Trieste: In Search of Lorin Highwater

[Keehnelf]

Vinnie jacks the elevators, and after a few moments the doors of the first open. Inside is the young man who had been tailing the group, startled to see them. He throws his hands in the air immediately. "Don't shoot!" he cries, a bit too loudly for the group's taste.

[Pulpatoon]

September moves behind the young man and pats him down.

[atpollard]

"Don't shoot!" he cries, a bit too loudly for the group's taste.

Vinnie smiles, "Well, since you ask so politely, how can I refuse? Of course the fact that I have no gun, probably don't have enough strength left in my grip to hold onto a firing gun, and even when I was young and strong I couldn't hit a building at 10 meters may have played some small part in my decision not to shoot you." Vinnie sighs, "Youth, always such drama."

"How about if we step aside and have a conversation like two gentlemen.
But first, I should probably update you on the tactical situation that you are in the middle of.

I trust you saw the private investigator watching the front of the building ... the biker lady that was out of place.
There is also a mercenary two floors down guarding the stairwell.
We have summoned the elevators to this location and there may be more.
If they win, then we all die, including you ... and the man that the Kamoor Temple hired us to rescue will be killed and the Republic Wins and the Temple looses.
We want to prevent that.
So decide quickly whether you are in or out on the Temple rescue.
If you want to follow us and report to the Temple, do so with my blessings.
I simply suggest that it will be easier to follow us if you just tag along.

So are you in or out?
You have until the elevators open to decide."

"Oh, that reminds me about one more thing" Vinnie sticks out his hand "My name is Vincent Masseria, but everyone just calls me Vinnie.
What would you like us to call you."

To the others "This is the temple informant that has been following me since that night club, so it's safe to say that he is probably not one of the Mercs sent to kill Lorin.
Like my grandfather would say, 'The enemy of my enemy is my ally'.
Let's hope grandfather was correct."

[Keehnelf]

The young man seems to have no weapons other than a short-bladed spring-loaded knife in one jacket pocket. He gapes a bit at Vinnie during the old man's monologue, but to his credit doesn't quite seem to be on the verge of wetting himself. Finally he stammers an introduction: "Frendl is my name--and you guess rightly, that I work for the Temple. But I'm not trained for combat, only surveillance." He gives a guilty look at the confiscated knife.

"I was tasked with tailing you, but my orders do designate Highwater as a Temple asset that should be protected if I see him endangered. Just tell me what your plan is."

[atpollard]

"Just tell me what your plan is."

"A pleasure to meet you Frendl.
My plan is simple.
Step one, we lock down all of the elevators on the 53rd floor.
Step two, I make video call, talk to the mercenary in the stairway at the 51st floor, and he runs away like a little girl.
Step three, we go to Highwater's apartment and have a chat with whomever we find there."

[When all of the elevators are on the 53rd floor, we pull the emergency stop button to shut them down - setting off the elevator alarms.]

**********

Then, to Frendl:
"What would you say is the best way to get the police to respond in force to this location?
I was leaning towards a report that armed terrorists had sabotaged the elevators and were threatening people at gunpoint ... some live video feed should sell that nicely.
Then the gunmen will be too busy to worry about either us or Mr Highwater.
This is your town, so what are your thoughts?"

[Keehnelf]

"It depends on whether the merc in the stairwell is under contract with the Republic or not. If so, we'll be in more trouble than he is if we do something to bring in the uniformed police, as the district forces are all maintained by Charter companies, including in Dome 64. However, there's also a peace-keeping militia under Temple authority that was formed after the last secession riots to help govern some of the more difficult parts of the dome. We're just outside that district, but close enough that I could probably place a phone call that would add to the confusion and potentially make a Republic agent less sure of the outcome."

[atpollard]

"However, there's also a peace-keeping militia under Temple authority that was formed after the last secession riots to help govern some of the more difficult parts of the dome.
We're just outside that district, but close enough that I could probably place a phone call that would add to the confusion and potentially make a Republic agent less sure of the outcome."

"Excellent, make the call.
Personally, I would have thought that the Republic would just send police rather than mercenaries ... and the police do not casually wave guns at people who pass by ... but so much of your local politics seems strange to me.
Let's try to shine a little more outside light on the situation to encourage the bugs to scatter."

Vinnie will attempt to comm a local news station asking if they are willing to pay for a live video feed of armed gunmen taking over a local residential tower?
If they are, Vincent will provide the address so they can send a real news crew, tell them to look for the woman on a bike with a gun, and head to the stairs to confront the Merc with a live video feed from his hand-comp.

[Vinnie suggests that Samantha stay here and warn people not to reset the elevator button because armed criminals are attacking the building.
No heroics, Samantha is just an innocent bystander offering advice.

September can come with Vinnie down the stairs ... but try to stay out of the camera view.]

[Keehnelf]

The news station is willing to offer 1,000 credits for a patch to the feed, transferable once the feed has been live for 30 seconds. Do you accept the terms?

