Vampire the Masquerade - V5 - Session Ninety Two - 'Resistance' (Part Three)

I'm currently running a Vampire the Masquerade chronicle using the 5th Edition rule-set for a small group of fellow role-players. These are the chronicles of their adventures.

Our chronicle is set in Los Angeles and features a small group of Camarilla agents sent into the 'Free States' to bring them back under Camarilla control. Over a year of plotting allowed the coterie to gain control of two North-Eastern Baronies and a large part of a third. Now they are moving on to the final stage of their campaign and have their eyes on taking over the entire city, either directly or by proxy.

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The now obligatory warning bit - Unlike my other RPG write-ups this one will contain swearing, sexual references and other references that might offend. If you can't tell the difference between real             peoples opinions and grown-ups role-playing predators who crave blood then this probably won't be for you. There are however a list of potential triggers listed before the introduction. I've also used actual photographs to represent some characters which I'll give acknowledgements to at the end if I've any idea who they are.
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The introduction to this campaign, the first story and all the other parts can be found at the following links and are in chronological order. If you'd prefer a summary of each session rather than read everything then there's a more detailed link page HERE as well as links to the first episode of each story in the blog sidebar.
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Chronicle One - 'Infiltrate L.A.' 

Welcome to L.A. - Introductory Session
Story One - 'Three Murders' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Interlude Session - One
Story Two - 'The Pasadena Problem' - Part One, Two, Three, and Four
Solo Session - 'The Neillson Library'
Story Two Continued- 'The Pasadena Problem' - Part Five, Six, Seven and Eight
Story Three - 'Becoming Baron' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Solo Session - 'The Gather'
Story Three Continued - 'Becoming Baron' - Part Six, Seven and Eight

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Chronicle Two - 'Foothold L.A.' 

Solo Session - 'Hostile Takeover'
Story Four - 'Countdown' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Five - 'The Missing Chantry' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five
Solo Session - 'The Anaheim Assassination'
Story Six - 'A Meeting of Barons' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Seven - 'The Carmelita Situation' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Eight - 'The Blount Sisters' - Part One and Two
Story Nine - 'Blood Money' - Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six
Story Ten - 'Anathema' - Part One and Two
Story Eleven - 'Predators and Prey' aka 'The Blount Sisters' - Part Three
Story Twelve - 'Aftermath' - Part One and Two
Story Thirteen - 'The Messiah Complex' - Part One, Two, Three and Four

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Chronicle Three - 'Incursion L.A.'

Story Fourteen - 'The Rant'
Story Fifteen - 'Ties of Blood' - Part One and Two

Solo Session - 'A Gathering of Roses'

Story Sixteen - 'The Southern Solution' - Part One, Two and Three
Story Seventeen - 'The Baker Disappearance' - Part One, Two and Three

Story Eighteen - 'Inevitable Betrayals' - Part One, Two, Three, Four and Five

Story Nineteen - 'The Marius Contracts' - Part One and Two

Story Twenty - 'The MacNeil Protocols' - Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five, 

Story Twenty - 'The MacNeil Protocols' - Part Six, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten

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Interlude Session One - After Griffith Park

Interlude Session Two - Divide and Conquer

Interlude Session Three - On the Brink of War

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Chronicle Four - 'Conquest L.A.'

Story Twenty One - 'Veni, Vidi, Victor' - Part One, Two, Three, Four, Five

Story Twenty One - 'Veni, Vidi, Victor' - Part Six, and Epilogue

Story Twenty Two - 'The Unbound' - Part One, Two, Three and Four

Story Twenty Three - 'The War Council' - Part One, Two, Three and Four

Interlude Session - Recon

Story Twenty Four - 'Resistance' - Part One and Two

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The PC's

Michael Tomassio - Toreador, 'Baron of the North East'
Vincent 'Vin' Ghast - Brujah, 'Constable'
Dr Daniel Matthews - Banu Haqim, 'Fixer'
Hope Romero - Gangrel, 'Census Taker'
Mr Hertz - Nosferatu, 'Seneschal'

The Storyteller

Garreth - Everyone else...

The player characters stats and backgrounds can be found HERE should any-one be interested, but be warned that the page is usually several stories ahead of the most recent write-up and may contain some spoilers. 

There's also some minor 'house-rules' HERE that have occurred as we went along.

If I think something needs a bit of out of character explanation then those will get a storytellers note that will helpfully be in red. Where particular NPC's have a mention in a faction profile you will be able to reach it by clicking on their name or faction beneath their picture.

Trigger Warnings for This Session: Suicide.

Introduction

Vannevar Thomas - Ventrue
Prince of San Francisco and San Jose

Having the entire resources of the kindred population of Los Angeles focussed almost exclusively upon the same goal is a rare occurrence, them cooperating with one another to achieve it is rarer still. Between the information brokers, political influencers and those kindred of a more social nature's contacts a clearer picture of Vannevars attempted invasion of L.A. has been established.

Over the last eighteen months, Vannevar has, through proxies, funded a number of building projects around Los Angeles. Each has been situated in an Anarch barony and have been used to covertly ship ghouls, kindred and materials of war into the city without notice. His taking of San Jose seems to have been either for the purposes of logistics or as a distraction from his grander schemes. Either way it coincided with several assassination attempts upon Anarch leaders, several of which were successful. Those that failed were more a matter of coincidence and fortuitous timing on the survivors part and the Prince has undoubtedly learned from those failures. It seems unlikely that such random elements will be allowed to interfere in future attempts.

Marius Walker - Gangrel
'Fixer' and Baron of Downtown

The other locations are also been observed in a variety of unobtrusive ways by the Gangrel of the city, using a combination of Animalism and shape-changing abilities, supported by packs under the control of Marius Walker. 

Marius had been given temporary control over the various baronies Gangrel scourges by the New Anarch Council in order to enable information to be shared quickly and efficiently.

The coteries newly acquired hacker, 'Zipper', utilising the computer system formally used by Jeremy MacNeil to monitor the cities police forces has been looking into the areas surrounding the Harper Construction sites. 

He has confirmed Daniel's suspicions that nearly every nearby building overlooking or situated near to, the sites has several office areas and apartments acquired by the aforementioned Harper Construction. 

Presumably these are lookout posts or possibly even bases for mortal and kindred followers of Vannevar that have infiltrated the city. This information combined with that provided by the various Baronies own ghouls scouting operations has enabled the recon groups to find safe approaches and staging points of their own.

The somewhat unpredictable, but brutally effective underground horde known as 'The Swarm' have been instructed by Marius to coordinate their patrols with Gary Golden, most influential of the cities Nosferatu so as to monitor any potential underground escape routes and check to see if Vannevars operations have extended underground.

'Gorgeous' Gary Golden - Nosferatu, De-facto Baron of the Hollywood Warrens

Gary's contact is to be Quinn, eldest of the swarm mistresses surviving childer as this has been deemed far safer than using their notorious leader. Tilly Kelly, 'Mistress of the Swarm' is far too unpredictable to be a useful liaison. Mainly as she is both a serial diablerist, and quite, quite, mad.

Tilly Kelly - Gangrel, 'Mistress of the Swarm', Diablerist

The Nosferatu of the city have warned the Anarch Council that whatever is being planned by Vannevars forces is now dangerously close to being implemented. The Council has authorised one more night of reconnaissance and investigation but after that action must be taken. The only matter to be decided is exactly what that action will be.

Scene Twelve - A Convenient Death

Gloria Martinez - Brujah
Baron of Whittier and El Hermandad

As well as the impending assault upon Vannevar's forces, the coterie was also concerned about the activities of the unbound ghoul gang known as 'The Young Bloods', especially after their brazen attack upon the gangs protecting Baron Gloria Martinez. It was clear that they had made some arrangement with Vannevar's forces.

Daniel had contacted Michael's ghoul, Frank Atkins, who with the coteries help had ascended rapidly through the ranks of the Los Angeles Police department. 

His hope was that local traffic camera's may have captured some useful information about where the assault came from, and where the bikers headed to afterwards. Unfortunately Frank's information has raised other questions.

"Traffic Cams were down for maintenance during the entire time-frame of the incident between the Young Bloods and the various biker gangs of Whittier and as you can imagine there's a major shortage of witnesses willing to come forward about it. The weird thing is, the official who ordered the maintenance was found dead in their apartment the next day, apparent suicide. Judging from the time of death they must have made the decision pretty near to the time they offed themselves."

Both Daniel and Michael exchanged a look. It wasn't the first time that such coincidences had happened within the city.

Frank Atkins - Corrupt Cop
Ghoul of Michael Tomassio

Frank continued "Had a word with the coroner. Now he's basing his time of death around the time she phoned in with the maintenance order. Though he admitted that without that information, the time of death could have been several hours before...she also submitted all the appropriate documentation for the maintenance the previous night, came in specially, wasn't even her shift...no-one noticed anything unusual about her though..."

Frank confirmed that she was known as a diligent employee so doing extra work wasn't unusual.

"I've sent over the autopsy report, you might be able to glean more from it than our guy did."

Daniel was an expert surgeon and medical practitioner in addition to his skills as an assassin. Both these knowledges enabled him to glean information from the document that a less capable individual could have missed.

