During the invasion in '36, the Tir Tairngire Princes ordered a massive matrix strike on CalFree. NeuroTech Computing (a division of Telestrian Industries) engineered a semi-autonomous virus and contracted a small army of deckers to help deploy the malicious code into the CalFree Government host on the Sacramento LTG. The result was devastating.

Once the virus hit the host's CPU, it aggressively began to overwrite everything in the host, rather than targeting only key process nodes. In a battle reminiscent of the Crash, NeuroTech's deckers fought to contain their creation as it went wildly out of control.  Many fell to the virus as it spread, first through the CalFree Government's host, then out into the LTG. Unable to stop the virus and fearing it would spread beyond SAC LTG, the Tir deckers cut the LTG off from the NA/NOCAL grid. After hours of rampaging, NeuroTech was finally able to inject a kill-signal into the virus, stopping it in it's tracks, but far too late to save SAC LTG.

To this day, the SAC LTG remains an electronic wasteland, isolated from the NA/NOCAL grid and only accessible to the few who are brave or foolish to travel here through a few hidden datalines.

---

:: LTG# 845 (115-4242) :: {Pr*53~1=0}
Here. 23:52.45 01.02.56. Kali.

---

The LTG host where Kali wants to meet is a broken shell, barely functioning on the edge of the shattered SAC LTG. As you descend down the dataline, strange shapes writhe in the distance. Massive hosts lay in ruins teeming with viruses and rogue code fragments.  Wild, untamed, fraught with danger and filled with possible treasures.

@Venom, @Splinter you are here.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:43, Mon 31 Jan 2022.

Venom looked out over this panorama and wondered what on Earth could be so valuable as to risk going in there? Followed by the obvious fact that he was about to find out.

He looked over at Splinter, and was genuinely impressed with the icon he'd chosen. Giving the, in essence, agreed IFF "handshake" (to show he was supposed to be there), he waited for further prompts.

>Venom, here.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:44, Mon 31 Jan 2022.

A coded constructed, twisted beyond recognition crash down creating a little tornado of fragments.

The fragments spin faster and faster forming a portal through which the Splinter materialized.

<<<I am the Splinter>>>

Kali swooped down the dataline, a shining black goddess adorned with the skulls of the dead.

“Sorry to bring you both out all this way,” she said surveying the landscape of the SAC RTG. There were rampant rumors that the old viral code had never really broken apart, that it lay in wait out there somewhere, just waiting for an unsuspecting user to pick it up and carry it to a fresh system.

“I doubt that when you hear what I’m after, you’ll want to jump into that mess, but this could be a big one.”

The fragments that made Splinter spun around faster and faster.

"Big one sounds interesting... mess sounds even more interesting." for ease of conversation Splinter removed the sound effect from the voice, so it sounded more like a metahuman instead of the scratches of fragmented glass. The voice was flat, without any indication of gender, race or nationality.

Venom had, on the whole, good experiences with Kali. (Well, aside from the blasphemy, but that was for someone else to sort out.)

"Well then." he says, simply accepting the terms of "probable risk, possible reward", "What's the situation?"

She leads you into the abandoned host's SAN, out of the storming code on the edge of SAC RTG. Inside the host, your simsense inputs normalize closing out the chaos and feedback outside.

Tell it to them straight

"If we were running in OAK RTG, this would be an oldschool datasteal..." Kali's voice like a funeral dirge, low and dark, "But given the state of the host out there in the wilderness, nothing about the run will be predictable."

Flipping a datafile like a coin from one of her four hands, a photo and dossier becomes suspended ghostlike in the air. "Martin Rourke. Recently arrived in the BayPlex. He was managing a research farm in Silicon Valley, got a transfer and today he is finds himself in another mid-level corp workhorse job, lowly Director of Maintenance at Mercury Transport" she continues, referring to an ageing but athletic looking man with a shaved head and narrow eyes. "But, a quarter century ago our man Rourke was a hot commodity. Deputy Operations Chief of none other than Ares Security when all the big CalFree contracts came into play right after independence."

She flips through pages of corporate memos, stopping on a series of internal security reports from 2037. "Inside the company there were rumors of a private mail host. Hosts actually, a bunch of executives had them. Rourke had one from his time as Ops Chief and it's somewhere out there in that chaos. I have a buyer who will pay handsomely if we can bring it back from the abyss."

Splinter watched the data with interest, several of the fragments that made it's body touching the data files reading into them.

<<<Jarvis, analyze the data about Martin Rourke>>> Splinter issued an internal command to the agent.

