[IC] MnM 3e - In the Shadow of Imperator: Deadline

[Sakuro]

Between memory, information on old maps, and records he can dig up on the base computers Diego will learn that the South West area the Jaguars have been seen is was once dedicated to textiles. The South area was dedicated to chemical manufacturing. The South East was dedicated to manufacturing post-modern construction materials. Under all of that, in the Under City, was housing for the people that worked in these areas.

[Supernaturalist]

John Steiner
HP:1
Cnd: Normal
PP:0

After looking over the map, John glances up at Diego. "We plan on scouting all three positions tonight or spread it out over several days?"

The veteran soldier is already thinking that this recon mission should prioritize light equipment above all. Engaging anyone or anything should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

After Diego fills him in on the last details of the scouting mission, John is off to piece together a disguise. Baggy, grungy clothing with a dirty Kansas City Royals hat and sunglasses round out the attire. Underneath, he stores his combat knife along with a light pistol and silencer.

OOC: Unless there's anything else to do, John stands ready to leave at a moments notice.

[Supernaturalist]

Iona
HP: 1
VP: 1
Cnd: Normal
PP:0
EP:3

OOC: I'll assume that Diego has acquired a pistol and suppressor for Iona unless you wish for me to edit my post RPing it.

They young cyborg remains silent for the remainder of the meeting. She is content to allow the tactical details of the mission to be worked out by Diego and John. Her mind is on identifying the Jaguar technology that allows for physical enhancements and acquiring it for Dr. Sokolov.

"If we are finished, I shall go make preparations for departure." her artificial voice as soothing and sultry as ever. With Diego's permission, she leaves the meeting and leaves to assemble her collection of "Vagrant attire". Loose fitting is better. And my face? I need something to serve as a face shawl. Perhaps a dirty looking scarf? After about half an hour, she is finally satisfied with the articles of clothing she has assembled.

After leaving some last minute instructions to the tunnel construction-workers and her infirmary staff, Iona makes sure her laboratory is sealed before reporting to the staging area for the mission.

OOC: Does Iona still have her burner phone from the last mission? If not, can she get one?

Here are Iona's two Deception rolls for disguises: Her own - Supernaturalist: D20 + 8 → 18(10 + 8). So, an 18 for her own costume. And for John: Supernaturalist: D20 + 8 → 18(10 + 8). I rolled the exact same number....18.

[mrdent12]

Diego Gonzalez
HP: 1
CND: Haunted
Form: Mist

Before departing to deal with other matters of the base, the burden of leadership, Diego addressed the final round of questions. "The chemical area is the most obvious location of the drug lab. At the very least, someone of importance should be there. If there is time we can scout other areas. Traveling by vehicle will be risky, so we will need to travel by foot.", remarks Diego. Unlike previous responses, he left this one a little shorter. Other things were weighing on his mind and he wasn't keen to say too much too soon with Iona in the room. Despite her doubt, she was still a creation of Dr. Sokolov.

When the topic of getting ready came up, Diego chimed in. "Try not to go too heavy on the dirty look. Hoodies, scarfs, and similar are fairly common, but no one truly goes full homeless look unless they are trying to be noticed. I'd recommend subtlety. We will head out just after closing time of the work crews and start of night.", says Diego before heading out to get a burner and finish his preparations.

Deception 18, so +2

[Sakuro]

When you leave the base, it doesn't take long to see that the atmosphere in Ward 3 changed. You can hear crews with heavy machinery and vehicles clearing the roads. See them at work. These work crews are watched over by armed soldiers. As you pass by one such squad your trio gets their attention. John and Iona receive a long hard stare from one of the soldiers, who holds up a tablet, and looks on it, then back the two two pretending to be homeless. Then his gaze moves on, panning over the rubble and herds of real homeless.

