Damage Control

From Lexicanum

Fenris Nacht

Face was woken up by his Fixer, Jimmy at 2.30 in the morning.
Jimmy says a job has just been posted on "ShadowSea" that you and your crew may be interested in. Base pay is 10,000 nY for the first objective then 5,000 nY for each additional objective.

You have to meet Mr Johnson, none other than Hans Brackhous, at Fenris Nacht nightspot at 6.00pm sharp. Hans Brackhaus, every one has heard of him. He is reportedly Lofwyr's right hand man. It is a recruitment posting, so you won't be the only team trying to secure the job.
A few of the party (Teflon and Benny in particular) went to the local charity shop to pick up cheap suits to make them look sort of presentable at the meeting.......

Late afternoon the party headed down to Fenris Nacht, located in a run down neighbourhood and parked in a pay lot with a large number of expensive vehicles already there. Security was tight, very tight to get in and all were asked to check their weaponry.

On entering the bar, Face headed to the bar and advised the barman that you were there to meet Mr Brackhaus. The barman told you to take a seat in a booth and advised there were three groups in front of you so you may be waiting a while. Flashcat peaked astrally to see a large spirit looming over the bar keeping an eye on things.

The party made themselves comfortable in a booth with drinks and prepared to wait.....

Shadows of Dubai

As the party sat in the booth awaiting their turn to be seen by Mr Brackhaus they began scoping the place. They noticed 3 different groups of Shadow Runners and a Gentleman in a shadowy booth who seemed to be watching the runner groups intently making notes on an ARO ( Augmented Reality Object) only he can see.
The first two groups go in and leave around an hour later. When the third group is called, the party notice that only that group’s Face and Mage initially move to meet with Mr Brackhaus. They also note the whole team has their commlinks turned off and cyberware dampened. Face speculates this is a sign of respect.

At 21.00 hours, When the party are called through to meet Mr Brackhaus they decide to follow suit and switch their own commlinks off and dampen their own cyberware. They are led down a corridor beside the bar that is more like a tunnel bored into solid rock and pass a couple of rooms with heavy reinforced doors. They are ushered into a room, through a state of the art cyberware scanner archway to see Mr Brackhaus sitting behind a desk checking an AR window as each party member passes through the scanner. The Party notice to impressive bodyguards lurking at the back of the room. Flash Cat greets Mr Backhaus in perfect German, who appears pleased at the show of respect with the language and the fact their commlinks are off and cyberware dampened.

The interview last for an hour or so with Mr Brackhaus questioning the party about their experiences and expertise. At the End of the interview, Mr Backhaus says he will be in touch within the next few hours.
The Party heads out of Fenris Nacht, heading back to Face’s car intending to all go home whilst they await the call.
However, as they approach the car park they notice figures lurking around face’s car. Ambush. The ensuing fight was short and ugly and the hostile street sam’s were put down swiftly by Teflon, Randy and Milo. Flash cat summoned a spirit, but the thugs were dealt with before he finished giving the spirit instructions!

The party quickly jumped into Face’s car and got the hell out of dodge, before the distant sirens got closer.
About 01.00 Face received a call from Mr Brackhaus confirming they had the job. Mr Brackhaus said he needed the Runners urgently in Dubai to gather intel on Ares and NeoNett who were aggressively targeting Saeder Krupp’s best clients, trying to exploit Saeder-Krupp’s perceived weakness following the destruction of their Middle East HQ by the Great Dragon Hestaby.
Mr Brackhaus realises that getting to Dubai at short notice will be costly and provided a Credit Stck with 85,000 nY to cover expenses. Face also managed to negotiate an increased fee off 15,000 nY per runner for the first objective then a further 7,500 nY for each subsequent objective.

