Shadowrun 4e: Smugglin' Run [IC]

[Telasi]

greyKnight double checks that all her systems are ready and plugs her commlink directly into her headjack so she can rig in hotsim. She subscribes to her rotodrone, then sets her PAN to hidden.

"So, what's our plan?"

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Just deploying the rotodrone on a rooftop nearby. The Stormcloud will be too obvious, I think, and slow. The iBall is more of a tactical drone.

[BudgetDM]

Eric's commlink pings with a message from Alexis.

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I can get you a flame thrower, but it will cost you. They aren't as popular as they once were since fire resistant clothing got so cheap, and are pain in the ass to find. My finders fee for this is is ¥450[1].

[1]

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This is in addition to the cost of the item remember.

Before any planning an can take place what appears to be a cartoon ghost appears in the van.

"Watcher spirit find courier peoples! Watcher spirit been waiting for courier peoples," it says enthusiasm filling its voice, "Boss say for me to tell you to go in, he'll see you 'eh-sap'. Watcher spirit go tell boss you're here!"

[Telasi]

"Sounds like our package is here, guys. Let's go get it."

[Levyathyn]

Silk

Eric nods and hides the message from Alexis, for now. He'll see about negotiating for the price later. He unfolds himself from the car carefully, watching for trouble. After all, watcher spirits can be summoned by anyone, and say anything. Before it can leave, he studies in astral for any sign of familiarity, not expecting anything.

(5d6)[3][5][6][6][5](25)

With a friendly nod to gK, Eric once more snaps out his staff and flicks it open with a deft spin.

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Assuming I dismissed the fire spirit for a while, I will now call it back and have it maintain astral presence.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Deciding that the assault rifle would be too conspicuous, Kikuchiyo leaves it in it's case as he takes it out of the van. Still, being loathe to leave his sword behind, he decides to take that as well, strapped to his back. He stretches, ready to follow the rest of the group.

[Telasi]

greyKnight slides out of the van, nervously checking her own weapon's smartlink readout as she does. She then glances at the other members of the team. "What's with the staff, Silk? Trouble?"

[Daravon_35]

Jbar smiles and nods to the rest of the group as he also gets out of the van. So much for a plan he thought, but then again how can you plan around a dozen of watcher spirits supposedly watching a meet go down? In the short time they had he couldn't think of one, except go in, hope for the best, expect the worst.

As he walks with the rest of the group towards to Talismonger's place he once again check his Predator, nervously.

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OOC: Sorry for me being so quiet recently, was out of town for a couple of days.

[BudgetDM]

As you walk toward the side entrance, it opens automatically. An ARO directs you out into the main sales floor. Silk recognizes the style. Kansas City most not have much of an Awakened community, cause this store seems to be set-up to cater to wanna-bes.

As you look around, an other door opens. The smell of alchemy fills the room. A black elf[1] wearing a lab coat steps out, waving fumes from his face.

He looks over to you and says, "You managed to beat the package here by about five minutes. Good job. You're already better than your predecessors."

Silk

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You manage to get a good look at him in astral without him seeing you. He is Awakened. His magic is stronger than yours. No 'ware at all. No foci either. He seems pleased to see you.

[1]

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Who save metatype and ethnicity looks nothing like the one from the tunnel.

[Daravon_35]

Jbar smiled, "That why we were hired right? Because we can get this job done." He wasn't sure what else to say and to be honest hearing about another team already failing put him a little on edge.

Then trying to regain his composure, he smiled at the Talismonger, "While we wait for the package. Is there anything more we should know or expect? I'd like to be prepared for anything that may happen. Particularly why so many spirits?"

As he talked he quickly texted the rest of the team. "Stay alert everyone. Let's hope this transaction goes smooth, but be ready for the drek to hit the fan. I'm not sure if I should feel more safe or less safe with all these spirits around. Silk are you picking up on anything? Kikuchiyo, how's that trigger finger of yours holding up? gK make sure the van is ready for a hot and fast extraction if needed. I want to be out of here in a moments notice if required."

[Telasi]

gK shoots a quick response backk to JBar. I'm ready to move if I need to.

[BudgetDM]

"While we wait for the package. Is there anything more we should know or expect? I'd like to be prepared for anything that may happen."