"I have several questions... first, is Rourke a mark, asset or a collabrator. Second, do we know if he has anything of use in his private files? perhaps a copy, a password or address or something else? third, how much the pay and what is the time frame?"

Splinter had more questions but they figured it would be best to get some answers before.

The run sounded dangerous, Splinter had no idea who Venom was and what was their deal but if they were like Splinter they were new to the scene and hungry for rep, success and fortune. Good enough for Kali to consider partners for the run, fresh enough not to take to much of the cut and desperate enough to try something more experienced deckers would call rush and suicidal.

“Rourke is oblivious to any of this.” Kali replies “Just happens to be him that was caught with unauthorized hosts, or just unlucky that the internal security guys at Ares recorded his infractions. That’s lucky for us though, because if there is something useful in his private files, we might be able to find out in the Mercury Transport host in SF RTG. That’s likely an easier hack then the Ares cube, so we got that going for us.”

“That brings us to pay.” she continues, “My buyer is in no rush. Those files have even out there for almost thirty years, another week or so won’t matter. The offer is twenty-thousand to confirm the files were destroyed, double if we bring them back intact. Even split three ways? Well, that’s a nice little payday.”

Forty K... Splinter mind was spinning, that was a little over thirty key each... a very nice fat pay data that would allow Splitner some nice upgrades.

"So, our first step is the Mercury Transport? see what we can find? did you do a full profile of Rourke? it might aid in figuring out his passwords and codes."

It was at times like these Splinter was happy the Splinter avatar had no face, otherwise it would have been impossible to wipe the grin from the avatar face.

"Time is on our side," Kali replied. "I'm game for taking on Mercury Transport and seeing if we can get something that gives us an angle on Rourke. We could shadow him directly too. Find out where he lives, get into his building or his PocSec and watch him for a little while to see if we hit paydata."

Looking out over the swirling chaos of the SAC LTG, she added, "You know, we might also be able to find someone who has been crazy enough to go out there already. See if there is a path through that wasteland."

Splinter listened carefully "Sounds like a plan, so we will divide the tasks among us and search for all the information. We need to, dig deep on Rourke, we need put close surveillance on Rourke and someone need to sniff the shadowlands see if there is any elites with previous experience. I can do deep dig or surveillance on Rourke... I am less connected with the shadow community."

Venom had been listening cautiously, but agreed. "I'll give a look, see if any heavy-hitters would do it."

(He was still putting his game back together, but his organizational skills were part of his 'package'.)

Kali on hacking Mercury Transport.

Splinter on surveillance.

Venom on checking the shadow buzz.

Unless there are objections or you have more to talk about before Legwork begins, I’ll work on the next post

Sounds good to me.

Likewise

Legwork

@Venom
Citation Needed
09:56, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Venom, rolled 13 using 2d6+1 ((6,6)).
Boxcars! something good happens…
Hit the Books take 1 Prep



link to a message in this game

@Venom - anyone in the crew may take +1 forward to Sling Code or Rock and Roll against any construct containing Lights Out payload code while travelling in SAC LTG

@Splinter
1 0:01, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Splinter, rolled 9 using 2d6+2 ((2,5)).
Weak success


One thing is for sure, Rourke leads a mind numbingly boring life.  The guy is the stuffiest of stuffed shirts. He literally lives at the office in a luxury apartment housed in the Mercury Transport facility in SF.  He leaves his suite early, puts in long working hours, gets home late and pretty much falls into bed.

He is involved in an online romance, but even that is pure vanilla. Nothing steamy or scandalous.  It takes a day or so of snooping, but due to the lax security in his personal communications you are able to glean a couple of passcodes.  More importantly, you notice that the codes haven’t been updated for years. Mr Rourke’s personal security hygiene seems a bit wanting. Maybe these codes are still in use elsewhere…

@Splinter - When you try to crack any password used by Rourke you are boosted.

>> FF two days later…

In the host in the edge of the SAC LTG wasteland, you find a blue crystal skull, it’s eyes flashing with toxic yellow fire, ”Mercury Transport run went south.” comes Kali’s voice from the chattering toothless grin of the skull. ”The Mercury host itself isn’t a tough hack, I just got ahead of myself and triggered a trace from a link to the Ares main host.  There is a hidden datastore in the Mercury system but I couldn’t get to it before the Trace.  I’m bouncing my signal all over the place now to confuse this tracker, should be clear in time to hit the SAC LTG if you want to take a run at Mercury. Or if you go into SAC, I’ll meet up with you at Ares’ fragged old host. Let me know which way you go and I’ll follow as soon as I shake this Trace”

There is a datafile that includes a partial map of the Mercury Transport matrix host. It’s an orange-level host with mostly white IC. Deep in the system, there is a red-level SPU that connects to a hidden datastore. That must be where Kali tripped up.

