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>>33706285
After a light breakfast, you meet with the rest of the team at the meeting room. From the looks of things, Terminal is riding a dose of long haul as well.

“Okay, everyone.” Hardesty says. “One way or another, we have the hardware we need to hack Blondie’s legs. So, how are we gonna get at them? If she’s being shipped to Hong Kong, they probably have her locked in faraday cage or something.” If not for the fact that Hardesty used to do special operations for a living, you’d be surprised that she knew anything about matrix security procedures. You decide not to mention this to her.

“We monitor the airwaves and wait.” You say. “It’s a long way from here to Hong Kong by boat. Sooner or later, they’ll let her out for some fresh air. It won’t take longer than a few minutes to get what I need and get out.”

“That sounds a lot like praying things go our way.” Hardesty sighs. “There isn’t any other way?”

“Not unless you know a way to get the smugglers to let her out of the cage.” Terminal shrugs. “I’ll keep an eye on the outside and wait for Harriet to pop up. You have her legs’ access IDs?” You nod. “Great. So, now we can start thinking about what we want to do with this data once we get it.”

“Obviously, we sell it to someone.” Fury scoffs.

“Indeed, but to whom?” Dreadnought says. “One of the Big Ten is an obvious choice, but there is logic to the idea of selling Declan’s own data back to them, or even the corporate court themselves.”

>Plan to sell the data to Ares.
>Plan to sell the data to Horizon.
>Plan to sell the data to the CC.
>Other (write in)

Also, my town is under severe thunderstorm warning for the next couple of hours, so if I go offline, that's just my power going out.

>>33706312
Im not advocating for a choice yet, but Im bringing up an idea. Maybe talk to Jabir? He might know a fence who might know how to extract maximum value out of this.

Or we could sell them to a blogger. Or we could post them on Shadowsea. Part of me wants them where they can do the most damage.

Just thoughts. Not my vote. Just thoughts

>>33706547
I was thinking the same thing as i'm trying to think who would get the most "benefit" out of this.

I'm sure Ares would loves this information, but I feel the Horizon being the information powerhouse that it is might be able to "use" it better.

Of course the CC is always an option though i'm unsure of what might happen if we do that.

>>33706312
Declan is a pawn of the CC, and if the Court finds out that Declan is doing things they're not supposed to, the CC will take care of Declan for us.

The only problem is, will the CC erase us in order to take care of loose ends, or will they just agree to pay us off to keep us quiet?

And of course, they're well connected enough that we'd probably never be free of them.

>>33706702
We're still discussing which option to take.

This is Shadowrun, you should expect a lot of player waffling as they're uncertain which option will get them killed worse.

The severe thunderstorm warning for my area expired early, so I'm officially out of blackout territory.

>>33706692
Horizon also has the reputation as being the least backstabby and evil megacorp.
They may actually keep their end of the bargain on good faith.

>>33706817
Horizon may be the least evil, but they also pay the least, too. And they do have a long memory, and if you've ever run against them in the past, they will hold that against you.

So it would come down to whether we want to be paid the most, and if any of us have ever done runs against Horizon before.

>>33706817
Im okay with this. Also, I dislike the idea of selling the corporate court back their own data. just makes this whole situation seems cyclical, and also seems a bit cowardly. not to mention it just gives the court more impetus to kill us.

>>33706862
This is also a fair point. Which is why I think finding a good fence might be a reasonable idea.

>>33706817
Which is also a plus when you consider that selling to the CC might get us killed.

Ares is up in the air, but drawing their attention might not be the best idea considering their reputation with hiring runners.

>>33706931
Also, consider the cozy relationship that Ares has with the UCAS Military, that we just hit, and going to them may not be a good idea.

It's been long enough since I've run that I don't feel bad or spoilery giving a little more context to the decision point that might still be maintained if this choice had come up a month ago. Nonetheless, I'll keep it spoilerd for the sensitive.

Besides being the biggest Americorp with Seattle presence, when you first secured Harriet, it was from an Ares security team. A lot of Harriet's assignments for Declan involved being in Ares jurisdiction. Knowing what she was doing there might be of value to them.

Actually, now that I think of it, this is the only one that might not make sense. Yeah, I don't mind leaving it at that.

>>33706312
>Plan to sell the data to the CC.
While this should shift the aggro off of us, giving the CC info on their only check could give them quite a bit of power.
>Plan to sell the data to Declan.
If Declan is just a front for assassins and a check on the court, this may be a very worth-while choice.
>Plan to sell the data to Ares.
Could be worth quite a bit to Ares. Not really sure how valuable it would be.

So, more deliberation or are we ready for a vote?

>>33707325
I'm ready to vote for Declan, Null. Just notice this thread was up. Going to walk over to the my local college, so consider this post a vote to sell the data to Declan.

Btw, what entity is Horizon?