With Iona and Diego unable to fly, out of a concern for drawing attention, the three of you have to move at a mundane pace. Diego and Iona are tireless, but John is not. You traverse uneven terrain. Climb hills of rubble that risk collapse of a 'landslide'. It is slow going and certainly not an enjoyable trek. Eventually you do make it to the area described to you by Diego's Forgotten. There is no sign of the chemical plants that use to occupy this area. They have been destroyed or are buried and out of sight. All that remains is an urban wasteland. It is wet and grey, with oily puddles forming wherever there is a dip in the ground.

There are people here, with a diverse blend of ethnicities. Most huddle around metal cans with fires in them, huddle under something to shield against the light drizzle descending from the dark dray sky. There are some teenagers playing a game of basket ball in a makeshift court. he court being an open space with rusty rings of metal attached to two poles at opposite ends of the uneven terrain. There are a few people wit hoods drawn up or hearing hats who are gathered around the court watching the game or socializing.

What do you plan to do when arriving in the area? How do you plan to look for the people you are after? No one is jumping up and down shouting "I'm a Jaguar!".

I'm looking for a method to connect a Skill to a roll. If you just look around, it will take a while. None of you have Investigate. So you will be relying on what you see and hear. That'll be Perception.

If you want to talk to people, Diego's Spycraft would help as it covers the Gather Information aspect of Investigate.

I am willing to entertain other ideas. These are the obvious two that come immediately to mind.

[mrdent12]

Diego Gonzalez
HP: 1
CND: Haunted
Form: Solid

Ward 3 was getting busy, which didn't make Diego terribly happy. Training once the forces were mustered would be challenging to say the least. The ward had become Diegos terrain he had become accustomed, so it wasn't difficult to shift into a latino kid down on his luck. The garb wasn't too out of the ordinary. Old jean jacket with a hoody, black jeans, and an old t-shirt of Utopian Dream that looked worse for wear and picked up from a dumpster.

Diego stuck close by the others and in a low voice whispered in a Spanish accent. "Try to blend in and see where they might have more guards or an entrance to an underground lab.", whispers Diego. Not too low as if to unwanted secretive attention, but almost as if talking to mates about something thats only the groups thing. Once getting an acknowledgement from the others, Diego broke from the closeness and started looking around for any signs of telltale signs of Jaguar guards or places that don't quite fit in that could lead to the underground.

In addition, Diego started ingratiating himself with the locals talking about basketball, making jokes at his own expense about his wardrobe, and trying to get a pulse for where most people just don't go. He also made sure to pepper in mention of possibly scoring some gear mentioning rumours of the good stuff being around the area. Start with low level dealers and work your way up if all else fails. Not too slowly though.

Perception 26
Spycraft 24

[Supernaturalist]

John Steiner
HP:1
Cnd: Normal
PP:0

John makes sure his hoodie is pulled over his head and that his gaiter is secure over his nose in order to block as much of his face as normal. His jeans are tattered and his tennis shoes look old and grungy. He carries a sack over his shoulder with various "trade items" grungy clothing, some cigarettes, some cheap, unhealthy food of various sorts, etc.

He makes sure to stay near Iona. Even though she's wearing unflattering clothing and concealing her face, she's still a "female". That means she could draw more than her fair share of trouble. Unlike Diego, John does not go out of his way to interact too much with the locals. He really doesn't have the "people" skills that the Ascendant does. Instead, he projects a slightly intimidating air. Just because he's homeless, doesn't mean he's helpless. Someone looking at John and Iona might think they are brother and sister, boyfriend and girlfriend, or husband and wife.

But despite hanging near the cyborg, John does not mess with anyone. He's content to people watch as he moves around the area. He's looking for people who look like they may be dealing drugs, shaking people down, or using illegal substances. From time to time, he walks with Iona near a group of homeless near a trash can in order to listen to conversations and see if anything interesting is said.

OOC: Here's a Perception roll: Supernaturalist: D20 + 8 → 25(17 + 8). So, a total of 25.

