If the guy you know knows about gangers in the Basement, I say more info the better. Some times these cases take some time to complete. So while we wait, make your call.
I'm thinking of scouting the perimeter. See if I can get a better vantage point.
"I have some experience," agrees Hawatari. "I'm actually a very big believer in coincidences; since they don't actually exist, they're a particularly convenient way of connecting dots, because they mean that someone didn't pick up all their bread crumbs. However, the only additional information I possess is this image," she adds, flicking the image from Tarnish's shop across the link.
"He means he thinks a direct assault would bleed his people, and he's probably right," she sends back to Ahlwin and Red. "Yes, he might still want to drop the hammer, but now he knows we're not on that team - and also both that we're willing to help put the boot in, and that our assistance will cost him nothing. Don't think I'm not aware that he might be tempted to make a try for us if he thinks he can get away with it, though. And don't underestimate churches - I've known three apparently simple local places that were the next best thing to fortresses, and several others that started out as actual fortresses."
To Lou she continues, "I can currently be reached at this commcode, yes; I'm certain you have other business to deal with, so unless you insist, I'll let you go. If you don't mind passing along the name and location of the church, I and my people could be on our way - the sooner to backstop your own assets should our interests coincide."
With a flicker of thought, she assigns the Blue Defender's second app slot to a search for churches in the Bargain Basement area of Redmond. The going will be slow at the moment, until she flips the MCT commlink's focus from its Firewall (for the current conversation) over to Data Processing (for a faster, better search) after the Cutter boss hangs up. Even if he won't say, well, perhaps they can deduce where they should be headed. Over the VPN, she adds, "Setting up a search for old churches in Bargain Basement. Red, do you know any that might fit the profile?"
Cavan groans a bit at the thought of calling Ed. When the elf had first moved to Seattle he had a place in the Barrens, he saw his place in Tacoma as a minor improvement.
"He might know something, he might not. You might know of Greasy Ed, the mean sunnova... well I would rather not say that in front of a lady. The ork Slumlord, he likes to charge you for information up front, even if he doesn't have any."
Let's do this away from the church, Kerrah suggests quietly.
"Here's the coords, Hawatari-san. Happy hunting!" Lou grins as he pings the details of a street address to your commcode.
Upon inspection, it's about a 15-20 minute drive away, on the eastern edge of the Basement.
Cavan still doesn't want to call Greasy Ed. He follows Bobbi, and cycles his glasses through thermal to see if any of the crates radiate heat.
"Say Bobbi, anything else we should be looking for? We have a guys first name, you know any deckers that can skim his matrix info?"
"I don't know any Chipheads. Never messed too much with the Matrix. It gives me the spins." Kerrah doesn't try to hide the disdain she has for the Matrix.
"I know a mystic or two," she offers helpfully.
Kerrah searches through a nearby building for a good vantage point to watch the church. Once situated, she will assemble her Remington 950 with silencer and watch through the scope for movement in and around the building.
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Climbing up to a convenient third story ledge, Cavan and Kerrah have an excellent vantage overlooking the long side of the cathedral, along with the front and rear sides. Assembling her rifle and taking up position behind the scope, Kerrah settles in for an old-fashioned sniper stalk.
Team White Panel Van: What's the plan?
"Say, since they all conked out for the night, what say you to a little bit of sneakin' in and checking out the crates? You know, it could give us some more information on the "Simon" fellow.
I think patience is the better part of valor in this case.
Kerrah scans the perimeter again before continuing.
That said, I up for something foolish too. Can you make us invis or use another type of illusion to help us break in?
"I am rather unskilled in the use of Illusion. I was a former supply officer in my more legitimate days. That wasn't included in my training. But I do have a couple of basic firepower spells that I'm fairly good at, a couple of spells to improve reflexes, reaction time, combat prowess, and presence in the room, and several spells that affect my immediate environment such as makeup, clothes, and minor telekineses. If we can swipe an outfit I can make it a better disguise, but I can't do invis. We'll have to do it a bit more old fashioned. That sounds good, later on want to head downtown, I know a bartender that makes a mean drink."
