched the screeens in the meantime*
Umbrafer: (Remember to kill the ending parenthesis when using the URL)
Thematrian1: They fire back and forth. Three or four confirmed kills, then opMan leaps up the fire escape, past his window, to the fourth floor.
Umbrafer: Kimji's following him on up. I'm jumped in, in case I need to make a dodge test.
Thematrian1: He doesn't seem to have noticed the Kimji yet
Umbrafer: Trying to keep it that way, but following him.
MilesMk1: What gun is he using?
Thematrian1: You don't recognize it.
Umbrafer: What is he doing now?
Thematrian1: He's reached the roof, and is looking down at his window.
Thematrian1: One of the gangers pokes his head out, and loses it.
Umbrafer: I'm moving the Schattenauge a little bit away to keep the bigwig from bumping into it.
Thematrian1: He then sits back, and pants.
MilesMk1: (The guy, not the ganger?)
Umbrafer: Kimji fluttering around behind him, resisting the urge to land on his shoulder.
Thematrian1: (Yeah, the guy. The ganger hangs out the window)
Thematrian1: He looks around him
Umbrafer: *Staying out of field of vision*
Thematrian1: The gangers exit the apartment complex.
Thematrian1: Well
Thematrian1: four of them do
Thematrian1: no sign of the other five, except for the one hanging out the window
Thematrian1: The guy on the roof has removed a NutriBar from his jacket, and is chewing it.
MilesMk1: "Cocky bastard,"
MilesMk1: "What are we doing about him?"
Umbrafer: "Maybe he's hungry."
Umbrafer: "Maybe we could ask him for a bite of the NutriBar..."
MilesMk1: "Hehe."
MilesMk1: "Seriously, though... Do we grab him, or go up and introduce ourselves? Well, myself, anyway."
Umbrafer: "Introductions, I think, are warranted. We just need to make sure we don't suffer unneccessary ventilation."
MilesMk1: What is the guy doing now?
Thematrian1: He finishes the NutriBar.
Thematrian1: He peeks over the four sides of the roof from time to time.
Thematrian1: The gangers are in their van, though it hasn't gone anywhere yet.
Umbrafer: How tall is the building?
MilesMk1: "Hmm... Maybe it'll be easier to talk to the guy is we get the gangers to leave..."
MilesMk1: (if we)
Thematrian1: four stories
Umbrafer: What's that in meters, about twelve?
MilesMk1: "At this point, I think pulling up along side them, opening the door, and saying 'leave' wtih the AK in my hand ought to do it, if they have any sense..."
Thematrian1: yeah
Umbrafer: *Deploys the MMG* "That what we're doing?
Umbrafer: (Keep in mind that they've seen you before)
MilesMk1: "Well, I don't think he's coming down until they leave, you have a lock on him, and we don't want them getting under-foot..."
Umbrafer: *Drives up to them, screeching to a halt next to it, and training the MMG on the driver's-side window*
MilesMk1: *Opens door, does the same thing with AK-98* (If allowed to open door...)
Thematrian1: OrkBuddy peers through the window
Umbrafer: (If they don't take the hint, go for it. We'll give them a few seconds to figure it out on their own)
MilesMk1: (I have my hood on, BTW... Hopefully all they see is a gun.)
MilesMk1: "Fuck off. Now."
Umbrafer: (True)
Thematrian1: His eyes widen. HE absorbs the message. He floors it.
Umbrafer: Did Leaderguy bite it?
Thematrian1: He wasn't among the four.
Umbrafer: Ah well. I liked OrkBuddy better anyway.
MilesMk1: "I think this is the part where I go in and have a chat with him."
Umbrafer: "Sounds good. I've got him covered if need be."
Umbrafer: Going to use the LDSD to get a sensor lock on the guy
*OnlineHost*: Umbrafer rolled 1 6-sided die: 2
Umbrafer: Eww. Again at +2?
Thematrian1: Go for it
*OnlineHost*: Umbrafer rolled 1 6-sided die: 3
MilesMk1: "Should I try to bring him back to the van, or do we handle this upstairs? Is having him in the van even a consideration, from your POV?"
