OOC: Yikes! D2 with a score of 6. Umm..... I'm not even going to burn momentum cause i know i'm not passing this. Awareness 5, exp 1 analysis. Roll is 11, 17. Two fails. Figured.
Sorry for the late post, been a week in the hospital and after a week out i still try to catch up. Looks like Jimmy was shot by someone he knew or had business with. Someone rather competent to hit the cube with one shot while Jimmy probably dived for cover or was rather suprised by the fast movement. Maybe there is some way we can talk with the staff or something to find out if he had some visitors and / or other appointments.
[Shit, @DrunkCorsair, sorry to hear of it ! Everything is O.K. now ??? I assume by @Solodice post in the P.B. that the Yujing Techs have given Me leeway to advance the Investigations. . . If not will Edit the Post] Amyah took the "Positive Silence" of the Crane Agents to not be an excessive paranoid "Closed Lid" on the Investigation, and AFTER notifying the C.S.I. Lead Officer, then forwarded all of Her deductions to the rest of the Team. . . She took especial pains to have a Secure Data Packet added to the newest of the Team, the mysterious "Ninja Waiter", that SEEMED to be the right "Local Assett" that Sunz Investigations had secured on the spot, before sending the merry "Rag-Tag Band of Freaks" to Investigate what seemed less and less "Simple Race-Money Scam" and more and more "High Crime Conspiracy, With Murder". . .!! [Boys, everyone O.K. ?? Your continued Silence a little worry Me! I'm very fond of handsome, darkly-brooding, silent type of "Strong Men" but REALLY we all SHOULD collaborate a little more on this, or We risk to Fail the Mission AND be a potential Target for the Culprits. . .!! What You see included is the Tech Specs of the Late Mr. Delasse Timothy, deceased at Local Time Stamp 03.45, and what I could have obtained of the Preliminary Analysys of the Shot. . . Hmmmm. . . "Preliminary" ! How MUCH I Love this Term. . . . .Eeer, Sorry Boys, I digress !! Really it is not some sort of Haqqislamite Viral Round, but rather a cheap, if reliable, Low-Tech Copy; I will daresay not even the most Insular of the Desert Tuaregs or the Mountain Hunzakuts of My homeland of Bourak would dare to call that stuff "Viral Bullet". . . It is really something that would be concocted by some crazed Backwater Gunsmith on a Low-Tech Planet or an Atek with "Grandeur Delusions" and, unfortunately, the ONLY Atek Backwaters that We know there SHOULD be our Technical "Secondary Clients". . . This do not bode well for our Investigations ! I'm checking if the typical Ariadnan Revolver that our "Coca-Cola Cowlady Biker Pilot" could perhaps very expert to use. . . It was a very good, precise nearby shots, and I daresay that U.S.Ariadnans start to train Revolver Shooting before Us Haqqislamites are teached how to "Dismantle & Riassemble Bourakalashnikov Rifles" by Village Elders !! It is a pity We will be obliged to perhaps "Rat Out" Missy Little America to the "Jade Dragon Cops"; She seemed amusing enough, competent enough to be a Trysterion Bike Pony and would have VERY liked to give a "Thorough Medical Check" to that lithe. . .supple. . . .muscular. . .well toned and sun-tanned Dawn Planet physique. . . .COUGH !! Hrrm, Boys please forget that last unfortunate turn of phrasing !! Aaaaaanywaaaayyyyy !! Let's "Refocus" on the Investigation at hand. . . The "Viral Atek Pistol Round", yes that stuff. . .!! Eddie, Impi did You ever found a similar Ammunition in the Nomad Motherships ? A custom thing manufactured perhaps by a Praxis Gunsmith or a Corregidoran Scrap-Smith. . .?? Konrad, could be this stuff be somehow made in the Submondo Human Edge kind of frontier colonies that You are familiar of. . .?? Aaaand. . . "Mr Mysterious Waiter" are You perchance one of the mythological "Shinobi Ninjas" that are SUPPOSED to not exists at all..? It is a thing that Your "Clan" could have created. . .?? Or will be a Shuriken laced with Fugu Puffy-Fish Poison more of Your style. . .?? Pardon that crass cultural stereotype, but really, Really, REALLY all of My "Shinobi Clans Knowledge" is second-hand Maya Series of Martial Arts (like My preferred one "U.S.Ariadnan Ninja", a vintage classic !!) and third-hand shit from Arachne Conspiracy Sites, but I think that SHOULD NINJA EXISTS they will give the run-of-the-money to many of My acquaintances in the Hashashin Bahram !!! Guys, anyone. . .?? All of this is ringing some Bells. . . . .???]