>>33707325
Lets try Declan

>>33707325
>Horizen

>>33707353
Horizon is one of the ten AAA megacorps. They are the unholy union of Google, Facebook, Twitter and every news station in the entire world. From blogs to livecasts to newspapers and major networks, if it involves media propagation and isn't owned by another megacorp, Horizon probably has a name on it. And if a piece of information is available for public consumption, Horizon knows about it.

>>33707015
While this would mean lots of money from Ares, their past reputation with runners makes me suspicious that they would let us go.

>>33707325
Sell it to Horizon.
Less money but is also safer.

>>33707325
My vote is on Horizon.

>Try and get hush-money from Declan.
>>33707353
>>33707425

>Give Horizon the exclusive.
>>33707432
>>33707441
>>33707457

Horizon wins

>writing

>>33707564
>>33707441 (You)

Fucking-

I meant >>33707451

>>33706312
“We should sell the data to Horizon.” You declare. “Going straight to Declan or the Corporate Court would be too dangerous.” Hardesty scowls. “And Ares is sitting cozy with the UCAS military, who we just hit. The CC making a special AA corp for infowar on the Big Ten would be the scandal of the decade. There’s no way Horizon would let that slip by.”

“You sure about that?” Fury asks. “Horizon isn’t exactly known for paying top Nuyen for ‘runner services.”

“Our only other options will probably kill us if we try and cut a deal.” You pause a glance around the room. “Should we take it to a vote? All in favor of selling the proprietary Declan files to Horizon?” Though there’s some hesitation at first, Dreadnought soon raises his hand. In next to no time, the rest of the room follows. “Perfect. I’ll put in a word with Jabir about getting in touch with a Horizon rep. Terminal, I’ll send you the access ID for Harriet’s legs. I want to know the second they go online.”

“Roger that.” Terminal lazily salutes. “Then the rest of the team’ll get ready for tonight.”

“I’ll keep the van hot in case Declan finds us.” Bunny says.

“I’ll see what I can do about requisitioning us some additional equipment.” Hardesty says. Your teammates look at each other. There’s a feeling like electricity running through the room. You’re too nervous to admit it out loud, but this crazy, slapped-together plan just might be the one.

**

A few minutes later, you’ve got Jabir in your ear.

“Still alive, Echo?” he asks jovially.

“You know me: harder to kill than a cockroach.”

“Do you remember the Gates event you wanted info on?”

>That isn’t important right now. I need to get in touch with someone.
>Yes, and I still want it.
>Yes, and I need to know if Horizon is on the guest list.
>Other (write in)

>>33707913
>>Yes, and I need to know if Horizon is on the guest list.

I dont actually remember what this Gates event is though

>>33707913
>Yes, and I need to know if Horizon is on the guest list.

>>33708004
Another unfortunate side effect of having not done this for a while.

Back when Hardesty was kidnapping Echo, she told him that Declan was renting some of their data-processing power to another AA company that employs a lot of hackers in runs. The two were having a get-together at a big-name casino with ties to the Irish mob. Last time they spoke, Echo had Jabir look into meeting with representatives of the mob family involved in the place.

>>33708004
>>33708014
>writing

>>33707913
“Yeah, I remember.” You say. “What do you have?”

“Someone from the Finnigan family wants to meet you. You may well have your ‘man on the inside’ yet.”

“Great news. You know about any runners who’ll be working the event?”

“Unfortunately, I do.” Jabir says soberly. “Emerald City Graphics has spared no expense. There will be at least three private hackers on site: Akuma, Reaper and Keith.”

“All troublesome names.” Every one of those hackers is a Matrix specialist will skills on par with yours. Of course, they don’t have hardware or software on par with yours, but one can’t be too careful.

“What can you tell me about physical or magical security.”

“The biggest name on that list is a sniper. She calls herself Bismarck.”

“I’ll ask Hardesty about the name. Anything I’d know about her?”

“She operated out of Essex for a few years.”

“Evo.” The only thing worse than a room full of Simsense-addled social deviants is a biomechanical nightmare from a city whose biggest inventions channel H. R. Giger, God rest his soul.

“Indeed, Echo. Given that part of her M.O. is to change her face for a new job, we can assume that Evo didn’t pay her only in Nuyen. The magical side is no less disconcerting. Have you heard of Kyouken, the Mad Dog?”

“Oh, that name’s encouraging.” You roll your eyes.

“Quite. She’s a miko, and a vindictive one. She’s assisted by someone. I’m afraid I couldn’t find a name. However, they both came recommended by the Yakuza, so I assume that Kyouken’s assistant is Japanese as well.”

“Well, you’ve given me a lot of bad news. Now tell me a team from Horizon will be reporting there.”

“How did you hear that? I thought you were hiding under a rock, Echo.”

“Lucky guess. Do you think you can get in contact with them?”

“I probably could. What business do you have with them?”

“The scandal of a lifetime.”

