4.5 Hunting the Hunter

#gig #eurotour

Prepping

Premise: Fresh off of 4 Menace in Venice, The Crew decides they need to finally deal with Captain Effirm Danala once and for all, capturing him for Laz (GM) to ship off to SovOil.
The mission is difficult, as the Captain has retreated to Germany, a Militech stronghold in Europe, where he is participating in an arms conference and recruitment op.

Theme

• RECOVERY (FLATLINE BY SCATTLE)
  Germany has been rebuilding, hard. Everything is industrialized and every worker is pushing hard. You won't find lofty Execs in the Koln area, although the banking sector in Frankfurt has plenty of them.

Mood

• Neo-Noir
  Dark RED (Bloody Crimson) and BLACK

Motifs

• Sacred Geometry - Church bells ring, Statues of angels are built, Architects measure precise distances and heat points

Running

Setup

The Crew needs to reach Germany in order to deal with Captain Effirm Danala. Unfortunately, it isn't exactly the easiest thing to do.

• The Crew went to therapy!
• Hex found out he should be nicer to his sister, Laz (GM) knows he needs to do major change

Player Goals

• Decide on a way to infiltrate Rhine-Ruhr Conurb (and Germany) and follow it through into Execution
  • Frankfurt Airport - easiest access to the Rhine-Ruhr Conurb immediately, especially with forged identities
    • The SovOil connection - a lot of info on the ground from a Handler; get a boost to the Local Expert skill + it could provide you a clear reason to be here: DIPLOMATIC ENVOY
  • Smuggler's Way (by Ray) - risky, but provides the most bang for your buck if pulled off - you get to sneak in any weapons you might have, but you have to pay a hefty price (literally)
    • This can also be achieved via Entropy's jet, but requires fake identities to be deployed, including for the vehicle. (and is quite difficult to pull off, repeated checks)
    • Finding a Nomad on the inside is the preferred variant, but it isn't cheap.

=> ONE OF TWO SCENES:

Scene 0.a

• The Frankfurt Airport check-in/check-out process, leaving via Maglev or exploring the Airport's city, getting hustled (possibly) or identified as edgerunners;
  • Full body scans and rigorous declarations & checks - being found lying to a FAG official is enough to land you a fine (or worse)
  • SACRED GEOMETRY: everything in the Frankfurt Airport is built by an unseen architect, perfectly matched, you get the feeling that its intuitive and "funnels" people like ants, exceptionally full of CCTV, including tech that you've seen in Liverpool (the EYE, in its original Rheinmetall tech, is here)
  • Chemical Sniffers and Cyber-Sniffers in the ceiling of the "Green" exit. These don't just look for drugs; they look for illegal combat drugs, specialized lubricants used in cybernetics, and high-density battery signatures from unauthorized tech.
  • Your FACE is your TRAVEL ID.

Scene 0.b

• Sneaked in by a Nomad insider, you have to dodge CCTV, shady Techs (bribed, but could betray), Netrunner clusters screening security and controlling bots
  • Unidentified Transit Entity - the good news is you're on Concourse A because you're travelling in the Euro-theatre. Bad news? you're in a fuckin' suitcase, champ.
  • Chemical Sniffers and Cyber-Sniffers in the ceiling of the "Green" exit. These don't just look for drugs; they look for illegal combat drugs, specialized lubricants used in cybernetics, and high-density battery signatures from unauthorized tech.
  • Their security patrols extend to the train platforms and the "Squaire" (the massive building over the station). If you look like a "habitually-challenged" edgerunner, the private FAG security will tail you until you leave their property.

Storyteller Goals

• Enforce The Crew being legally innocent but morally infamous amongst Germans - security & cops will make their lives a living hell, verify their Rules/CPRED/Cyberware/Cyberware and Weapons constantly;

• Present the benefits and the downsides of each of the possible routes of entry into Germany

  • Frankfurt Airport - quickest way, but most visible. No weapons are getting past.
  • Smuggled in - takes longer, including a stealth-oriented scene. You're packed into the hull of an aircraft and have to free yourselves and escape from Frankfurt Airport
    • on foot
    • steal an identification key for the AV

• Showcase Frankfurt Airport as the leader in Corporate TECH, "the most feared European Megacorp", employing Orbital Air and EBM security, their in-house human forces and robots, as well as a self-regulating AI system (that can be bribed/tricked, but it's difficult).

