Sacrificial Limb

From Lexicanum

Police Academy 

Training at the Academy continues, and the runners fall into their daily routines, sending what info they can to Ms Johnson.

One morning the recruits were woken by Sgt Tavers to advise that the training is being stepped up. The runners were put together in a group with Milo as team leader and told their mission was to defend a building from another group of recruits and prevent a crate from being stolen. The recruits would be armed with harmless gel rounds.

Sgt Tavers announced the loosing team would be buying drinks in the bar later. The runners performed excellently and won with ease.

 

That night, whilst the recruit bar was in full swing with the loosing team buying drinks, Benny, with the “nimble” assistance of Randy broke into the Commandants Office. Benny hacked the security systems putting the security cameras on a loop whilst Randy scaled the wall to reach the Commandants office on the first floor. After breaking in, Randy let Benny in via the door.

Benny was able to retrieve a lot of info from the Commandants hard Node including training manuals and instructor kits. All of which Benny sent to Ms Johnson via the anonymous commlink they were given.

 

A few days later the runners were again woken by Sgt Travers who announced it was time to step up their training and they were going to “stomp some bugs”.

The runners were taken to an Urban Landscape setting surrounded by a wall with one gate and security cameras all around. Flash cat peaked Astrally to see some watcher spirits also on duty.

The runners were able to equip themselves with real ammo and also take advantage of a assault rifles (including a prototype Ares Excalibur Battle Rifle, machine pistols and some KEIV Grenades (acid). 

Sg Travers announced there was at least one Insect Spirit to neutralise and ushered the now fully equipped runners through the gate and locked it behind them.

As the runners started moving into the complex there was a huge explosion behind them, and the gate was destroyed with twisted metal and rubble blocking their exit. Before they could investigate further, they spotted movement. Moving cautiously the headed deeper into the urban environment to investigate. Milo was confronted by an insect spirit. Teflon immediately unleashed his Ares Excalibur Battle Rifle which spectacularly malfunctioned!

The insect spirit was put down but not before Milo was paralysed.

As the runners were deciding on their next steps, they saw another fleeting movement……

 

Officers on Patrol 

The fleeting movement turned out to be another Insect Spirit. After a short vicious fight the runners took the second Spirit down.

 

Meanwhile, Benny, was tracking what was happening outside the fenced off training zone the runners were in following the explosion at the main gate. It appeared that an infiltrator had purposely set off a bomb to destroy the gate and trap the runners. However the Academy instructors appeared to have the perp pinned down, until the infiltrator took down once of the instructors and made a break for it deeper into Knight Errant’s training facility. Sgt Tavers voice came over your commlink and ordered you to pursue and capture the infiltrator.

 

Benny hacked one of the Academy drones and with the aid of the drone’s surveillance, the runners tracked the infiltrator to a small, abandoned building. After a brief skirmish, aided by the Drone’s firepower, the infiltrator surrendered and the runners took the perp, a female runner. Taking the perp to St Tavers for questioning, it transpired the infiltrators name is Olivia Croft and she was working for a senior Knight Errant executive, Arthur Vogel, and her mission was to discredit the Academy with recruit deaths (you) and put pressure on the Knight Errant CEO, Damien Knight. Don’t you just love corporate politics…..

 

For your success on the “Bug Hunt” and capturing Olivia Croft, Sgt Tavers gives the runners a day off, which was spent in a variety of ways.

 

A couple of days later, Sgt Tavers approaches the runners during lunch and tells them their next mission is a real police job outside the Academy. Sgt Tavers says that a shipment of Biotech has been stolen from a Mecury Express warehouse. The Biotech is Knight Errant property and your job is to track and secure the Biotech.

Showdown at the Mercury Express

After visiting the Mercury Express warehouse, the runners find a very busy hub with trucks and boats arriving & leaving regularly. Security is there, but not great. After a combination of questioning staff and Benny’s Technomancer skills the runners manage to discover the missing Biotech was taken in an unmarked van and tracked to a low rent strip mall. The perps appear to be holed up in the middle store that looks long abandoned. Cautiously the runners approach the building and gain access….

Unfortunately, the runners stealthy approach to the building was spotted by the perps inside. A nasty fire fight erupted, but the runners soon got the upper hand and had the perps under pressure until their boss, a Toxic Shaman, arrived . The Shaman Summoned a couple of Toxic Spirits and the tide of the battle turned, as the runners weapons had much less impact against the Spirits. However, a combination massed firepower and Flash Cat’s spells eventually prevailed. The runners were able to retrieve the stolen shipment of Biotech and return to HQ.