[Supernaturalist]

Iona
HP: 1
VP: 1
Cnd: Normal
PP:0
EP:3

The female cyborg is dressed in a vaguely similar fashion as John. A dirty hoodie pulled over her head and a gaiter over her neck and mouth. Loose, slightly soiled khakis and some torn-up tennis shoes round out the costume.

Iona knows the deal. Stay near John and let her super senses scour the nearby landscape for signs of Jaguar gang-members or turf. As Diego moves off to converse with the locals, Iona meanders around Ward 3 with her "brother" John. A sack with random semi-worthless junk is slung over her back. Some homeless use shopping carts to move their hoarded goods around, but Iona chooses to move lighter.

She's does not look like she's in a hurry. She and John stop from time to time and appear just to sit and look around. At other times they pass near other homeless in order to strike up small talk. But she does not press for information on drugs or other illicit activities. Rather she keeps the conversations short and cordial and relies on others to strike up a deal, maybe for drugs, food, or anything else. She is patient and waits for any possible hook that might allow her to ask a question about a possible Jaguar presence in the ward.

OOC: Here's her Perception roll: Supernaturalist: D20 + 10 → 24(14 + 10). So, a total of 24.

[Sakuro]

Covering one's face generally inspires suspicion in those around the person doing so. John and Iona are the only people doing so, with the exception of perhaps one or two people the come across with scarves. This leave people on edge when they approach, even more so when they slip close to a group and try to listen in on conversation. What small talk they do manage to strike up with people doesn't go anywhere meaningful.

When you get close to the homeless in the area, all three of you notice hat an unusually high percentage of them have skin rashes. You also notice four people at at street corner talking amongst themselves. They all appear Latin American and wear some variation of clothes that include a measure of black and yellow. Every so often someone ​approaches the group. They have a short conversation, and shake hands with one of the four before departing.

Diego has to dish out some money, food, or cigarettes before someone eventually confirms that the group at the end of the street is who he should talk to if he wants to score some drugs. He also gets confirmation that they are dealing for the Jaguars. Some old folk also point out a few buildings he should stay away from. The buildings are unstable, they claim.

[Supernaturalist]

Iona
HP: 1
VP: 1
Cnd: Normal
PP:0
EP:3

Iona plops her sack down a good 50 yards from the four Latinos standing at the street corner. She sits down cross-legged on a rubble-covered sidewalk and begins to rummage through her bag. With her hoodie pulled over her head, she pulls her gaiter down slightly uncovering her nose and mouth. Although she does not need to eat, she places a piece of gum in her mouth and begins to chew. She bids John to sit beside her and "take a load off". She begins to look around the area, only occasionally looking in the direction of the four men receiving people at the street corner. She makes a point to commit as many of their features and clothing to memory as possible, looking for anything unique that might stand out.

"Probably dealers..." she whispers to John once he sits down beside her. "...should we wait and let Diego approach them? He's the expert in stuff like this."

[Supernaturalist]

John Steiner
HP:1
Cnd: Normal
PP:0

"Keep your head bowed if you're gonna pull the gaiter down. ", John whispers back. After their last mission, he's very nervous about being out on the surface anywhere in the city. With his own hoodie pulled up, he merely uncovers his nose slightly and keeps his head low as he sits down beside the cyborg.

"Yeah...If we've spotted those four dealers, you can bet the Ascendant has spotted them. I'm sure he's a lot smoother at talking their language than I am. They'd see right through me if I tried to talk about drugs. The hardest stuff I've ever done is a mixed drink with pure grain alcohol. Hell, I've never even bought weed."

John just relaxes beside Iona and pretends to look through her bag with her. For all anyone knows they are a couple. But he doesn't allow himself to focus too much on the four latinos. They are in rough part of town, and his eyes are constantly shifting around to look for anyone who might be approaching them. His hand is always near his knife should he need to draw it and defend himself.