Curious about what’s hidden in Mercury Transport or are you itching to get into the electron wasteland of SAC LTG?
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:34, Fri 11 Feb 2022.

"We do this together..." Splinter said "I am in favor of testing the water at MT and see what dirty little secrets the hide in the bowls of their system."

Venom agreed.

Good idea. Maybe something'll shed some light on the SAC

In the host on the edge of the wasteland, you call up Kali's data on the Mercury Transport system:



Nodes in the host connect as they do in the table - example: when you enter the SAN it will connect to two SPUs... if you travel to the SPU with the Blaster IC, it connects back to the SAN and to a Process Node ... if yo move on to the Process Node, it will connect to a Control Node and the CPU... etc...

It looks like Kali got as far as the CPU and likely got traced by the Party IC. It's unusual that the backside of the Mercury Transport system is red-level security. Are they trying to hide something?

Splinter reviewed the map provided by Kali.

"So Venom we need to talk. I don't know you and you don't know me but I think we need to work as a team so we would be effective in breaking into the system and reaching the datastore down at the deep layers of the system. My philosophy was that if we need to fight we already lost... my deck is rigged for extra stealth and sleaze mixed with analytical software to allow maximal access."

Splinter paused letting Venom decide what to share if at all.

"I'm a late-bloomer, me. Got some tricks in my bag, but I have to fight, I'd rather it be short."

"I figure that big mess is 'research first'. If something's gonna try and kill us, the result of our research is "there's something there that'll kill you". I don't scare easy, but I'm not dying for 'might be's either."

"The Transport Company, that's just a days work- 'slow is smooth, smooth is fast.' and all that."

Splinter formed twisted around itself "So we are in agreement, we sleaze our way all the way to the hidden cache? if there is any IC we take them out and hope for the best."

Off to Mercury Transport…

…tell me what is running in your decks when you arrive.

The host resolves before you as you dial into the LTG. As you might expect, the host has been constructed using Ares standard iconography. Gloss black and gun metal gray accent every polished surface. Uniformed employee avatars wear distinctive chess Knight logos and your almost certain that the Knight Errant security detail waiting just inside the host will prove to be the Access IC (nuisance) that Kali mapped when she hit the system.

Venom's got Hog loaded.

Just in case you are wondering, either of you can use your shadow contacts to pick up programs like:

Armor [armor +2 (matrix only), routines (armor x 2), size 4, 500¥]

Black Hammer [dmg +2, relocate hostile programs, routines (armor, bounce), size 4, 500¥]

Lockpick [mask +1, +1 to hack Data nodes, routines(stealth, decrypt), size 4, 500¥]

Ghost [mask +2, routines (stealth x 2), size 6, 500¥]

Something a little more complex like this takes a roll to see if it is available:

Assassin [mask +1, dmg +3, armor +1, routines(stealth, armor, attack x 2), size 8, 1,000¥]

Splinter Cell is fully loaded.

::HUD ::

>>>Node: SAN (tag: Welcome Center)
>>>System Rating: ORANGE
>>>Alert Status: NONE

:: Warning - Intrusion Countermeasures detected

Approaching the host…

Sling Code
13:05, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Splinter, rolled 11 using 2d6+2.  Sling Code.
Strong Success

Splinter is shrouded in a cloak of shadows and slips past the Knight in the lobby…

Sling Code
13:05, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Venom, rolled 6 using 2d6+1.  Sling Code.
Fail  take 1XP or Adapt and Overcome?

But Venom catchers the attention of the Knight and the IC calls out ”Hang on there user… need to see some passcodes.”

or…
Prep/Edge bump to Weak Success

Venom slips past the Knight unnoticed but the system flags an incorrect passcode…

>>>Alert Status: PASSIVE

@Venom - need your decision.

[OOC: Sorry- if there's room, Venom picks up Lockpick.

Question: Status PASSIVE should mean he could just try smoothing his way through this, right?]

Lock pick - no problem, PocSec updated

If you want to try bluffing your way through, that’s option 1… you’ll need to Stay Frosty to bluff it out…

In option 2 you make it through but the system is becoming aware of your presence.

Alert states are:
NONE … for public systems only
NONE
PASSIVE
PASSIVE … Grey IC and Security deckers become active in the system
ACTIVE … IC and deckers start hunting you, Black IC are activated
ACTIVE … only in ultraviolet hosts, very, very bad

Alert state can only go as high as the system rating.

