"Sybil"'s page

An explanation and an apology are both needed and overdue.

Recently, I've begun to feel out of phase with all PbP RPGs that I've been playing, either as a GM or a player. If any of you were in my games, you know that I've entered a hiatus of undefined length, thinking it was GM burnout. Apparently, it was not only that. Despite my life stabilizing in a new routine as I started my PhD, something has changed in my mind, and playing has become to feel more and more as a chore and less of a pleasure. It's not the stories, the GMs or the other players, I've been enjoying immensely the games until now: I think I've just saturated myself with PbP, with reading and reacting, and with the engagement every day. I've tried to soldier on, hoping it was just a phase, but in the end I can't force myself to play against my will.

I honestly don't know if and when I'll be coming back, I just know that I don't feel like I can give a meaningful contribution in this state of mind. It's very frustrating, given how much care I put into Sybil. At least you have someone other who can take care of the Matrix. Perhaps Azil can play her until his character is introduced? And for later, maybe she'll have to go treat her hot-sim addiction. Or maybe she'll look for ways to ascend as an AI.
If/when I feel more like the player I was, I hope that you'll be here to come back to, but if it doesn't happen I'd like you to know that it's been a pleasure to play with you all.

Merry gaming, may your rolls be high and your loot be plentiful.

I went in hot-sim, as I have been adding 2d6 to my Matrix actions. I don't know where the extra d6 comes from, I seem to remember that it made sense at character creation but I have forgotten anything about it, so I'll take 10+4d6 until I can remember where the rest came from.

Before I act, how many marks do I need to issue commands to the drones? I imagine 3, but I wanted to make sure.

"<Sorry, Vashon Victims, but they've an internal circuit camera and they know your loc. You've got security incoming for the bang, I'll try to get some more guns on our side. Drek meets fan, ETA five billion nanosec.>"
Sybil goes for one of the drones on standby, trying to get at least a mark before everything goes on high alert.

Hello GM! I'm soon switching wageslavery for something more fun too, so I know how you feel. When you are ready, we're ready to go nova.

... with open(vashon_stock_130176) as db {for ctr, i in enumerate(db) {plist[ctr] = mxlib.grep('Vashon Island', i['model']).split('Price')}} ...

A looped search over the Matrix datastores cross-validated with the stock file that Sybil pulled from the server is sent to Horatio's inbox as soon as the cyberdeck finishes processing it.

Assuming that the stock file I stole has some warehouse markers, finding the price of the items should be easy enough.

Ah, I re-read stuff and it makes to sense to go three-marks on a host. Still, those hits should give me a few Matrix Perception questions, so I'd like to jump in and know which cameras, drones or other measures are active and ready to turn the Vashon Victims into Swiss cheese.

<Друзі (Friends), the way forth is open, though I'm still snooping for automated security. If you are arctic with going in and checking out the human factor, off you go.>

Sybil connects through her massive home setup to the strands of the web, a spider in the ethersilk Matrix. The high hits her like a truck, and she flies through the illuminated landscape of the Emerald City before taking a moment to adjust her IV feed drip to increase the caffeine level.

"<The Oracle is open for business, we look into past, present and reasonable extrapolations of the future, significance of p equals null point null five or you get your money back. Cross-validation dataset not included. Wiz Kids, I'm getting your marks to the wheels, ready to make an exit and throw off pursuit. Vashon Victims, I'm going for the door as silently as possible.>"

The video feeds from the two teams appear easily in her visual field as she absent-mindedly sets up a link to the Titan and moves back to Vashon, gently prodding the shop's host. I am the Keymaster, Gatekeeper.

I'll try to get slowly three marks on the host, I'd like to open the door without the security system getting alerted.
Hack on the Fly (Codeslinger): 14d6 ⇒ (1, 2, 3, 1, 5, 4, 1, 4, 2, 6, 6, 3, 3, 5) = 46 - 4 successes
Hack on the Fly (Codeslinger): 14d6 ⇒ (4, 1, 6, 4, 6, 4, 3, 2, 3, 4, 1, 6, 5, 2) = 51 - 4 successes
Hack on the Fly (Codeslinger): 14d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 4, 6, 6, 6, 3, 4, 2, 5, 5, 2, 1, 6) = 59 - 7 successes

"Null sweat, I'm fronting them through what I swiped from Vashon." answers Sybil, mentally composing a short message to go with the nuyen transfer. "Less of a headache than finding a way to split them, and I'll keep the rest as a bonus."