Eddie had stayed down with the car while his ... "Odalisque" went to give the poor stiff her professional appraisal. It wouldn't do for the Chimera to run afoul of the Imperial Service, despite how relatively accommodating they were being at the moment. [ So, a knock-off viral round, but right to the Cube. While sitting. That's a pretty impressive shot, really, I'm not sure I could have made it. Probably from someone he trusted enough to meet face-to-face, and wasn't threatened by. Wonder what kinds of people Timmy spent time with... A search through his MyFaceSpace profiles should give a few ideas. I'm not too familiar with viral rounds that cheap, there was enough money flowing through the fight pits that it was pretty easy to afford the real thing. Plus, EM weapons would be more effective against most of the competitors. Let's stick that tracker unit onto someone else's car, and get a move on. ]
[Roger, roger, oh handsome Team Leader. . . Yet given Imperial Tech Officer all the relevant Meta-Datas that I obtained. . . As soon as the Cranes will give Me the "Green Light" to go, I will gladly saunter down the car and we go to check the next Broker on the list. . .] As the investigation was technically concluded on Her part, then Amyah resumed Her more fluffy, apparently vapid and air-headed "Social Personality" as focusing on the Forensics was no more necessary. . . Musing that usually "High-End Five-Star+ Hotel Penthouses" are for the gorgeous Haqqislamite Woman a far more pleasant experience than rummaging around Final Death Corpses (usually, as there was that weird "Pre-Marriage Party" on Praxis !!) it could as well relax a little, while awaiting permission to go away. . . The stationed Cranes on duty would have received very poorly Her usual flirting attempts, but Tech-Nerds were a totally altogether matter. . . She started to chat with anyone of the "Jade Dragonfangs"C.S.I. Support, first starting with not very morbid details of the Autoptic Examination, and JUST mentioning the relative weirdness of the Viral Knock-Off (maybe it was a "Gunsmith Local Specialty" of a Triad / Yakuza / Bosozuke of the Islands). . . But as soon as one (or more. . .!!) of the Techies would start to open up a little, She will warm the discourses a little more (still staying inside the well defined "Boundary Limits" of "Socially Acceptable Behaviour" for the Security Forces of Yujing; it would do no good to the Investigation to be scolded by a dour Ranking Officer !!) and try to exchange some "Low Security Chat Contacts" to JUST know if the Support Cops would need "Further Collaboration". . . Obviously the fact that She discluded some little more. . . . ."Personal Maya Links" to the more Attractive of the Techies (Gender notwithstanding, Amyah was not picky. . .!!) was totally casual. . . And if any potential "Chino Beau / Belle" present was somehow not interested, then the bodacious "Odalisque" would have not minded to flirt with a nerdy fatty with glasses, if it seemed the right kind of Sexually-Open Person. . . Being a Medical Doctor & Genengineer that had created ON HER OWN BODY a Maya Pornstar kind of Appearance, and with a hard-earned experience in the Cosmetic Enhancements (both of the Odalisque Schools of Bourak AND of the Vaudeville "Body Chop Shops" of Bakunin) had made the slightly Oriental Desert Woman jaded enough to mere "Physical Beauty", as often it was just a "Permanent Mask" for an insecure, immature person that needed some sort of overcompensation. . . And She knew INTIMATELY that a relatively plain aspect could hide instead a very Vulcanic Sexuality, ready to explode at the right trigger. . . . . . . . After all no more than 15 years before She was one of them, a "Dweeb Lab-Rat" with ugly corrective glasses, a very plain cleavage and an unispiring ass, and a clearly unsophisticated "Nerd Attitude" to sexuality, before attaining enough Technical Expertise and Political Clout to acquire the desired Genetech Silk-Based Therapies to have become the "Exotic Amazon Goddess Of Love" aspect that She had now. . . In fact the Idea of somehow inspire one of the otherwise banal "Normal People" with whom She was chatting to desire to "Blossom" into a Cosmetically Enhanced "Playbeing" was one of Her secret fetishes; She would have rather being a "Sculptor Of Perfect Beauties" rather than the "Viktoria Von Frankenstein, Monster-Maker" that was needed for Her stint in the Moderator Corps of Bakunin. . . . .!!!
