Juramenta wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2024 4:14 am
So, question is, are we all good with sticking to the vote and stand behind the outcome?’’[/dialog] he asks, scanning the room, hoping he’s not cutting anyone off.
Baby Blue shrugs. "Ain't got much choice."
Charybdis Richelle wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2024 3:28 am“Do you want me to look into that, BB? His methods and so on?” She looks back and forth between Baby Blue and Headstone.
"Yeah, look into that Pandora. We need to know if we even *can* say no," says Baby Blue. "If he's the kind to go after family, then this whole conversation's pointless. Least for me."
Revs nods as Pandora and Pacman speak "That's what I was thinking at the meeting. That once we were out we could so some research, put together a rough plan and go back to the table with a counter offer. By land is a nightmare, we don't have enough drivers that we can drive 24/7 to avoid having to stop and rest. By air, well I have some skill at piloting 'copters, but we'll have to consider hiring a pilot as well as chartering the craft."
He looks at Headstone "Sorry, you wanted to bring it back to a vote. I'll go with the outcome of a vote. But if saying no to Dashiell has serious consequences to all of our future work, and potentially our lives, then perhaps we should keep the vote on doing this job and a vote on other future extraction and delivery jobs separate?"
Skye is about to go into more reasons why everything about this job is a bad idea when Pandora mentions flying. She can't help but snort a laugh when she hears that.
"Fly? That means somehow getting a plane, assuming anyone can even fly it, filing flight plans and all the paperwork involved with that, and there's probably all kinds of licenses and who the frag knows what else that would have to be faked. Or, hire someone else to fly us all out there and the expense of doing that. Taking a kidnap victim onto a commercial flight is, of course, right out." Skye just shakes her head.
"This is two entirely separate jobs. And the compensation vs the risk for doing either one is laughable. The first job is the extraction. We have no idea the level of security the target has. Simpleton could want Richard fragging Villiers for all we know, so we can't even assess the risk involved for this stage of the op. The second job, which should be run by an entirely separate shadow team, is actually trafficking the target to Houston. And make no mistake, when you're smuggling an unwilling victim across international borders, that's human trafficking with all the legal ramifications thereof. What Simpleton should be doing, since he's such a wiz behind the scenes fixer overlord, is hire one team that specializes in extractions for the first job and have them hand the target over to a second team that specializes in smuggling."
Skye rubs her temples with her fingers to stave off an approaching headache. "Look, we can shelve the moral debate for another time. Taking this job will not end well. It is way beyond our skillsets and even if by some miracle we could pull it off, the payout is nowhere near the risk. I keep hearing how saying no to Simpleton will doom us but if he's that powerful, then for one why us? And for two, if we're too scared to say No, then we became his indentured servants the moment he became aware of us. And why would he even bother paying indentured servants? This whole thing is bad news and if he's vindictive enough to erase a bunch of nobodies for saying No, then he would just dispose of us after doing the job anyway."
"Fair." Baby Blue smiles grimly. "Pandora we need to find out what his MO is, so that we know whether we can say no to his face, or ghost him and get a few hours to get ourselves and our family out of the city before he knows."
"I agree we need to know more about Simpleton. I can fly rotor craft. I think we at least need to take a preliminary look into the logistics of chartering an aircraft. We have time while Pandora looks him up. Then we will have the information we need to make a decision. "
Pandora listens to the conversation going back and forth. The back and forth has her turning her head every few seconds. She runs her fingers through her wild hair, gripping it, and pulling on a for a few seconds. She leans back in her seat, closing her eyes until there is a gap in the conversation. Then the decker stands to draw everyone’s attention to her.
“Stop,” she says. “Everybody stop.”
“Breathe.”
“Frag, now I know why Boxer always said there has to be one leader,” the decker says. “Ghost, I can’t even imagine how a group that makes decisions by consensus works. Breathe.”
“Headstone said speak up, so I am,” Pandora says. “Let me make just a few points before I jack in. Then you guys can decide what to do with the data when I get back. You’re paralyzed right now and that accomplishes nothing. So, a few things from my perspective as a newcomer and a thus relative outsider.”