There was some bruising around the wrists and upper arms which due to it's minor nature had been overlooked as incidental. Daniel however was familiar with methods of restraint which failed to leave the obvious signs, this combined with their empty stomach led Daniel to suspect that they had been held prisoner for at least two days and nights making it impossible for them to have been at the office. Foul play was confirmed in his mind as he was sure that the bruising on their neck from the hanging was inconsistent with a self inflicted suicide. Though this was new information, it didn't really help them get any closer to stopping the Young Bloods.

Scene Thirteen - A 'Call' Home

Desdemona Moore - Brujah
Camarilla Praetor and Archon

Vin once more used the ritual he had been taught which enabled him to communicate with his sire over considerable distances. He could now activate the ritual with much less effort than the first few times he had attempted it. His curiosity was been piqued about just what else one might be able to use Blood Sorcery to accomplish.

After the contact was broken, he contacted the coterie to share what his sire had revealed.

According to Vin, his sire Desdemona Moore had been put on standby with a number of her most trusted Archons with the task of securing Los Angeles, should Vannevar succeed. More interestingly, she has revealed that Vannevar's recent issues keeping his city secure from both the Sabbat and the so-called 'Kindred of the East' has raised significant doubts about his ability to lead. Should he fail in taking LA it's likely that Sara Anne Winder, Ventrue Primogen will takeover as Prince. 

It seemed that the majority of the resources spent over the last eighteen months were based on promises around the spoils to be acquired from the taking of Los Angeles. Vannevar has pushed his credit to it's limit in boons and promised territory. Failure is therefore not an option for him, he has to succeed or risk complete and utter ruin.

She had also revealed to Vin some of the political elements being considered by the Camarilla.

San Jose at Night - Former Anarch Domain

If San Jose was on the table as a permanent and undisputed Camarilla domain then that would buy the coterie some extra time to fulfil their mission to 'take' Los Angeles. 

Storytellers Note - The coterie's three original members were originally sent to the Anarch Free States to undermine it. Whether this is still the aim of them all is now debateable but as far as the Camarilla is concerned they are still all loyal agents.

Los Angeles at Night - The Anarch Free States

If Michael can indeed establish himself as de-facto head of an Anarch Council with sufficient power to neutralise the Anarchs as a threat and continue to weaken them then the powers that be may be, at least temporarily, satisfied. Desdemona informed Vin that she would be more than happy to recommend a diplomatic option to her bosses should it be vaguely justifiable, but won't damage her reputation to do so. She then also wished him luck as well as subtly reminding him that it was she who he ultimately answered to, and no-one else. 

This last piece of information he kept to himself as despite Michael's reassurances he was still somewhat suspicious about his Baron's ultimate goals. It was entirely possible that he had 'gone native'.

Scene Fourteen - To the Moon and Back

Eleanor Braun - Gangrel
'The Sorceress', Childe of Marius

A meeting with Luna had been arranged via Marius's childe Eleanor Braun. The terms were for a meeting at the chantry in Downtown at a time selected by Luna, and are none negotiable.

Reasonably sure that he could strike a deal with San Francisco's Tremere Primogen, Michael agreed.

The Chantry, as before, gave off the disturbing air that it was both alive, and watching the coterie on the chantry members behalf.

The building had exhibited the ability to act independently on previous occasions and none of the coterie relished the prospect of entering the so-called 'United Chantry of Los Angeles', former domain of Tremere Primogen Maximilian Strauss.

The sense of oppression rose and fell as they navigated the rooms and corridors of the Chantry, the route changed yet again from their last visit. Though the various Tremere houses who made it their residence seemed comfortable, as if the changes were accepted or indeed not even noticeable to them, only to visitors. 

The coterie saw no-one else despite their being at least six other blood mages living within it's walls

Vanessa 'Ruby' Rubeus - House Carna
Regent of the Los Angeles Chantry

The escort Vanessa 'Ruby' Rubeus, the chantries Regent elect, guided them to the meeting but didn't enter with them.  Luna was waiting in a room that none of the coterie had ever been in before, a comfortable sitting room decorated in white and silver, almost as if it was a reflection of the woman within.

Luna was apparently middle aged when she received the Embrace and her hair had already turned silver. Furthermore, death had given her a smooth white alabaster-like appearance. She seemingly had a penchant for wearing older style dresses, given how relaxed she was in the one she's currently wearing.

Those elements, when combined, projected an image that they found vivid and unforgettable, as befitted a woman of her vast learning and achievement. She appeared to be using no disciplines, yet the coterie found themselves strangely fearful in her presence.

She greeted them formally but it was very obvious that she had no time for social niceties. Nonetheless, Michael introduced himself and the coterie members accompanying him. When prompted he laid out his offer of unimpeded access for Luna and the other Tremere of San Francisco to visit the L.A. Chantry and vice versa. She seemed unsurprised, as if this had been exactly what she had been expecting.

"I appreciate the offer of access to this facility and the research opportunities that would provide. I'm aware of your status within the Anarch community and have no doubt that you have or can gain the authority to make such an offer. The Gangrel's sorcerous childe, Ms Braun, implied as much and that her sire would facilitate such an arrangement."

Luna Demian - House Tremere
Regent and Primogen of San Francisco

"A most unusual example of his clan that one, One can only wonder if the quantity of souls he's drained is the reason why his childer are so...interesting...he is also surprisingly cordial to ones of my clan. A rarity considering the history between us."

It was Michael's opinion that Marius would strike a deal with the devil himself if the terms were agreeable, then turn around and stab him in the back as soon as it wasn't. He kept this thought to himself, but he was reasonably sure that a kindred of Luna's intelligence didn't trust Marius either. No-one with any sense did. He kept his word, but his agreements were usually phrased in such a way to give him significant flexibility in their interpretation.

After a brief pause, Luna continued. "I presume the price is a pact of none-interference of the Tremere of San Francisco, in your current plan to remove Vannevar's forces from this domain?..and yes, I'm quite aware that you know of his infiltrated forces and have been observing all and infiltrated at least one of his sites. The fact that I have chosen to keep this information to myself should tell you much about how I feel about this plan. You will also, no doubt, require my support in any 'peace' negotiations, presumably after you make at least some show of strength? As long as San Francisco itself is not threatened, I accept your terms."

Michael was expecting a 'but'. He wasn't disappointed. "Should word of our arrangement reach any kindred outside of our respective circles, I would of course consider the agreement to be null and void. I would also, on a personal note, be very upset indeed about such an eventuality."

He detected no threat in her tone, it seemed to be a completely matter of fact statement, yet he inexplicably felt the need to get out of her presence as fast as he could. At least it seemed that they had one ally in their plan for a diplomatic solution. All present however, left the meeting with a distinct feeling that they had been in the presence of a creature who would be as happy to see them dissected on a laboratory table, as seated across from her.

Scene Fifteen - Too Many Cooks

Michael lamented the fact that even the smallest task in the city required half a dozen meetings with other kindred to accomplish, given the number of Barons and pseudo barons within L.A. The fact that he was also communicating with his handlers in the Camarilla added another layer of complications. He was sometimes jealous of Hope's single-minded and usually horrendously violent methods of problem solving. Though he didn't always approve, at least preparation was minimal. Almost like pulling a pin on a grenade. Still, if their broad plan was to give Vannevar's forces a bloody nose before offering to negotiate then he had a lot of juggling to do.

Carmelita Neillson - Toreador
Camarilla Archaeologist and Archivist

He decided that Carmelita Neillson, Camarilla archaeologist and archivist would be his first call.

Getting a call through to Carmelita took some time as encrypted lines of communication needed to be set up and double checked. Michael discovered as usual that he was going to have to navigate Camarilla politics as well as those of the Anarchs.

Carmelita exchanged a few pleasantries before getting to the crux of the issue.

"Fiorenza is extremely unhappy that Vannevar has been operating in Los Angeles without her approval given that he knew she had an operation in place. She's also somewhat pissed with you that this plan had been going on for eighteen months without you or your coterie knowing..." 

He detected no blame in Carmelita's tone. She was merely stating a fact, and possibly giving him some advance warning of what was to come when he spoke to Fiorenza.

"...Even more concerning is that she's now convinced that Marius knew and did nothing, so I'd advise you to minimise any mention of Marius's involvement in your plans. Politically she'd like you to solve this problem with the minimum of Camarilla casualties. Though should Vannevar's own agents be brutally destroyed during the process she will ensure that you suffer no fallout because of those losses."

The casual ease with which kindred sacrificed one another, even when seemingly on the same side, bothered him a great deal. It was, however, something he had to deal with.

Fiorenza Savona - Ventrue
Camarilla Power Broker

Getting a call through to Fiorenza made the process of getting in touch with Carmelita seem trivial in comparison. After an hour of been bounced between one encrypted system and another, he finally got to speak to the lady herself. Fiorenza Savona, Ventrue power broker and confidante of the Justicars and possibly even, if rumours were to be believed, The Inner Circle itself.

As Fiorenza spoke, Michael realised that Carmelita's assessment of the situation had been spot on. "We need a diplomatic solution that minimizes Camarilla losses, well, with the exception of Vannevars agents, destroy them all if you wish. The Camarilla must gain something from the proceedings in order to both save face and legitimise my own more subtle plan."