[Thanks @stevenart74, its all good. I just thought it was some minor thing and could go home the same day, but well they enjoyed my company for more time then hoped.] I would suggest to keep the tracker and get rid of it in a more frequented area. Especially with all the officals around here it could rise some eyes if we try to do it here. With those Viral rounds, i heard of them, but never saw someone use them in the Human Edge system, way to expensive for most people even if they specialise in property relocation.
[ You know, we could give that tracker to the Imperial Service right here... say that we were harassed by a local bousouzuke and just found this tracker on the SUV, and would the Dragon's Talons be interested? ]
[I TOTALLY Support and Endorse the Idea of Eddie. . . I'm tired, and annoyed, that Big Moneys are treating Us like trash like the Silk-Lord Fatty, or the condescending Triad Merchant before. . . I'm yet ELBOW deep (well, in reality just sticking a finger in a Cranial Wound, really gross !!) in a case pertaining the I.S.S. and so We could as well continue the "Collaborative Trend". . . Let's ALLY ourself with the TRUE OWNERS of that Island Resort. . . . . . . . At least, if We reach the consensus that the Party / Empire is directly involved then We could cut Our losses immediatly and escape a "Hot Firezone". . . "Soldier that Run, Good To Fight Another Day ! Yadda-Yadda-Yadd !!" . . . .and all that Jazz !!! ]
Sorry I have been absolutely swamped the past week, had planned a nice long reply but just running around like a headless chicken Nathan looks at the Imperial Service staff warily - having never been much of a fan of the State Empire or their attack dogs he was not particularly inclined to trust them. He'd heard far too many stories of Nomads fixed under fake allegations, visas cancelled without recourse, Nomad businesses shut down without warning by the State Empire. A bunch of misfits near a dead body? Nathan felt the hair on the nape of his neck stand up a bit. He had a bad feeling about this. [We should be wary of these Imperial Service bozos. They'll throw us under the bus if it suits them. Give them the tracker if you want but I think we could use it ourselves - either to throw those bousouzuke off our track or maybe to set up a trap if we're feeling spicy. Personally I don't think that Imperial Service will care about a petty biker gang - they'll likely wave us off to local police. I won't argue if the consensus is to hand it over - just throwing my thoughts out there.]
[ I think I'm going to ask if it's their jurisdiction or if I should hand it off to Commissioner Li's troops. Any objections? ]
[You prove to be as Smart as You are Handsome, my good Nathan, but We are grasping at straws Here, with any Lead that ends in a Brick Wall, or a Corpse. . .!! I daresay that the Suggestion of Eddie is the wisest course of Action; I do NOT exclude that culprits could be of the Yujing State-Empire, maybe acting even in Official Capacity for a convoluted plan of "Milking Away The Dirty Money Of Corrupted Capitalists" !! But at the point that We are, I prefer a Single Titanic, Monolithic "Giant Enemy" that I know, and could take measure of, rather than an unknown, undisclosed "Any Number" of potential mysterious tiny foes, hidden in the Shadows. . . By the way, Our newly acquired "Local Assett" is a Yujing Subject-Citizen of Japanese Ethnicity, I suspect (unless is even more able in the "Cybermask Bio-Mimics" than My old pals of the Fidays Infiltrators !!); also I believe was deployed far in Advance of Us, purposefully to take stocks of the Situation. . . Maybe our "Friendly Ninja Waiter" could have some "Specific Insights" about the situation that We lacks sorely. . . . .??? By the way, I vote give the Tracker Chip to any Law Enforcement Division that is interested and lets THEM play "Third Fiddle" with the Bosozuke Gangers or their Yakuza Backers. . .!!]
[I am not sure if we should involve the officials with that tracker unit. How do we know that those bikers have been paid by the local underworld and not from some undercover officials? We dont know if even one of the higher ranking Yu Jing politicos or else isnt eleminating the competition. See, in space property relocation noone works for themself, there is always a bigger fish paying maybe a corporation wanting to damage the competitors or some officals trying a way to relocate funds to their pockets, or else. I would rather try to get that tracker on a similar car and try to find out who is following the tracker to be sure we dont step on the foot of someone who can rain an Yu Jing army force on us.]