“1. Breathe. You are letting your imaginations run away with you. Do I think you need to be cautious dealing with Simpleton? Yes. He can, at this point, make or break the team's career in Seattle. Did I say he was the head of the Tongs, the Yakuza, the Mafia, and the CIA all on one? No. I will go skating to see what I can learn. It’s not a lot of time to do this discreetly, so I won’t. But even asking around directly isn’t going to give me the whole picture. Gossip takes time to assemble, but I will find what I can. What I want from you at this point is a deadline. You said the team had to let Simpleton know whether or not a second meeting was in the works within 6 hours from when you left the Needle. That leaves us what? 4… 4 and a half hours at most. If you decide to meet, that also gives us whatever time between when someone contacts him until the meeting – likely not long, but some extra time. But I am going to be diving deep, so I will need to set a timer to pull me out. Decide how long I have. Leave time for me to debrief you and then for you to discuss these results.” She pauses to take a sip of her Fizzy Goo.
“2. Breathe. Of course we can’t take a commercial flight. Yes, we will either have to charter an aircraft that Revs – or anyone else on the team with flight training – can handle or we will have to charter a flight that comes with a pilot. That comes under reasonable expenses, and if you take this run, this is a non-negotiable. Simpleton - or his client - pays for that. But no, the team will not file flight plans and all of that. You will fly out of the Unauthorized. I don’t know that much about it. But there is a shadow airport that handles just this sort of transportation. About all I know is that it is somewhere in Snohomish and that their security is paranoid as frag. I’m told that their LTG is one of the most secure in Seattle, and yes, that is rumored to include all of the Big 9 corporate systems in the city. But it has to be possible to find it. They are open for business. Now, I have never heard anyone talk about it, but the mere existence of the Unauthorized suggests that other major cities must have something similar, and I’d bet a week’s supply of Fizzy Goo that the tower at the Unauthorized knows about them. Or the pilots do.” Pandora rolls her shoulders forward and back, and everyone in the room can here the cracking of the knots.
“3. Breathe. This job cannot possibly be as hard as you are making it out to be. Simpleton can’t be setting the team up to collect someone deep in the Arcology or bust them out of Silcox or likely even the local Lone Star precinct. He has his own reputation to think of. This job can’t be that important to him. If it were, he would be hiring someone else. Therefore, logically, he has to believe you can succeed. He may think it’s a stretch, that it will force the team to push the limits of what you have done before, but he can’t be going out of his way to set you up for failure. If he wanted you dead, there are far easier ways. Simpleton claims to know nothing about the target, but come on. That’s bulldrek. Remember. He’s a J. His lips were moving. Maybe he didn’t ask his client too many questions. But, A. he has to have at least asked the principal what the expected threat and difficulty level are. He couldn't even begin to hire a team otherwise. And B. He’s fragging Simpleton. Information is what he does, Even if his client only gave him a name and a picture (which I don’t believe), he sure as taxes didn’t come into the meeting with the team without learning more. He’s a drekking spider. If the team decides to meet with him, someone can at least demand a threat assessment and the Lone Star security rating of his neighborhood or the like.”
"Sorry to overstep, but frag, chummers. Breathe."
“So, what’s my deadline, Boss?” The decker takes a seat and slides her datacord into the jack on her temple. “And Pacman, where do you want me to send you the border data you asked for?”
---
Peace,
Charybdis Richelle Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist - RW Emerson
"I don't think you're overstepping Pandora, you're grounding us, and we need it. I think I know someone who might know more about the airport at Snohomish."
Headstone listens closely, letting Skye and Pandora lay it all out. He keeps his face unreadable, not showing any opinion but instead takes it all in to help form his own opinion on the matter.
Once they’re done, he straightens up.
"Alright, chummers, everyone’s had their say. Now it’s time to decide."
He pauses for a moment, making sure everyone’s listening. "Everyone in favor of taking this run, raise your hand and say ‘aye.’"
He counts the votes, then nods. "And everyone who’s against it, raise your hand and say ‘aye.’"
After tallying up the votes, which takes just a few seconds, Headstone makes it official.
He then turns to Pandora, who he won't let slip out before casting a vote as she is a full member of the crew, finally addresses her question only after every vote has been tallied. "Three and a half hours, counting from now should give us enough time to go over what you dig up. Have fun, my chummer." He says with a wrily smile and a hint of concern, hoping she doesn’t take any unnecessary risks.