Michael put forward his plan to use San Jose as a negotiating chip. Fiorenza seemed to be on board with this as a plan. "San Jose? Yes, if you can convince the Anarchs to give it up then that might do. No restrictions on what the Camarilla subsequently do with it will be acceptable though, unfortunately. It is larger than San Francisco, though admittedly less usefully located and after all, a million potential feeding vessels will certainly attract a number of kindred to the city. The best the Primogen of San Francisco will accept is the honouring of it's borders. How they utilise it will be none of the Anarchs concern. once it's ours, it's ours." This was what Michael had been expecting. He filled Fiorenza in on some of what he had planned for the negotiations if things went the way he hoped.

"Your wish to host any such meeting at your Succubus Club in Hollywood is intriguing. You certainly have a flair for the dramatic. Lets hope between us we can convince both the Anarchs and Camarilla to agree. You are aware, of course, that both will require some...motivation? I presume that you and your pet assassin have a plan? No, don't tell me. It's probably best that it comes as a surprise to me as well."

Isaac Abrams - Toreador
Baron of Hollywood and San Fernando

Michael sighed inwardly. Though what Fiorenza said was reasonable he knew what she was actually doing was giving herself plausible deniability should anything go wrong.

Given the complications of the political situation he was now embroiled in, he decided to give Isaac, his mentor within the Anarchs, a heads-up on some of what was to occur. Though he obviously kept his connection to the Camarilla out of the briefing.

Isaac seemed to be pleased that Michael had chosen to share this with him.

"I appreciate you sharing this with me, despite you being sure that I already knew. You are correct about San Jose of course, it was never of any importance outside of it's use as a barrier between us and San Francisco. Now that bird has flown, it serves no purpose to me."

It was also evident that he approved of the plan to force a negotiation. As Michael's Succubus Club was based in Hollywood, Isaac's approval was essential.

"If you can bloody Vannevar's nose sufficiently for him to be willing to sit down to a meeting then that may well be the best solution to the issue. Your Succubus Club? An excellent plan. The name alone should arouse the curiosity of both the Anarchs and the Camarilla. You have my approval and I'm sure that...other interested parties, will be intrigued enough to also approve. I presume I need not elaborate on that last point?" 

Michael was sure that Isaac was referring to Christopher Houghton, a Toreador of the fifth generation who had been influencing Los Angeles from it's inception. Speaking of kindred of influence, he supposed he'd need to keep Marius appraised too. Neither Marius, Victoria, nor any of his usual proxies were available for a meeting. He managed get a brief conversation with Victoria though it wasn't particularly reassuring.

Victoria Anne - Ancient Ghoul of Marius, Psychopath P.A.

"Go ahead with your plan and I'll try to steer Marius through it without disrupting it if I can. Expect some bodies to drop though, he is in a predatory phase and those you just have to roll with, or be rolled over..."

Michael sighed outwardly this time. Though it was biologically unnecessary, it made Michael feel better. He hoped Daniel was having some luck with moving forward the 'bloody nose' part of the scheme.

Scene Sixteen - A One, Two Combo

Jochen Van Nuys - Ventrue
Leader of the Camarilla Incursion

Daniel had decided that one set-back wouldn't be enough to force Vannevar's representatives to the negotiation table and that they needed to inflict at least two significant blows. Broadly speaking his plan was to assassinate someone of note, possibly Peter Kwan. He had discovered that Peter was the childe of Jochen Van Nuys, leader of Vannevar's forces within the city and therefore an excellent target if a point needed to be made.

The other part of his plan was to turn the construction site under which Van Nuys was hiding into a giant fucking crater, taking all the forces and resources within, with it. For this though he'd need some extra help.

Daniel knew of a kindred who could be useful in this regard. Equipping himself with all the footage he and 'Chick' had taken of the structure as well as his own notes, he arranged to meet the Malkavian architect, Dillan Matthews.

Dillan had designed the defences that protected MacNeil's computer system that the coterie had located and had also helped them penetrate the base of Victor Girard. He was also behind the design of many of the cities most impenetrable kindred havens.

Dillan Fitzgerald - Malkavian
Architect and Designer

He was obviously intrigued by Daniel's request 

"You want to collapse a half-built building onto an underground car-park containing a concealed kindred haven? How intriguing..."

Dillan watched the video of the reconnaissance on fast-forward on one computer while simultaneously converting the information into a three dimensional representation of the construction site on another. He marked several points of interest as he did so. A printer began to churn out several plan drawings on which Dillan made even more notes. The entire process had taken about an hour so far.

"I'll give you more detailed information tomorrow evening but this should enable you to make your preliminary plans." Said Dillan. Daniel thanked him then left.

He was amused that after only an hour leaving the meeting with detailed plans on how to collapse the building both partially and completely using an absolute minimum of explosives as well as detailed instructions on how to manufacture explosives from a variety of substances common to construction sites. The fact that he sketched out these plans in less than an hour and ten minutes led Daniel to believe that he had already contemplated the problem at some point. Either that or his genius and insight into this area of expertise was bordering on the terrifying.

Charlie 'Chick' Abbott - Banu Haqim
Scourge and Assassin

His next port of call was Charlie 'Chick' Abbott with whom he'd completed the initial recon mission. He had been given permission to speak to her with Santa Monica, the domain of Baron Voerman.

Charlie laid out the terms for her assistance. "Therese has given me permission to assist you with assassinating the leaders of the Camarilla invasion on the condition that you are willing to reciprocate in the future should I myself need assistance on an equivalent number of projects. I understand if becoming bound by such an open-ended boon is off-putting to you but her terms are quite none-negotiable."

She then handed Daniel a plain card with a phone-number embossed on it and a cheap burner phone. 

"Ring me on that number, using that phone if you require my help on those terms. An hours notice will be all I need..."

Satisfied that he had a useful ally in either the planting of the explosives or the assassination of Van Nuys's childe (perhaps even both), He decided to do some investigation of the place where Peter Kwan was based. Two explosions in the city would certainly arouse the suspicion of the authorities so this job would have to be done in a more personal manner. As it was getting late in the night, he delegated the task to his ghouls. He had weapons to prepare and his Baron and coterie to brief.

Scene Seventeen - Peter Kwan

Peter Kwan - Ventrue
Childe of Jochen Van Nuys

Peter Kwan had rented the entire top floor of a mid-sized, five story hotel building near Koreatown. He had guards on the roof, and protecting both the lift and stairs to his floor. Though they appeared to be unarmed from a distance, they were quite obviously packing concealed weaponry and judging from their confident movements almost certainly had a stockpile of more lethal weaponry somewhere. At least one more of his security personnel was permanently based in the hotel lobby monitoring comings and goings. 

Daniel's various agents, assisted by some inconspicuous observers provided by Vin, judged the numbers to be at least eighteen, possibly as many as twenty. Two in the lobby, two by the lift, two by the stairs, two on the roof and at least one guarding Peter's own room. These changed shift approximately every twelve hours though changeover times aren't consistent, presumably as a counter to anyone attempting to take advantage of a shift change.

Most worryingly, a hooded figure was sometimes seen nearby. One minute they're there the next they were gone. Nothing that big should be able to move that fast. Daniel suspected them of being Nosferatu, due to the concealing hood, though that didn't necessarily explain the speed.

The proximity to Koreatown was a concern. That area had been granted by Marius as a feeding ground to a creature known as 'The Nameless One', a fierce and territorial kindred who destroyed intruders as a matter of course. It would therefore be of paramount importance to avoid any accidental crossings into this area. At least by themselves. If Peter's men were to end up there, then that would be their problem.

The Nameless One - Clan Unknown, De-facto Baron of Koreatown

The coterie was sure that the Council would approve their plan. Now they just had to implement it...

To Be Continued in 'Resistance' (Part Four)

In Conclusion

I like to do a round-up of how the session went in these features but if you couldn't give a shit what I think then feel free to skip this bit...

It's certainly a bold plan. I was hoping to get to the actual 'mission' this session but I did give them one more night and they used it very well.

No if you'll excuse me I'm about to get myself put on another watch-list as I do some research into home-made explosives and building demolition...

Acknowledgements
“Portions of the materials are the copyrights and trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved.”

I've used pictures of real people to represent some of the characters and art for others so in no particular order Michael Tomassio is represented by Matt Bomer, 'Vin' is Scott Adkins, Dr Matthews is Mads Mikkelsen, Hope is Deborah Ann Woll, Mr Hertz is Charles Dance, Vannevar Thomas is Bryan Dechart, Marius walker is Tony Curran, Tilly Kelly is Anna Paquin, Gloria Martinez is Ariadne Artiles, Frank Atkins is Michael Chiklis, Desdemona Moore is Amanda Donohoe, Eleanor Braun is P.J. Harvey, Vanessa 'Ruby' Rubeus is Leila Lunatic, Luna Demian is Andie MacDowell, Carmelita Neillson is Salma Hayek, Fiorenza Savona is Jamie Lee Curtis, Isaac Abrams is Gary Oldman, Victoria Anne is Lilith May, Jochen Van Nuys is Javier Bardem, Dillan Fitzgerald is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlie 'Chick' Abbott is Lena Headey and Peter Kwan is Steven Yeun.

Everything else is from vampire related folders and searches and is as far as I know is all of the 'fair use' variety. If there's something that you feel should be attributed to some-one then feel free to let me know and I'll happily add an acknowledgement.

Cyberpunk Red - Session Eight - "The Misaki"

A roleplay session in the world of Cyberpunk Red

This session was written up by our Gamesmaster Matt and formatted for my blog by me.