The talismonger pauses, as if to run over a mental check list, "There might be someone after this package. A group in Nashville wouldn't like 'Mr. Johnson' and company having it, but they aren't the type to handle things personally. I'd keep an eye out for other shadowrunners if anything. That said, a great many deal of effort went into keep this secret."

"Particularly why so many spirits?"

"You mean at the drop off? Mostly because 'Mr. Johnson' and associates will be waiting in an abandoned gas station in the middle of now where for several hours. If they used drones they would end up shooting themselves by mistake, the cost of the packages and your fee have temporarily put hired muscle out of their price range, and pistols can only defend you so much. However, they are all Awakened and are at least passably skilled at conjuring."

[Levyathyn]

Silk

Eric piassivley listens and tries not to draw any attention to himself, though right now trust seems to be the way to go. Grey asks him a question as he levels his staff, and he just shrugs, unable to explain why he feels so uneasy here. Nonetheless, he never takes chances, and the staff is part of his normal modus operandi. They all go inside and greet the talismonger, is appears to be quite a powerful magician, if anything so mundane as that. Regardless, Eric minds his own business and makes a mental note to check here in the future to see if he's open for business.

He sees a note, and opens Jbar's message into his contacts. Unobtrusively, he shakes his head with a casual look, as if it was a natural motion. He hopes Jbar gets the message, but for now, he can't pick up anything out of the ordinary. Feeling like a third wheel to the deal, he does take another glance around at the place, wary of any unusual trouble.

He turns back around in time to catch the tail end of a magic-related discussion.

"...temporarily put hired muscle out of their price range, and pistols can only defend you so much. However, they are all Awakened and are at least passably skilled at conjuring."

Eric nods along at the logic. "Sounds likely. Magicians often resort to spirits, who are cheaper than hired help, and almost as effective." He says, before turning to the stranger himself. "Silk, they call me." He adds, with a friendly smile, as he reaches out to shake hands with the talismonger. "Pleasure to be doing business with you." After the matter is resolved, handshake or no handshake, Eric gets down to his own questions. "I'd appreciate your candor in the matter if you could answer me a little question, kindly. You mention that our mutual acquiantance and his co-workers are Awakened; Depending on the nature of the package, of course, there could be many...problems with shipping it, occurances that wouldn't crop up with a normal package of mundane goods." He continues, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"I hate to pry, so please keep it professional, I understand the need for privacy." He adds hastily. "But if I can expect anything along those lines, I would so appreciate a heads up." He says, finishing it with another smile and a slight inclination of his head.

[BudgetDM]

"But if I can expect anything along those lines, I would so appreciate a heads up."

The talismonger shakes Silks hand and answers, "Fair enough. Let me think here... Only one thing could pose a problem. If any astrally active gas or fluid starts to leak, don't let it touch you. Plug the hole and wipe down anything it touched. It won't kill you, but it will mark you for a little while and draw attention from things you don't want. That said, it isn't likely to leak unless the packages are severely damaged. Other than that no. No cursed idols, no toxic shaman foci, and no shedim spirit formula."[1]

[1]

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These were the McGuffins in the three most recent Karl Kombatmage sims.

[Daravon_35]

Jbar tried to keep his nerves under control, but bad habits died hard as he checked his Predator over and over again, fidgeting with it the entire time. "How much longer till the package gets here?" He asked the Talismonger.

[BudgetDM]

"How much longer till the package gets here?"

"Oh, sorry about that," he says and makes a few gestures. In the middle of the room and AR map appears in your field of vision. Your location is marked with a red arrow and a green arrow points to a cartoon truck making its way through the city.

"The packages are being sent to me via semi-legit means," he says, "hence this nice feature."

As you watch the truck comes closer and closer. However, when it is only a few blocks away. It stops. For about a minute it doesn't move, then you hear an unmistakable sound: gunfire.

The talismonger eyes grow wide, "Someone give me your commcode and the go! I'll keep in contact and tell you what you need to claim the package!"

[Levyathyn]

Silk

Silk instantly relays his commcode over and snaps his staff down into a short segment again before slapping it onto his belt. "The shipment," He says, "how far is it from here and in which direction?" His voice is tense and impatient as he heads towards the door.

