Faction Fate of Denon: Attention, All Residents [Darkwire]

[Darkwire Prophet]

"There has been an incident in District 7."

Even that small admission was more than Marlene wished to say. The Alliance functionary on the small screen was far too bothersome for his size, and much too clever. That much was clear after he managed to dodge Sola's job as an intermediary, her assistant was there to ensure Marlene Starlight didn't have to deal with mindless bureaucrats or their red data-tape. The ExO of the Corporate Authorities had far bigger problems on her plate today.

Like keeping the supposed death of an Alliance Jedi out of the news.

"An incident? I'm hearing repor—"

Now matter how the Alliance official learned of it, there was no question for Marlene other than to stall for time.

"However," Marlene pressed on, speaking under him in that firm, undisputed tone that usually made the other being shut up. Such as in this case, gratefully. "Everything is under control. The Direx Board and I have concluded an emergency session, and we consider this an internal security matter to the Corporate Authorities. At this time we have no need for assistance."

That wouldn't work and they both knew it. It didn't matter, an ExO of the Corporate Authorities had her part to play as much as an Alliance bureaucrat.

"Well, under Alliance standar—"

"If and when we require broader Alliance assistance, we will be in contact." That was the crux of it, where Marlene was putting the force of her weight. The Corporate Authorities of Denon had negotiated autonomy within their Special Economic Zone, it was a crucial component of Alliance assistance during a previous crisis moment. Nor did CAD suffer from the small percentage of Alliance taxes on trade routes through Denon, only the pernicious volume of policies and procedures the Galactic Alliance seemed almost proud to implement. It was questionable how much of those applied to Denon at times like these, so the ExO wouldn't hesitate to provide an answer. "The culprit is identified and locked down, we have no need for unfamiliar Alliance personnel weakening the perimeter. Our experienced security forces are quite capable of getting results, I assure you. Until then, we would ask that the Alliance hold your investigative and aid forces in reserve until such time that the emergency has passed."

"Yes, however—"

"That is all." She didn't feel the need to end the call. Instead, Marlene simply turned her chair around, letting the functionary and his words fall harmlessly upon them. When she could no longer hear his incessant rattle, the ExO called for the woman who was already stepping into her office. "Sola, mention this intrusion to Blackheart, would you? And wrap in D'Aquila, no more unauthorized communications today."

It was the privilege of an ExO was to issue such commands to her DireX. They could override it by a vote, naturally, though none of the Direx Board would waste their votes on petty issues during a crisis. Blackheart would direct his nationalized Slicers to keep outside interference on the HoloNet tied up, while D'Aquila would direct his Moonveil assets running the critical backbone of Denon's communication systems to limit access to only the highest levels of comms. Neither could pass up a chance to look like the decisive hand during an emergency, she never had as a DireX either.

Marlene's hand waved her assistant, and all thoughts of the encounter, away into the air. It was just that easy for the ExO of the Corporate Authorities of Denon.

"You gotta be karking chitting me!" Frankie's irritation was visible on her construct's avatar in the tatt-verse.

Or in other news, everything was normal.

"Who's lazerbrain idea was it to blow up a karking train?" The Shadowrunner withering in front of her had been the first to take more than a moment to explain it to Frankie. Already several had come in, maybe a dozen, the founding Shadowrunner was losing count. No, that wasn't quite right, she knew exactly how many had come in during the last 2.3 hours. That was an irritation, too, so the construct ignored it. Like she had when those intrusive thoughts came from cybernetics bolted onto her brain-steam, and not pure code.

"No wait, scratch that. I want to meet this choom, shake their hand or appendage or whatever. I'm just mad I didn't think of it first." Frankie beamed a crooked smile at the Shadowrunner, patting them on the back with a light finger. She had to use a light touch today, even if no one could actually get hurt in the nanobot-fueled virtual environment. The real Frankie rose to her full height, looming above the Shadowrunner in gigantic form, and gestured to...herself.

The smaller version of Frankie was much kinder, and far more willing to take the Shadowrunner's message. It appeared on the bulletin board behind her, though it was simply an abstracted visual of everything going on behind-the-scenes in the tatt-chat. It hadn't been meant to be used this way, for passing messages or making Frankie handle them all. She was an avatar not a courier.

For any Shadowrunner with the Darkwire Tattoo today, they would simply feel it call attention to them in some fashion. Some said it vibrated or itched, one said it tickled his brain. All it would take was a few seconds of activation, the messages were all there in plain vision upon entering and easy to retain after dipping back out to the Real.

"Hurry it up, 'runner, you don't got all day! CorpSec's on it's way..." The gigantic version of Frankie chuckled as she watched the antics a while longer before turning away. Making the miniature version of herself, and the theatrics with an old-school board full of pinned flimsiplast, was just for amusement of the uploaded consciousness. A remnant of the woman she had once been, a lifetime ago.

OOC:
Comlink and HoloNet communications are now restricted to CorpSec, their deputies, and official Corporate Authorities communiques within District 7.

The CryptNet may still function via mesh-networking, so long as compatible devices are in range. Those with the Darkwire Tattoo may utilize it as normal, at the cost of physical awareness for the duration of time in the tatt-chat.

 

[Dominique Vexx]

An Incident.

Dominique Vexx turned and strode out of the command center.

Naturally, some foolhardy idiot had contacted Marlene and was undoubtedly blathering on about how the Alliance should help. Why were so low level, well-meaning fools allowed to contact someone that high on Denon -- and without going through Vexx first? If that idiot were in a dark alley on Denon, Dominique would have her hands about their throat until they ceased wriggling like the worm they truly were!

The Senator climbed aboard her shuttle and had them take off before the worst came to pass. If an emergency session of the Board -- again, without Vexx -- had been conducted the same outcome might have occurred, but the Alliance would have made it a certainty. They'd lock down communication frequencies now. Dominique could have told the idiots that if they'd actually contacted her as the planet's Senator and representative.

Well, this was just fine. Vexx wasn't a fool herself and had foreseen a number of typical responses. It did help she had access to all of the emergency response plans and procedures -- being the Senator. Nonetheless, just because you planned for an eventuality did not mean you wanted it to actually happen.

Where was she going? What was she doing? Oh, dear, the communication blackout had affected their ability to communicate while they were already in flight. Oh, how bothersome. There might be some questions and examinations of the shuttle's logs to deal with later. Vexx wouldn't try to stop them either. Oh, yes, they'd be welcome to that inspection; all part of the plan.

://CryptNet

You have a problem. I have a solution.

You're welcome to ignore it. The countless credit-hungry fools now prowling every street in District 7 right now looking for you hope you do. Only a matter of time until they corral you. Some top of the line Bounty Hunter models are with them -- and like dogs hunting for a bone, they won't stop until you are theirs. Even the very people you want to save can turn against you for pocket change, now.

Here's the solution:


6̶̧̤̯̮̱̊̐̉̅̾͝ͅ5̸̧͈̤͍͚͈̮̿͛̏1̵̳̯͉̓̀̈́͊̎̕͜s̴̱͚̞̽́͝t̸͇̠͛͒̿̌͒̎ ̸̦̗͚̀̂͑̑͐̄̈́̈̈̋͑͑͘a̷̡͓̬̲̭͖͉̋̈́͛̾̄̈́̂̈̚n̵̜͑̎͗͒͑̾́ḍ̷̦̫̞̭͓͑̆̇̓́̉̾̍̑̐͛͊̌͝ͅ ̵̛̙̝̻͈̞͕͈̜͚̯̯̺̇͐͂͊̀͗͂͜͝ͅȈ̶̛͍̼̳̱̟̩͛̿̑̉́̅̍̓̐͘͘͝͠n̶͔͑̅͋̅̆̇̃́d̶̘͖̝̣̩̞̏̋̇͐͛ę̵̫̺͇̱͖̝̰͉̦͙̥̼͐̈́̒p̷̗̹̣̙͕͖̗̗̘̺͊̾̽̀̿̐̏̉̋͝e̸͎̭͚̻̾̊̓̓̆̚n̵̹̳̦̘̘̘͚̱͓͉͍͍̼̩̊̀̈͑̽̕͝d̵̹̫̠͍̙̣̣̳͔͔̮̺͛͛̿ę̷̛̓̎̅̀̓̋̒́̿̎n̸͉͙͙̞̺̘̥̣̖̗̒̓̔̌̅̇͗̿̎̀̐͊͝͠͝c̵͈͕̱͙̰͇̣̟̰̰̪͉͍͔̠͋̔̋̽͂͘ȩ̶̡̝̲͕̮͉̦͎͐,̷̺̩̲͕̲̖͚̙̣̀̍̈́̄̂̃̉͗͘̕͠͝ ̸̡̛̛̪̘̩͓͉̋͋̇̔͗́̈́̾͌͘̚̚L̴̨͇͎̞̠͙͎̺̗̻̱̦̟̔̕͝ͅȅ̷̡̨̡̨̠̣͎̗͙̫͑̒̓̃̕v̴͕̮̹̼͓̖͙̦̜̗̬̥̠̩͋̅̒̾̃̔̽̉̽͐̓́̏̎͜͝ę̴̡̡̨̭̬͙̮͖̠̞͔͉̜̹̆̍̋̈́͆̂͛͠l̵̢͚̰̱͗̊̅̌͐͋̒͒̿̚͘̕̕ ̴̧̛̣̟̮̜̪̖̠͈̭̜̘̮̬͖̂̽̍̓̐̃́͑̌̊̕1̴͕̪̺̾̍̃̐̆̕͝͝0̷̡̢͙̬̦̬͖̮̺̀̂̔ͅ,̸̠̱̝̩̟̈́̚͠ ̶̯̠͍̝̪̟̭̣̜̳̹̙̼̠̓̂̍̉͊͑ͅ3̵̣͈͈͇͈̖͔̞̠̀́̽͐̓̆͜0̵̠̰̤̝̟͍̹͇̘̹̙̌̍̎͌̍̿̇́̚ͅ ̶̢͙̘͎̼̣͉̬̣̗̲̈́̍̀̾̽̏̊̆̃̓̈̑̎m̸̝͙̘͖̩̉̄̅̆͐͘ǐ̵̟̑̔̈́̀̈́̾̀̆n̶̨̢̛̝̙͈͇̯̩̍̔̉̈̐̾̓̓̈́͑̒͛͛͊u̸̘̞̝̓̑̑̀͆̈ͅt̶̨̛̛̻̖̠̘̹̜̒̂̔̊̓é̵̗̦͚̩s̴̢̮̠͚͗̃̏͋̈́͊̄̈̉̀̆̋͘̚͝,̸̢̣͉̖̠̣̊̐̔̈́̉̂̿͘ ̶̢̭̼͙͚̞̯̟̠̙̐͊̉͋͜ͅx̸̜̘̖̪̐̌͗̇ ̵̢̡̹̬̘͎̻̝̘̈̐̊̂̒̋̎̂ḑ̶͔͙̞̘̀̓͐͆̔͆̀̐̕͜͝ǫ̸̧̦̰̱̯̠̎̍͑̆̽n̴̢̝̟̞̖̞͎̺͎̤̜͙̝̖̽ͅ'̴̤̲̮͓͍̰̙̹̝̬͇̖̓̓̿̃͋t̷̮̮͖̟̫̖̙̗̰̰̰̻̉̾̏̔̍̐̍̊̑͜ ̴̧̻̫̤̼̖̞̤̘̦̠̋̔͗̎̀̃͛̓̈͆͝b̴̮̪̟͖̹͎̺͔̰̲͈͔̘̾̒͛̈́̈́̇́̚͝e̸̡͓̲͔͉͍̘͊͋̈́͌̐̾̓̓͊͗́̊͘ ̸͍̣̠͙̫͖̦̠̫̫͙̔̒͊ͅl̶̨͓̬̭̀ä̶̧̢̠̖̪͆̈́̀̊̉͘̕͝ţ̴̡̥͉͚̘̹͔͈̠̬̽̀̅̂̍̒͘e̸͖̣̼͂̂͊͛̆̃͊͆̉̕͠.̷̧̟͍̼̗̭̭̰̽̾̔̽̈̌͑̅̃̚͝



651st and Independence, Level 10, 30 minutes, [you, darkwire] don't be late.

Solve for x.

Your Adoring Mistress, Mastema

P.S.: Keep your diamond hands to yourselves.

Darkwire-crypted Broadcast: Daiya | Cartri Keswoll | Brie Jaxx | Ruby Jaxx | Doc Painless | Anakin Stormrunner | Peyton Steele | Das | Johnny Diamonds | Darkwire Cultist | Hex | Darkwire Prophet | Open
FYI Valery Noble | Silver Shield Group | Emraj Hosdole | The Bounteous Hunt​

 

[Darkwire Shadow]

Nim

Nim walked through the streets, keeping her head low and her pace fast. Walking normally would only arouse more suspicion in this setting. As she moved, she kept her eyes peeled for familiar faces. She saw many. Their eyes wide, shoulders tense, each one projecting terror. It didn't matter what they looked like, Nim wasn't looking for that. She was looking for fear. Specifically, the fear of a dead man, a criminal caught in the seccers trap.

In the past, Nim never would have thought she'd be doing something like this. She was a child after all, only thirteen for Ar-Amu's sake. That was before the Eden prison. There she had stepped up and given people hope. It was the Mother's grace that the prison break landed on the day of her execution. she couldn't stop leading now, not when people needed them.

Neon-painted boots froze beside a blue haired teen. her posture was slumped, and the hood of her black and white jacket hid her face. "Sure is loud around here," Nim stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets, playing with the vibro knife she kept in there for emergencies. "Never did like the noise myself. Always preferred the silence. Like tombs," Nim eyed the girl beside her. From beneath her hood, she grinned wide and feral. "I could show you one if you'd like. A tomb, I mean. It's my favorite place to hang." Part of her hated the song and dance. It was necessary to keep strangers out of the tombs, but it didn't make the tedium any easier.

If things went right, then the message should only have gone out to Shadowrunners and Amavikka alike.

This wasn't what she usually did. Nim was a better netrunner than shadowrunner, but her skills weighed little against those already working the net angle. So here she was, walking the streets. She wasn't the only one either. Plenty of others were out there trying to lead people to safety. Somewhere kids like her, others were droids or vagrants. The type of people that would be ignored. It wasn't much, but it was the most she could do. Maybe it didn't change what happened tonight, but it helped one more person, and that was all she wanted.

Das

 

[Iris Arani]

Too many plates huh?

Iris grimaced as she glanced to her holodevice on her wrist. A panicked message from Tae'l Vizsla ? Bounties? Oh. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, only for the grimace to turn worse. A couple of bounty hunters were no problem to her.

"Too many plates, but they legalize murder. Whole districts about to go to hell." Clemency for any illegal acts in this trying time. What the hell were they thinking? She clicked on her com again.

:: Darkwire, Corpo. Valery's transport was blown up. She's missing. Alive, but missing. And now any citizen can shoot another if it's going to help find Darkwire. Find me. Corpo's think I'm here panicked and trying to find my Master, but that's not the plan. Already got proof Corpo's involved in illegal activity. Gonna start kicking down their doors to find the ones behind Valery's attack. ::

"We have twenty seconds. Talk or run. Your call."

Wait what? Iris blinked, glancing his way. Then to the colors around them. "Run. They'll delay us." Then she turned and, well, ran. There was too much to be done to get held up by Corpsec.

Raphael Gallustrade | Corin Trenor | Alicio Organa | Darkwire Cultist | Darkwire Prophet (You're listening to coms)

 

[Doc Painless]

A couple of blocks that way. Hardly any distance at all in the context of a planet-spanning city.

And yet Doc Painless could not help but feel that a couple of blocks, ordinarily a few minutes' walk, might be a fatal journey.

But he didn't say so. "Okay," he replied, offering Anakin an appreciative nod. "I'm glad we're so close. Cover us as much as you can; they'll have probes and droid cams out looking, but foiling organic perceptions might still buy us some time to get moving." The street medic didn't bother to ask how Anakin could hide them from non-mechanical eyes. He had a feeling it was the kind of mystical power he would just never understand. He was a man of science, grounded in research and experience. His world was explicable, no matter how complicated; physics and biology were his guiding lights, not fate or faith.

But sometimes something came along that nothing in his world could explain.

At that point, when Force was the power to reshape reality instead of mass times acceleration, Doc Painless just rolled with the punches.

Before they could set out, though, a masked figure vaulted the chain link fence at one end of the alley, heading right for them. The Doc's gun was in his hand before his conscious brain even had time to say threat, the muzzle of the heavy blaster pointed right at the newcomer's center of mass. A year ago he hadn't even carried; now a quick draw was second nature to him. He'd learned a lot since the loss of his Seven Corners clinic, and it had changed him. Do no harm was way in the past now. Sometimes he grieved for it, but kindness and care didn't topple regimes. He'd done his best to make his peace with the man he had become. When that failed, well, he'd been drinking to forget for a decade.