Previous 'Gigs'

Story Arc One - 'The Outfit'

(0) Spydar's Web, (1) Big Trouble in Little China, (2) Eye-Spy, (2a) Raven, (3) Death's in the Family, (4) A Hot Minute, (4a) Hunter's Hunted, 

Story Arc Two 'Reputation'

(5) Talk Isn't Cheap, (6) Grand Theft Auto, (7) Appetite for Destruction.

'The Outfit'

The Players

Our players were all started at Rank 4

Garreth as Avery Hicks, Exec 5, Fixer 1

Phil as 'Holliday' Nomad 5, Solo 1

Martyn as 'Klink', Medtech 5

and Exec Crewmembers 

'Jasmine' - Netrunner

'Lizza' - Technician

Gamesmaster

Matt as everyone else.

Scene introductions and 'speaking to the players' bits are written in Blue to distinguish them from the roleplayed parts of the scenes.

Session Eight: "The Misaki"

Introduction

On the way back to the Glen after a few weary rounds in the Forlorn Hope, Avery had been informed that Lizza and Jasmine had managed to reverse engineer the signal from the trackers implanted in the garage passes.

They have managed to rig up a sensor array that can trace the signal back to its source. Tired and pissed off as they were, the edgerunners knew they didn’t have the luxury of time.

If the signal was still live, there was a chance they might get the drop on whoever was tracking them before they could make an escape. Wearily they headed back to Budget Arms to see what their allies had discovered.

A Trail of Breadcrumbs

It was getting late and the tower, illuminated in the neon glow of the city was quieter than it would have been in the day. Jasmine waited in Avery’s office.

'Jasmine' - Netrunner, Loyal member of Avery's Exec. Crew

“Thank you for working so late.” Said Avery “What have we got?”

Jasmine held up one of the passes. "These homing tracers generally only work up to about a mile. It looks like whoever crafted this is using CityNet to relay the signal back to them using unsecured networks.” She looked approving. “It’s actually quite genius.” She held out a heavily modified tracker.

Night City - 'City-Net' Relays

“Anyway, you might need to hit a couple of relays before you get to the source but this should get you there. The thing is, you’ll need the tracker with you to follow the signal, so if they’re monitoring it, they will know you’re getting close.”

“This is excellent work my dear.” Said Avery. “It looks like we are in for a late night but you deserve some rest.” He turned to the others. “Shall we?”

Improvised Tracking System

The improvised tracker put the signal somewhere to the east. “I think it would be best if they didn’t realise we were closing in.” Said Avery. “I suggest we split the trackers up. I’ll leave one here in the office. We could stash one in a delivery vehicle and send it off into the city on a random route and take the last one with us.”

“I was going to suggest taking two vehicles.” Said Holliday. “Maybe we can make it look like we just drove on past when actually we stopped somewhere nearby?”

“That’s a good idea. We can drive parallel and then peel off when we get nearby.” Said Avery.

The City at Night

Avery's 'Command Vehicle' - Upgraded

With Avery at the wheel of the modified delivery truck and Holliday in convoy, driving his rig, the edgerunners headed out towards the south east. As Jasmine had explained, the signal bounced from one relay to the next as they followed along the path. 

Avery had his radio scanner looking for any radio transmissions in case there was any radio traffic relating to their predicament. As the route cut through the Old Combat Zone, he picked up the occasional gang chatter but nothing that suggested their quarry had been tipped off. The added benefit was that they could avoid the worst of the night’s gang activity.

Soon the signal switched again and the convoy skirted South Night City and crossed the bridge into Heywood. The district was safer than a combat zone but still not exactly a tourist hot spot. The streets were dirty and over-crowded with people who loitered around street corners and alleyways or frequented the late night bodegas that cast harsh bright lights from their shopfronts.

“I think it’s time for some misdirection.” Said Avery. “I’m going to stop up ahead, go into that bodega and grab some things. I’ll make it look like it’s a coincidence we are heading this way.”

A short while later, Avery returned to the truck and tossed a dose of synthcoke at Klink. “That should tide you over for tonight.” He checked the tracker. “The signal is to the North East. Are you ready Holliday?”

The radio crackled in response. “North East eh? Industrial district. That’s a good place to hide out. Let’s go.”

The signal became stronger as the convoy moved further into the industrial docklands. Suddenly, they passed it by. Avery let Holliday know. “We just flew by the signal, we’re here.”

“Ok, I’ll peel off and have a look around. What are you going to do?”

“Budget Arms has a warehouse nearby on the waterside. I’ll park up there. Hopefully it will look like I’m just doing business.” Said Avery.

Holiday's Kombi Groundcar

Holliday turned into the industrial park and found somewhere out of the way to hide his truck. The night was still and quiet though he could hear the sounds of life and activity from a storage facility nearby.

An empty warehouse caught his eye and he climbed a stack of boxes nearby to look through a window. 

He radioed the others. “It’s quiet around here. There’s an old warehouse that would make a good hideout. Nobody is likely to go looking around in there.”

“You don’t sound convinced.” Replied Avery.

“Yeah, call me out on it, but if it was me, I’d hide somewhere in plain sight. It seems like the sort of thing these guys do. There’s a storage facility nearby that sounds noisy for this time of night. It might be that people are all the camouflage you need round here.”

Electrica Storage Solutions

Electrica Storage Solutions - Layout

The Storage Facility, Electrica Storage solutions, was a small run of storage lock ups in a compound in Heywood. Considering that living space was so hotly contended, it was no surprise that some of the empty units had been repurposed by the homeless.

The compound was busy with people, both in the individual units and crowding the narrow alleys. Night City never truly slept and despite the late hour, the unofficial shanty town was still quite active.

The pungent scent of sweat and the smell of waste, human or otherwise was heavy in the air, it occurred to Holliday, lurking by the entrance, that though there was likely power to an old storage facility, there is unlikely to be water access.

Many were asleep but there were still groups of people huddling together around open fires for warmth or company. Some eyed the nomad suspiciously, others turn away from him altogether seemingly wanting to remain insignificant. The rain fell lightly but constantly. It had a greasy and unclean feel and the air was muggy and humid.

Holliday could feel the heat from the various fires as he walked through the gates. To his left was an office that looks to be closed. Before him, storage units were arrayed in rows back to back. Each was roughly four metres square with a large roller shutter door secured with padlocks. Several however, had been broken into and he can make out the dark shapes of people in sleeping bags inside.

“Yeah, I think this is the place.” Said Holliday. “How do you want to do this thing?”

Klink cut in excitedly over the radio. “We could set fire to something and cause a panic!”

In two separate locations, the nomad and the exec rolled their eyes. 

Avery threw a bag of kibble at the medtech to shut him up. “We will come to meet you. I think if we keep a low profile we can get the drop on whoever is monitoring the signal. We want a prisoner ideally.”

Rubber Shotgun Slugs

“I’ve got the rubber slugs in my shotgun.” Said Holliday. “We should be able to take whoever it is down non-lethally.”

A short while later Klink and Avery joined Holliday at the gate. Holliday noticed that the exec had thrown an overcoat on to cover his suit. Avery took in the scene. “I think we should split up and spread out. We should see if we can narrow down the location, maybe talk to the locals.”

“Agreed” Said Holliday.

 

The three of them fanned out. Avery took the left hand lane, Holliday went up the middle and Klink walked out to the right.

Something made Avery glance up at the sky. He kept his head down but a furtive glance spotted a drone hovering above the industrial estate. He couldn’t tell what it was looking for but something told him it would be better if he wasn’t spotted.

Observation Drone - Operator Unknown

Putting it to the back of his mind he made small talk with some of the homeless people milling around and discovered that a few of the lock ups were privately owned and not to be messed with. He relayed it to the others. “Apparently G1, C3 and E6 are all private owned units. Apparently we should avoid them if we can. Have either of you any updates?”

Klink, having wandered up the right hand lane had come across an injured man. “I’m just treating a guy over here. I’ll give you an update when I’m done.” He turned to the injured man. “What’s the problem?”

“I think I’ve broken my arm.” Said the man.

One of Klink's Portable Medical Kits

“Well I’m pretty good with arms!” Grinned the medtech spreading his three wide. “What happened?”

The man grimaced as Klink started to splint the arm. “It was a few days ago. I was hanging around the other end of the yard. There’s a unit. B5 that’s locked up. I was looking for somewhere to stay. Anyway, some guy, probably some corpo type, grabbed me, twisted my arm up and broke it then kicked me across the lane.”

“Well, I’ve patched you up.” Said Klink. “Don’t go getting into any more trouble.” He left the lock up and radioed the others. “Apparently some corpo goon roughed up some hobos because they were hanging around B5. That might be worth checking out.”

Holliday had noticed a locked unit with hand marks in the grime suggesting it had been opened recently. He found a unit opposite full of people in sleeping bags. “I’m looking for someone I need to speak to.” He said. “Maybe one of you can help me?”

“We haven’t seen anything mister.” Said one of the homeless women.

Holliday pointed across the way. “That unit has been opened recently. What’s the deal with that?”

Eurodollars - The Currency of Night City

“There’s a car in there.” Said the woman. “It’s in bits, I guess it’s a passion project for someone or something. Not long ago someone tried to break in there but there must be a security system or something. Not long after some goons came and broke the thieves hands.” 

Realising it was a dead end, Holliday gave the woman twenty eddies “Thanks for your help.” He called in to the others. “I got a bust over here. Seems the locked units are mostly protected, maybe Klink’s source is right. B5 might be the best candidate.”