[mrdent12]

Diego Gonzalez
HP: 1
CND: Haunted
Form: Solid

A pack of smokes and lighter were standard fair when trying to get info. Smokers were the ones who talked more and tended to be more social with people who shared the smoking habit. Diego, when human, took up the habit purely to get juicy gossip from high ranking officers who smoked as well. He kicked the habit, but found it not terribly easy. Now it paid off more. a few fags here, a lighter there, and he got the info he needed.

The dealers might be useful, but it wasn't like they were going to tell him where the good stuff was. Something was going on in the area though. Skin rashes were too high. Harmful chemicals maybe? It was tough to tell for himself because he didn't get effected by it anymore. After the old man gave Diego the warning to stay away from an area, predictably Diego decided to go there. Low level dealers were unpredictable.

Looking about, Diego eyed Iona and John in passing as if looking around for more cash in his pockets. Frowning a bit as the down trodden tend to do when reminded again of their lack of cash, Diego started walked in a round about way towards the "unsafe" buildings. His path was chosen specifically to avoid interest yet still give him some cover plus provide a place for him to convey to the others what he found.


Taking 10 on Deception for 20 if needed.

[Supernaturalist]

John Steiner
HP:1
Cnd: Normal
PP:0

OOC: I'm gonna assume that Diego motioned (or otherwise signalled) for Iona and John to follow him.

John sits quietly beside Iona doing little of anything but looking about. Every once in a while, he looks at the four Latino men standing on the street corner, but he really doesn't stare for very long. Most of the time he's idle or speaking quietly to the artificial lifeform sitting beside him. It sure would be nice if we could follow a couple of those dealers back to their contact. But that job is above my paygrade.

Then John sees Diego give him a sign to wait a bit and then casually follow him on the direction he's moving. He continues to sit and relax for about 15 minutes before leaning over to Iona. "Did you see that signal? The Ascendant wants us to follow. We've seen what we need to see here. Let's move on."

[Supernaturalist]

Iona
HP: 1
VP: 1
Cnd: Normal
PP:0
EP:3

"Yes, I saw it." The young cyborg picks up her sack of personal belongings and stands up. Slowly and without any urgency, she begins to meander in the general direction cued by Diego. She doesn't stray from John however. And it becomes clear that the two are a pair moving together. For the most part, she continues to look straight ahead only glancing casually from side to side with her eyes. Careful to exude an aura of calm, she is conscious not to look about nervously. She does lean into Diego for a moment only to whisper, "Where is he taking us?"

[mrdent12]

Diego Gonzalez
HP: 1
CND: Haunted
Form: Solid

Diego had been at the game long enough to know the easy way was waiting for the dealers to leave, follow them, and see where they picked up their gear to sell. If it was just him, that would be the way he'd go. Iona and John possibly didn't seem the mostly stealthy or deceptive sorts who could pull off an on foot tail. From him, it would be rather easy with the powers given by Praetor Null. Just another one of those feelings of being watched, but looking around to see nothing while still having that nagging feeling. The strange looking Jaguars might be an issue, but they could be handled.

Once in a place he was confident there wouldn't be prying ears, Diego laid out his plan. "We could have waited for the dealers to leave and tail them to their suppliers, but three of us leaving around the same time would arouse suspicion. All of the buildings are generally unstable around here, but there is one in particular that was pointed out to me by one of the older vagrants. If we check it out and it turns out to be nothing, well we all return to the basketball court and come up with reason we stepped away. The over abundance of rashes would give us reason enough under the pretense of needing to stop by a clinic.", begins Diego.

"If the building pointed out to me is truly abandoned and on the verge of collapse, I can get in now that darkness is upon us in my native form with minimal disturbances. If the two of you mill about the area around it looking for possible guards or anything out of what you would expected from a condemned structure, physical presence should be minimized if the building collapses. If it is a supply depot, lab or something else we will know without the risk of exposing ourselves as a tail.", adds Diego.

For good measure, Diego added. "If it's nothing we can go back and risk a tail. Nothing changes.", said Diego bluntly.