Let's Stay Frosty, then. :)

OK.... what's your play?

Also, let me know if you Adapt and Overcome (probably a good idea for the possible bonus to the next roll, but XP is always nice too)

I didn't see the option to Prep/Edge bump, at first, to take the Weak Success.
I think maybe that one would be a stronger start. Still an option?

@Venom - yep!

You are both through the welcome centre unaccosted…

 ::HUD ::

>>>Node: SPU (tag: Routing and Processing)
>>>System Rating: ORANGE
>>>Alert Status: PASSIVE

:: Warning - Intrusion Countermeasures detected

…and deeper into the Mercury Transport host.

Inside the routing and processing SPU you find a number of users and constructs busily maintaining day-to-day shipping operations inside a large command centre.  The node is a hub of activity as workers monitor movement of the entire Mercury Transport fleet in CalFree.

Sitting idle among the data processing constructs and wage slave avatars there is a single Knight Errant officer (Blaster IC - nuisance) keeping a watchful eye for intruders.

Mask? Sleaze? Attack? Something else?

I'm thinking Mask- Splinter: what do you say?

Splinter agrees they need to keep to as subtle as possible and masking their way in sound the best bet.

Rolling Dice...
13:56, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Splinter, rolled 8 using 2d6+2.  Sling Code. Weak Success
13:55, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Venom, rolled 9 using 2d6+1.  Sling Code.
Weak Success

You own the Subprocessor and the Process Node connected to it, but...

”Hang on there users… need to see some passcodes.”

You've drawn the attention of the Knight (Blaster IC - nuisance).

No alert and the IC isn't attacking.

If you Rock and Roll, you have the drop...

If you use your wits to scam your way past the IC, you Stay Frosty.

 I'm for Staying Frosty, you? We can try the old "I'm showing the new intern around, he's on my clearances until he has one himself" routine, maybe?

<<You want to take the lead and I'll have your back>>> Splinter PMed Venom

"Just a second... I am sure I have it somewhere...say is it alt F4 or Shift Shift, Alt F7 to open the passcode screen????" they blurted out sounding like a scared noob that is trying to get their digital legs under them.

Venom dropped into his 'office voice', going a bit bonkers with the R's, but otherwise sounding like an average worker:

"Hey there- livin' the dream, right? Look, I'm shadowing this intern for the week. (Between u amd me, he's all thumbs, but we all hadta start somewhere, amirite? ) I'll vouch for him, if anyone asks, but we don't wanna undermine his confidence. He's a nephew."

(Venom dropped the slang term for 'this guy is a nepotism hire (better to just let it slide than offend someone important)' in at the end, and hoped it was the same over here as back home.)

"Uh huh." the IC replies, scanning your passcodes.

Stay Frosty 20:45, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Venom, rolled 8 using 2d6+2 ((2,4)). Weak success

"Passcodes seem OK," the IC replies with very typical cop suspicion, "I better stay with you to make sure you don't get into any more trouble. Where are you heading?"

Splinter changed its avatar to that of a basic off the shelf icon. It was disgusting to wear such a basic form but it was a disguise, like everything else about the Splinter. The fragments melded and got in focus into this form, like they managed to get the basic avatar up and running.

"Oh this is so great..." Splinter said in the spoiled nephew tone

"Are you a real person or a software? am I allowed to ask you that? have you been working here long? what about hobbies do you have any? I am a sucker for underground Troll rock bands, Pumpkin Smashers is the best, have you ever heard their smash hit Squash? "

A blast of "music" fill the air as Pumpkin Smasher hit for 2057, Squash played at full volume.

Splinter noted with alarm how easy it was to slip into the spoiled privileged rich kid... like I was born into it... they thought darkly.

Splinter goal was to fool the IC to think they were safe and more trouble to watch over than to just let them go on their way.

Venom, likewise, went out of his way to make this cover story as realistic, and dull, as humanly possible.

(It also included idly half-singing along with the music. "Eternity's infinity, infinity is clarity and clarity means enmity and hate is honest JUST LAAAHK MEEEEEH!")

”Your use of company resources for personal entertainment files may be a breach of Mercury Transport terms of use for employees.” the IC intones dully. ”You should consult your Human Resources officer for more details.”

Then it wanders off, satisfied that you pose no immediate threat.

Splinter avatar pointed a finger at Veonom as the avatar fragmented back to its many shards and spinning fragments. "Any words of this get up and..." Splinter left it hanging, they still felt soiled from using a default avatar it was worse than being a noob it was it was being part of the system ... the wage slave, mindless drone part.