The newcomer pulled down his mask, revealing a face the Doc didn't recognize, but that seemed unlikely to belong to a Seccer; he'd be way out of uniform and a long way from his unit. He seemed to recognize Ruby, too, calling out to her in the bumbling way that made the street medic immediately think awkward, possibly unrequited lover. Ruby seemed surprised to see him, though she clearly did recognize him. The Doc twirled his gun around his finger and slid it smoothly back into its holster, a trick he would never admit to anyone he'd mastered through hours of watching and imitating action holos. It wasn't just for flash. Looking confident with a gun provided a certain reputation.

In the lower levels of Denon, reputation was everything. It was far better to look competent, even dangerous, than to look like a mark.

Apparently the new guy was coming with them, presumably to look out for Ruby. The Doc wondered what was going on between them, but didn't spare it too much thought; it was their business, and he had bigger nerfs to fry. Like not getting arrested, or shot. Ruby introduced him simply as Doc, which suited him fine; he didn't need to spill too much about his identity to a stranger, especially since the name Doc Painless carried a warrant. But as little as he wanted to give up about himself, the Doc was still curious about who this sudden arrival was. "And you are..." the street medic prompted. The newcomer hadn't introduced himself, and Ruby hadn't given his name.

Not waiting for a response, the Doc stalked to the far end of the alley and peered out onto the main thoroughfare. A solid wall of CorpSec goons in riot gear, marching shoulder to shoulder with their shields raised so that no one could slip between them, was moving steadily down the street. The batons in their armored fists had clearly already seen use tonight. A few panicked street people fled before them, looking desperately for some side street to slip into. They'd find this alley soon, only to discover that it dead ended at the razorwire-topped fence the new guy had managed to vault. They'd trap themselves, and bring the Darkwire runners down with them, within minutes.

"Any route back that way?" the Doc asked, trying to keep panic out of his voice. "Maybe we can cut through the fence."

"There's a goon squad headed right for us, so that's our only option unless Anakin can hide us while we cross the street."

Anakin Stormrunner | Johnny Diamonds | Ruby Jaxx​

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Objective: In The Pale Sunlight
Equipment: "The Mother Relentless," Akovin Relentless Helm, The Sound of Silence, Darkwire Disruptor, RAW DIG Boots, RAW Ion Encumbrance Rifle, "The Hardpoint" Guild Armor (Average weight jet suit configuration, with High ratings on Kinetics and Blasters, low rating on elemental, with an aftermarket RAW SAS Attachment) and wrist-mounted Carbonite Whipcord Launcher
Comm Status:

1. Holonet & Traditional Commlinks - DOWN - NO MESSAGES RECEIVED
2. Darkwire Tattoo Chat-Relay - UP - Message Received from Peyton Steele
3. CryptNet - UP and IN RANGE - Message Received from G1D30N ( Das ) and "Mastema" ( Dominique Vexx )
4. CorpSec Comm Channel - UP - UNREAD MESSAGES RECEIVED

Nearby Tags: Daiya , Brie Jaxx , Cartri Keswoll , Hex
Hunter Tags: Varm Nul Adeline Noctua Samuel Exel
Undetermined Tags: Valery Noble , Dominique Vexx

Cassus was going to take them somewhere, and he was going to tap into Seccer communications via their comlink. Just needed to find a place... just needed to find a place...

Cassus managed to evade any further missiles or rent-a-cop Seccers as he dragged the poor unconscious or dead ragdoll into a foreclosed bread shop in Baker's Row. He stopped screaming about a minute ago, which gave him enough to move at least audibly stealthily. However, pretty quickly. the gargantuan secondary explosion on the train would tie up enough resources his seeming absence wouldn't be terribly missed. It would give him plenty of time to tap into CorpSec communications to keep appraised of their response.

That's when his eye started twitching, like an unmistakable compulsion to activate his Darkwire Tattoo. It had never done that before, but considering the circumstances and his relative safety at the moment, he gave into the incessant compulsion. For a moment, Cassus was blind, deaf, and dead to the outside world as the nanobots in the ink of his Tattoo linked his mind to the shared virtual environment Darkwire had come to rely on for organizing themselves discretely and separate from any trackable network. At least, to any network outside of theirs, a traitor could still exist inside of it, but now wasn't the time for those thoughts.

The Tatt-Chat. That was the in. Taking a second to get her words together. "This is Trainer. Looking for some students. District 7, if anyone needs some lessons?"
"Trainer to kids. Don't even know if this is reaching but let me know… Here to bring the fire."

The smaller version of Frankie was much kinder, and far more willing to take the Shadowrunner's message. It appeared on the bulletin board behind her, though it was simply an abstracted visual of everything going on behind-the-scenes in the tatt-chat. It hadn't been meant to be used this way, for passing messages or making Frankie handle them all. She was an avatar not a courier.

For any Shadowrunner with the Darkwire Tattoo today, they would simply feel it call attention to them in some fashion. Some said it vibrated or itched, one said it tickled his brain. All it would take was a few seconds of activation, the messages were all there in plain vision upon entering and easy to retain after dipping back out to the Real.

"Hurry it up, 'runner, you don't got all day! CorpSec's on it's way..."

Cassus wasn't personally familiar with this particular voice and face but thought he might have recognized them from hearsay from other Shadowrunners. Regardless, they had access to the Tattoo and managed to convince the native uploaded intelligence to modify the environment to enable this kind of communication. Cassus selected the imaginary pin in the virtual message board and decided to respond.

"Uh, Kid here. Managed to nab a Seccer communicator and will respond with updates as I get them... when I can. Gotta keep moving, can't stay here long." Cassus left the message behind and pulled himself out. The whole experience took up to maybe ten seconds. That was a lifetime in a battle, but right now, he was in relative safety, though it wasn't going to last.

While he was parsing the information passing through the CorpSec communicator and adjusting the frequency to valid sub-channels, Cassus received an uplink notification from the CryptNet, and a message filtered through his helmet.

G1D30N: It's time, Darkwire. Many of you may not know me yet, but our peoples have bared our soles together once before. We chose to stand side by side in the face of oppression, firmly planted on the hope of one day walking the streets of a free Denon. CorpSec once again stands promptly in the way of truth, integrity, and freedom. Their lust for control exceeds the patience of the people, and we will have no more of it.

We are one with the shadows, just like you, but today we must be lanterns in the darkness: A guiding light to those who need refuge. Our home is yours, and the door is open. Find us in the Tombs of the old metro.

Stars guide you, Shadowrunners.

An escape option that was something to consider-

://CryptNet

You have a problem. I have a solution.

You're welcome to ignore it. The countless credit-hungry fools now prowling every street in District 7 right now looking for you hope you do. Only a matter of time until they corral you. Some top of the line Bounty Hunter models are with them -- and like dogs hunting for a bone, they won't stop until you are theirs. Even the very people you want to save can turn against you for pocket change, now.

Here's the solution:


6̶̧̤̯̮̱̊̐̉̅̾͝ͅ5̸̧͈̤͍͚͈̮̿͛̏1̵̳̯͉̓̀̈́͊̎̕͜s̴̱͚̞̽́͝t̸͇̠͛͒̿̌͒̎ ̸̦̗͚̀̂͑̑͐̄̈́̈̈̋͑͑͘a̷̡͓̬̲̭͖͉̋̈́͛̾̄̈́̂̈̚n̵̜͑̎͗͒͑̾́ḍ̷̦̫̞̭͓͑̆̇̓́̉̾̍̑̐͛͊̌͝ͅ ̵̛̙̝̻͈̞͕͈̜͚̯̯̺̇͐͂͊̀͗͂͜͝ͅȈ̶̛͍̼̳̱̟̩͛̿̑̉́̅̍̓̐͘͘͝͠n̶͔͑̅͋̅̆̇̃́d̶̘͖̝̣̩̞̏̋̇͐͛ę̵̫̺͇̱͖̝̰͉̦͙̥̼͐̈́̒p̷̗̹̣̙͕͖̗̗̘̺͊̾̽̀̿̐̏̉̋͝e̸͎̭͚̻̾̊̓̓̆̚n̵̹̳̦̘̘̘͚̱͓͉͍͍̼̩̊̀̈͑̽̕͝d̵̹̫̠͍̙̣̣̳͔͔̮̺͛͛̿ę̷̛̓̎̅̀̓̋̒́̿̎n̸͉͙͙̞̺̘̥̣̖̗̒̓̔̌̅̇͗̿̎̀̐͊͝͠͝c̵͈͕̱͙̰͇̣̟̰̰̪͉͍͔̠͋̔̋̽͂͘ȩ̶̡̝̲͕̮͉̦͎͐,̷̺̩̲͕̲̖͚̙̣̀̍̈́̄̂̃̉͗͘̕͠͝ ̸̡̛̛̪̘̩͓͉̋͋̇̔͗́̈́̾͌͘̚̚L̴̨͇͎̞̠͙͎̺̗̻̱̦̟̔̕͝ͅȅ̷̡̨̡̨̠̣͎̗͙̫͑̒̓̃̕v̴͕̮̹̼͓̖͙̦̜̗̬̥̠̩͋̅̒̾̃̔̽̉̽͐̓́̏̎͜͝ę̴̡̡̨̭̬͙̮͖̠̞͔͉̜̹̆̍̋̈́͆̂͛͠l̵̢͚̰̱͗̊̅̌͐͋̒͒̿̚͘̕̕ ̴̧̛̣̟̮̜̪̖̠͈̭̜̘̮̬͖̂̽̍̓̐̃́͑̌̊̕1̴͕̪̺̾̍̃̐̆̕͝͝0̷̡̢͙̬̦̬͖̮̺̀̂̔ͅ,̸̠̱̝̩̟̈́̚͠ ̶̯̠͍̝̪̟̭̣̜̳̹̙̼̠̓̂̍̉͊͑ͅ3̵̣͈͈͇͈̖͔̞̠̀́̽͐̓̆͜0̵̠̰̤̝̟͍̹͇̘̹̙̌̍̎͌̍̿̇́̚ͅ ̶̢͙̘͎̼̣͉̬̣̗̲̈́̍̀̾̽̏̊̆̃̓̈̑̎m̸̝͙̘͖̩̉̄̅̆͐͘ǐ̵̟̑̔̈́̀̈́̾̀̆n̶̨̢̛̝̙͈͇̯̩̍̔̉̈̐̾̓̓̈́͑̒͛͛͊u̸̘̞̝̓̑̑̀͆̈ͅt̶̨̛̛̻̖̠̘̹̜̒̂̔̊̓é̵̗̦͚̩s̴̢̮̠͚͗̃̏͋̈́͊̄̈̉̀̆̋͘̚͝,̸̢̣͉̖̠̣̊̐̔̈́̉̂̿͘ ̶̢̭̼͙͚̞̯̟̠̙̐͊̉͋͜ͅx̸̜̘̖̪̐̌͗̇ ̵̢̡̹̬̘͎̻̝̘̈̐̊̂̒̋̎̂ḑ̶͔͙̞̘̀̓͐͆̔͆̀̐̕͜͝ǫ̸̧̦̰̱̯̠̎̍͑̆̽n̴̢̝̟̞̖̞͎̺͎̤̜͙̝̖̽ͅ'̴̤̲̮͓͍̰̙̹̝̬͇̖̓̓̿̃͋t̷̮̮͖̟̫̖̙̗̰̰̰̻̉̾̏̔̍̐̍̊̑͜ ̴̧̻̫̤̼̖̞̤̘̦̠̋̔͗̎̀̃͛̓̈͆͝b̴̮̪̟͖̹͎̺͔̰̲͈͔̘̾̒͛̈́̈́̇́̚͝e̸̡͓̲͔͉͍̘͊͋̈́͌̐̾̓̓͊͗́̊͘ ̸͍̣̠͙̫͖̦̠̫̫͙̔̒͊ͅl̶̨͓̬̭̀ä̶̧̢̠̖̪͆̈́̀̊̉͘̕͝ţ̴̡̥͉͚̘̹͔͈̠̬̽̀̅̂̍̒͘e̸͖̣̼͂̂͊͛̆̃͊͆̉̕͠.̷̧̟͍̼̗̭̭̰̽̾̔̽̈̌͑̅̃̚͝



651st and Independence, Level 10, 30 minutes, [you, darkwire] don't be late.

Solve for x.

Your Adoring Mistress, Mastema

P.S.: Keep your diamond hands to yourselves.

- Cassus was interrupted by another uplink from the CryptNet, a user he was unfamiliar with but might have heard about. Another escape route. A highly specific address with a time limit. Something about it gave him an ominous feeling he didn't like. He couldn't place his thumb on it. What was this about Bounty Hunters? He hadn't gotten any notifications from Local Guild channels... that's when Cassus noticed that his connection with the Holonet very suddenly went dark.

"Shit, blackout. I guess our pre-planned PSA is out now." Cassus smirked intensely, trying his best to find humor in that development while he cracked the CorpSec communicator. That's when he got the message he was looking for:

ATTENTION: All Residents of District 7

An Open Bounty has been Issued for all Darkwire Shadowrunners, Sympathizers, Informants, Associates, and any other Opportunistic Criminals profiting from their Terrorism.

While CorpSec Recommends all Citizens stay inside their homes, there will be a Reward for anyone who provides Information leading to the containment of Darkwire activities in the region. Including Clemency for any illegal acts which may or may not have contributed to the acquisition of this Information.

Do not be Alarmed by armed strangers on the street as long as they provide Identification when prompted; rest assured, these are Sanctioned Bounty Hunters cooperating with CorpSec to find and detain Priority Targets of the Darkwire organization that are loose in the District.

Stay Inside, Stay Aware, Stay Secure.

-CorpSec-

The list was extensive and detailed, and the price tags were significant. It was only a matter of time before professional hunters were on the scent, and if CorpSec in any way anticipated Darkwire's attack as a potentiality, it was possible they had a head start. He knew that CorpSec had a selection of local Bounty Hunter Guild Chapters on-call in case of emergency situations. With them on the loose, Daiya and the rest were in serious danger.

"What?" Cassus balked, learning that not only was the dignitary a Jedi and not dead but apparently kidnapped?! That presented a very dangerous situation for his friends. It had been their intention to kill them, so the only way they were all still grouped together was because the plan changed, and smooth talking was involved. Lies created fragile alliances, and Cassus didn't want anyone he cared about being around a Jedi when it broke.

It was time to move. Cassus heard Gunships moving overhead, and he elected to follow them back to the scene of the crime...

 

[Silver Shield Group]

​

TRAIN COLLISION SITE

​

Cecil watched the train explode again and cringed in his seat. The airspeeder banked one way, as if flinching from the explosion, and he and the other surveillance technicians gripped their consoles to keep from sliding. Those nutcases at CorpSec were flinging shit at the wall just to see what would stick. Bounty hunters, comms shutdown... Idiots!​

​

A little crackdown he could get behind, but the more they tightened their grip, the more Darkwire creeps would slip through their fingers. The pot's already boiling, guys! Stop stirring!​

​

The airspeeder straightened itself out again and Cecil almost relaxed a little. They could go on and on about stealth systems, but if they shot down one airship already, he was allowed to be tense about it. And speaking of tension, one of CorpSec's subcontracted bloodhounds was calling them now.​

​

Cecil lowered the microphone on his headset, swearing under his breath before going live, patched through to Samuel Exel .​

​

"Exel, this is IP-7833 onboard Silver Shield LAAV 'Mindspike'. We do not recommend aggressive action at this time," Cecil twiddled a nob on his console, zoomed in, and watched Valery make a jump normal people shouldn't be able to make. He frowned.​

​

Even in the most fucked of times, these space wizards found a way to show off. Unbelievable.​

​

"VN-0 appears to be following US-1 uncoerced. Intended destination is unknown. Repeat: We do not recommend aggressive action towards either individual at this time. The situation is being monitored. Over."​

​

Why cage one rat when you could follow it home and find the whole stinking nest? It's just protocol. But ultimately CorpSec were their own people and could do whatever they wanted.​

​

Silver Shield just didn't want to be liable for it.​

​

///: Transmission Start​

​

Secondary explosions recorded. Personnel are clear to begin approach collision site. Train has been completely removed from scene.​

​

US-4 is departing the scene. Bearing data attached. Likely armed. Projected Threat: High. Caution advised.​

​

 

[Das]

//: Tags: Hex
//: Objective 3: In the Pale Sunlight
//: Location: District 7, DENON...

Das had never heard of this 'G1D30N' before, even with all her work as a Darkwire hacktivist. She reread the encrypted message several times over, perplexed and intrigued. The 'Tombs'? It made little sense to the teen, but she was sure there was something about the mysterious correspondence that warranted a deeper look.