Face called the team together and they booked themselves on the 0.600 flight out of Seattle to Dubai.
The team, leaving all their hardware behind headed to the Airport. The 16 hour flight passed uneventfully, and the Runners were met at Dubai Airport by one of Mr Brackhaus assistants and taken to a 5 star hotel. The Assistant tells them that a Fixer, going by the name of 2XL, based in Lisbon but with extensive contacts all over the Middle East is a good first port of call.
Face contacts 2XL, who, after a brief discussion, said he would be happy to sell them about Ares Covert operations in Dubai. However, because he doesn’t want to disrupt his operations in Dubai, he tells Face that the meeting will be under the guise of a smuggling transaction and that the Runners will have to meet him on a Ship (the Orchid) docked at a Dubai Cargo Terminal. 2XL tells face the Cargo Terminal is heavily patrolled & guarded and that the runners will need to get to the ship without attracting attention!! The meeting is set for midnight, 12 hours from now.

In the meantime, Milo, Randy & Teflon managed to locate a contact (via their Seattle Fixers) to equip the team
Milo and Teflon called their Fixers in Seattle again to see if they knew any people in Dubai who may be able to help them track down Neo Nett.
Milo’s Fixer came up with a lady called Am- Mut, based in Cairo, who should be able to help. Milo called Am-Mut and after a brief conversation, Am-Mut advised that she could get the info the Runners need. It would take 5-6 hours and would cost 25,000 nY in advance.

Teflon’s fixer said that a Dubai native, Asriya, a member of Aegis Cognito (a secretive organisation who buys and sells information) should also be able to help.
Face calls Asriya who confirms she can help and asks the Runners to meet her at the Emerald Orchid Restaurant in Warsan at 16.00. After getting off the phone, Flash Cat does some research to find the Emerald Orchid is a haven for radical fundamentalists who have a habit of killing all outsiders that dare show their faces there!!

Face calls back Asriya to challenger her about the meeting place to find out it was a test! A new meeting place, the Midas Touch Bar/Restaurant in a tourist shopping mall is arranged.
The team meet Asriya who says she can give the team the location of Neo Nett’s secret base in Dubai. The cost is 10,000 nY PLUS a copy of all the information the team can find. The team agree, but as an insurance policy Asriya demands some DNA from each runner, to be returned once she receives a copy of the information.

The Runners reluctantly agreed…….

Warehouse One/Two

Given it was some hours until the meet with 2XL the runners split up to scope out the two meeting places.
Benny hit the matrix to get schematics of the Dubai Cargo Terminal and check security for the meet with 2XL later. Flash Cat and Teflon did a physical scout of the location. Guided by comlink instructions from Benny they found a weak point in the perimeter where there appeared to be a blind spot for the security cameras. Flash Cat and Teflon also noticed roving Mudaween patrols (Religious Police).
 
Meanwhile Face and Milo headed to the Gold Souk to scope out the Golden Palace. The Gold Souk was very busy and there was a heavy presence of both Dubai Police and the Mudaween. Whilst scoping the Golden palace the were accosted by Mudaween and asked to leave the area. Face & Milo decided it would probably be best to try and infiltrate the Golden Palace at night.
 
Later that evening, in a Van hired by Face, the runners headed to the Dubai Cargo Terminal, locating the weak point. Benny hacked the security systems, ensuring the cameras did not pick them up whilst Teflon cut an access way through the chain link fence. The runners managed to avoid the Mudaween patrols and made it the the cargo ship, the Orchid, to meet 2XL. The transaction to obtain the info from 2XL was disguised as the sale of two cases of Exotic Fruit. Face negotiated with 2XL finally agreeing a price of 15,000 nY. The cases came with forged RFID tags and AR paperwork certifying they had been inspected and passed by customs. Within one of the cases was an optical chip detailing Ares base of operations in Dubai. The runners left the Orchid and successfully made their way out of the Cargo Terminal.
 
Once back in the van, Benny loaded the chip and the data detailed Ares operations in Dubai were based in the Golden Fleece shipping company in an area further down the coast. The Golden Fleece has been a front for Ares for over 30 years. Over the years known Ares assets and a high volume of trade with companies affiliated to Ares was apparent.
 