Cavan looks out towards the church watching for any vehicles that head up or head out from the building.
"Hmmm, old churches in the Barrens...," Red mutters to himself as he thinks. 'Something sturdy, not burned out, able to be defended without major repairs or massive construction.' Red ponders as the GMC eats up the distance.
Hawatari hangs on as the GMC hits the potholes and the scattered debris normal for a Barrens road. There's a slight grimace on her face, an expression of disgust, as she watches the van's progress from the second-row seat. "I need to get used to grinding out legwork again," she muses, then adds - or maybe corrects herself, "I need to build a new stable of contacts, is what. Hate having to play catch-up."
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Red: nothing immediately comes to mind, but the area of the address certainly seems appropriate for such an old building.
After about 15 minutes, the crew of Red, Hawatari, and Ahlwin approach the block of the church in question. The time is now around 0200, giving you about 5 1/2 - 6 hours of night remaining. How do you approach? Park away, walk in? Pull up, tires squealing? Something more esoteric?
"So, I was thinking one easy drive by to get a quick look-see at what we dealing with as far as general layout, possible guards or gangers acting as guards," Red says.
The elf was rather proud of himself for not making snarky comment when the suit (or former suit) mentioned having to do her own legwork work again. The fact that she was in one piece after whatever fallout occurred was respectable.
"Then, I was thinking about parking a block or so away, depending on what the area looks like, and where I can stow this beast. We'll figure something out, hopefully better Barren's All Night Pizza Delivery." the rigger says with a chuckle.
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Everyone roll perception (Visual) please.
Red, Ahlwin, Hawatari: You cruise down dark and wrecked streets, veering around burned out and stripped vehicle frames. The trash-can fires and street-corner hangouts from the middle of Bargain Basement fade away, leaving a cold and damp night cut only by your headlights. At the location given, you spot a large, old stone church surrounded by a rusted and spike-topped fence. No other vehicles or people appear obviously on the street level or in the surrounding buildings.
Kerrah & Cavan: After about 20 or 30 minutes of scoping the church you see a beat-up white van cruise past the cathedral. It travels slowly down the dark streets and dodges a few obstacles on the road, continuing on and turning the corner at the end of the block.
(2 hit, 1 miss)
Watching the road, the vast ugly wound that the Barrens is unroll around her, Hawatari suggests absently, "Spiral in - do a circle three blocks away, see if there isn't an open space between a street and the church that we can drive along, keeping our distance. And if you can use thermo or low-light, do it. Might consider installing seperate on-off switches for your head- and tail-lights,"[b] she muses, then rubs her hand over her eyes for a moment. So [b]hard to focus. Lily, what happened to you? And who's done it?
As the van moves along the street, she watches both sides, glad that at least her thermographic and telescopic systems remained intact. Not-quite-idly, she wonders what else is still functional - and to what degree.
Kerrah pauses looking through the scope,when she hears a vehicle approaching.
"Hoi, what's this then."
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All seems quiet on this desolate block. Besides the white van driving smoothly and casually past the Cathedral, no other activity catches your eye. From her sniper nest, Kerrah cannot see any motion in the church itself, and all the lights appear to have extinguished in the basement.
From the van, nothing stands out in view. Surprise, surprise, Redmond is a drekhole. But that's hardly news.
Cavan gets up, wanders to the way down and motions for Bobbi to join him. The white van didn't really make things any better for him, The only thing it needed was a spray painted sign that said "Free Candy" on it.
"Nothing's going to get done with us just sittin' around here. Let's go take a look at this operation. Maybe we can get some more with a closer look."