"Sure is loud around here."

Das cast a side eye at the small, hooded figure that joined her, unsure at first if they were speaking to her or complaining about the growing tension in the streets. Her initial inclination was to look for the kid's parents, but she quickly intuited there was more to the girl than meets the eye. The shadowrunner kept moving down the walkway, slowing her pace to speak with her strange little acquaintance.

"Never did like the noise myself. Always preferred the silence. Like tombs."

That caught the Shadowrunner's attention. Das' crystal-blue eyes widened slightly when the girl's words hit her ears, but the teen played it cool.

"A nice, quiet place to think is always good," she offered, lacing the word with unspoken interest.

"I could show you one if you'd like. A tomb, I mean. It's my favorite place to hang."

Das smirked, sliding the holopad into her bag. She didn't believe in coincidences; There was something more to the Tombs, and this strange girl seemed perfectly willing to take her there. Das gave a lighthearted shrug.

"You lead, I'll follow," she said with a knowing wink.

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Run. They'll delay us."

Alicio nodded, eyes snapping back to the present. "As you say."

Moving with grim confidence, the Count dashed to the side, making his way towards a smaller door behind Iris. The door was locked, but as if he knew exactly what he was doing, the Count quickly slashed along the seam of the door with his lightsaber, and it shunted open, letting the pair escape into the open air.

Alicio deactivated his blade as soon as he activated it, replacing the device in his coat, and following Iris as they followed the shadows of buildings. Alicio kept his eyes on a swivel, peeking a few moments into the future to help them avoid the probes and patrols.

He couldn't avoid staring at all the destruction. The busted open doors. The lines of smoke behind buildings. The sounds of yelling and humming of military-grade vehicles. Fear stank the air, disrupting his taste buds.

This needed to stop.

"Do you think you can sense Val's direction?" Alicio grimaced in pained sympathy for an embattled world, tearing himself away from it for the mission at hand.

- Iris Arani - Darkwire Cultist -

 

[Hargo Zur]

Corp-Sec/CAD: Emraj Hosdole Samuel Exel Dominique Vexx Desric Terassi AMCO Silver Shield Group
Bounty Hunters: Varm Nul The Bounteous Hunt Samuel Exel
Darkwire Terrorists: Daiya Cassus Akovin Cartri Keswoll Brie Jaxx Anakin Stormrunner Doc Painless Cinder Impulse Hex Binary Makko Vyres Das
Jedi: Valery Noble Iris Arani Alicio Organa
Unknown: Raphael Gallustrade​

Within minutes, the command tent was fully operational. The parking lot, now under total control of numerous CorpSec Officials, Agents, and Emergency Management Staff, buzzed like an angry hive of murderous hornets lusting for vengeance. Hargo took center stage, taking personal command of all operations - piping communications between all levels of the Emergency Response directly to his personal terminal. Around him, an array of screens were now tracking the locations of hundreds of CorpSec Deputies & Riot Response officers combing District 7 from one end to the other. Already, reports were coming in of light resistance on the streets...

But District Commander Zur had every faith in the abilities of his soldiers.

<“District Commander Hargo Zur.”> Came the modulated voice through the commlink. Certainly no typical ‘Deputy,’ that much would be apparent. <“This is Deputy Gorian, under Captain Lonnie’s company. My team is responding to your request to search Baker’s Row. Rest assured, it will be done.”>

"Affirmative, Deputy Gorian. Defend yourself as necessary, and detain any opposition for Judgement. You have a bird in the air."

Hargo nodded to himself, making a mental note to keep an eye on Baker's Row. Captain Lonnie was one of the few Officials the Zabrak had taken any true interest in, and whomever had taken the initiative to contact Command sounded as-if they, too, were no stranger to battle. He'd have to speak with Lonnie when all this was over.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Amidst the swarm of data & incoming messages, a sudden priority-1 communique popped up on Zur's private screen. He clicked on it, narrowing his brows at the message's reported sender. The information therein made him scowl further.

The Senator tapped a message in to be sent to the District 7 Incident Commander Hargo Zur ) about the two Jedi -- Knight Arani and her attache -- entering the field. And an advisory that they should fully expect at least a few more Jedi in or around the District without authorization. Their orders were simple: try not to kill them, but you're not subject to their authority unless strictly mandated by Alliance code.

"Contact Counter-Intelligence." Zur ordered, pointing at one of the Analysts seated nearby. "We have confirmed reports of Jedi on the ground in District 7. Knight Arani; find out who that is, and why the Galactic Alliance is deploying Agents in an Emergency Crisis. These Jedi are to stand down immediately & turn themselves into the nearest checkpoint for immediate questioning or they will be seen as instigators & violent actors in an on-going civil disturbance. I want birds in the air armed with Sonic Cannons & Concussion Grenades, and inform all Command Staff on the ground they are to report anyone wielding a lightsaber immediately!"

Furiously, he considered contacting Galactic Alliance Military Command personally to declare the potential for a diplomatic incident.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Another Priority-1 Message, this time from Silver Shield Group . Zur brought it up, read it, then immediately posted it to one of the large screens near the front of the room for everyone to see.

///: Transmission StartValery Noble (VN-0) has exited the wreckage along three Unidentified Subjects (US-X). Presumed malcontents.US-1 is in direct company of VN-0. Registered heavily armored. Likely armed. Bearing data is attached. Projected Threat: High. Caution advised.US-2, US-3 are departing in a different direction. Bearing data attached. No discernible equipment. Projected Threat: Low. Caution advised. Fourth Unidentified Subject (US-4) detected at railcrawler fuselage. Coordinates attached. Movement is suspicious. Secondary explosions expected. All personnel advised to remain clear of the collision site.VN-0 remains a priority. Will continue to observe status remotely. All frequencies being monitored.

"Track them, now! I want to know the identities of -2 & -3 before we lose them in the alleyways, and find out what Suspect-4 is doing near the fuselage!"

The moment the words left his mouth, a sense of impending dread settled on him like a cold, wet blanket. Zur snapped his fingers in the direction of one of the lieutenants who'd remained close-by to monitor the evolving situation. The man looked at him immediately & snapped to attention.

"Pull all agents away from the train immediately! I want a safe zone of a half-kilometer; nobody approaches that train! Pull them all back, now!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

“This is Senior Investigator Emraj Hosdole of CorpSec-Investigations. We’ll be supporting to apprehend any Darkwire terrorists in Baker’s Row.”

A female voice would respond after a moment. The woman sounded hurried, but polite: "Affirmative, Investigator Hosdole. You have bounty hunters & Silver Shield Group Mercenaries operating in the area. Be advised; we've received reports of possible Jedi operating in District 7. Report anyone matching that description immediately to District Command. TOS Orders have not been approved at this time - your team is to detain anyone exhibiting aggressive thoughts or action for summary questioning."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

That was about all she had time for before she heard an armored Corpo making a search stop. Yeah… see, that wasn't going to work that well. Goggles down, she had a bit of a way to blend in. Stun sticks first. She ran from the alley as soon as she saw the request for search become much less of a request. A stun baton flying as she dove, smacking the hand that shoved. A roll out of the way of a return strike.

"Go!" She shouted, no voice modulator. She really needed more gear for this. But the blonde was not about to start the number one war here. She was a hit and fade type.

As the people were scrambling, Peyton eyed the pair of corpos, and took out her second baton. That was when she stepped forward.

"Commander."

Zur looked over at one of the operators. "What?"

"We've just received a report of officers down in Sector 25-7; an alleyway near the intersection of Coriolis & Tremere. Unknown Subject; blonde woman, adult age, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with multiple officers. Deputies are in-pursuit."

A low, predatory snarl rose from his gullet.

"Get me any video we have from local surveillance. I want her face on every bill-board across the District in one hour."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Zur disconnected from his private communicator, then tapped a button on his display - posting an incoming message on one of the large screens at the front of the room for everyone to see.

ATTENTION: All Residents of District 7

An Open Bounty has been Issued for all Darkwire Shadowrunners, Sympathizers, Informants, Associates, and any other Opportunistic Criminals profiting from their Terrorism.

While CorpSec Recommends all Citizens stay inside their homes, there will be a Reward for anyone who provides Information leading to the containment of Darkwire activities in the region. Including Clemency for any illegal acts which may or may not have contributed to the acquisition of this Information.