Avery stood outside B4. He could see someone working inside. “I’m nearby. I’ll ask some questions and get back to you.” He knocked politely.

The unit had been converted into a sort of makeshift workshop. At the bench sat a man in his forties working on a wind up torch. He turned at the noise. “Oh hi, what can I do for you?” He said.

Avery improvised a cover story. “I’m sorry to bother you, I’m from city hall. I have been sent to look into an unsolicited transmission originating from around here somewhere. Have you seen anything suspicious?”

Henry Martinez - Tech

“I don’t know about anything particularly suspicious.” Said the man. “Certainly not something anyone is doing openly.”

Avery looked over at the workshop. “What do you do around here? Do you live here?”

“No, I have a place back in Santo Domingo.” He held out a hand. “I’m Henry, Henry Martinez. I do a bit of outreach work. I come down here and fix people’s tech. They’re often down and out around here. They don’t have much, so I try to make sure what they do have works.”

Avery shook Henry’s hand. “Well, this unsolicited transmission is coming from around here somewhere. It’s related to some sort of organised crime we think. The last thing the community needs is lawmen charging in here and turning everything over unannounced. Are you sure you haven’t seen anything?”

Henry looked thoughtful. “Honestly, no, nothing that seemed untoward like that.” He paused for a minute. “The unit next door was empty until recently. Some official looking types turned up and gave some people a shoeing to move them on. It didn’t look illegal or anything but they soon locked up tight and made it clear nobody was welcome in there. That could be related?”

“That’s B5 right?”

“Yeah next door.”

“Ok.” Said Avery. “I’m going to check it out. I suggest you try and encourage everyone around to get clear in case it gets unpleasant around here. Can you do that?” Henry packed up his tools. “Yeah that’s not a problem, I’ll shepherd people away.” Avery radioed Klink and Holliday. “A helpful gentleman I spoke to is assisting with the illegal transmission we are investigating.” He said “We think we have identified B5 as the source. We should investigate that immediately.”

Klink's SMG

“I’m on my way.” Said Holliday. “Someone should cover the gate in case they try to make a run for it.” Said Klink. “I’ll head over there now.” He skated back to the gatehouse and picked the lock. Inside was deserted. It seemed that the management of the facility had gone by the wayside some time ago. The medtech set himself up behind the desk with his heavy SMG in arms reach. Rifling through the drawers he found some very old mints. Grinning to himself he popped a mint and sat back waiting for the fireworks to start.

As Holliday reached B5,  Avery was checking his pistol. “You think you can open this?” Said the exec.

Holliday squared his shoulders. “On three.” He gripped the bottom of the door. “One… Two… Three!” With a grunt of effort he powered up from the floor slamming the door up into the roller mechanism and causing it to jam and screech in protest.

Inside, they caught a glimpse of a pop up bed, a workbench with some tools and a desk with a computer terminal set up. At the back of the room was a dark figure in a bodyweight suit. The skin tight fit of the suit suggested that the figure was female though her face was covered by another kabuki mask. This one was white and seemed to be the stylised representation of a fox. In one hand she held a bulletproof shield, with the other, the pin of a grenade that rolled towards the edgerunners feet.

Flash Bang Grenade

Holliday leapt back as the flashbang went off with the rumble of thunder and the glare of brilliant white. Through the haze and debris, he could see the netrunner face the back wall, holding the shield before her. Charges on the wall blow it out, raining burnt masonry out into the compound. Throwing the ruined shield behind her, she ran through the breach into the next lock up and sprinted away.

Avery’s cyberaudio suite and smart-glasses reduced the effects of the flashbang to a mere annoyance and undeterred, he charged through the crumbles masonry and out into the street. All around the panicked residents of the shanty town tripped over each other in an attempt to get away from the explosion. Behind him, he could hear Holliday following behind him. He caught sight of the netrunner barging through the crowd, pushing people out of the way and leaping over fallen men and women. He took careful aim but in the chaos and trying to avoid hitting any bystanders, his shot went wide.

Holliday steamed past, kicking the ruined shield up into his hand as he went. Avery’s frustration and annoyance turned to elation as the tough nomad skidded to halt and flung the shield overarm, spinning it through the air to catch the fleeing netrunner squarely in the back and spilling her to the ground.

GM's Note - This was so awesome that I’d have let it happen even if Holliday’s player hadn’t rolled a 26 for his athletics roll. Pure cinematic awesomeness.

Avery's Handcuffs

Resisting the urge to cheer, Avery kept coolly walked to the recumbent figure and aimed his pistol at her. “I’d prefer not to kill you, but I will if I have to.” He said calmly. Reluctantly the netrunner put up her hands for Holliday to handcuff. “I’ll be taking this too.” Said Avery, ripping the cyberdeck out of the port on her sleeve. 

Holliday took her mask revealing a young pale skinned face. “I’ll be taking your radio miss.” He said taking the earpiece. “We don’t want you calling for any back up now do we?”

Behind him, Klink skated to the gate, SMG pointed at the sky and stolen mints in hand. “Time to go?” He said.

The four of them walked back to Holliday’s truck. “Shall we take this new friend to somewhere we can talk to her or take her somewhere that out restaurant pals can?” Said the nomad.

“I think we should talk to her first.” Said Klink, clearly surmising that there wouldn’t be anything left to talk to after the Gidatta were finished.

“There are places out in the Badlands we can hide out.” Said Holliday.

The Badlands

Having arranged to meet someone from the Prylor pack, the convoy set off. Holliday and Klink in the nomads truck with Avery following in the van. The ride out to the Badlands was short. Heywood soon faded away into the desert. Holliday, plugged into the trucks interface turned to speak to the captive netrunner. “I’ve seen these kind of masks before.” He said. “They might be from some of your friends or not but I’m betting you know what they mean.”

'Michi' - Netrunner for The Widow and The Misaki

The netrunner stared back at him. “I can’t say anything. The Misaki will kill me.”

“The Misaki eh? And what exactly is that?” Said Holliday.

The netrunner stayed quiet. Soon the journey came to an end. Aela and Spydar sat on the hood of a car in the cooling night air. The convoy pulled up and Holliday led the prisoner out before everyone. The meeting point was a rocky outcrop overlooking a small oasis. In the distance the faintly flickering lights of the city seemed like stars in the sky, far and untouchable. In the opposite direction, the empty black of the wastelands lay waiting and hostile.

'Aela' - Nomad of the Prylor Pack

“Listen.” Said Holliday. “I think, given the circumstances we can remove the restraints. After all, where would you go?” He took the handcuffs away leaving the prisoner to sit on the ground watching her captors warily.

Avery walked over to Aela with his assault rifle and handed it over. “Keep watch for me will you?” He said, then walked over to the truck, keeping an eye on the netrunner. He wasn’t sure what she would have to say, but he was wary of letting her go in case she came back with friends. Silently, he prepared to execute her.

“So,” said Holliday, “Why are you doing this? Why are you in with his group? What are you doing it for?” He began.

“Everyone’s got someone.” The woman replied sullenly.

“Exactly!” Said Holliday, “Everyone’s got somebody right? You said the Misaki will kill you. What did you mean by that?”

The woman looked around uneasy as if she expected to see the angel of death coming for her right then.

“Look, if I don’t report in for a few days, the Widow could have my family killed.”

“That’s pretty serious.” Said Holliday. “What if I could get you and yours out of the city, real quiet like? Would you be more talkative then?”

The woman stayed quiet but all three of the edgerunners could see she was conflicted.

“What should I call you?” Asked the nomad.

Avery's Modified Heavy Pistol - Suppressed

The woman looked like she wouldn’t answer for a moment. “Michi.” She said “You can call me Michi.”

Quietly, Avery cocked his pistol. Noticing, Holliday moved into the centre of the circle. “Are you cold?” He said. “I’m getting a bit cold. I’m going to start a fire.” He started stacking bits of wood, giving the woman time to think.

After a short while, Avery gave him a pointed look and strode over. “Holliday has a code of honour of sorts.” He began. “He likes to give people the benefit of the doubt. A way out.” He lifted the pistol, studying it in the growing firelight. “I don’t. I look at reputation and good business.” The netrunner looked at the gun fearfully. “When we were hired for the car job and the Widow snatched it from us, we found her inside man at Mizutani.” He signed. “I’d have happily tortured him for the information but Holliday here offered him a way out. See, we might do things his way this time. Then again, we might not.”

“What are you talking about? We recovered the car.” Snapped the Michi.

Raphael Gidatta - Gidatta Crime Family

“The Widow hired the Gidatta to steal the car and hired us to recover it, then swooped in when the job was done.” Said Avery.

“You’re lying.” She said, “I don’t believe you.”

Avery played a snippet of the conversation with Raphael Gidatta. “Well they seemed to think that’s what happened.” He said.

Michi stayed quiet again but was clearly mulling things over in her head.

“You said they would kill you if you talked. Is that what happened to Spark?” Asked Avery. Michi showed no recognition of the name. “I guess we can just eliminate parts of the group without raising suspicion then eh?”

Silently, Klink sidled up to him. “Can I do something a little bit crazy?” He said.

Avery sighed. “Define crazy.”

“Can I scare her a bit?”