"I suggest we dig deeper toward the red datastores... so lets go one layer lower toward Process." he didn't mentioned the red datastore was inside a red system that wasn't supposed to be there.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:09, Tue 22 Feb 2022.

Agreed. I'll cover you.
(pause)
No threats. That costs extra.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:18, Wed 23 Feb 2022.

You are both through the SPU leaving the IC behind.

 ::HUD ::

>>>Node: Process (tag: Geographic Correlation and Modelling)
>>>System Rating: ORANGE
>>>Alert Status: PASSIVE

Inside the Process Node you find another small army of constructs taking data from the nearby Control node and modelling delivery dates and times to feed into the command centre.  The node is entirely automated and running autonomously. There are no users or pesky IC here.

Next stop CPU, you know it’s frosty and have the opportunity to make any final preparations before heading deeper into the host

Splinter will take a few moments to see if they can gleam some passwords for the CPU one layer down. Something they could use to mask their infiltration.

Venom keeps an eye open for any sign of detection.

Sling Code 20:10, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Splinter, rolled 8 using 2d6+2 ((4,2)). Weak Success

There are traces of protocol exchanges between the Process node and CPU...

Hold +1 for rolls in the CPU

...but...

Back in the SPU, the Knight happens to glance at a system log, just as your passcodes scroll by as you grab the protocol exchange. Inside the IC electron brain, the 1's and 0's click into place and it starts down the dataline toward the Process Node...

Blaster IC is onto you, but still one node behind you... basically the cop is now chasing you through the system... every weak success from now on flags your location to the IC...

Splinter alarmed blinked on and off "We got company the IC is after us, we need to make haste... so lets dive into the CPU and downwards."

Do what we can, Venom agreed. [Dives]
This message was last edited by the player at 01:33, Sat 26 Feb 2022.

You dive down the dataline, leaving no trace and a confused Blaster IC reading the system logs behind you.

::HUD ::

>>>Node: CPU (tag: Central Processing)
>>>System Rating: RED
>>>Alert Status: PASSIVE

:: Warning Intrusion Countermeasures Detected

As you approach the CPU, a Roadmaster blocks your path. Red and blue lights flashing, a Knight (Access IC - nuisance) stands by a temporary barricade checking passcodes.

It's an Ares SWATter Party IC... you can't see them, but you know that there are other IC here somewhere...
The K9 (Trace IC - nuisance)
The Sniper (Blaster IC - peer)

Splinter fragments spun slowly "I say we try to sleaze our way in with the passcode we got from the Process node, with the other IC on our tail I am not sure how long these would be valid... so I vote to make use of them sooner than later."

Venom eyes the Roadmaster. Yeah. Let's do it.

::HUD ::

>>>Node: CPU (tag: Central Processing)
>>>System Rating: RED
>>>Alert Status: PASSIVE

:: Warning Intrusion Countermeasures Detected

You both disappear into system traffic, trying to sleaze the Access IC...

@Splnter: Sling Code
21:24, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Splinter, rolled 7 using 2d6+2 ((3,2)). Weak success

...you pass the cop checkpoint without incident but the Knight picks up your trail and is heading toward the CPU...

@Venom Sling Code
21:25, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Venom, rolled 13 using 2d6+1 ((6,6)). Boxcars! something good happens

...on Splinter's tail, you pass by the Roadmaster undetected, but catch sight of the truck's open backdoor. There is an unstable process running behind the Party IC and, seeing the vulnerability, you inject an irreducable sting of calculations into the IC dataflow causing it to freeze.

1. Venom comes up lucky again and the Party IC is out of the picture.
2. You have unfettered access to the CPU...
3. ...but the Blaster IC Knight will be joining you momentarily.

OOC: Should we/Venom choose one?

You get both!

If Splinter had hands they would have rubbed them in glee at this point "So how about we get into the CPU, I'll try to derail the hound at our back while you go and figure out anything useful in the CPU for us to use in the lower layers."

Good. Venom agrees, and sets about figuring out if anything in the CPU is useful for going deeper.

@Splinter Concealed on the dataline, you await the Knight you have the drop if you choose to attack...

@Venom The CPU spits out a detailed map of the system, filling in the blanks left by Kali.



Sparky is Black IC

Splinter goal isn't to jump on the Knight IC but to mislead it and have it chase on a wild goose chase, if possible to send it to attack Sparky it would no great loss.

That’s Subversion you can (1) try it glitched or (2) roll it straight up but I add another threat to the system.