[BudgetDM]

Silk

Silk instantly relays his commcode over and snaps his staff down into a short segment again before slapping it onto his belt. "The shipment," He says, "how far is it from here and in which direction?" His voice is tense and impatient as he heads towards the door.

The talismonger gestures in the air a couple of times and a set of coordinates appears in Silks inbox.[1]

[1]

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A GPS program with built-in ARO directions comes built into all commlink operating systems.

[Telasi]

greyKnight's eyes go wide, and she curses as she sprints back towards the van. "Drone coming on-line now. Silk, I need those coordinates. Anybody else a driver?" As she goes, she instructs her roto-drone to lift off and circle, scan for gunfire, and arm its onboard assault rifle.

[BudgetDM]

The talismonger's voice comes over Silks commlink.

"If the information I have is correct, Knights Errant's average time from shots fired to arrival is seven minutes in this neighborhood. There's a station house near by. I'm sure you've worked this out yourselves, but even though the packages are semi-legally transported to this point, if the Keys[1] start looking through the manifest they'll see something is up."

[1]

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One of the politer slang terms for Knights Errant officers. One of the few you would say to their face.

[Daravon_35]

Jbar flicks his wired reflexes on and takes off running towards the van, Predator ready.

[Levyathyn]

Silk

Eric strides briskly over to the van, frantically patching Jbar and gK into his feed before splicing the info over his frequently used line to Kiku. Finished, he tucks it away and breaks into a run, sliding into the backseat and instantly slipping out of his body to travel astrally. He manifests himself invisibly, gets his bearings and decides to slip out of the car towards the sound of gunfire.

Over his unconscious body, an AR tag appears as soon as he enters the car that says, simply, MEAT. It's only being shown to his wired party.

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If there's nothing to stop me, travel astrally to the location and bring my spirit along, for scouting and maybe a little task setting.

[BudgetDM]

When Silk arrives at the site he sees the delivery van under siege. About seven metahuman seem to be trying to attack it. Two are dead to from the van's turret and one lies underneath the van like it was hit, but the others have managed to get right next to the van were the turret can't hit them and seem to be getting ready to try and tip over the van. Except, their auras are all wrong. It's like...

...oh drek...

14 compound eyes turn to stare at Silk's astral form.

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Initiative.

Also, gK, JBar, and Kiku are in the van.

[Telasi]

Init: (8d6)[6][5][3][3][3][6][1][1](28) + 8 = 11

[Levyathyn]

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Trying one...last...time...*Prays*

(6d6)[6][3][5][6][4][1](25)

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*Wipes away tears of joy* Excellent, total Init 9. As soon as I am able, I will flee to the van as fast as possible. That is, to my meat form. Not towards the insects under most any circumstances. =)

[BudgetDM]

The bugs seem as surprised to see Silk as he is to see them. Fortunately for Silk, his surprise fades first. Blasting one with a manabolt, he leaves the bug spirit near death. Not wanting to take on it's six buddies alone, he jumps back to his body.

As gK drives madly toward the besieged delivery van the Talismonger's voice comes over your comms.

"I've passed on a description of you to the remote rigger. Once the the attackers are gone she'll release the package. What's attacking the van any way?"

As you round the corner, you see that the bugs have knocked the van over and are trying to pry the back door open.

[Daravon_35]

Jbar's eyes went wide as the sight of the bug spirits came into the view. He wasn't quite sure what to do. so he shot as quickly as he could with his Predator hoping to either take one down or at least wound it.

[BudgetDM]

Jbar's shot catches one of the bugs in the shoulder, and takes a noticeable piece out of it. Even the toughest street samurai would have a least winched at that, but the bugman seems less connected with his body than metahuman's are.

[BudgetDM]

Silk's commands his spirit of fire to attack the one of bug spirit. The spirit launches a ball of flames at one of the monstrous hybrids, killing it.

Finally over their surprise the unexpected attack, the bug creatures take to the air, half-vestigial wings carrying them as they charge the team's van.

[Daravon_35]

Jbar shouts out as the bugs take flight, his battle instinct taking over. "We've got to take them down before they can reach us. If they can do that to a van, I don't want to imagine what they can do to flesh!" As he fires off another shot hoping to put another one of the spirits down.

[BudgetDM]

Jbar manages to nail one of the bugmen right in the heart, but its supernatural toughness keeps it going.