[Keehnelf]

Frendl gets on his compad and steps a bit away down the hall, in the opposite direction from the stairs, so that his conversation doesn't interfere with the negotiations with the news or confuse things any more than they already are.

[Keehnelf]

Isaac Heinlein's friendly but oddly-distracted videophone avatar pops into view in the corner of Vinnie's call to the news station.

[atpollard]

The news station is willing to offer 1,000 credits for a patch to the feed, transferable once the feed has been live for 30 seconds. Do you accept the terms?

[Vinnie is less interested in the money than the power that a live video feed gives him to shape perceptions of the events, but smiles at the irony that the news is willing to pay him for something that he would be willing to pay them for.]
"I will try my best."

Isaac Heinlein's friendly but oddly-distracted videophone avatar pops into view in the corner of Vinnie's call to the news station.

[to the News Station]
"Hold on a moment while I get into position."

Vinnie places the station on hold and talks with Ike as he heads towards the stairs ...

[Pulpatoon]

September follows along dutifully.

[Keehnelf]

Ok, the players are in place--describe how Vinnie makes his confrontation in the stairs.

[Nuke66]

Samantha does stay with the elevators.

[atpollard]

Ok, the players are in place--describe how Vinnie makes his confrontation in the stairs.

Vinnie leads the group down from Level 53 to the landing at Level 52.
Vinnie is the the lead with Frendl close by (but behind him) and September bringing up the rear.
The goal is to sell the encounter as an old man and his young companion (perhaps a nephew or grandson) bravely confronting armed criminals invading their apartment building ... September should try to stay out of the limelight in case we get questioned by the police and need someone free to leave to continue with the mission.

Vinnie begins transmitting and confronts the gunman as he descends down the stairs to Level 51.
"Excuse me mr gunman.
I know you warned us not to disturb you but there has been a development that you need to be made aware of.
We are broadcasting live as we speak and the news would like to know why you and your fellow terrorists have sabotaged the elevators?
How are the residents to get in and out of their homes if none of the elevators are working?

Since the police have been called, how do you intend to escape?
Are you going to take hostages?
Are you here to assassinate a specific individual or is this part of a general terrorist attack?
Are you affiliated with the armed biker lady guarding the front door?
I suspect that the police and news will be interviewing her any moment.
And do you still intend to shoot, kill or commit other felonies on live video with millions of witnesses and prospective jurors watching?

Are you working for Miriam Istrik?
There are rumors that she is hiring assassins to kill some poor local in Dome 64?
Is that why you are here?

So do you have any statement for the millions of viewers?
Why are you terrorizing old men and young boys?

You may want to flee down the stairs ... you have 51 flights to the exit before the peace keeping militia from the Temple arrive to stop you and protect the people."

We will follow him a short way, lit from the hand-comp and broadcasting for up to a minute of the confrontation.

[Keehnelf]

The figure is startled as the group makes it's way back into the stairwell but, quickly reassured that the trio aren't a physical danger, he half-turns, keeping one eye and the pistol on them and the other on the stairwell door to level 51 below. When Vinnie reveals his gambit, the man half-smiles and waves the pistol to the side indicating that they should get out of his way. He seems unconcerned about being on video but ready to depart from a dangerous-sounding situation. He starts to head up the stairs.

[atpollard]

Vinnie allows him to pass, signs off, and heads into Level 51 looking for any sign of more people.
**********
If he finds none, then he tells September to comm Samantha and tell her that the Merc is heading up, perhaps to the elevators.
Vinnie immediately hacks into the elevator controls again reprogramming the elevators to go to Floor 53 no matter what button is pressed.
**********
Then we head to the apartment.

Bribery/Computer: [2d6+3] = 10+3 = 13

[Keehnelf]

There is no one in he hall, and Samantha sees no one enter floor 53 from the stairwell.

The door of highwater's residence is a typical one for this kind of complex: reinforced steel with a vacuum seal around the outside in case of atmospheric contamination either inside or outside, with an electronic access mechanism that has convenient override controls for police access. There is also a peephole that leads to a projecting video display near the doorway.

As the trio stands near the door, Frendl's data pad bleeps several times in rapid succession. "We have about seven minutes until things start to get totally crazy around here. I hope you have an exit strategy."

[atpollard]

Vinnie rings the door bell and announces that he is here from the Temple to help Lorin before the Republic can kill him.

If the door doesn't open (or someone respond) immediately, Vinnie hacks the lock and enters.

Bribery/Computer: [2d6+3] = 12+3 = 15

"Of course I have an exit strategy.
Not a good one, but we shall see if it is good enough.
At the moment, we are dangerously far from locating Lorin and running out of time."

[Keehnelf]

Almost immediately, the door slides open and they are faced with the business end of a combat shotgun. "You sed the Temple sent'cha--who wuz it?" The voice is almost comically backwoods, especially on a planet this densely-populated, and it doesn't belong to Highwater. The bits of face you can see behind the gun look to belong to his spouse.