Do not be Alarmed by armed strangers on the street as long as they provide Identification when prompted; rest assured, these are Sanctioned Bounty Hunters cooperating with CorpSec to find and detain Priority Targets of the Darkwire organization that are loose in the District.

Stay Inside, Stay Aware, Stay Secure.

-CorpSec-

"By order of the Planetary Commissioner, this is to be displayed on Holo-Comm Channels 172, 53, 24, 821-1, and the Emergency Civil Broadcast Hotline. All Officers & Command Staff are to be immediately notified that this contract is in-effect."

Two of the operators present in the tent nodded an affirmative and began issuing a blanket-order to all CorpSec Personnel in District 7. It would take mere moments for the order to travel from his lips to the Office Of Public Relations, who would begin displaying the announcement across Denon's major news channels - which were also the only channels approved to continue broadcasting in the event of a 27-Grek Event.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

The explosion was enormous, tearing the train engine immediately in half and sending a shock wave chasing the blue haired girl as she fell from the sky. Bits of debris from corpsecs new jigsaw puzzle began to rain around her. The train carts dropped several meters as the first mag grapple fell, and then seconds later the whole train detached from the ruined rail. It was only due to the forward planning of Darkwire that the train dropped towards abandoned ruins in the deepest layers and not more populated areas.

A kilometer & a half away, the second explosion felt like an earthquake; shaking the tent, everyone, and everything within it violently. Hargo clutched at his desk, but didn't duck... one of the few people in the entire parking lot who didn't. Words of shock began to spread around him, which the Commander immediately silenced: "It was just the fething train!" He slammed his beige-colored fist on the table, nearly bouncing his private terminal onto the floor.

"Get me damage reports! Any casualties?!"

Over the next few minutes, reports began to stream in... reports of injuries (both of CorpSec & Civilians) and heavy property damage, but no fatalities as-yet. Part of the train had toppled into the abyss, with debris raining down upon those less fortunate below. The rain of diamond-like shards of glass would litter the streets below. Fractured permacrete, bent durasteel beams, and significant damage to the track itself would all eventually come to light. For now, the District Commander focused on what he could directly control... but he was already considering requesting the approval of TOS Orders.

Zur would later learn that the monetary cost of the damage resulting from the secondary explosion would be numbered in the hundreds of millions.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

<"Come in, Jedi Master Noble? This is Raph. Can you hear me?">

Silence greeted the man as he awaited a response.

Suddenly, one came... but it was not at all what he would have expected. The voice on the other end of the line was feminine, aggressive, and forceful:
"Attention, unknown individual. This is Corp-Sec Planetary Security. Privileges to access open communications channels have been rescinded. We have triangulated your position - remain in-place. CorpSec Enforcement Agents are already in the area and will be arriving momentarily. Any attempt to evade or resist will be met with force!"

Any further attempt to access open communications would be met with an electronic warbling noise overlaid by static.

 

[Sarvod Dravis]

Doc Painless​

There had been resistance, albeit in an unimpressive format. Pistols had been drawn and some brave fool had even tried to hit one of his troopers with a chair. Idiots the lot of them. Deceased idiots, in more than a few cases.

Bodies were strewn across the floor of the bar, some of them breathing, some of them not. The latter (and some of the former) were being unceremoniously thrown into a pile by his goons, even as Sarvod finished injecting a little something special into a man strapped to a chair. Smiling softly beneath his helmet, he removed the gag.

"You Corpo bast-" His no doubt brave rebuke, possibly even followed by a contemptuous spit, was interrupted by the sudden application of a shock baton. "You will speak only when spoken to. You will answer all questions in full."

---

Stretching as if after a vigorous workout, Sarvod eyed the barely-conscious criminal for a long moment, before nodding to an underling. Said underling promptly shot the tied-up man, untied him, and threw him into the pile with the rest.

"Kill the rest, spread them out, then burn the bodies. This incident would reflect poorly on our employer."

'A gas leak led to fifteen tragic deaths as the substance was ignited by ...' He imagined the briefly displayed news update, no doubt drowned out by everything else happening in the District. It was a clean job. One he could be proud of.

It was unlikely that all - or even most - had been entangled with Darkwire, but he did not have time to find out.

"Our target is Doc Painless. He provides healthcare services to criminal elements. Take him out and they will suffer by attrition. We want to make it as visible as possible to dissuade similar acts of aiding and abetting." The man had been able to provide a way to reach the good Doc. A CryptNet address. Nothing that could be traced, unfortunately.

After some consideration, a message was sent.

A teen had been shot by a seccer - glancing sonic hit, whole segments of missing skin, nasty stuff - and the sender needed somewhere to bring her. The few legal clinics couldn't be trusted not to hand her off to CorpSec.

She had, after all, been hurt by a seccer weapon, during a curfew. That made her a criminal. Obviously.

 

[Brie Jaxx]

Objective: In The Pale Sunlight
Equipment: Phase-I Haywire Armor, KC-47 Hybrid Pistol, taser baton
Tags: Daiya , Cartri Keswoll , @''Jackal'', open!

​

"Don't worry Brie, let the boy sort this out" he said confidently before pulling suddenly and kicking the lock of the sidecar with some force.

At least, ginger boy responded to her request and helped! Even though he made it with his usual imaginary pizzazz, which could bother Brie to the bones sometimes, but she rarely made a deal of it nowadays. Brie silently wondered if he was like this towards Daiya too. She let herself be moved aside, but not without a roll to her eyes, and watched as the boy sorted this out by using his force powers. Then, he came up with an idea.

When there was enough space, cartri peeked his head out the train and saw the big gap "I have an idea..." he said nervously when he turned back to Brie "You won't like it, but I'm going to throw you across using the force" Cartri continued with a grin, there was no doubt he'd enjoy it yet he didn't want to kill her at the same time.

"It's either I do it or you try jumping that gap yourself. And for some reason, I doubt even the fishbowl will help you there..."

Brie peeked her head out just after Cartri, a brief gust of wind caught hold of her hair as she looked down from the elevated train track. She got a bad feeling in her gut, gulped lightly before leaning back in again.

''Enough of the fishbowl jokes now! H-have you done that before? Threw someone that far?'' she asked with a hint of anxiety to her voice. They couldn't stay here, so they needed to get out of here somehow. And Brie hoped that her shadowrunner friend would start to get serious. For some unknown reason, probably because she were about to leave her life in the hands of ginger boy and The Force, she wanted to make sure they really was. ''W-we're okay... Right, Cartri...?'' she added to the questions as she positioned herself by the open door, and prepared herself for what was coming.

 

[Daiya]

Objective 1: In the Pale Sunlight
Equipment: Phase II Powderpunk Armor, PD-3 "Combo Breakers" Blaster Pistols, PD-4 "Ninth Life" Hold-out Blaster, "Little Sister" Karambit Knife
Nearby: Valery Noble
Other Tags: Hex Yula Perl Samuel Exel Varm Nul Cassus Akovin

(Post Soundtrack: "Killer in the Mirror" by Set It Off)

Shock reverberated through her legs and knees as the young shadowrunner landed, momentum forcing her forward a few steps. She reeled in the cable line, letting it liquefy once more in her suit's reservoir until her arm was freed again. Daiya rubbed her shoulder through the suit's fabric, slowly convincing her arm not to fall right out of its socket. Her eyes scanned their surroundings, catching sight of the easy way the Jedi had landed. Behind the suit's helmet, she frowned.

"Yeah, whatever you're doing with the Force is hurting right here." Daiya pointed between her eyes, where her nose met her forehead. "It's the same as I get when—" The teen stopped herself short of revealing her entire secret to the Jedi. Feth, what was her name again? The dull pain was still making it harder for her to think, and she rubbed her shoulder again absentmindedly. "Nevermind. Just turn it down, or something?"

This woman was her target, not her teacher. Daiya didn't need to be making nice or sharing all of her secrets. Her eyes glanced warily to the Jedi's lazer sword, hesitating on it for another moment before returning her focus to the problem in front of her now. The young shadowrunner could feel the blood-borne adrenaline pumping through her veins, she needed to make this situation work to her, and Darkwire's, advantage. She couldn't think about why Cartri was the only reason she had the option. "I've got a safe place in mind. Let's get moving, I don't wanna stay in the same place for very long. It's not safe today, CorpSec's gonna be crawling all over in a tick."