Splinter will take it glitched

Subversion 20:29, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Splinter, rolled 5 using 2d6+2 ((1,2)).
Fail Take 1XP

The Knight has arrived...

...he is drawing his Ares Predator.

Well that went well...

Splinter gave a warning ping to Venom before the spinning fragments shot forward trying to out react the Knight and blast it before it had a chance to draw its weapon and attack.

Sure it was a gambit and a chance but Splinter figured it was better to strike fast and hard as powerful as they could to suppress the attack.

Rock and Roll 19:14, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Splinter, rolled 13 using 2d6+2 ((5,6)). Strong success

Black Hammer CPU +3 / Black Hammer +2 / Hardening -1 = damage 4

The Black Hammer smashes home heavily damaging the Knight and sending it back to the Process node.

Knight (Blaster IC) [X] [X] [X] [X] [ ] [ ] - relocated

You've got another turn before the Knight comes back.

Somewhere in meat space Splinter excuse for a body was shuddered in it's matrix induce coma.

Inside the construct Splinter fragment slowed down to normal operation.

"It will be back soon and with friends... lets move... and try to distract it so it would lose our trail."

[OOC: Sorry for the holdup. So:
1) Separate directions, right? Name a spot, Splinter, we can meet up there after.
2) Is there any chance left of Venom catching the Knight before it makes the process node? It's pretty banged up, and the move probably won't be expected.]

In reply to Venom (msg # 69):

re. Question 2 - no, the relocation effect is immediate.

"We need to get down to the datastore... can you make it there and I'll head to security and make some noise there? or would you rather do it the other way around?"

Datastore it is.

Having taken the CPU, you are able to sleaze past the Knight (Binder - peer) in the Process node without being accosted.

From here you split up...

---

@Splinter

::HUD ::

>>>Node: Security (tag: Monitoring and Dispatch)
>>>System Rating: RED
>>>Alert Status: PASSIVE

:: Warning Intrusion Countermeasures Detected

You move down the dataline to the Security Node where you find a Knight Errant downtown precinct full of constructs monitoring the system. In the corner there is a large vehicle bay where a massive black and gold mecha slumbers under a crudely painted sign that reads: 'Sparky' (Black IC - peer +).

---

@Venom

::HUD ::

>>>Node: SPU (tag: Security Analytics)
>>>System Rating: RED
>>>Alert Status: PASSIVE

:: Warning Intrusion Countermeasures Detected

The subprocessor contains a neo-minimalist office, sterile white and brightly lit. At the desk sits a heavily muscled plainclothes detective (Ripper - peer)

In for a penny, in for a pound....

Going to try to match the "motif" of the subprocessor, see if that does anything...

Basically, the same maneuver as before, as an opening gambit ("I work here."), except in this case, Venom is going to try to match the 'decor' of the area. In a wink, he's taken the 'icon' of an old, balding maintenance man, sleeves rolled up, push-broom in one hand, the handle of trash-cart in the other.

Tapping the office door, he croaks out 'Wastepaper?', and waits to see what the reaction is. (With any luck, this is masking for a sort of defrag app, to 'take old documents to the shredder'.) If going native doesn't work, hopefully it at least gets him close enough to get the first shot off.

Splinter  fragment shoots forward and than retract spinning faster and faster retracting and morphing. Soon where the mass of shifting fragment was spinning stands a carbon copy guard, strong jaw, steel gray eyes blond hair and biceps you can bounce apples on. Dressed in the Knight Errand uniform he looks like he step out of a recruitment poster for the corp.

"OK boys, tells me what's going on..." he said in a strong voice, synthesis to evoke obedience and loyalty.

Splinter will use the avatar to scan the node and than sleaze control over it.

@Splinter - nice... hold +1 for rolls in this node.

The constructs look up from their work, reading the passcodes you carry from the CPU. "Alert status slightly elevated, but no confirmed indications of intrusion" one of them replies. "Next system wide authentication will occur in 14ms. Is there something else you require user?"

---

@Venom - also nice... hold +1 for rolls in this node.

The detective looks up from his paperwork and scans your passcodes. "Everything seems in order." the Ripper replies. "State the purpose of your access request."

@Splinter - sorry missed that you were going to sleaze... there is nothing connected to the security node, so sleaze only puts you in the node undetected.  Still want to do that?

@Venom - if you attack, you have the drop. You can attempt to bypass the node, but if you fail you might trigger the IC

Venom usually liked to work clean and quiet, and (frankly) had been keeping things smooth to impress Splinter, but he had the drop. So he used it.

[OOC: No program just yet, just brute-forcing it, and warming up Pig.]