"Ninjas are a myth." Said Saito while he was busy on the roof of the biker gangs hideout. "Either way, i'd rather not take the chance on anything that would bring heat onto these bikers yet. I would suggest back hacking or decoy placement to use later on as bait to lure out mobs for questioning or setting up a trap. Anyway, I've been tailing them all morning, and even was following your team for a bit. I'm currently in their compound trying to get more intel. Also, i'd recommend you guys and gal learn to realise when you're being tailed. Those bikers were following you all morning." OOC: I'm still assuming my stealth check pass from earlier is still valid. Saito cautiously sneaks up to the widow panes to try to get a look inside the building, taking care to keep himself as hidden as possible and his silhouette as tiny as possible. While also getting the layout of the inside and number of people around.
[Yeah, right. . . Ninja are myths and the Hashashin Bahram are just a Philosophical Debate Community, along with the Pan-Oceanian Hexaedron is just Lobby Bureaucrats Security and the Black Hand of Nomads does not exists. . . I have also read that the Alien Combined Army is just an "Ephemeral Menace" right here on Yujing Mayasphere, along with the fact that Big Brother A.L.E.P.H. does NOT employ specialized T.A.G. with a Hindu Multi-Armed Frame when really shit hit the fan. . . Also really there are NOT Lycanthrope Werewolves in Ariadna, that morphs from brawny humanoids to 3-4 . tall "Furry Engines Of Destruction". . . . .Naahh! It is just Arachne Disinformathya. . . . . . . . Aaaaaannyywayyy. . .We are on a tie about the Spy Chip. . .!! Handsome Eddie and I, Your Humble Haqqislamite Bellydancer, vote for going straight to the Jade Dragon Cops. . . Impi and "I'm-Not-A-Shinobi-Chunin-Really !!" vote for a nice Counter-Ambush. . . Konrad, our nice Space Pirate, then You are Tiebreaker. . .!! What is Your deciding Vote. . . . .???]
[Why not both? We dont need to give the tracker chip right now to that police force, they will be busy with the corpse and securing evidence. I doubt they will start to investigate the chip right now. Maybe Eddi could get the contact information from that police officer with zhe promise to give her infos if we find anything that may be interest her. So we could take a try to get information out of that tracker unit by ourself. If it works we have a clue or at least some more information. Later we could call that nice policeofficer on our own give her the tracker chip and maybe can arrange an exchange of information. And it would give our local contact a bit more time to get more information about that bikers.]
[ OK, we have a winner! ] "Agent Lan-daren," Eddie hands her his paper business card with extra contact info on it, "since I'm orbiting around the races and may bump into some more information about what Timmy DeLassi was up to, can I get your contact info to share that with the investigators as quickly as possible?"
Lan takes Eddie's business card, "Try to stay out of trouble Mr. Calvertson." The team reconvenes at the SUV and set off for Tai Ling, the last betting contact. @Daemon of Razgriz Siato gets a glimpse into the building. Through the sky lights he can see the entire maintenance bay. He counts around 8 bikes inside and another 12 in the lot just behind the maintenance bays. There is one car in the back lot that he assumes is the Triad's vehicle. 3 Red Viper members are working on some bikes in the maintenance bay. There are no other windows for Saito to look through unless he wants to go to the front or rear of the building. Saito's geist doesn't return anything useful concerning comm traffic from the clubhouse. ============================================================= [Momentum: 8 (reset). Heat: 12] Local Time: 14:00 [qualifying is in full swing] The Team Searching around Maya Impi pings Tai Lings area of operation, a karaoke place near the track. Being so close to the track this little business area is crowded with tourists. They're hitting up every business in the area except the karaoke place. In the distance the team can hear the sound the sound of bikes doing their qualifying laps. If anyone checks up on the qualifying results a news story about Rebecca Morgan comes up stating she's set a new record for fastest qualifying lap of all time in Grand Prix Circuit Two Championship history. Who ever goes inside the karaoke place will be met by a receptionist that tells you there are no rooms open and the wait is over 2 hours long. The place is completely empty though... [If you went into the karaoke bar of not give me D2 Observation rolls.] Red Viper's Clubhouse [Saito can still hang out and observe. If so give me a D3 Stealth Roll and D3 Observation Roll.]