"Than you should probably be paying closer attention. I've been using nothing but my eyes for a little while now, the lights where turned off 2 blocks ago. Not my first rodeo sweetheart, any thing else you'd like to tell me how to do, like how to drive, maybe how to breathe? I seem to forget how to do that." Red chuckles, the elf's unblinking gaze never left the road, flicking through Low-Light and Thermovision. 'Great, she's a back seat driver.' the rigger thinks to himself.
Kerrah will expertly dissemble her rifle and follow Cavan from the nearby building down stairs towards the church.
Once they are near the church again, Kerrah will have her pistols out and use her keen senses for signs of life inside the church basement or for approaching foot traffic while Cavan seems distracted with the 6th world business.
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Kerrah & Cavan approach the cathedral again, very stealthily. There's no immediate sign of life inside or around the grounds, and no additional vehicles pass by the building. Astrally, the place looks identical to how it was last time you came by.
The building has three obvious entrances (front and two side doors), and plenty of window-areas on the ground floor that might provide access. You don't see any further movement from the basement room where the men were working earlier, nor do you hear the rumble of the generator any longer.
Hawatari & Ahlwin: Red pulls around the corner before parking the van alongside the roadway. "Sorry, chummers, just got word I gotta take care of some family biz. No hard feelings, take my cut when you get paid, and we'll call it square?"
The streets are empty, desolate and dark. The cathedral sits about 150-200 meters down the road around the corner, with a tall iron fence surrounding its grounds.
Cavan, Kerrah whispers, what plan do we have here.
Looking up and down the street cautiously, Kerrah continues, Even if we break in, then what? Unless you have some skills with the Matrix you haven't mentioned, I certainly don't.
So we get in and do what? Can we even bypass the first layer of security on the comms? Did you want to just take the hardware and find someone else to crack it?
I'm up for cray, but I like my cray with a little bit of planning.
Let's go over each step before we enter. What do ya say?
Ahlwin gives Red a quick nod before hopping out and switching his presets to heavy work.
”Lets give a small prayer to the gods of dumb, f#ck, and luck that we can boost something out here with tires when it go sideways. I don’t really feel like planting a flag in order to draw this other team’s attention. Perimeter search of the building seem practical?
(4 hit, 2 miss)
(3 hit, 3 miss)
The red headed elf sighed.
"To be honest, we haven't got one. If we'd had some time to do some legwork and pay some people, we'd probably be in a much better position. As it stands, let's go find a place to eat, not much I can do about matrix security, maybe we can get some more information when they hustle and bustle around in the morning."
"I agree. Going in without a plan might be a bit to suicidal even for me," Kerrah whispers behind her smile.
She continues more seriously, "Let's not give up our position just yet. A good old fashion stake out might turn up some useful info."
"Follow me and let's hide across the street and see if they have any visitors tonight. If not we lose nothing but time."
Kerrah waits for Caven to respond then heads across the street if no one is about and finds a nice dark nook from which to watch the church.
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Ahlwin and Hawatari make their way stealthily down the block, scanning for movement or indications of danger. Near the edge of the church, approximately 75-100 meters away, Al catches a glimpse of movement. Two humanoid forms are heading away, along the side wall of the church. They do not carry visible light sources, or any obvious weaponry that stands out at this distance or light level.
Neither seems big enough for a troll or small enough for a dwarf, they easily fit into the size for a human, elf, or small-ish orc.
Nothing else moves in the darkness of the Barrens street.
Lets see if we can get some 1st hand knowledge here. Besides, Hawa looks like she can take them, their families, friends, and maybe a few tanks with a sly look.
Al closes the distance and greets the figures with a friendly wave and hand hovering over his holstered shocker.
"Oi! You know where we can find a priest round here? We're itchin for sinin tonight but my girl doesn't want none of it before its official! Heard there was a church somewhere."
Cavan hears a noise and assumes they've been caught, immediate reaction would be to bs his way out of it, his eyes lose focus for a bit as he casts a spell.
Cavan whispers to Bobbi "Let me do the talkin' here. I have some skill in weaseling me way out of things."