“Wait a minute.” Said Avery “Then maybe.” He turned back to Michi. “Misaki, is the name of the corporation?” The woman continued to ignore him. “I’ve been in enough negotiations to know when someone is holding back.” He gestured to Klink. “Go for it.”

Suddenly, the medtech darted forward and jammed an airhypo into the netrunners mouth.

“What the fuck!?” She spluttered.

Klink's Airhypo

Klink grinned maliciously. “You now have ten minutes to live before you liquidate.”

Momentarily stunned by the ruse, Avery and Holliday quickly rallied. “Oh not this again Klink!” Said Holliday “It took ages for us to clean that up last time!”

“I do not want liquidated human remains on my suit again. If she melts, it’s on you!” Said Avery feigning disgust. “I don’t know why we let you carry those experimental viruses around like this.”

GM's Note - This was frankly genius on Klink’s player’s part. I made the others roll acting to see how well they could carry the lie and fortunately they both rolled really well. Michi believed every word.

“Fuck man!” Michi shouted leaping to her feet. “Is there an antidote?”

“Yeah, there is.” Said Klink triumphantly “Tell me what my colleagues here want to know and I’ll give it to you.”

With horror etched on her face, Michi rounded on the others. “What do you want to know?!”

Kabuki Face Masks

“The Misaki, what are they?” Said Holliday.

“It’s a mercenary corp, they do contracts for spec ops, protection, recovery, whatever they’re needed for.” Said Michi hurriedly.

“What’s the structure of the organisation?” Asked Avery.

“I don’t know much, I’m not in the inner circle or anything but there are three pillars. Kitsune, Oni and Tengu. I’m working for the Kitsune branch, we do information gathering and distribution.”

“What are the other pillars?” Said Avery.

“The Oni are soldiers, frontline militia. The Tengu are covert ops. That’s all I know.”

“How are do you make contact?” Said Holliday. “You say you’re not in the inner circle. How do you get your orders?”

Michi paced up and down clearly agitated. “I work for someone called the Bakeneko.” She looked at Klink. “Come one, give me the cure!”

“Keep talking!” cut in Avery. “You’ll get the antidote when you’ve told us what you know.”

Michi - Kitsune Netrunner - Terrified

She ran her fingers through her short blonde hair. “I don’t know who he is. When I saw him in person he wore a mask like mine. He sends me orders on a burner phone. He contacts me I don’t contact him.”

“Is he in charge?” Asked Holliday

“I don’t know.” Said Michi “I don’t think so, he said something about someone else called Tamamo No Mae. It sounded like he deferred to them.” She franticly clawed at Klink. “That’s all I know, I swear! Please give me the antidote.”

Klink started laughing. Suddenly Michi understood. “You tricked me.” She said with finality. She slumped down to the ground and started to sob. Klink reached down and offered her the last of his stolen mints.

The others left her to her despair. Quietly, Avery gestured to his pistol, offering to put her out of her misery but Holliday scowled and shook his head and said out loud. “I’ll call in some favours with the Aldecaldos.” He said. “We’ll get you and your family out of the city before the end of the day.” He took Michi’s burner and handed her a new one. “I’ll be checking up on you.” He said.

“It would be much easier to just put a bullet in her.” Said Avery to Klink. “With gear and cyberware she'd be worth at least 2K dead. Alive she's just a fucking liability. But if Holliday wants to spare her I guess we're stuck with another loose end walking about...” With the interrogation over, Avery drove Klink back home to the city. Holliday stayed in the Badlands to make sure Michi made it out of the area. He walked over to Aela. “I’ll pay for her transport. Get the word out, I’m looking for someone to make the trip.”

A New Lead

The next day, Avery awoke to a call from an unknown number. He picked up. “Hello?”

John Moreno - Gidatta Crime Family

“It's Moreno. The contact I mentioned last night who deals in documentation. It's a fixer called Ruby. She wheels and deals in a few things but that's her main schtick. She has a place in Watson. It's called Assume. It's a fashion place, she deals in clothing but her other specialty is a back room business for special friends.”

“Thank you.” Said Avery. “We will pay her a visit this morning and see if we can find out more information.”

“See that you do.” Said Moreno. “Keep my posted.” 

After arranging a pickup with Holliday, the three edgerunners headed for the address. They had been to Watson recently and the scaffold heavy skyline was quite familiar. The day to day lives of the people here had been overshadowed recently by the spree of late night murders at the hands of the mysterious killer that the screamsheets were starting to dub The Watson Ripper.

“They still haven’t caught the Watson Ripper.” Said Avery, looking pointedly at Klink.

“It’s not me!” Protested Klink. “I keep telling you!”

Avery wasn’t convinced.

Ruby Deckard

Assume was located to the north west of kabuki market. It sat on the corner of a crossroads set back from the road on what might have been a busy row of shops in the past. Now, most of the shops were abandoned or have been turned into squats.

Ruby Deckard - Stylist and Forger
Gidatta Crime Family

The shop itself had the air of a boutique. It was quiet and softly scented with some sort of incense. The clothing on display was a mixture of new and retro fashions and are were seemingly quite reasonably priced. At the back of the store, was a counter where a woman sat.

She was attractive, as most people were given the easy access to surgery in the time of Red, with a strong proud bearing Avery recognised as absolute confidence. She reclined in her seat completely relaxed as the three men entered.

"What's up fellas? What can I get ya?"

“Miss Deckard?” Said Avery.

“That’s me.” She said. “Ruby Deckard. Welcome to assume. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“I was wondering, ma’am.” Said Holliday, looking around the shop. “Could you enhance some of this formal wear to add some armour at all?”

Ruby smiled. “Of course, that’s quite a common request. I can do a Kevlar inner lining. That should stop most small arms fire.” She beckoned him over. “Let’s take some measurements.” She got out a tape measure and began to take notes as she measured the nomad.

“It’s not the only thing we have come in for.” Said Avery. “Mr Moreno informed us that you fabricate necessary documentation.”

“You guys friends of the family?” She asked. “Yeah I know my way around the proper paperwork.”

Avery handed over the garage pass. “What can you tell me about this?” 

Hung Versor - Gidatta Crime Family

She looked at the passes. "A good copy could be any decent forgers work. That's kind of the point though." She chuckled at her joke. "Still, sometimes you just know when something is your own work. It just feels right. Not that I don't recognise them. I did five in two batches for the same guy. Versor, he works for the Gidatta."

“Two batches?” Said Avery.

“Yeah” Said Ruby. “He came in for two the first time then came back for three more a few hours later.” She finished measuring Holliday and stood up. “Seeming you’re a friend of ours, I can do the suit for 1500eb.”

Avery paid, saying to Holliday. “You are essentially my bodyguard, it’s the least I could do.”

The nomad held out the mask he had taken from Michi the night before. “Could you recreate something like this?” He asked.

Ruby turned it over in her hands. “Yeah, I can’t see why not. It doesn’t look too difficult. How many do you want?”

“It was just an inquiry at the minute.” Said Holliday, “But I’ll be back in touch about that.”

As they left the boutique, Avery called Moreno. “It seems that Ruby did make the passes Dallister gave us. Apparently, one of your guys, a Mr Versor bought and paid for two batches of forgeries a few hours apart.”

"Versor? Hung Versor?” Moreno sounded shocked and angry. “He's one of my guys. I can't believe he betrayed us. Meet my associate Ben Emcher tonight in Little Europe we have a site under construction by the waterside. Let's call it 10pm."

Avery was unsure about the invitation but felt he had no choice. “Ok, ten pm.”

“Ben is a friend of the family’s you might say. I hope you understand what that means.”

Ben Emcher - Gidatta Crime Family

Grimacing, Avery replied. “I do, we’ll be on our best behaviour.” He gathered the others. “Despite this being an internal disciplinary procedure, we have been asked to meet with Moreno’s friend tonight at ten.”

“Could this be some sort of hit? Are they just going to silence us for knowing too much?” Said Klink.

“I doubt it.” Said Avery. “You don’t tend to get an invite to your own execution. It sounds like they want to investigate this Mr Versor.” He checked his skinwatch. “I have a dinner reservation this afternoon that I must attend to. Can I trust you two gentlemen to stay out of trouble?”

“Dinner?” Said Klink excitedly “Where are we going?”

“There is no we.” Said Avery. “I am meeting with Mr Muldoon. I think we need to get ahead of at least one issue for once so I’m going to leverage him for information.”

Klink looked disappointed. “Can you bring back takeout?”

Avery sighed, wondering whether he was getting used to the erratic medtech or if he regretted being stuck with him. “Fine, yes I’ll bring you takeout.”

“Klink, maybe you can come with me.” Said Holliday. “I have a mind to go speak to friend I met earlier in the week. Cassidy Optekar, he’s a PI.”

“Well I was going to suggest Go-Karting.” Said Klink.

“Cass might have some insight into our current predicament. That’s a might more pressing than Go-Karting.”

Sullenly, Klink agreed to go along.

Cass Optekar

Holliday dialled the number Cass had given him after their adventure in Heywood.

Cass Optekar - P.I.
Optekar Investigations

“Optekar Investigations.” He said.

“Cass, this is Holliday, I was hoping we could catch up?” Said the nomad.

“Holliday, are you still on the trail of that road gang?”

“I am, but I have some other matters that need discussing too.”

“Swing by my office. It’s in The Universtiy District. We can talk your over there.”