Umbrafer: Bah.
Umbrafer: "Find out what he wants before letting him see anything. Other than that, we can keep it low-key."
MilesMk1: *Waits for an answer, then jumps out of the van, goes in, and heads for the thrid floor, watching for a warning from Alex*
Thematrian1: He's still on the roof.
Thematrian1: Yo ureach the third floor without incident.
Thematrian1: There are two blown-open doors.
MilesMk1: (quietly)
Thematrian1: Ok. Roll Stealth
MilesMk1: #He still up on the roof?#
Umbrafer: The kimji is going to rise up a decent amount
Umbrafer: #He's there.#
MilesMk1: (I was saying it quietly, but I will try to keep stealthy...)
*OnlineHost*: MilesMk1 rolled 4 6-sided dice: 4 4 6 4
*OnlineHost*: MilesMk1 rolled 1 6-sided die: 3
MilesMk1: 9
Thematrian1: Mmm, ghostlike
Umbrafer: 35 meters sounds like a good final value.
Umbrafer: Then keeping ready to nail him with either spotlight.
Thematrian1: Where are you going, beyond the third floor?
MilesMk1: Are there any stairways with roof access?
Thematrian1: The interior one doesn't; you remember from the dronecam that the fire escapes do
Umbrafer: If he raises the pistol when Blake is getting up there, I hit him with both spotlights.
MilesMk1: *Into the room with all the corpses, then up to the window*
Thematrian1: He's sitting facing the street, so his back is to you.
MilesMk1: *Out into the fire escape*
MilesMk1: (onto)
Thematrian1: Still Stealthing it up?
MilesMk1: Yeah.
Umbrafer: Moving so that if the spotlight comes on it will be shining into his eyes.
MilesMk1: Roll? Or do you roll this one?
Thematrian1: Roll
*OnlineHost*: MilesMk1 rolled 4 6-sided dice: 6 5 5 4
*OnlineHost*: MilesMk1 rolled 1 6-sided die: 1
MilesMk1: 7
MilesMk1: Bah.
Thematrian1: He turns, raising his pistol
Umbrafer: Bam.
Thematrian1: The spotlight hits him; you see him snarl as he tries to dive out of the way.
Umbrafer: *Wishes she had helicopter noisemakers*
MilesMk1: (Do I hear noise and movement)
Thematrian1: Only his
Umbrafer: Keeping the spotlight trained on him, moving around. Trying to herd him towards the center of the roof, if possible.
MilesMk1: *moves up the fire escape, but doesn't stick his head above roof level*
MilesMk1: Still trying to be quiet.
*OnlineHost*: MilesMk1 rolled 4 6-sided dice: 5 2 5 6
*OnlineHost*: MilesMk1 rolled 1 6-sided die: 4
Thematrian1: He shields his eyes with one hand, trains his pistol on the source of the spotlight.
Thematrian1: "Turn it off."
Umbrafer: *Turns off the visible-spectrum spotlight, leaving the IR spotlight on*
Thematrian1: He blinks, rubs his eyes, and sits, facing the fire escapes.
Umbrafer: (He looks human, right?)
Thematrian1: His hand is still on the gun, but he's not pointing it anywhere.
Thematrian1: Yep
Umbrafer: *Nods*
MilesMk1: (Do you tell me what he does?)
Umbrafer: (I relay this, yeah)
Umbrafer: #Looks like he's safe. Well-lit for you, though.#
MilesMk1: "I'd like to come up on to the roof and talk to you, if you don't mind."
MilesMk1: "Assuming you wouldn't prefer to come down."
Thematrian1: "Go ahead."
Thematrian1: The voice is deep and gravelly, though the man is slight.
MilesMk1: #Got him in your sights, right?# (subvocalized)
Umbrafer: *Training the LDSD's rifle on him with three Take Aim actions (and no or low vis mods, thankfully)*
Umbrafer: #If he goes for you, he's going down.#
MilesMk1: *Slowly puts his AK on the edge of the roof (in such a way that it's obvious I'm not grasping the grip, or pointing it at him, then quickly climbs over.*
Thematrian1: No reaction.