  • Give The Crew a run for their money.

Execution

Now that The Crew have reached Rhine-Ruhr Conurb, they need to find a place to stay without arousing suspicion, gather information on the whereabouts of the Captain Effirm Danala and come up with a reasonable plan to eliminate him.

Unfortunately, he'll never be alone. Also, there's chatter of the interference of foreign agents.

Player Goals

The Crew can find information about Captain Effirm Danala from multiple sources, each with specific consequences (including opportunities):

• Local Authorities: Captain Effirm Danala and his group are conducting tests on prototype weaponry in Rhine-Ruhr Conurb.
• Bulletin Boards & Screamsheets: a Militech squadron is here to support European enterprises with NUSA field knowledge.
• On the street:
  • In Dusseldorf: Captain Effirm Danala arrived because Militech is the laughing stock of Germany after his broken jaw in Paris.
    • In the Barracks: he's here to participate in the black market economy
  • In Essen: They're here to stress test new Rheinmetall weaponry.
  • In Dortmund: Unknown, kept under wraps.
• Netrunners
• Rockerboys & other anarchists
• Nomads (these people are not Nomads in the literal sense, but they still cling to this identity with a sense of pride; Turkish and Kurdish 3rd generation workers)
• Ganggoons
• Other Megacorps:
  • Arasaka
  • SovOil
  • Rheinmetall
  • Biotechnica

Storyteller Goals

Narrow down where The Crew should be searching for Captain Effirm Danala:

• The Captain is staying in Dusseldorf at the Regional Militech Barracks (not a military base, but close enough).
  • During his stay, he will be taking a personal limousine on the Autobahn along with two other Militech officers and an MLA agent (the guy from Venice!)
• He will travel to Essen to supervise a Rheinmetall-Militech contract being signed, as well as offer his input on technology sharing.
  • In Essen, he will move between the Rheinmetall Complex (a massive structure of 6 buildings housing tank production, small arms production etc.) and the Militech Industrial Complex (a small compound where body armor and small arms manufacturing takes place)
• He will travel to Dortmund to test out Netrunner Gear with his companions, as well as some sort of Sonar Pulse tech that, when connected to a drone or local CCTV, is able to map out potential enemies (and mark them with red on your Rules/CPRED/Cyberware/Cyberware of choice).
  • In Dortmund, he will move between Biotechnica, EBM and Zetatech compounds (whose security is 5/5 - 4/5 - 3/5 in this order), smaller workshops with automated security.
• He will attend an event in Dusseldorf where he will meet with Catherine Clements, incriminating the latter. The event is a celebration of a new waterway being opened in Rotterdam.
• He will go to Hamm to attend an ad-hoc black-market fight (organized in secret by Rheinmetall Execs through edgerunners) between a Militech mech and a Rheinmetall mech.
• He will not be travelling to Cologne or Duisburg.

Turning Point

The Crew executes the initial plan, while keeping an eye on ways to reduce HEAT: scrubbing databases, sewing chaos, killing off (or Tabula Rasa-ing) Militech or MLA officials. Even if shit might get stirred, they're eliminating their trail.

Unfortunately, they aren't the only ones doing industrial sabotage in the Rhine-Ruhr Conurb.

Player Goals

• Kill/Kidnap Captain Effirm Danala and sell him off to SovOil
• Eliminate HEAT further by:
  • killing/kidnapping/wiping MLA Execs and Solos to reduce future interference
  • If you get access to any European databases (EuroPol, Interpol, but also local databases), scrub or clean profiling data on The Crew
  • Sit down with some Execs. Maybe trade your Heat for a Corporate Leash. I hear Arasakais hiring.
  • Hit a Kör Meyhane and get an entire refresh on your Bioware. Get new retinae, skin, hair, fingerprints. No one does deep biological pattern recon and elimination like those Turks.

Storyteller Goals

• Provide specific challenges and opportunities depending on where The Crew decides the optimal zone to strike is.
  • Make sure The Crew succeeds in their HEAT-reducing mission - if they don't perform well, provide them with deep cuts (losing Rules/CPRED/Cyberware/Cyberware, money, connections), including permanent (ish) injuries
• Reveal the connection between Captain Effirm Danala and Catherine Clements. Deepen the wound of Tammi Lu

End

Player Goals

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Storyteller Goals

• Reach around back to Jack Entropy's mental state.
• Sasha has recurring nightmares, Laz (GM).