Once she is gone he continues on. ''Alright, now that we have decided. Time to focus on our next move'' he says continuing on with the meeting.
{Pacman} "I am in for this run. After we get this done, I will have an opinion on "kidnapping" in a more philosophical sense."
Pacman sighs. "The shadows from Seatle-Tacoma have land, sea, and air transit corridors plus whatever individuals put together for themselves. It was not part of my shit so I don't know all of it but I can sketch out what I can once we are decided."
Throughout the back and forth as the team hashes out the morality and logistics of kidnapping and Pandora’ revelation that Dashiell is Simpleton, Angel has seemed distracted. She hasn’t said a word in the conversation and Ghost knows where her mind has wandered off to because it certainly isn’t in the conference room. Suddenly, as Headstone has once again asked for a vote, she glances at her watch and mutters, “Sorry, I need to take this…”
Without waiting for anyone to agree or disagree, Angel steps out into the hall. She returns less than a minute later, just after Pacman starts talking logistics, face drawn and wan.
“Sorry. Something’s come up. Family stuff,” she says. “I have to go. I don’t know when I can be back. I will be back, but…” Angel shrugs. “I’m not going to vote. I won’t be here for this, so it’s not fair for me to have a say.”
Again, Angel doesn’t give anyone to agree or argue, let alone ask questions, she slips from the room, closing the door behind her.
---
Peace,
Charybdis Richelle Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist - RW Emerson
Regarding taking the job or not. See is not against rendition, bounty hunting, removing a criminal from the underworld. But we don't know who the target is or why. I know the 'need to know' basis. But there is a big morale difference between snatching Mach the Knife from his poker table in order he might be coerced into paying his debts over taking Chastity Angel, the underage sweetie to transport into some joytoy slavery.
So Tears would want more specific info. At this stage it would be a "yes, with conditions"
Pandora nods. “I hear that, Tears, though if Simpleton was telling the truth (and yeah, I know that’s a big if; he’s a J), but if he was, at least we know the target’s an adult.”
The decker runs her fingers through her hair. Then she shakes her head, messing up any effort at straightening she might have been attempting by finger-combing it. “Okay, that’s 5 for and 2 against, so it looks like you’re doing this thing – or at least meeting with Simpleton to get the skinny.”
She turns towards Headstone. “So, time for me to go skating for what intel I can round up. That’s three and a half hours, Boss?” she confirms. “Got it. Timer and alert sent.”
Shifting her head, so that she faces each team member in turn. “I don’t expect much trouble with this. It’s not like what I need’s gonna be in any secure systems. I’m gonna check out SyberSpace, Shadowland, and a few of the less reputable data wells and try to ask a few discrete questions. This part is social, not real decking. But that’s why I need more time. Anything with people takes time.”
The decker sighs. “But just because I’m not expecting trouble doesn’t mean I won’t run into some. It’s always possible to hit a rough bit of IC or ask the wrong person the right question at the wrong time. So, everyone, please, once in a while, one of you chummers please check these two lights.”
Her fingers slide over to the same green and purple lights side by side that she pointed out earlier. They shine bright and steady. “I know BB will remember ’til the end of time, but just in case she needs a break and someone else’s keeping an eye on my meat, here’s the rundown until I can get a biometer installed here.”
“If these lights start to blink…” she taps her fingers over the green and purple lights. “...pay attention. If they turn red, pay closer attention. If either of them go solid red, start a timer. They will also beep with different tones. If either stays red for 60 seconds, jack me out. If both of them go red for over 30 seconds, jack me out. Do not jack me out before that – not a nanosecond. Got it?”
Having said that and knowing Baby Blue never forgets anything, Pandora assumes Baby Blue can brief the others if they forget. She doesn’t wait for an answer. She just slides her datacord into her datajack. Her broad smile brightens the room. With a nod of satisfaction, she leans back in her chair, ready to slide into the Matrix.
---
Peace,
Charybdis Richelle Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist - RW Emerson
’’Since I have time to ask you one last question, seeing as you haven’t cast your vote yet.
As a full member of this team, your vote counts just as much as anyone else's. Regardless of outcome'' he says but doesn't give her room to counter with an excuse and immediately continues ''Anyway, is there room after diving in for you to write up a quick bill for Dashiel? A mere estimate of expenses will do. Hearing Skye’s thorough take on things tells me they will have to dig deep in their wallets to properly compensate us. Either split the expenses and the fee or bundle it all into one number. Whatever works best for you handling the finances.’’ Headstone asks while not letting her forget she’s part of the crew.