"<Hoi Freddy, I've lived most of my life skipping the legwork (har har) so I'm passing you the quid for the wheels. Best, Sybil.>"

Woot, got loot!

"You know, if some of us aren't great about the cold-blooded murder and whatnot, there's always the way that goes through me opening those doors, Matrix-side. That way we don't deprive Nomad of his bedwarmer."
Sybil speaks between sips from a shaker filled with a horrible nutrisoy concoction, not even bothering to make it look or taste like food.
"The rent sounds like our best option. I can fool someone's car long enough to make a quick getaway, but long-term it's just a bother. Ah, I got some paydata, so I can make a decent contribution to the rent."

Sybil quickly copies the paydata and disconnects with a jolt of pain and disorientation as she finds herself once again tied to her body. The comedown is brutal and she has to fight to keep her stomach's content inside.
I'd like to put the paydata for sale if I know of somewhere to auction it (like the Shadowland BBS in Shadowrun Returns).

The next day, she's dressed in an almost identical grey outfit. <Solid wheels, chummer. I'm solid to go, probably I'll be best employed to shake off pursue, but point me at anything cyber you want fragged and I'll go nova on it.>

Why, hello.

Sybil launches a copy program to make a copy of every file on the open servers, then opens a channel to Horatio and Alanna.
<"Lady and gentleman, I'm about to go ham on the data lying around. Get ready to make an exit if alarms start ringing.">

She waits sixty long seconds for them to prepare, then drops the silent running and switches the deck to an attack configuration. It's a shame data protections can't be circumvented silently.

Crack File (Attack): 12d6 ⇒ (2, 2, 2, 2, 4, 5, 2, 4, 5, 4, 6, 3) = 41 - 3 successes.

I'm assuming that the padlock is data protection and not just marks required. If, otherwise, I can take it without using Attack, then I'd much rather Sleaze.
Switching my deck to have the BURNING CHROME configuration.

While Alanna and Nomad are laying out the charm, Sybil is up to the gills in information. The high and elation of the datastream flows through her nerves, unaware and uncaring that her meat shackle of a body is currently drooling in a wheelchair. The cybermodules in her brain run with the unmatched parallelism of the wetware substrate as she launches a full diagnostic scan of the products in front of her, on the hunt for paydata.

Rather certain that her stealth is holding Sybil heads to slip past the Marker and into the more restricted section.

I'll be keeping an eye on my Overwatch Score via the Baby Monitor, other than that I'm still running silent.

I'll put up a course of actions in a few days, I'm going to be ultra busy until next Saturday.

I think that the GM has some special hate for the technomancers, so I wouldn't know, he-hee. I wouldn't mind an additional Matrix presence, if you take some time to tell me what you can do and how we synergize (I'm still new to all of this). Another possibility could be a Hermetic magician, I think? We have one shaman, but I don't know basically anything about their differences, strengths and weaknesses.

I too hope it's a hiatus we'll get back from. I have something planned for Sybil that I itch to show you once this job pays off. Road-Rage, if you are bored in the talismonger you can always chat with me ;)

I think that Ms. Johnson was looking to hit one of the place herself.

Also, if Nomad does the Vashon job on the down-low, Glass and Sunset can deal with the Talismonger and you can grab R-R for assistance in the chemlab.

I don't have a rigger interface yet, but if needed I can drive vehicles remotely.

Or we can steal a nearby car.

Why hello there, mysterious locked area. What do you hide?

"Nomad, Wraith, I've got a Jeremy Watson and an Alanna Smith crystalled as trusted employees, so take care with your names. There's something fun hidden around, I'll ping you if I get some more info, fi."