Faking to refresh (Again. . .!!) Her otherwise perfectly "Fashion Magazine Cover" make-up with just a touch of Bourak's Mascara on the eyelashes and check the Eyeliner, and also adjusting a small dot of "Ultra-Pink Gloss" Lipstick on Her pouty lips, then Amyah launched a side-look at the Karaoke Bar entrance, quickly typing a witty banter on the Comlog to share with the Squadmates. . . . . . . . [Secure Tac-Net comms= "Wonderful, there are NO PLACES AVAILABLE in an otherwise Empty Local. . . . .It is smacking of "Invite & Password Only" kind of very seedy places. . .!! It make Me remembering when a Colleague of the Genetic Research Center wanted to impress Me on a date and brought Me on the ONLY "True Italian Pizza Joint" of Al-Funduq, but it was all "Reserved" as Tunguskan Mobsters were busy discussing the Price of Nitrocaine Derivate with their shady Silk Smuggler Contacts. . . Still remember the big, buff, implanted-artifical-muscles kind of Mafia Thug that faked to be the Concierge and said something like: "Pih-Zah ? We don't have Pih-Zah THIS Evening !!!" O.K. Boys what we could do there. . .?? I fear that the usual Tactic of Handsome Eddie with Arm-Candy Odalisque risk to fail there. . .!! I Vote for a thorough Data-Sweep by our Resident Hacker, all the while We change in less flashy clothes with some Kevlar-Flak Dress and take the "Big Boys" from out the Van Trunk, to be ready to somehow "Force" the Entry if something is stinky afloat there. . .!!"] . . . . . With practiced nonchalanche then Amya went to the Trunk of the Van and opened the rather large "Paramilitary Gym-Bag" to check on the "Heavy Small-Arms" there; She rummaged around the bulky "Riot Boarding Shotgun" of the Human-Edger Space-Pirate, taking care to not make clatter the oversized Drum Clip and checked on Her "Bourakalashnikov" Military Rifle. . . After being re-assured that the Sniper Optics were still perfectly aligned She then took care that the Standard Full-Metal Jacket Clip was inserted in the Automatic Marksman Gun, and that a Clip of Armor Piercing Shots was instead safely fastened by Orbital-Tape to the primary Clip in a vintage, outdated (but still very efficacious) "Double Banana Magazine" ensemble. . . Then considered how much time would have needed to take out and wear the Reinforced Flak Trench and the Kevlar-Suit that composed Her Army Field-Doctor Armour. . . . .
Deciding that what he's looking at isn't enough. Saito decides to stay a bit longer to observe. While moving cautiously around to the rear to from the roof to take another route after staying for a few minutes to observe through the sky light. An acrobatics roll just in case it's needed to stay safe and soundless while avoiding the camera placements. Total is 14. Roll is 7, 10. Two successes. Burning mometum for these rolls. Hope people don't mind. Stealth roll Total 14. Roll is 3, 7, 1. So three successes. Observation roll. Total 11. Roll is 3, 7, 20. Two successes and one failure. Watching the bikers talking to the Triad fellow Saito once again checks his comlog hoping that the gadget can pick up something. He also decides to give a little shout out to his team mates. "Hello A team. Your waiter would like to inform you all that there's a meeting going down right now between Triad and bozozuku bikers at their base. Combined with that assassination on your end. Whoever is pulling the strings here has set up a grand army to oppose you."
[Gotcha, mysterious friendly waiter person. I bet we can expect a little .... push-back from that bunch. Keep us up to date. Might be worth giving some of the local fuzz a buzz regarding them if they start rolling. Amyah, you might want to keep your gun nicely hidden. Don't forget that a) we are in a very busy tourist area. I don't think the police or the spooky scary Imperial Service will take kindly to a group of non-citizens that start waving guns around and popping off indiscriminate rounds. We need to be careful. b) Tai Ling could be under lock down now that one of his colleagues is cooling his heels in a coroner's office. If we go busting in there we risk cutting off a lead or making an enemy of the guy. I'll do a wide host / Tx ping and see what I pick up from the karoake place. I'm guessing there will be a lot of return from servers and hardware but let's see what else we can find. Amyah and Eddie - you to want to scope out the place? See if dropping Tai Ling's name gets you in or a response?] @Solodice let me know any rolls needed