She paused to lean over a booted foot on the ledge of the rooftop, glancing over the side of the building. Red and black uniforms were already stalking the walkways on the levels below them. "Chit. Make that swarming!" Daiya gave the Jedi a short jerk with her hand, beckoning toward the access door to the building's interior. She activated the combat sensors on her suit, letting it scan and notify her of beings approaching ahead, the limited access inside would not be the best place to meet Denon's law enforcement. "We'll be fine, it'll take them a while to search everywhere. We're just lucky the Corpos make worse terrorists than they are at fighting them, they're not gonna blow up a whole building."

Daiya wasn't sure why she kept up the ruse at this point, guiding the Jedi into the narrow confines of the what was clearly a residential building. She passed several Discretes as she rounded staircase landings, her HUD highlighting the various beings who poked heads out of their doorways. The teen waved them off, if they didn't already lose interest at the sight of her armor. The young shadowrunner wasn't CorpSec, just another Discrete making her way through the building, innocently keeping her head down from the chaos today.

How many of them would believe she was directly at the heart of it?

The young shadowrunner only had one to convince. The Jedi staying blissfully unaware would make her job the easiest today. Convince her that she was innocent, trustworthy even, and bring her to the security of an ally. If Daiya couldn't make it all the way to a Darkwire safehouse, and CorpSec was sure to make that almost impossible, she needed another place to go. With someone who could handle a Jedi, and maybe even understand what Darkwire, especially the Darkfire sect, needed to do today.

Someone like Yula could help Daiya finish the job.

Daiya didn't know if she could do it alone, much less in here. Witnesses glimpsed them from the doorways and corridors, while holo-cams recorded their progress down the stairs. There wasn't much Daiya could do about those, they were just the incentive to keep moving and fast. She glanced back to confirm the Jedi was still with her, bothered now that she had decided to save the woman. Impatience burned through the teen, pumping her legs as fast as they could carry her down endless sets of stairs, helpless to do much more than set one foot down in front of her. And then the next.

Her legs were as trapped in the cycle as she was today.

The teen's heavy breathing and her sore legs pumping down the stairs kept her mind off the throbbing pain between her eyes. They couldn't distract her from the hapless obsession that kept her mind focused warily on the Jedi behind her. Daiya knew at any point, the woman's lazer sword could end her. Cartri's word had been enough to sheath it, and so far that had been enough to stay the Jedi's hand. Daiya tried not to think about the weapon that made her skin crawl and sweat bead along her forehead, despite her suit's temperature controls. Still, it was easier than trying to think of how her friends would react to knowing she was desperately trying to betray their trust and compassion today.

Shaking her head against the deluge of tangled thoughts today, Daiya pulled up the messages she had dismissed from her HUD.

On board finishing the job, you've got 6 minutes. If I don't make it outta here, you gotta name your first kid after me.
Love you!
Hex x x x

"Oh feth!" Daiya stopped in her tracks, throwing out a hand to balance herself against the wall of the second-story landing. She couldn't keep the fear at bay any longer, and it crept up into her lungs, nearly squeezing them shut. Giving Hex the job of blowing up the train seemed like a natural fit, prompting giggles from Daiya when she saw the pink creeping into her friend's eyes at the news. Of course Hex would do her hardest to finish that job, even if it meant...the teen didn't want to consider it. No. She pulled up her HUD's comlink, desperate for a connection to the blue girl. It was met with only a warbling static instead.

No!

If that fething Jedi hadn't survived! If Brie hadn't followed her! If Cartri wasn't so fething noble! If Hex...If Hex wasn't such a fething tease!

Daiya pulled up the connection to the CryptNet this time. It had taken her a week to get it working with the suit's Cresh O/S protocols, which hadn't wanted to connect to anything as unsecured as another being's device rather than the HoloNet itself. The teen spoke a message under her breath, her suit could easily pick up on it, firing it off to the handles that her friend commonly used.

U made it right? Stars ur such a fethin dork ha ha. Stuck youngling-sitting, gonna need srs drink when this is over. /Powderpunk x x x

Breath seemed to return slowly, cautiously to the teen. She was surviving on pure hope and bitter determination now, letting her limbs start to work again. Daiya glanced at the Jedi to see if she had noticed anything awry, shrugging at the woman. She tossed her head, continuing down the stairs to the bottom level, where the building let out onto the street. No beings appeared on her HUD, and it directed her attention at another message she had now that the CryptNet connection was alive and active.

daiya w. hats goin g on

This message was easier to return, and Daiya wondered if the text recognition device could pick up the brimming grin on her face as she composed it.

Corpos gone insane, streets r full a seccrs. U home? Need place to lay low + a new friend. Still in Bakers? /Powderpunk

Other messages were flooding in on her feed, full of Shadowrunners and Underground contacts asking what was going on. A few making offers for assistance. The young shadowrunner shook her head, closing down the feed. She paused at the entrance to the lobby, pulling the helmet off of her suit. The teen collapsed it flat, attaching it to her thigh to carry it more easily. She turned to the Jedi, running hands through her damp, pink-ombre hair and dabbing at her sweaty face, trying not to look like she had just been encased in an suit of armor. "M'kay, there's good news and bad news. Good news? My contact's got a safe place in Baker's Row, and if I know her, she's keeping her head down better than we are. Whiiiiiiiich leads me to the bad news..."

The teen pointed at the Jedi's outfit and her own armor. "Seccers are all over the streets, and our heads are about the only normal things about us. Soooo..."

Her eyes spied a few objects around the lobby that could be useful in a pinch. A pitted rain-poncho slipping off its hook behind the unmanned receptionist's desk. A heavy, nondescript-colored blanket rolled in the compartment beneath the Emergency Station on the wall, with a fire suppression device that looked older than she was. Daiya looked back at the Jedi, her mouth pulled long into a grimace. "Unless you got a big cloak in those pockets, we're gonna need to do the ol' cloak-n-skulk. Grab a wrap, act like it's cold, and walk fast 'til we hit the shadows."

Daiya was going through a lot of fething effort for this Jedi, hoping she was worth it all.

It would have been easier to just leave her on the train.

 

[Yula Perl]

//.....District 7, Baker's Row
//.....Yula & Dagon's Apartment, aka. The Fething Jedi Temple of Denon

Daiya Valery Noble Peyton Steele

It had taken a while to sort through all of her pings, but Tatt Chat had been the most informative. Tensions between Darkwire and CorpSec had risen to a fever pitch, so it made sense that the train bombing was the straw that broke the eopie's back.

Daiya's message flashed across the feed of Yula's cybernetic eye while she shoved another forkful of instant Gluk noodles into her mouth.

Corpos gone insane, streets r full a seccrs. U home? Need place to lay low + a new friend. Still in Bakers? /Powderpunk

ok

yeah im home

come over

wait

whos ur friend

daiya did u blow up a train lmao

 

[Under Foot]

TOMB STATION
Midnight Zone
[ garbage truck ] [ blaster pistol ] goggles ]

[ post theme ]​

The totally-not-an-assassin loader droid was unloading the cargo.

The Amavikkan had taken the shield generator. Ree would assume they'd know best how to set that up for the situation here. He'd expected to have been met by Gideon, but as the Squib checked the local newsfeed on his datapad, it was easy to glean that the man was likely occupied by other concerns at present.

ATTENTION: All Residents of District 7

An Open Bounty has been Issued for all Darkwire Shadowrunners, Sympathizers, Informants, Associates, and any other Opportunistic Criminals profiting from their Terrorism...​

"Huh," the amber-colored Squib remarked, holding out the datapad for the droid to see as the hulking automaton unloaded the couch and took it inside of the station.

"I wonder how much I'm worth?" Ree mused to himself, thumbing through the newsfeed.

Train. Explosion. Corporate press releases.

This was kinda a normal Taungsday night for Denon, to be completely honest. Maybe a ratcheted up just a tad, but there's no way that anyone could say that this hadn't been coming for a long time...

The datapad's holonet connected suddenly died. The Squib tried adjusting the settings, but it seemed as though it wasn't a device issue. The Corpos were probably isolating comlinks and restricting frequency access.

Darkwire would need a way to maneuver around that. The Squib started mulling over possibilities...

"If I was a little Squibb, where would I be hiding?"

The Squib's ears went straight back. His tails stood on end as his fur bristled.

She was standing right behind him... wasn't she?

"WAAH!"

It was the manliest of squeals.

...if said man was also a mouse.

Jumping about a meter in the air -- which was impressive considering he was only a meter tall -- the furry scrapper spun around in the air, his ears folding back against his head as he looked up and saw a familiar head poking out the side of his garbage speeder.