The runners decided to head straight to the Golden Fleece. On route, Benny hit the Matrix again and discovered that Golden Fleece shipping company comprises of 3 warehouses on the water, a wharf with 5 small and medium freighters currently moored, a cargo container storage area behind the warehouses, a mosque and a four story office building near the front gate. Benny also discovers that there are 4 roving patrols of 6 guards. On a further search Benny discovers the "guards" are in fact shadow runners.

Benny also discovered that warehouse 2 appears to have its own node and is not linked to the rest of the Golden Fleece and that the node can not be accessed remotely and only from within.
After discussing the various options for infiltrating the Golden Fleece, Face suggestde they pose as a delivery van of Exotic Fruits, given the have these from 2XL and all the necessary documentation. With no other suggestions forthcoming, the runners decided this is the "best" option.

Benny managed to hack the Golden Fleece and place a fake manifest for the Exotic Fruit delivery on the system. Flash Cat cast invisibility on those in the rear of the van to avoid arousing suspicion.
Surprisingly this worked and the gate guard directed the runners to warehouse 1 to make the delivery.
 
Heading over to warehouse 1 Face and Teflon posed as delivery drivers, whilst the invisible Flash Cat, Benny and Milo headed to Warehouse Two, again surprisingly managing to avoid the roving patrols.
Flash Cat sneaked into the warehouse and became aware the interior dimensions were smaller than the exterior and began looking for a hidden door. Shortly Flash Cat found the door and peeked astrally inside to see 4 heat sources. Flash Cat also discovered the door needed an RFID badge to open it. After a hurried discussion Flash Cat and Milo decideed they need a diversion and Benny headed out of the warehouse to a pile of oil drums he noticed to one side of the cargo area.
 
Meanwhile back at warehouse 1, Face and Teflon loitered near the van after making the deliver. However a security guard arrived and insisted they move on. Teflon responded with a negative and a combat axe, felling the guard. Whilst deciding what to do next, there was a massive explosion as Benny ignited the oil drums as a diversion....

Dubai Destruction

Following the explosion time seemed to slow.

Benny dashed towards some nearby shipping containers and clambered to the top to hide.

Flash Cat and Milo ducked down behind some of the freight in warehouse two keeping an eye on the hidden door. Meanwhile Teflon & Face spotted a 6 man roving patrol making hast towards the explosion, with 2 peeling off and heading towards them and their van. Teflon made short work of the two guards taking them out quickly and the sprinted towards Warehouse Two. Face meanwhile alerted the other runners over their comlinks that company was coming, then jumped in the van and headed towards Warehouse Two as well.

Back in Warehouse Two the secret door opened and Milo shot the man who emerged. The man crumpled where he stood, blocking the doorway. This happened just as Face’s warning came over the intercom. Milo and Flash cat tried to keep an eye on both the main warehouse door and the hidden door at the back.

The roving patrol, seeing nothing but flaming oil drums, gave the shipping containers a cursory sweep, failing to spot Benny hiding on top and headed to Warehouse Two. A firefight ensued with three of the patrol falling to bullets from the Runners, but not before Milo was shot and wounded. The last guard was run over by Face in the van.

The Runners hastily called Benny to get him to come to warehouse two. The runners secured the 3 remaining Ares staff in the office as Benny arrived. Benny accessed the hidden node and downloaded the files showing all of Ares secret operations in the area, particularly their actions against Saeder Krupp. Jackpot. The runners decided to make a hasty exit, but not before Milo dispatched the 3 Ares staff, not wanting to leave any witnesses!

As they clambered in the van, they spotted another roving patrol blocking the gate. Face got round this by the simple method or driving through part of the fence away from the gate at speed. After a brief chase the runners lost their pursuit and abandoned the badly damaged rental van, and reported it stolen, then returned to their hotel.