Sybil tip-toes around the ICs, trusting that they are programmed just to scan the crowd. As long as she doesn't botch a hack or gets burnt by convergence, her layers of anonymity should screen her from the bots, and there is no reason to believe a spider is onto her just yet.
Whatever is in the hidden area, someone doesn't want her to look into it. So, of course she loads up a cross-scripting blob of innocent-looking queries, flooding the

Wiz! I know wageslave life can be horrid, I'm glad you got a better job! Nicely done!

"You got my eyes now Sybil?"

"I've got eyes for days."

Sybil starts flying around the Vashon server, prodding at any known vulnerabilities. Companies software is usually outsourced to consulting companies staffed with underpaid trainees, and their best way of coding is to pull off something from BBSs and forums. As a result, the hodge-podge of styles leaves some holes for the discerning connoisseur to exploit.

"Dolls team, I haven't put you in the system yet, give me a minute. I'll ping you when I've the ACK."

Wraith, you don't have a fake name written on your fake SIN. What do I register you as?

Strapped inside Road-Rage's van, a task that required some flexibility from the Steed's smart wheels, Sybil checks her equipment once more, shifts the deck into high-Sleaze mode. Her commlink remains open, sending the data to her mind through DNI, and finally she loads the hot-sim and her body goes limp.
After the lackluster VR, coming in hot in the matrix is a jolt of life like nothing else. Information flows through the parallel circuitry of her mind, finally unbound by the meat shackles she was born with. A quick evaluation and visit to the two locations has her choose her first target and she composes three voice messages at once, data coming out of her Broca's area at the speed of thought.

Communication out of the way, she materializes to stylish abomination that is the Vashon Island shop.

Matrix Perception (+2 for hot-sim): 12d6 ⇒ (2, 1, 6, 3, 1, 3, 6, 5, 6, 5, 6, 3) = 47 - 6 hits

"As I said, location matters little to me. Locks, jams, computerized safes, you give me a virtual whistle and I'll be there, fans spinning."

"I was in college, you'll have to do more than that. No, if we are done discussing each other's sex life, can we go to acting?"

@Sunset: I don't know, I was waiting for the GM to respond to my rolls.

The urge to brick Wraith's commlink or reboot it and lose her precious save data strikes Sybil, but she stops herself before starting to rack up marks. "So, Matrix recon, looking for openings, and tagging Wraith as positive to any STD I can think of. I can do all of that, in reverse order."

"Yeah, well, thanks, that works fine. Nice thing about the Matrix, though, I don't need to be cheek-to-cheek with the mark to get the payload. So whatever van or such you got, I'll be cozy like a pea in a pod. And yeah, a talismonger might be light on cybersec, but that doesn't mean a pair of forged IDs won't be wiz for the run.",

"What? No! Alright, razorgirl, let me get this straight: I'm not for operating in meatspace, and I'm sure as hell not for any social entanglement. What I can do is get in their host and map their net, defenses, schedule and so, maybe while you flash your assets around and do your best nympho act, maybe not. But I'll do it safe and cozy somewhere near. Or I'll load a scrubber and be somewhere far."

Poke?

"Thought about it, but the specs are mostly the same as this thing, and it's a helluvalot less comfy when I'm in meatspace. And anyway, if I'm in the path of bullets, something's already as bad as can be, so for civvy use one dot-equals the other."

"Great, so cyber-tart is on the piece. That'll be subtle. I'll see what auth I can forge, maybe there's room for a girl-in-the-middle (not a sex thing) attack that'll let me spoof credentials enough for another transfer. Other than that, my two-wheels mobility is somewhat limited. I've a thing I can use, but it's untested and I'd work on it more if possible."

"Uh, for the third one I have some, some medical training. I'm drek at pretending, but, well, I figure we can do the Cyrano with Nomad?"

To Sunset, she whispers back "I can see."
It sounds impolite to fall into VR while there's a conversation going on, which forces Sybil to look through AR. She links to her cyberdeck, hoping that the action is inconspicuous enough not to attract attention.