"H-H-Hex..." the Squib stammered. What should he say? What shouldn't he say? What if he said the wrong thing? "I... I, uh, didn't expect to see you here."

Well, that was the truth.

Oh, kark. What if she took that the wrong way? "Not that I didn't want to see you," the Squib amended hastily.

Wait, was that too obvious?

"Not that I wanted to see you," he retracted swiftly. Then internally kicked himself as the sound of his own voice reached his ears. "I mean, I do want to see you. Just... ah..."

His tongue was in more knots than a shell spider's web.

Clearing his throat, the Squib's tails shifted anxiously as he tried to start over. "Do you need to reload?" he asked, hoping to change the subject. Also, was it unseasonably hot tonight? Because he was sweating through his fur.

Gesturing toward the back of the garbage speeder, the Squib remarked "I brought weapons in case you'd need to resupply."

Hex​

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Denon
Objective: Protect Valery
Attire: Link
Tags: Brie Jaxx / Adeline Noctua

''Enough of the fishbowl jokes now! H-have you done that before? Threw someone that far?''

"You want me to be honest? no, not really!" he said back to her with a nervous smile as he stepped back to mentally prepare himself. He hadn't really tested to see how far his force abilities could throw someone before. The only promising thing was the fact Brie was light and not as heavy as some of the others he had thrown before. Taking a deep breath, he looked back up to a nervous Brie, a warm smile crossing his face when he stepped forwards to reassuringly squeeze her shoulder "Don't worry Brie, you'll be safe no matter what"

Stepping away from her, he sighed and slowly lifted his hands up "Try and stay calm, loosen up and relax your body" he said softly as a strange feeling soon came over her. Slowly but surely, Brie began to hover off the ground. Cartri carefully hovered outside the train door and composed himself before the big throw "Ready? keep your hands ready just in case you don't reach the roof okay?" the boy said just before he suddenly threw her strongly at the roof.

Cartri watched brie gracefully fly through the air, his mind confident she'd reach the roof. However, to his dismay, she was a few inches off. Falling down a few seconds, he saw her manage to grab hold of a ledge a floor below, which forced a sigh of relief out of his anxious body "Shit... hold tight Brie! I'm coming!" Cartri shouted down to her as he looked across the gap to the roof.

Did he think things through? probably not, but he was confident in his ability to make the long jump. Walking backward again, he did a short run up before jumping at full length toward the roof in front of him. His eyes opened wide when he just about managed to hang onto the ledge of the roof by the tip of his fingers "Ah fuck..." he grunted, using every muscle in his body to begin pulling himself up.

Although, when he managed to pull his body over the top, he looked in front of him to see a pair of eyes staring back at him only a few feet away "Who in the Denon is..."

 

[Hex]

Objective 1. In pale sunlight

Tag: Daiya Cartri Keswoll Cassus Akovin Valery Noble AMCO

Location: escaping
Objective: Destroy the train

Spoiler: Equipment

• Powderpunk armor on loan from Daiya
• Guarderma HE suit metallic pink hex pattern with mag boots
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (6 explosive, 2 gas)
• 3 x Iadrium charges.
• Dancer repulsor board
• Dervish Knife
• Cheap data pad and communicator
• Hand held plasma cutter

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex sighed as sighed when she couldn't immediately find anyone at the garbage truck but was relieved when she heard a familiar voice, a familiar voice giving a high pitched nervous squeal. She furrowed her brow as he stammered nervously at her.

"Are you ok Undie?"

'...He's probably freaked out, we are all locked down and you just blew up a train...'

"Oh my stars Undie! I blew up a whole train! You should have seen it.... BOOM BABY!" she laughed and flopped onto the sofa that was next to the squibb. Then looked curiously again. "Why do you have a sofa?" she looked, it was a silly question, why did the squibb have anything? Because it was there to take. The blue haired girl looked at her comm seeing a note come through from Daiya on the secret channels.

Would a dork blow up a whole train! Nope, thats all me!

Oh yeah, I'm good, I think. Just chilling with, Oh wait? Can say on here? He's little and ginger and he isn't your boyfriend! And we are in the secret place.

Hex x x x

She put down the holo and looked at the Squibb, it suddenly began to dawn on her what she had done and that there was no undoing this now. She had crossed a major line and darkwire had declared war.

"We should probably get going? Everythings all locked down now? Where can we go?" Hex had never gone down into the tombs before, she knew they were down here, but how far did they go. Could they let a wanted terrorist escape capture?

 

[Dominique Vexx]

A figure dressed in leather leaned back against a pitch black hovercraft that rested comfortably on a covered landing bay. The lights were turned down low, but even then the woman with silver talons wore a lace mask covering most of her face. A lone talon tapped against the side of her arm as the minutes slowly crept by.

All the little creatures prowling in the night were doing everything except flocking in her direction. Curse these paranoid freaks and their plans. First they botch whatever today was supposed to be, then they flee with the Jedi Master, and now they... what? Hoped to scurry back home with a Jedi among them? Maybe part ways, have a good laugh, and pretend nothing had happened? She was of half the mind to let them all get flattened by some over-the-top outlandish flatten-everything strategy that was likely in the works. They always went too far, and it was left to Vexx to clean up their messes.

These people had no idea how much effort had been put into this little escape route. It was the sort of thing reserved for the DireX themselves in a time of war, and they were hoping to find some rusted old tin can buried under the city no doubt. Or perhaps a nice bar to drink away their last moments?

://CryptNet

Too subtle? Here's one on the house.

I know who you are. I know who you've got. And I know who's chasing you.

Want to get clear of the mess to live and fight another day? I can get you clear of the dragnet. I have that kind of pull in all the right places.

Afraid the price is too high? Look at it from where I stand: you're wanted fugitives having kidnapped someone so valuable that if negligently or "accidentally" killed there won't be a hole deep enough on Denon for you to crawl in -- you'll be hunted by every gun for hire this side of the galaxy with an entire flock of zealots tearing the place down around all our heads. If I had a choice, I'd leave you to whatever rock you think is dark enough to hide under; you coming to me isn't doing me any favors. But you getting your asses blasted won't do any favors to the scene either.

Your choice. Time's running out before all guarantees are void.

Your Adoring Mistress, Mastema

PS: | read() |

Darkwire-crypted Broadcast: Daiya | Cartri Keswoll | Brie Jaxx | Ruby Jaxx | Doc Painless | Anakin Stormrunner | Peyton Steele | Das | Johnny Diamonds | Darkwire Cultist | Hex | Darkwire Prophet | Under Foot | Sarvod Dravis | Cassus Akovin | Open
FYI Valery Noble | Silver Shield Group | Emraj Hosdole | The Bounteous Hunt | Hargo Zur​

 

[Peyton Steele]

So many things going off at once. But Peyton could only focus on one at a time, and hope that the rest of them could be sorted out later. First was these two. She told the normal to run as she swung one baton then the other, in a teras kasi inspired spiral. She was not going to have time to dawdle and the second swing came as she used some momentum from one of the guards to push off from the other and then the charges came up. Peyton slapped one, two, with the batons to offer a stunning jolt as she made her way down the alley.

Chit. She shook her head. Shouldn't have engaged there, the Seccers were probably just following orders, but still… Don't mess with the people not involved.

Low beam radio. "Flaps. Gonna…" That was when she heard it "Nevermind. Stay dark."

A call came through, giving a message on the Tatt Chat. "New lesson. Don't stick in one place too long. Try to code things up. And get safe. Unsure what they're going to do." She recognized the user of Cassus Akovin but not by too much than that.

But the message of the CryptNet, that was fed right to her and she nodded. Tapping on her datapad, she got the layout of the streets to the location. "Frak." Across a main thoroughfare. And who was kidnapping who?

Peyton pulled up her hood. Better start running.

Daiya Yula Perl Dominique Vexx

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Denon
Tag | Cartri Keswoll

The Sangir snickers at the young man, her blaster fires, sending a highly painful charge of stunning power right into him.

"I swear that the people here have such weird dialect, you don't use 'what the hell?' But instead 'what in the Denon?' Do you people ever get off this rock?"

It was clear that this stranger was not from around here, their talking had given the stun enough time to reduce in intensity, allowing Cartri Keswoll to get up and move with some painful effort.

Jackal maniacally giggles a bit as she pulls out a shock collar.

"It's nothing personal kid, you just so happen to have credits on your head. And luckily for you they want that head of yours alive..."

Moving in closer now, she spins the collar around her clawed finger. Whatever this person was, it was not human.