Splinter Knight Errand avatar flash a badge "You did an excellent job, I need to take over to deal with some classified anomalies."

Splinter want to take control of the node, so if not with sleaze than with sneak or brute force.

@Venom you are experienced enough at decking to know that, with your current loadout, if you Rock and Roll against IC like Ripper you will be at a disadvantage. With Hog and Steamroller you have two useful but specialized tools, neither of which are particularly effective in a stand-up fight.

But... back in January 2060 you did some shopping while you were on that run for Sunan... tell me what you bought...

Well, depends what you mean. Venom was trying to tinker a permanent version of Flashbang, so he didn't have to improv it every time. Or (he said) there was the guy who tried selling Venom a variant on Crash called TechSupport ("Have you tried turning it off and turning it on again?"), which reboots and then runs a maintenance cycle on a program, effectively 'banishing' it for a bit. Which, now? :)

How about this:

Tech Support: dmg +2, when you Rock & Roll against IC, you may choose to forgo dealing damage and instead force the IC to run a self diagnostic built in test. On 10+ the diagnostic lasts two turns, on 7-9 it only lasts one. [Size 3, Attack, Analyse x 2, 750¥.]

DEAL!

@Splinter
Queen of the Node 12:23, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Splinter, rolled 10 using 2d6+2 ((6,2)). STRONG SUCCESS Hold 2 for actions in this node

A crown of broken glass appears over you head…

Sling Code 12:24, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Splinter, rolled 11 using 2d6+2 ((4,5)). STRONG SUCCESS

…the policeman slides back from his desk, giving you access. ”Of course my Queen,” he says with due deference to your regal status.

@Venom Rock and Roll / Tech Support 12:25, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Venom, rolled 7 using 2d6+1 ((5,1)). WEAK SUCCESS you have the drop

Beside you another maintenance worker appears, wearing a pair of magnification goggles and holding a tablet with a scanning probe. Stepping forward toward the detective, he gives you a thumbs up. Holding up the probe he says ”This might hurt a bit.”

Deal damage or impose a turn of paralysis

Turn of paralysis and get moving.

Splinter was always surprised on how these different programs meshed together. Shifting the avatar now Splinter wasn't a male Knight Errand but a female one. Dressed in the uniform of a field captain.

Quickly Splinter scan the security logs and status, Splinter goal is to mask their presence, shut down any alerts and gain access codes to the data catch they were after.

@Splinter you take control of the security node and while you now own the security logs, this node just doesn't have the juice to silence an alert.  Access codes flow into your deck and you can delete your presence from the logs. You were never here.

You also have a bead on the Knight who is pursuing you...

...it just arrived in the SPU where Venom has left the paralyzed Detective.

@Venom tech support gives you another thumbs up as the IC reboots. You fly down the dataline into an unprotected datastore...

::HUD ::

>>>Node: Datastore (tag: undefined)
>>>System Rating: RED
>>>Alert Status: PASSIVE
>>>Encryption [ ] [ ] [ ]

...the node is encrypted, it's going to take some time to crack this code.

Splinter tries to create a false trail for the knight to take, to throw him off Venom or Splinter trail.

Somewhere, Venom takes a deep breath, remembers what he hopes is an appropriate mantra ("Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.") and starts in on the decryption process.

(He's working as quickly as he possibly can, without rushing and making stupid mistakes.)

@Splinter spend 1 Hold...
Planting a decoy in the security logs does the trick and the Knight turns back from the SPU and starts heading back toward the center of the system. You have successfully bought yourselves some time.

@Venom Sling Code 19:32, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Venom, rolled 5 using 2d6+1 ((1,3)). Lockpick +1, spend 1 Hold = 7 WEAK SUCCESS
Taking care not to accidentally wipe the node of data, you struggle with the encryption algorithms. It is not without difficulty that you gain access to the decryption keys. Unfortunately, they are also encrypted and you will need to crack them...

>>>Encryption [X] [ ] [ ]

...your infiltration does not go unnoticed...

@Splinter
...you intercept a security log entry that requests an increase in the alert state.
>>>>>Query - upgrade alert state?
>>>YES? >>>NO?

This message was deleted by the player at 08:55, Sat 19 Mar 2022.

In reply to Venom (msg # 91):

Not you Venom... Queen Splinter sees the logs over in the Security Node

Queen Splinter has no idea what action caused the increase in alert but the queen is pretty sure that increasing the alert status would not be in her best interest.

So with the aloofness of a royalty she dismiss the request, NO, she does try to locate the area where the alert came from. If she managed to locate the area, she would attempt to tag the whole nod as faulty causing the system to ignore follow-up alert status requests.

