Awakening Apocalypse - Chapter 2: The End of the Beginning

Shayuri

First Post
"Wouldn't it be easier just to kill him ourselves?" Casper asked. As a rule, she didn't like targeted assassinations, but the question begged to be asked regardless. "Why drag mercenaries into it?"

When Posidon just gave her that 'ah ah ah' stare, she rolled her eyes, though her Icon didn't mirror the expression.

"Fine. I'm in."

Better to be in the know with your hands dirty than to be clean but ignorant, after all.
 

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GlassEye

Adventurer
Heartbreak

[section]
Heartbreak's icon is a generic suit avatar, like any middle manager might wear on a business call, except faceless and with a pulsing heart pumping out muted strains of some current house beat.

"Aleksander, I'm a busy man right now. Not sure I have time to spare for some Machiavellian babysitting job. And that last job; you know we didn't get rich off of it. Sweeten the pot, my friend, and I might be able to put my other work on hold."

Andrew thinks of the work he had been doing, for himself: constructing a database of elves. The difficulty was in finding those like him, presuming any existed, and weeding out the Peter Jackson fanboys. With his bots out scouring the newswebs Heartbreak had a bit of time where he could take on the extra work, despite what he had said. And he needed the money.

[/section]
[sblock=OOC]Heartbreak is trying to negotiate the fee with Aleksander. He's pretty easy and will accept even a minor increase in their pay.

Negotiation pool: 7; Social limit: 6
[roll0], [roll1], [roll2], [roll3], [roll4], [roll5], [roll6]

Note: If you would rather roll everything I'm ok with that. I thought I would give this a try and see how it worked/what you thought, Mosier.[/sblock]
 

Mosier

First Post
Aleksander retorts immediately, "My friend, by my calculations your hourly rate is nearly three thousand nuyen. If you feel underpaid, perhaps you'd prefer a corporate wage? Although, the executive vice president of network security for Suzuki makes significantly less than your rate, so I wonder just who in this shrinking world is willing to pay you more for your talents."

The Poseidon icon regards Heartbreak smugly, as if further debate is impossible in the face of his witty retort. But Heartbreak stares him down relentlessly, refusing to participate in Aleksander's mirth.

"Know this," Aleksander says, his eyes narrowing, his tone changing darkly, and the affected Greek accent disappearing entirely. "I have many Runners, but you only have one Fixer. You lot are good, but you're not the best. You're replaceable. Understand?" Poseidon is standing straighter now, looking down upon Heartbreak as if regarding a disobedient child. The effect is lost though, as Heartbreak's icon seems to radiate far more authority than Aleksander's does.

Then, as suddenly as it came, the darkness in Aleksander is gone, replaced by his usual whimsy and extravagant speech patterns. "I made the mistake of calling you professionals, before. To my detriment, you are now aware of the high esteem I hold you in. Very well, Runners, I will come even further out of my share, and offer you each 15,000 nuyen for this job. Please ensure the engraving on my eventual tombstone reflects this charity. Let it be known that I cannot afford such generosity in the future. Now for the rest of you...I need an answer. Yes, or no? There will be no further negotiation."

[OOC: I'm not against players rolling in principle, but there are occasionally bonuses or penalties that may apply, which I think makes it a bit more awkward in practice. For instance, in this case Heartbreak is much more comfortable than Aleksander in this environment (the Matrix), which I would count as a +1 modifier. Also, Aleksander is friendly to you, which counts as another +2 modifier. However, Heartbreak's intended result (getting a bigger payout) is annoying to Aleksander, which counts for a -1 modifier. Overall, you would be rolling 9 dice instead of 7. I went ahead and rolled your two extra dice and didnt get any hits, so it's all a moot point anyway I guess.]
 

GlassEye

Adventurer
Heartbreak

[section]
Heartbreak laughs off Aleksander's dark mood with a quiet chuckle. He didn't mean to offend but only take the measure of his fixer. Now he has it, and the promise of extra cash besides.

"As you say: Runners are a dime a dozen. But admit it, we're your favorites." He chuckles again and his icon turns its attention to the others. "That's two." His attention flicks over Saint and Skinny and stops on Mac's icon. "New girl? You in?"

[/section]
[sblock=OOC]I have no problems with you rolling things for me/us, if it's easier that way.[/sblock]
 

Rubberneck

First Post
The avatar representing Saint is different this time around. It is surrounded by dark clouds that follow him as he steps forward into the conversation. The avatar has a long black trench coat similar to what Saint actually wears on runs. However the avatar's "body" was completely transparent except for elaborate tattoos that covered it. Not normal tattoos either, these seemed to glow blue. At the top of all this was a halo around its head that was tilted at an angle.

Saint contemplated the offer and then HB spoke up and increased the crew payout which was surprising but appreciated.

"I'm in."
 

[section]Mac's icon smirked at Heartbreak. "Your memory's faulty. Per the Notorious Aleksandre, I'm already in." She quirked her head at the fixer. "At fifteen grand." [/section]
 
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TillForPie

First Post
Skinny's avatar remains blank and uncustomized. It spews green, computer-narrated text like last time.

Fine. Any reason we're not killing the ultimate target ourselves?
 

GlassEye

Adventurer
Heartbreak

[section]
Heartbreak chuckles at Mac's jab at his memory.

"Impossible. I've got top of the line RAM slotted."

Heartbreak subtley shifts his attention back to focus on Aleksander. "Ok, that's all of us. What's the scoop?"

[/section]
 

Mosier

First Post
Fine. Any reason we're not killing the ultimate target ourselves?

"It is a matter of access," Aleksander says. "This man is not some peasant you can just walk up to. He is Denver city councilman, Vincent Wynand."

For the others, the explanation seems satisfying enough. However, Heartbreak sees through this minor deception, and can tell that Aleksander is not telling the whole truth. Minor local politicians absolutely are the type of people that shake hands with normal people all the time. But this realization only leads to more questions for Heartbreak. What is the real reason the team can't just take the guy out? And why won't Aleksander tell them the real reason?

Aleksander continues, oblivious to Heartbreak's concerns. "You all are aware of current events, yes? That the world has gone mad, and men have transformed into beasts that people are calling orks? Most of these orks have gone into hiding, not daring to show their faces in public. Some courageous orks have dared to go outside, and have been beaten or killed. And then, there are those daring few orks who have fought back, and even reversed the trend and have begun to attack their human neighbors. In Westwood there is such a group of orks, who call themselves The Rekkers. They are little more than a street gang, who thrive on robbery, drug sales, pimping, and extortion, while the police are currently overwhelmed with more urgent matters. The first part of your mission will be to meet their leader, a particularly surly individual who insists on being called Ironjaw. He is expecting you."

There is a silent pause, where Alexander is clearly reveling in the confusion of the team. "I suppose there are a few questions left unanswered. Such as 'why?' My answer is this: For the money, my friends! There is no other reason for those such as us. Ironjaw's cooperation is absolutely necessary for this mission, but he is stubborn. We must convince him to have the Rekkers attack Wynand's campaign building before Wednesday. Do whatever you have to do to get Ironjaw to agree. He may be a low-brow thug, but he won't break his word. His gang has taken over a trailer park called Shady Nook, on Morrison road. That's where you'll find him."

There is another pause while Alexander regards the crew. "I know I will regret asking this, but are there any questions? You'll be paid when the Rekkers kill Wynand."
 


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