Pandora opens her mouth the say something about the vote, but Headstone immediately moves on to talking about presenting a bill to Dashiell. Since he moves on, she deliberately ignores it.
“I can tell you without research that you should ask for triple what Simpleton offered. Start the negotiations at 15k each, plus expenses and a death benefit clause. You won’t get it. But that’s not your goal. Ideally, you should be getting at least 10k each, but given this team is relatively new… and that you walked out on the deal and made him wait, it would not be unreasonable to settle for 7500 or so. If, and only if, Simpleton is paying expenses.”
“I can write up a rough estimate of expenses, but both you and he will have to understand that they will be extremely rough - more like a proposal than a bill." Pandora pauses a moment, thinking. "First and foremost, transportation has to be on his credstick. Simpleton has to know you have no vehicle capable of carrying the team, let alone a prisoner. So, he already knows you will be renting. I can do my best to guestimate how much transportation will be, but that is extremely variable depending on what method you use. Last I heard air, land, and sea were all options. I have my opinions on which of these is better, but all are potential methods. It also matters whether Revs or someone else is going to fly/pilot/drive whatever. Any expenses tied to hiring a rigger are highly subject to whose available; fees vary widely – as does talent. Of course, Simpleton may argue that the rigger, not the vehicle but the pilot, should come out of the team budget, and he would have a valid point. If Revs can’t handle it, then Simpleton would have cause to say the subcontracting is on the team. You can compromise there if need be. Then again, you might try asking for an extra share to pay a pilot? I don’t know. I’ve never met that man, but if any of you are good at negotiation, you might try that.”
The decker stops a moment, taking a deep pull on her Fizzy Goo. “Food, fuel, lodging should go on Simpleton’s account – or his principal’s. I mean, you can’t bill him for first class and five star, most likely. But you’ve seen something of his expense account already. He has to know you live on soy noodles and synth food. He has to know you will be spending more out then you ever do at home. That’s because of his biz. He pays for that. Medical, too. For anything that might come on the job, of course, not if someone goes off and gets into a brawl at a ganger brawl or something. Normally, I would say charge for ammo, but since this is a no-harm contract, I say leave it out, except for maybe some tranquilizers or something to keep our guest calm.”
She puts her lips to her straw again, sucking on her drink. “And ask for death benefits. It doesn’t really have to be more, but try for it. Leaving people behind in the lurch cuz you're dead sucks karmically. But even if it’s not a bonus, Simpleton needs to give you his word that if anyone goes down, he still pays the share to the beneficiary of the casualty's choice, neh? Always ask for that – even if your intel tells you the J never pays that. Their reaction is a major clue as to how dangerous they think it will really be.”
Pandora nods. “Anyway, I’ll do a quick look at transportation prices, but without knowing how we’re going to go, that’s hard. This is another place where it’s not really decking. I need to ask around and see what the going rate is for several modes of transit, and I really don’t have any contacts in that area. I have no idea what the Unauthorized charges if we go that route. I have no idea how that compares to bribes for border guards. I’ll see what I find, but if you want me to divvy the time between that and learning about Simpleton, tell me how to divide my efforts – 50/50? 70/30?”
---
Peace,
Charybdis Richelle Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist - RW Emerson
"Focus on Simpleton. Rough ballparks should be fine for expenses. Lot easier to get expenses covered, or walk away, if we can say we'll probably lose money on this job otherwise, and we only need order of magnitude for that," says Baby Blue.
“Alright, then. See you in 3 and a half hours,” Pandora says. “If you need me before then, leave me a message at HopeInABox, marked Urgent. I should get it within a minute or so… If I’m paying attention.” The decker grins. She closes her eyes, and her fingers start flying across the keyboard.
---
Peace,
Charybdis Richelle Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist - RW Emerson
Bone looks to Skye and pulls out a key he found in his pocket. The Dwarven tween put it there when his cred stick and wallet were lifted. " Skye, does anyone else know where this locker key works? The kid who lifted my cred stick and wallet planted it on me."
May your staff be swift, but the point of your dagger be faster.