A few days after their successful mission, the runners are contacted by Ms Johnson and are asked to meet her proxy in Detroit, Mr Johnson in a less than salubrious bar in down town Detroit. On reaching the bar at the agreed time, the runners see an out of place Mr Johnson sitting in a booth at the back of the bar. The rest of the patrons are all rough looking types. Two bouncers, and Elf and an Ork are at the bar chatting. After sitting down with Mr Jonson and getting drinks, the meeting begins. Mr Jonson says that their mutual employer is very satisfied with their work so far, and cred stick are handed out to settle their account to date. Mr Jonson says they have one last job for the runners, to infiltrate Ares / Knight Errant Office of Special Projects, which operates out of Unlimited Technologies (Chicago). You are to find out what is going on there and smuggle out evidence of what OSP’s head, Dr Raquel Bliss, is up to. Only Knight Errant Graduates can get access to OSP. The whole point of your mission so far is to get you to this point. Mr Johnson hands the runners a datachip with all the information they have on Dr Bliss. Mr Jonson says “you will be paid Nuyen 60,000 for this with a bonus of Nuyen 30,000 if you can bring out any project samples intact”.

As if it was pre planned Sgt Tavers calls the runners to his office the following day to say they have been promoted and being moved to OSP in Chicago. Sgt Tavers seems less than happy that you are being shipped off but asks you to pack up and be ready to ship out in 2 hours. The runners are bustled out to a plane. The plane is plastered with wireless negating paint and astral bacteria that none of you can get a look outside or track the planes route.

You arrive and disembark in a closed hanger. You are met by Knight Errant security who escort you to your rooms. They point out that there is no wireless Matrix access and that the walls are impenetrable to Astral forms.

It Was All Going So Well.....

Lieutenant Briggs shows the runners to their dorm and hands them a map of the facility, advising them that the Science Offices and Main Lab, the Matrix Electronics room and Reception/Exit are all restricted access. However, the runners are free to go anywhere else.  Lieutenant Briggs hands out uniforms, which look like Knight Errant uniforms, but with no insignia. Lieutenant Briggs tells the runners to report to Captain Kuchci’s office for their assignments at 08.00 sharp.

The Runners have a brief explore of the facility. There appear to be few staff here, but they do bump into a few guards. Congregating in the break room, Flash Cat says the guards he bumped into are Flesh Form Bug Spirits. Milo said she spotted some bugs seeming to disappear into the walls, which seems strange in an otherwise pristine facility. The runners also notice security cameras around the facility, but there are blind spots.
 
The following morning, the runners meet in Captain Kuchci’s office and are spilt up into groups and assigned to some scientists as guards. The next few days are fairly routine and boring; however the scientists appear to be lax in security. One scientist even hands a sealed biotech cannister to Benny and Teflon and whispers this evidence must be taken out and shared to expose what OSP are doing here.

A couple of days later, as the runners finish their shift and are relaxing, and emergency siren goes off. Lieutenant Briggs finds the runners, tells them to tool up and meet him at the entrance to the main lab & Science Offices. Lieutenant Briggs explains that they have a containment issue. Two scientists are dead, and a Bug has escaped. The runners are instructed to neutralise the bug. Lieutenant Briggs hands Face a security pass that allows access to the secure areas. Entering the secure area, the runners find the Bug and after a short fire fight, neutralise it. Lieutenant Briggs is pleased with the runners and dismisses them. Once back in their room, Face tells the others that he still has the Security Pass.

The Runners decide they now have enough evidence to take back o Miss Johnson, what with the sample and Benny’s recordings of everything he has seen. The runners decide to enter the Matrix Electronics room, disable security, and break out.

Armed with the Security Pass, the runners find the security camera blind spots, and enter the Matrix Electronics room. The two guards in the room, obvious Flesh Form Bug Spirits, are quickly taken down, but not before one manages to hit the alarm button. Sirens start going off…

...Time for a Sharp Exit

Realising the game was up, the Runners decided it was time to high tail it out. Benny hacked into the secure node and disabled the security camera’s and opened the locks to the main exit.

Teflon and milo led the way backed by Face & Flash Cat, with Benny bringing up the rear.

 

The runners had to fight their way to the main exit, but finally managed access the main lift to the hanger an “Bug Out” (excuse the pun) before being over run by the bug spirit guards.

 
In the hanger, Teflon shot at the surprised pilot of the plane that bough them to keep his head down. The runners ran out into the night sky to find themselves in a far part of Chicago O’Hare airport. Appropriating an nearby ground crew transport the runners made a break for freedom. As they approached the perimeter fence there was an almighty explosion behind them as the Unlimited Technologies facility, the hanger above and a fair bit of surrounding it was completely destroyed.

 

Breaking through the perimeter, the runners ditched the airport transport and took stock. Benny pointed out that their fake sins they had been provided by Ms Johnson had been compromised and that those people were wanted by Knight Errant. The runners hastily ditched their Knight Errant commlinks and proceed into the outskirts of Chicago. Teflon, using another of his fake sins was able to obtain burner commlinks from a local store and the runners managed to appropriate a vehicle and make it back to Seattle.

 

Reporting back to Ms Johnson with their evidence, they runners received their pay and the promise of future work.

 

However, the runners had made an enemy of Dr Raquel Bliss, the Bug Queen behind Unlimited Technologies………