It turned out that Cass lived at his office. It was a large apartment in a block at the east end of the district. The block was nice, and Holliday reasoned Cass must have had a decent living before the Datakrash as his skills were obviously exemplary. His apartment was on the 6th floor at the end of the hallway. There was a sign on the door that reads Optekar Investigations.

Holliday knocked and waited, looking at the scruffy and unkempt appearance of Klink loitering behind him.

Cass opened the door. “Hi Holliday it’s good to see you again. Who’s your friend?”

“Cass, this is Klink, a comrade in arms if you will.” He turned to Klink. “This is Cass, he saved my life earlier this week.”

“Wotcha!” Said Klink enthusiastically. Cass looked Klink up and down, studying him in detail. “It’s a pleasure.” He said.

Cass welcomed them into his home. Inside was a functional apartment. There was a kitchen and bathroom and a bedroom off to one side. The main room was open plan with Cass’ desk in one corner backing onto a balcony veranda.

Joves Kardin - Deceased
Alleged Serial Rapist

He sat down at the desk. “What can I help you with?”

“We have found ourselves the target of a power player in the city.” Said Holliday. “They have caught us napping once and I don’t want to get caught out again. You heard of The Widow?”

Cass looked surprised. “Only by reputation. Seems that they have had a good run of success over the last couple of months.”

“Well, we’ve done something to rile them up.” Said Holliday. “I need to find out how they tick. You know anything about the Joves Kardin case? That sounds like a personal hit by the Widow herself.”

“Joves Kardin? I heard about that. I know someone who can get me the crime report. He was a family man.” For a moment, Cass looked sad but he quickly rallied. “His wife flat out denies he was a serial rapist but you’ve heard of serial killers who could keep their disgusting private lives secret. BTK hid his murders for over thirty years and he was also a family man.” He jotted down some notes. “I can dig into that a bit more. Is there anything else?”

“The Widow’s stories seem to be covered by Tamsin Escriba and Pulse Eleven in the screamsheets. Do you know anything about them?” Said Holliday. Behind him, Klink started to go through the cupboards in Cass’ kitchen. The PI noticed but didn’t seem bothered.

“Escriba and Eleven? I’ve seen their names in the screamsheets but I’m not aware of them beyond that.” Said Cass. “Still, the best bet in those cases is to follow the money. Someone gets paid for those articles. I can pull on some threads and see what I find.”

“Be careful.” Said Holliday, “this could get rough.”

'Spark' - Deceased Solo
Probable 'The Widow' Victim

“I’ve been watching my back for a long time. You don’t last long in this city or this business without a lot of caution. I won’t be risking that now.” Said Cass confidently.

“I heard about a solo, Spark.” Said Holliday. “I’m suspicious he was silenced after some sort of cloak and dagger op for the Widow.”

“Solo’s are far reaching.” Said Cass. “This choom could have got up to all sorts of things. I have some contacts I can try though. Maybe I can get a feel for who he was. It might be coincidence but it might not.”

“I’m also looking for someone.” Said Holliday pressing on. “There’s a pilot by the name of Huey. Average build, pale blue eyes, fair hair.”

“A first name isn’t much to go on but I can keep an ear out. Do you have any other details that might be relevant?” Said Cass making notes.

“I don’t have much more information. He could be nomad but I don’t think Aldecaldo or he might be military. Someone at the Forlorn Hope suggested maybe he worked for constitutional arms.” 

“If he’s my guy, then he’s a skilled AV pilot, probably with experience in AV-4’s or maybe AV-6’s. The AV we saw last night had been modded to take an afterburner and the pilot handled it really good.”

“Ok, that’s significant. I can cross reference that with some other guys I know.” Said Cass.

'Plasma' Steel - Red Mandibles Gang

“Ok, one last thing.” Said Holliday. “The Red Mandible gang. Do you know anything about them?”

“I’ve heard of the Red Mandible Gang,” Said Cass “Nothing notable, just that they were wiped out a couple of months ago. South Night City isn’t that far from here and news travels. The Screamsheets said another gang tried to move in on their turf and was killed almost immediately afterwards. It was a bad couple of weeks for the residents.”

“Do you know anything about their members?” Asked Holliday. “The only lead I have is the name Plasma Steel.”

“I don’t know anything of the members but if one of them survived the massacre and cashed out someone will have bought all their stuff. I can her track down.”

“Anythin' else Klink?” Said Holliday.

The medtech wandered back into the room holding a packet of biscuits. “No, I think you covered it.” He said.

“Well,” said Cass, “You know my rates, 50eb per day plus expenses. Agreed?”

“Agreed.” Said Holliday. “Well, we better get going. We’ve been called to a meeting at a Moreno Construction site tonight.” He stood up to leave.

Cass mimed at Klink to brush the crumbs off his shirt. “Be respectful.” He said. “You know who those guys are right?”

“Only too well.” Said Holliday grimly.

Tripp Muldoon

Anya Metalik - Avery's P.A.
Budget Arms, Acquisitions Dept.

Avery had received a message from Anya telling him that Tripp Muldoon, an ex-rival from Federated Arm’s sales department had replied to a message that Avery had sent a few days before. Tripp had agreed to meet for a business dinner to hear what Avery had to offer.

He had booked a table at The Emerald Avenue, an upmarket fusion restaurant in the Glen. Avery had been past it a few times and had wanted to try it out for some time and despite his irritation at the previous night’s events, he looked forward to trying it out.

When he arrived, he was led to a table where Tripp was waiting for him. The Federate Arms exec stood and greeted him.

“Mr Hicks, It’s good to finally meet you face to face.”

Avery shook his hand. “Yes it is.”

“So, what is this pressing matter we need to discuss exactly?”

“I think we can afford a bit of culture before we begin. Shall we at least have a starter before we get down to business?” Suggested Avery.

Muldoon agreed and after some polite small talk over the first course. Avery laid out his pitch. “I have obtained evidence that conclusively proves that you were directly responsible for arranging the attack upon Harper Bascott’s clean energy facility in order to further discredit me and enable you to swoop in and make a deal instead."

Harper Bascott - PowerNetic Exec. - Targeted byTripp Muldoon

"Though I'm sure your company would understand the ‘why’ of this situation, the negative publicity, not to mention the loss of life for which Federated Arms, and therefore your company’s ‘Face’ would be liable is certain to be looked upon unfavourably. I’m sure you realise that Federated Arms would need a scapegoat and that would certainly be you. Fortunately for you, I have a solution that will benefit us both…”

Tripp Muldoon - Federated Arms Exec.

Though Muldoon had a good poker face and he hid it well, Avery detected that he was irritated by the leak and at least partially concerned about the possibility of consequences. “You know as well as I do, that scandals like this can be brushed under the table. Of course, you are naïve if you believe that I wouldn't expect you to record this meeting.”

“Is that a risk you are willing to take?” Said Avery evenly.

 “I suppose it’s futile asking where you got that information?” Said Tripp, pressing on.

“Of course.” Said Avery, “You know as well as I do that it’s bad business to give up your advantage.”

“How have you verified that it is indeed true?” Said Muldoon evenly.

“See for yourself.” Said Avery, passing a memory stick across the table.

Muldoon read the chip on his agent. “I presume you have copies?”

“You presume correctly.”

“If I agree to your offer, what guarantee do I have that you won't leak the contents anyway? Regardless of its veracity, that sort of accusation could be quite damaging.”

“That’s irrelevant.” Said Avery. “

The Raffen Shiv - Nomad Outcasts Gang

I’m a man of integrity. If you give me what I want, I will keep to my word and keep the information to myself.”

Muldoon gave him a hard look. Avery could see the set in his jawline as he calculated his options.

“What do you want to know?” He said.

“One of my operatives has a personal grudge against the Raffen Shiv in general, and this group in particular.“

“Should you give me ALL the information you have on them. Names, numbers, contact details, what weapons you have supplied them, and so on then I’m quite sure that they can be removed permanently which will minimise the evidence against yourself considerably. This secures your position, albeit marginally, and enables me to keep a valued operative content. An elegant solution, don't you think?”

Tripp sighed. “Hmm, well, I don’t know but if I were to theorise how a group such as that would operate, I would predict that they would run out from a train.“

The Kiyoko Quadro - Raffen Shiv Mobile Base

"There’s one called the Kiyoko Quadro. It's an old freight train. I don't know how they would get hold of it, but it would allow them to move over great distances often without leaving much of a trace. They could store their vehicles on it, they could live on it. It'd be a mobile camp they’d never need to pack up. They could stay on the move as much as they could. That would make finding the train at a stop difficult.“

“Indeed, I would bet the train is armoured too.” Said Avery.

“It's armoured too and quite defensible.” Confirmed Tripp.

“Ok, what about their numbers?”

“The gang is led by one Blythe Seven.” Said Tripp. “He's a brute of a man with no scruples to speak of. Nothing is beneath him. His number two Isaac Wattsmith is psychotic. A sadist, that revels in inflicting pain physically and mentally.” 

Blythe Seven - Raffen Shiv Leader

Avery listened intently. “As for the rest of their number, there were many when I last dealt with them. A long time ago. Selling weapons to customers and giving them unethical jobs are two different things.” He gave Avery a fake smile.  “I have no idea about their numbers now. Things change, they might have lost a few, they might have taken more in or otherwise extended their group. There were 15 to 20 as far as I could estimate based on what they ordered.”

 

“Speaking of their orders, what about their offensive capabilities?” Probed Avery.