Sorry, my mistake.


Venom presses on with the process.

@Slinter spend 1 Hold
You delete the log event without any trouble. You can see that the security incident came from the red datastore, and deftly trick the system into ignoring any requests from the node.

One of the cops looks over suspiciously, but says nothing. security tally +1

@Venom Sling Code 09:48, Today: Mr. Johnson, on behalf of Venom, rolled 8 using 2d6+1 ((3,4)). +1 Lockpick WEAK SUCCESS

Option 1:

You get most of the key, but aren't sure it will finish the job...

>>>>> Encryption [X] [X] [ ]

Option 2: edge bump STRONG SUCCESS

You get the whole key, this will certainly finish the job...

>>>>> Encryption [X] [X] [X]

Venom (still carefully) looks to see what information he can find, now.

(EDGE BUMP, btw)

Splinter Knight Errand face were designed by the best algorithm to induce trust and obedience. It was the perfect balanced female face and it gave the cops a nod. Yes, the nod said, I know it look odd, yes I am in control, there is no need to panic everything is under control I have a plan and I know what I am doing. It was a fancy algorithm and it costed a little fortune of fathers money to buy but it was worth every nuyen of it.

You’ve got what you came for. The datastore is filled with archived files from back when Rourke was an up and comer in Ares.

You want to sift through the data now, or snag a bunch of files from the right timeframe and analyse them later?

Splinter sent a PM to Venom

<<Yo, I hope you got what you need, I am keeping everything cool here but it is a matter of time before this kettle gonna blow>>

Got it. We're in. Do I have time to sort through it, or should I GrabNGo?

<<I can buy you thirty seconds, maybe a minute but no more... your call>>

Splinter seems able to keep everything cool while Venom fishes some gems out of the decades old archive.

-Rourke's contact list from his time as DepOps when the old Ares host was live, it includes a number of internal LTG numbers.
-A list of equipment purchase authorizations for the ops division which includes details on hardware and software deployed in the host.

With this info you each Hold 2 inside the wrekage of the old Ares host

And perhaps a little something for another time: the address of an Ares black site research facility. Wonder if that place is still up and running?

Splinter kept the address, it was always good to have such a juicy intel, even if Splinter couldn't exploit it surely there were some shadowrunner Splinter could sell it to. Even suggest a double run, one in meat space, one in real matrix space.

Splint sent a PM to Kali <<Got the goods... ready when you are to go down the rabbit hole.>>>

It was an odd expression, Splinter had used it a couple of time but never figured out what it meant or why people used it. The best Splinter could do was get a reference for an ancient Sim, no those were called movies back at the day called, ironically enough, Matrix. There was some rabbit there and some talks about jumping into a hole. The rest of the thing didn't made much sense, lame SFX and poorly quality Sim, the thing was nearly only two senses and just had primitive plastered all over it. Which was logical considering it was almost a century old.

Yeah. Cursor and Cursor. Venom replied, and indicated he was good to go.

So back to Kali's node on the edge of the wild SAC RTG to find out if she is coming or are you diving right in without her?

It is a three decker gig, I vote we get Kali

Good idea.

Clear of Mercury Transport, together you fly down the datalines back out to the broken node on the edge of the shattered LTG.

In the flickering light of crashed constructs and damaged hosts, you hunker down and wait for Kali to return.  It's not long before you get a response to the message Splinter sent letting you know she is on the way and ready to start across the wasteland into the corrupted host.

Legwork summary:
-Anyone in the crew may take +1 forward to Sling Code or Rock and Roll against any construct containing Lights Out payload code while travelling in SAC LTG

-Splinter: Hold 2 inside the wreckage of the old Ares host

-Splinter: when you try to crack any password set by Rourke you are boosted

-Venom: Hold 2 inside the wreckage of the old Ares host

-Venom: 1 Prep

The wait was the worse... how long would it take Kali get here... they were waiting for a whole ten seconds... it was terrible... sooooo long wait....

Splinter whirlwind of fragments turned faster and faster to convey their boredom. in the end Splinter decided there was no choice but to engange in the dreaded social conersation.

"So..." Splinter started not sure how to continue this...

"ahm... nice weather we have here..." somewhere in meat space Splinter poor excuse for a body wanted to facepalm itself for such a lame start.

"Yeah. Love the snow. Reminds me of Oslo."

[There was no snow, he'd never been to Oslo... but on the off chance someone tried to use that information, couldn't hurt.]
This message was last edited by the player at 09:26, Sun 24 Apr 2022.