In the Matrix, the Greek ceramic picture that is Sybil's icon spins a moment while the considerable computing power of her CIY-720 is routed through it. She quickly scans the Matrix for anyone running silent nearby.

Sybil presses her lips together. She can't subtly jack in her cyberdeck without the others noticing, and certainly she can't go VR. Instead, she just takes notice of Ms. Johnson's icon shape, to track it at a later time. That was recommended by the various BBS threads about not getting screwed over by your employers.

Sybil keeps her mouth shut, though her mind is anything but. With a mental command to her datajack, she focuses on her AR overview and conjures up a quick ARO message, privacy-set to share only with Freddy.

There's not much unusual in her words, what's got your tongue? Are we getting hosed?

Sybil fidgets in her wheelchair as the woman looks over her. She doesn't say a word, hoping that Nomad will handle the situation and she will be back in cyberspace as soon as possible.
Why do we have to meet in person? I could have stayed back and hitched a ride on a commlink. Stupid obsolete meatspace social norms.

Sybil relaxes a bit. "Ah, you're the wheelsman, Road-Rage? Wiz, let me have a couple of marks on your iron and I'll see that you don't get blind-sided by another decker. Nomad, glad to know we have a smooth-talker, I couldn't lie to save my backside. Whatcha playin', razorgirl? I'd offer a match but I'm a serial cheater."

Sybil forces a nervous smile, ignoring the beers. "Yes, I'd heard so, and I'm quite, quite more at home in cyber than in person. Do you have a van, or a truck that I can work from? I'm not exactly firefight material."
She raps on the wheelchair's frame with a wistful smile.

Starting money before payday: 4d6 ⇒ (4, 3, 4, 5) = 16

Note for my fellow runners: her behaviour at the moment is due to the Basement Dweller negative quality. She will get a bit better.

I'll also need an Extended Hardware test to mod my deck: 10d6 + 9d6 + 8d6 + 7d6 + 6d6 ⇒ (4, 3, 6, 3, 5, 4, 5, 5, 5, 4) + (2, 4, 5, 1, 5, 5, 3, 1, 6) + (4, 1, 1, 3, 4, 4, 4, 6) + (3, 4, 1, 3, 6, 5, 1) + (2, 1, 2, 6, 6, 5) = 148 15 hits, success

The door of Freddy's office and a human twenty-something girl on a motorized wheelchair (a Transys Steed drone, for the connoisseur) maneuvers for a moment to squeeze through the opening, until she comes to stop inside. The pilot has hair dyed sky blue, mildly Eastern European facial features, and is sporting a look of utter discomfort over cheap, outdated clothes. Her skin is pale from lack of sunlight, and her eyes are circled in black.
"Ah, Mister Berlin, hoi, hello-" she stammers, eyes darting to everyone of you and breathing heavily with social anxiety. "-and hello to you, ah, people, I mean, runners. Chummers? Sorry. Not too wiz in meatspace, what with the, the lights and my own static."
The new arrival takes a deep breath to steady herself. "I go by Sybil, and I'm a decker, as you may have glimpsed. Mister Berlin was on the lookout for a NetNerd aaaand if I don't fit the picture, then I don't know who does, fi. So, I guess this is a work interview and I don't think I'm making a good impression, sorry, but I swear, I'm smart..."

I was thinking that her paralysis could be the result of a form of cerebral palsy damaging the motor cortex. Judging from the text of the "Blind" quality, nerve replacement and cyberware can't (yet) restore brain damage, therefore a wheelchair would be her only way to move.

Hoi there, chummers! I'm hammering out the mechanics for Sybil, but before I did it there's one aspect of her that I'd like to run by you (I've already cleared it with the GM). My idea was a character inspired by Batman's Oracle and Shadowrun Returns' Baron Samedi, a paraplegic character focused on remote assistance. I'll get and mod a Transys Steed wheelchair drone for any mission that require physical presence, but she won't be very combat-focused: I'll rely on you for that.
Of course, I know that handicaps can hit too close to home for some of us, so if you'd rather I didn't, please tell me either here or via PM and I'll refrain from the concept, instead making her able-bodied or cyber-augmented.