Once back at the Hotel, they contacted Hans Brackhaus. Mr Brackhaus was pleased with the speed they accomplished the first part of their mission. Mr Brackhaus sent the same female agent, Awrah, who met them when they arrived in Dubia, and passed over the information. Milo managed to obtain medical help via Awrah and spent the day recovering while Face went out to secure a new fake SIN.

The rest of the Runners decided to move on to the next target, the Golden Fleece, to see what Neo Nett are up to. They decided to hit the target that night, rather than when the Gold Souk area is busy during the day. Benny spent a few hours hacking the Golden Fleece’s node and took control of the security and cameras, programming the front door to open at midnight and the cameras to play a pre-recorded loop.
Later that evening, the runners headed to the Gold Souk, in another rental van (this time not rented by Face). They parked just outside the Gold Souk and headed in on foot dodging the police patrols. Like clockwork, at midnight, the Golden Fleece’s front door unlocked and the runners entered the shop, closing the door behind them…….

Infiltration or Burglary

 Standing in the Golden Fleece, Flash Cat positioned himself near the window to keep an eye out. The rest of the runners had a quick scout round finding a door behind the counter at the back that led to an anti room / store room.
The store room ran the width of the shop and apart from a worn rug on the floor the only other thing of note was a large Safe, with an archaic tumbler mechanism. Teflon who was scouting the room called in Benny to see what he could do about the lock. Whilst Benny busied himself with the ancient safe Teflon felt something a little unusual under the rug. Moving the rug revealed a floor vault with a much more modern mag lock. In short order Benny had both the safe & vault open. The safe was obviously a bit of a decoy containing many less valuable items. The floor vault however contained a small ransom in loose gems and Jewellery. After some discussion about what to do, Randy shovelled the valuables about his person muttering it would make this look like a robbery.

There was no sign of the hidden Neo Net “spy central”. After a bit of snooping the runners discovered a false wall at one end of the store room. Opening the false wall revealed a long thin room; Neo Net’s secret headquarters. Benny quickly hacked the Neo Net system obtaining the information Mr Brackhaus had sent them to retrieve.

Out front, Flashcat called for quiet as a Mudaween Patrol passed the shop. Once the coast was clear the Runners re set the false wall, locked the safe, but left the floor vault open to make it look like a robbery to disguise where they had been. The runners left the shop and Benny quickly re-set the security systems. The runners made their cautious way out of the Gold Souk back to their car.
Flashcat was in the lead, as the Dwarf rounded the corner to where their second hire van was parked, and was surprised to see a team of Shadow Runners waiting for them. In the ensuing fire fight both Flash Cat and Milo were wounded. Benny, who as at the back heard sirens approaching fast called out a warning and disappeared back into the Gold Souk. The rest of the team put down the opposition then dived into their van and made their escape. After a frantic commlink call the picked Benny up a few blocks away and headed back to their hotel.

Once in their Hotel, Benny made a copy of the data retrieved for himself and for Astriyah , whilst Face called Mr Backhaus. Mr Backhaus advised he would send someone straight over the retrieve the data. A short while later Mr Brackhaus himself turned up at the hotel to collect the data personally and to congratulate the runners on a quick efficient job. Mr Brackhaus paid the monies owed and advised the runners to take a short rest as he had another job for them, and he would call with details. Rather than rest immediately, the runners arranged to meet with Astriyah and exchanged the data retrieved for their DNA that she had taken as surety.

A few hours later Mr Brackhaus arrived at their hotel again asking you to find out which other “smaller” corps were trying to take advantage of Saeder Krupp’s current problems. All we need is information of which companies are involved at this stage, but as before time is of the essence and you have 12 hours.

With that Mr Brackhaus leaves and the runners hit the web & the streets.

Face makes a call to 2XL to see if he can point them in the direction of where to find information of ths type. 2XL suggests The Midas Touch, The Red Square Club and the Dubia Ghazu Horse Racetrack as good places to start as the less respectable sectors of society hang out here……