The Irish elf looks up, a quizzical look on his face. He moves away from the church so he doesn't wake anybody up inside. His thick accent rings out when he talks.
"Then why the tek are you out here? You'd be better off findin' a chapel in downtown."
Kerrah silently acknowledges Cavan's request. She stays in the shadows, pistol still drawn but not out in the open.
This doesn't seem related to the gangers in the church, she thinks.
”Drek car service and bum directions got me here. But it looks like I’m where I need to be.”
Al immediately regrets this decision and chalks it up to poor impulse control and caffeine. He activates an AR display through his comm to get a peek at the local icons around the church. The other 99% of his brain capacity focuses on meatsplaining himself.
"Uhhh…so you and your friend locals or just getting your wigglies on traipsing around at night?"
Cavan's eyes look directly at the man who must be crazy wanting to get married in the Barrens.
"Yes... locals, I'm a skeleton from the local graveyard wearin' a meat suit."
He pauses a bit for emphasis, waiting for the man to open his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the Irish elf.
"Of course I'm not a local, are ya daft? Do I sound local? No, me and my step sis are out here tryin' out that whole urban explorer thing. You know that thing where ya get the really nice photos and such of abandoned or ancient structures right in the middle of the city. This God forsaken stretch of land seems ripe for such a thing."
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Cavan: Ahlwin is pretty certainly not out here looking for a random church, for no reason. Dressed like he is, and with bags and holsters and such, fair guess makes him as a contractor much like yourself. Beyond that, it's hard to tell just what his intentions or goals out here, but the presence of the people inside, combined with the late hour and his appearance, allow you to put 2 ans 2 together. Hint: it ain't 5.
Ahlwin, could be they're doing just that. This elf talks real pretty, especially with the Irish brogue slipping out. They certainly aren't dressed like locals, and they appear to have bathed and eaten recently. Best guess: this may be the other team you were told about. No idea if it's just the 2 of them, though.
”Think I’ll take your suggestion and find a more reputable spot for the ceremony. Delayed satisfaction is supposed to be a good thing, I hear. Listen - my comm is drek out here. You mind pointing us in the right direction on my portable, unless you’re a couple of lost explorers?”
Al grabs his deck and sends a quick message to the display, showing it to the elf.
"Reached out to Johnson, mutual interest in church. Wanna play Co-op?"
Keerah chuckles at the clever rouse to show we are on the same job for the same Johnson.
She beams with a broad disarming smile and relaxes a bit but doesn't holster her piece.
The elf reads the text on his glasses before replying.
"Definitely not lost, but we can help you out for a small profit of course."
Kerrah puts away her gun and steps out from the shadows.
"So Mr. Johnson has a Plan B. I'm Bobbi of Team A and you are?"
Kerrah will wait for a reply then continue with,
"And services can you provide here are? We have about 5 or 6 gangers hold up in the basement of the that church across the street. They were working on a terminal. We need to get info about where they are from, who hired them, and what are they doing."
Kerrah will ponder for a few moments before continuing.
"Way it seems to me is we ahve two choices; we can break in, take them by surprise and leave the leader alive to get info; or break in and claim their console to crack the info on our own time."
Did I leave anything out?" Kerrah says looking at the two men.
Remembering what he heard, Cavan pitches in.
"Yes you did, they are working for a guy named "Simon" that seems to be a decker."
Cavan didn't have a name, he didn't like not having names.
"But before we go about performing all sorts of wrongdoings, how about some introductions? You may call me Murphy, I use pretty words to get me around. And you are?"
”Al. I provide catering services and do a little industrial-espionage/identity-theft on the side.”
I should get business cards made up. 10% off your next grinder if you mention Al to your fixer.
He brings up the security cam images of Simon for confirmation.
”The pic is drek but if this is who you saw then we’re in business. He hijacked the wrong stuff – bonus if he comes in alive. Might have already seen that console but I haven’t done a deeper dive yet. If it needs a hardline then I see no problem taking them now.”