CirclMastr: (He blasts you with magic. Game over.)
Thematrian1: (Heh)
Thematrian1: Still holding the pistol, but not pointing it at you.
MilesMk1: "Word is, you've been asking a lot of questions around town."
Thematrian1: "Yes."
MilesMk1: (I figure if I win initiative, I have enough time to quick draw one of mine, if I don't, it doesn't matter if I'm holding one...)
MilesMk1: "And then disappeared, for no apparent reason... And now, frankly, you seem to be in some sort of difficulty. Judging by the hurt you could have been in if those idiots were smart enough to put one guy with a rifle..."
MilesMk1: "...hidden in the back alley."
Umbrafer: (And if he beats me in initiative, let alone surprise...)
Thematrian1: "Desperate times."
CirclMastr: (Then Shojo and Martha will live happily ever after?)
Umbrafer: (Keep in mind that he'd still have to find the van and get through five points of vehicle armor.)
Thematrian1: "So why did you come to find me?"
MilesMk1: (He'd need to kill me in one initiative pass, getting through 8 points of armor and a combat pool of 10, first.)
Umbrafer: (And he'd have 9M and 9S, the latter with -5 to TN including smartlink, to deal with after that)
CirclMastr: (He's an NPC and thus played by the GM, he can do both)
Umbrafer: (By the same token, an orbital cow can drop through the hotel and kill Shojo.)
Thematrian1: (I'd use otters, but yeah)
CirclMastr: (Damn)
CirclMastr: (...Pervert)
Umbrafer: (Prevert)
MilesMk1: "My friends and I interested in what you were asking about. Finding you... Well, this turned out to be the easiest way to do it."
MilesMk1: "Perhaps we can help each other out in some way."
Thematrian1: "I didn't think you had anything to do with them..."
Thematrian1: "But I'm trying to find people willing to do a job for me.
Umbrafer: (Good gods no, you're insulting our professionalism.)
Umbrafer: (That applied to the former, of course)
MilesMk1: (Waits for any kind of reaction from Alex)
Thematrian1: "I'm looking for a man. Haitan, Dominican, something like that. Drinks some kind of sulfurous sludge."
Umbrafer: #Might as well hear him out#
MilesMk1: "Go on."
Thematrian1: "You might have heard of him. He's a bad, bad man."
MilesMk1: "You weren't being very subtle in asking about him."
CirclMastr: ("Bad man! No toxic soup for you")
Thematrian1: He ignores that. "I know where he's hiding. I want to know what he's keeping there. I want to know why no two people can agree about what his accent sounds like."
Thematrian1: "I want to know how he drinks that sludge and lives."
Umbrafer: (What did his accent sound like, anyway?)
Thematrian1: Odd. Midwestern/islander blend.
MilesMk1: *as long as the guy looks like he's going to say more, lets him talk*
Thematrian1: "I want him dead, but that's negotiable."
Umbrafer: #When he's done, ask what's so bad about this guy.#
Thematrian1: He runs down.
MilesMk1: "What is it that makes him such an evil bastard?" (seriously, not flippant)
MilesMk1: (I'm wondering whether this guy could possibly be Cicada...)
Thematrian1: "He's kidnapped and killed federal agents, and we...I...think he's a shapeshifter."
Umbrafer: (Wasn't he asking for Cicada, though?)
MilesMk1: (Don't remember... I think so.)
Thematrian1: (He asked after both, seeming to think they had a connection)
Umbrafer: (And it would be an extremely bad idea to mention that we offed the group coming after him. Then again, there's the Russian angle, which fits oddly if at all with them being FedPol)
CirclMastr: (It's a double-cross! HE is the bug and Mr. Sludge is a trueborn Drake hunting them for Dunkie! )
MilesMk1: (I'll ask him about Cicada, since he was asking around about him...)
MilesMk1: "Who's the 'Cicada' you were asking about in connection with this?"
Thematrian1: "Someone who'd done freelance work for him in the past. I doubt that Cicada knew much about his employer."
MilesMk1: (Lots of that going around...)
Umbrafer: Woah. Disgruntled former employees, perhaps?
MilesMk1: "Not someone still working for him?"