“They have a fairly standard armoury. Mostly pistols and shotguns. They specialise in taking people alive. Clearly it suits their aims that way. They tend to overwhelm people quickly and then beat them unconscious. The guns are tools to be used smartly.” Said Tripp. “Given their business, that shouldn’t be a surprise.”

“How do you contact them?” Said Avery.

“Come on now.” Said Tripp, “Trying to trick me into admitting something incriminating! I’m hurt. I wouldn’t possibly know how to communicate with a group like that. If I were them though, I’d likely use dead drops for the more criminal jobs. Wouldn’t you?”

Avery smiled himself. Despite the situation he had to admit he liked Tripp’s ability to avoid incriminating himself. “Yes, that would be sensible. Where would you make the drops… if it was up to you… theoretically of course?”

Isaac Wattsmith - Solo - Raffen Shiv Enforcer

“North of Little China. If I were using a train, I’d try to find locations near the railway lines.”

“Thank-you for being so sensible about this situation.” Said Avery. “I feel however that I should warn you that this information came to me without much effort and so is likely to emerge sooner rather than later, without my interference. If Federated Arms should discover it independently your own position would be somewhat untenable. If you require the funds for an unscheduled surprise vacation then I’m sure one of the salespeople at Budget Arms would pay you well for your customer database and enable you to quietly avoid the wrath of your superiors.” 

He smiled again. “Of course you know your own leaders better than I and may deem this option unnecessary. Perhaps they will forgive you this indiscretion with a mere slap on the wrist? Either way the offer is there should you wish to take me up on it.”

“I don’t think you have seen the last of me yet Mr Hicks.” Said Muldoon. “But thank you for the offer.”

With the meeting concluded, Avery left the restaurant just in time to be picked up by Holliday and Klink on the way to the construction site.

The Construction Site

Climbing into the passenger seat, Avery handed over two bags of food from the restaurant. “I didn’t know if you had supper.” He said.

Klink's Usual Lifestyle Food Option - Continental Brand Kibble

“Klink always finds a way.” Said Holliday with exasperation. “Cass said he will look into a few things for us.”

“Is he any good?” Asked Avery.

“He’s impressed me in the past. I trust him.” Said Holliday. Behind him, Klink tucked into the food Avery had given him. “Klink found himself some pre-dinner at Cass’ place. I don’t know how he eats so much.”

“One of these days, someone is going to shoot you for stealing their lunch.” Said Avery.

“Well, then I’ll kill them all with a grenade.” Said Klink absently.

Holliday kicked the truck into drive and they set off towards Little Europe. “How did your dinner date go?” He said.

“Muldoon was sly but he gave up that the gang live on a train called the Kiyoko Quadro. There could be as many as twenty in the gang, though obviously we thinned their numbers not long ago. They have a supply of weapons but they’re mostly for intimidating people.” Said Avery.

“Yeah, they seem the bullying type.” Said Holliday darkly.

“They’re lead by a brutish guy called Blythe and his psycho second in command Isaac. They sound unpleasant.” Avery leant back in his seat. “I’m not sure how we can use the information yet, but apparently they use dead drops near the train lines in Little China. Maybe we can lure them into an ambush.”

“Well, they’re probably short of an outrider about now. Cass and I killed the last one. Maybe they take job offers.” Said Holliday. He pointed ahead. “We’re getting close to the site.”

The site was set to be a mega building block of apartments. Signage for Moreno Construction suggested that the company belonged to the Gidatta. By the look of it, they could only have broken ground very recently as there was a lot of scaffolding but very little actual construction in place.

 

Ben Emcher was waiting for them with a few other men. Given their recent actions, it was no surprise that he was less than happy to work with them. However it was clear that he was taking the alliance seriously. Nevertheless. He seemed very grim this evening.

He approached as the men disembarked. “The boss knows how things work in this city, and he’s got a message I’m to pass on only once. If you record this meeting in any way, you’re done. The family will find it unacceptable. Do you understand?”

Avery reached up and took the memory stick out of his chipware socket. “I understand completely.” He said.

Emcher turned to his guards “Wait here. If this guy is one of Widow’s maybe they’ll come get him, so keep your eyes peeled chooms.” He beckoned the edgerunners to follow him. “This way.”

He led them further into the construction site and down to the foundations. Ahead, they could see a few construction vehicles, specifically cement mixers parked up around the excavation into the footings. There were a number of armed guards standing around the edge of the pit and as they got nearer they could see another man, with his hands bound standing at the bottom. He was faintly tanned with an average build and dark hair. As Emcher approached he frantically tried to get free.

Nano Dallister
Possible Agent of 'The Widow'

“Mr Emcher, I didn’t do anything! You’ve got to believe me. Get me out of here!” Avery picked up the genuine fear in his voice, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he man had a passing resemblance to Nano Dallister, the man who had hired them to find the stolen car.

Emcher stood at the edge of the pit. “Hung, Ruby said you went back and bought a second batch of garage passes for the Mizutani job. Why did you do it?”

Versor looks both terrified and confused. “I didn’t! I got the passes for Cermet and Howie just as I was ordered. I never went back there.”

“Ruby identified you to these investigators.” Emcher says gesturing towards Avery, Holliday and Klink.

“They’re lying! She’s lying!” Shouted Versor, panicking and frantic.

At the accusation, Emcher turned in disgust and nodded at the drivers of the cement mixers. They started to pour cement into the pit.

“No! Fuck please!” Hung screamed “It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it.”

Emcher was cold “Who was your contact? Who did you give the passes to?”

The concrete began to pool around Versor’s feet and he tried to move away from it. Avery could read the panic in his face. Versor began to laugh hysterically. “I didn’t have the passes! There was no contact! I didn’t do anything. Ben, you’ve got to believe me. I don’t want to die!”

“Tell me who you betrayed us to and I’ll grant you mercy.” Said Emcher

“I don’t know!” Versor was frantic. The concrete pooled over his ankles and he struggled to move away.

Unable to stand by any longer, Avery spoke up. “He is either a great actor or he really doesn’t know what you’re is talking about.” He said. “Look, you know this man, so maybe you’re too close to this. Let me ask some questions.”

Emcher looked at him. “Maybe you’re right.” He waved a hand, stopping the concrete mixers and gestured for Avery to go ahead.

“Mr Versor.” He began. “Tell me what you did on the day you went to get the passes.”

Eurodollars - Protection Money

Still frantic and agitated but clearly relieved that the concrete wasn’t being poured anymore, Versor thought hard. “I got the gig to buy the passes in the morning. Err… I paid the money and then collected protection from a couple of local businesses. I picked the passes up when they were done and dropped them off toe Cermet. Err then I collected some cash from the bookies for Mr Ginelli. That’s all I did, I swear.”

Avery watched him carefully. “I think he’s telling the truth.” He said at last. “Bodysculpting is common. It’s not unlikely that someone could have disguised themselves as Mr Versor and made the order.”

“The Widow has some covert ops guys.” Cut in Holliday. “This sounds like exactly the sort of thing they would do to me.”

“Pull him out of there.” Said Emcher to one of the guards. “I didn’t want to think he’d betray us but I trust Ruby.”

“Maybe you’re just hardened to this sort of thing.” Said Avery. “We spotted it because we aren’t as close to it.” He watched Versor being pulled up out of the foundation. “I suggest you keep your guys in pairs after this, for security.”

“And maybe consider some sort of code system. A call and response type thing.” Said Holliday.

“That’s good advice.” Said Emcher. “I think we’re done here. You saved a man’s life tonight.”

“Yeah.” Said Holliday. “Find out if he saw anything suspicious when he’s in a better frame of mind. Maybe we’ll get a lead if he realises he was being watched.” He led the others back towards the car. “Now if you don’t mind, it’s been a real busy couple of days. I could do with a rest.”

To be Continued in "The Kiyoko Quadro"

GM's Round-up

Well that brings us to the end of what was planned to be a single session that ran into three. This one in particular had some thrilling action and excellent roleplay. Holliday “Captain America-ing” that shield was a real surprise that I just had to let happen. All three players really shone in the roleplay elements. Avery tackled Muldoon’s weaselling excellently and Klink’s “something crazy” took everyone by surprise, especially me.

Now they have a deadly enemy to contend with and an ally they don’t trust. Determined to take back control they are going after that Shiv Gang. What could possibly go wrong?

Acknowledgement's

I've used pictures of real people to represent some of the characters and art for others so in no particular order Avery Hicks is Tom Ellis, 'Holliday' is Wes Chatham, 'Klink' is Mackenzie Crook, Jasmine is Dichen Lachman, Lizza is Eiza Gonzalez, Henry Martinez is Dennis Haysbert, 'Michi' is Belinda McClory, Aela is Natalia Reyes, Raphael Gidatta is Ray Liotta, John Moreno is Gerard Butler, Ruby Deckard is Felicity Jones, Hung Versor is Ben Barnes, Ben Emcher is Micheal Morrone, Cass Optekar is Donald Sutherland, Joves Kardin is Zach Braff, Spark is Kevin Durand, 'Plasma' Steel is Jada Pinkett Smith, Anya Metalik is Gillian Anderson, Harper Bascott is Robert Redford, Tripp Muldoon is Martin Wallstrom, Blythe Seven is Vinny Jones, Isaac Wattsmith is Craig Conway and Nano Dallister is John Krasinki.