Thematrian1: "I don't know. Probably not."
Thematrian1: "He had a team, but word is they were killed."
Umbrafer: (Word is indeed)
MilesMk1: "It doesn't seem like you're working for the Feds any more... Or so they say. Is this a personal thing?"
Thematrian1: "I'd rather not discuss it."
MilesMk1: (subvocal) #Well?#
Umbrafer: #Not sure what to think. You got any ideas where to go from here?#
CirclMastr: (How about you go pick up Shojo)
Umbrafer: (We need to get the info and get off the rooftop first)
CirclMastr: (Feh)
Umbrafer: #I'm not sure if I want to start working against the old guy, though. He paid well.#
MilesMk1: #We're not working for the sludge-drinker any more. We're not double-crossing him. A job is a job, the way I look at it - none of the people we work for have any loyalty to us."
Umbrafer: #True.#
Umbrafer: #I'm game for it if you are, and if it can wait five or six days.#
MilesMk1: #Well, let's see what he's paying, and whether he'll wait.#
MilesMk1: #Why the wait? Unavoidable, or something we can work around?#
Umbrafer: #Need to pick up Shojo. Absolute minimum three days.#
Umbrafer: #Don't go below four.#
MilesMk1: "What are offering?"
MilesMk1: (you)
MilesMk1: (What are you offering... Gah.)
Thematrian1: "Fifty, then a hundred. I want him. Very badly."
MilesMk1: #Well.#
MilesMk1: "What kind of timeframe do you need this done in?"
Thematrian1: "No major hurry. Two weeks, perhaps."
Umbrafer: #If he's got a fair amount of info to give us, that'll probably do. If we're doing entirely our own legwork, get more. Too many variables on this one.#
MilesMk1: "Provided you're able to, as you said, give us solid information on his current location and setup - that doesn't require us to spend a lot of time and money doing the legwork ourselves - we're willing to do it."
MilesMk1: ...for the price you've named." (add that on)
Thematrian1: "I can."
Thematrian1: (To himself): "What a world..."
MilesMk1: "Isn't it? Although I'm not sure how exactly you mean it in this situation..."
Thematrian1: "In one night, some punks tried to kill me and I found the people I'm looking for."
Thematrian1: "Do you know what they had in mind, by the way?"
Umbrafer: (Other than a "party", complete with explosives, no.)
Umbrafer: #Might want to tell him about the three sammies Mr. Sulpher was talking to.#
MilesMk1: "I think they were after your money... You seem to have made an impression, before you lowered your profile."
MilesMk1: "Speaking of people trying to kill you..."
Thematrian1: He tenses a bit
MilesMk1: *flips his hands out*
MilesMk1: "I suppose I could have phrased that better."
MilesMk1: "We have learned Mr.Sludge retained the services of three samurai."
Thematrian1: "Do you know what for?"
MilesMk1: "Whether for his own protection, or to go after someone else, we don't know, but they're <gives a description>, and now that you're paying the bills, you probably should know, just in case."
Thematrian1: He nods. "Thank you. I'll need a new hiding place..."
MilesMk1: "Perhaps we should handle the transfer of any other information there, or somewhere on the way there? This is a bit public for what's been said as it is."
Thematrian1: "Well. I have a phone. You can get in touch with me at <he says the number>"
Thematrian1: (Okay guys, I'm dying here. See you next week?)
CirclMastr: (Nighty)
MilesMk1: "Very well." *uses his PDA to put a number on a data-chip, makes a copy, then hands it to the guy* "To make sure I can identify myself."
Umbrafer: (Much the same. Sleep well,and see you next week)
MilesMk1: (random, ten-digit)
Thematrian1: "Oh, and by the way."
Thematrian1: "My name's Eric"
CirclMastr: (He pulls off his mask and reveals he's a bug!)
MilesMk1: "I'm James."
MilesMk1: "We have some logistical concerns to deal with - ecxpect a call from us in approximately five days?"
Thematrian1: "I can live with that.
MilesMk1: "Very well."
MilesMk1: *slings his AK over his shoulder, and heads down the fire escape, unless he says anything else.*