(cont.)

>>33708579
God, this post needed more formatting. I'm pretty sure the intent still comes through, but I'm less than pleased about it.

>>33708605
It didn't bother me and the whole "Look at all this bad news" came across pretty well.

>>33708579
You finish your business with Jabir and put the final details on your new military commlink. Once you have the requisite software from Neurophage loaded in, you feel like you’re ready to rock and roll.

There’s a knock at the door. When you go to answer, a woman dressed as a maid informs you that Terminal is ready for you. You waste no time getting to a jackpoint and plugging the commlink into your datajack. You’ll need every micropulse of speed you can edge out of this. The instant your datajack interfaces with the commlink, the information floodgates open. The sudden torrent of data feels like your head’s bursting. You probably won’t ever get used to this sensation. You tell the maid attendant to watch over your body and to pull the plug if your skull starts smoking. The second she nods, you drop into VR.

Everything is still. Everything is calm. You float in an endless sea of data. Millions of nodes interconnect across the wireless Matrix. They all feel so… naked. Available. Ready to be taken. You don’t have time to waste. You locate the node with Harriet’s access ID and access it.

As before, the node is minimalist to the extreme. Though extremely well-designed and optimized to an almost inhuman degree, the space is an empty white void save for a series of black cubes floating in space and thin white crystalline structures connecting them. You’re not fooled. That black coating is IC, pure and simple. It won’t be long before it notices you and goes on the offensive.

>You remember the location of Harriet’s data. Don’t go searching around. Just dive right in (DC 20. The firewall and IC both get a check to detect you)
>No need to be hasty. You might have more time than you think. Start by getting security access and disabling the IC (DC 15. The firewall and IC both get a check to detect you)

(Going to dinner. Be back in about 20 minutes)

>>33708878
>>No need to be hasty. You might have more time than you think. Start by getting security access and disabling the IC (DC 15. The firewall and IC both get a check to detect you)

>>33708878
>>No need to be hasty. You might have more time than you think. Start by getting security access and disabling the IC (DC 15. The firewall and IC both get a check to detect you)

>>33708878
>No need to be hasty. You might have more time than you think. Start by getting security access and disabling the IC (DC 15. The firewall and IC both get a check to detect you)

>>33709000
>>33709198
>>33709221

Back, and

>writing

>>33708878
You might be able to afford to take your time here. It probably won’t be by much, and you might be burning an extra chance, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

You fire up the bleeding-edge Exploit program and work towards disabling the IC in the node. This worked last time, and it will probably work again. The only thing you’re worried about is whatever in the system shut you out last time.

You trigger the Exploit program and look for a weak point.

>Roll 1d20

Rolled 11

>>33709506

Rolled 12

>>33709506

Rolled 7

>>33709506

>>33709522
>>33709563
>>33709566

Spend a point of Edge to make this a success? (Current Edge: 3)
>Y
>N

>>33709603
Y

Rolled 18

>>33709506

>>33709603
Y

>>33709615
>>33709661
>Writing

Rolled 6, 12 = 18

>>33709711
Oh, also, have to roll for this.

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>>33709506
>Edge spent. Hit!

Your senses tell you that you don’t have much time. Even with your accelerated senses, this is the most complicated security system you’ve ever dealt with. The entire node is chopped up into a dozen logical partitions, and finding the one controlling this IC takes longer than you feel is necessary. Nonetheless, your military IC-breaker cuts through the firewall like cake. Once you’ve disabled the IC, the black coating of the floating cubes falls away, revealing the frosted glass beneath. As you access your new temporary security account, one draws you in. The next thing you know, you’re standing in a three-dimensional Mandelbrot fractal extending infinitely in all directions.

You’re immediately assaulted by vertigo and a surge of nausea. The iconography sculpted into the node was deliberately designed to mess with a human brain. Even without biofeedback, this is going to hurt your head to sort through. You burned more time disabling the IC than you’d like. From here, you’ll still admin access to get access to the read-only files where Harriet’s hiding Declan’s dirty little secrets.

>You’re running out of time. Whatever in the system kicked you out last time won’t have the time to this time. You’re gunning for that file (DC 20. The firewall and Something Else will get a chance to detect you)
>The system waking up to bite you is still a serious concern. With this level of connectivity, potential biofeedback may be lethal. You might damage the Declan files in the process, but awakening a sleeping giant would be worse. (DC 15. The firewall and Something Else will get a chance to detect you. Also, there will be additional complications.)

>>33709961
Ok, so we have choices, the former choice is hard and will most likely require us to spend Edge. However, I think the reason why Harriet's legs have AI-written defenses is because there's either an AI or a small chunk of one in there (I say this without an understanding of how Shadowrun works, so if an AI requires a giant super-computer and can't exist in something that small, feel free to slap me). With that in mind...I think the correct choice here is:
>You’re running out of time. Whatever in the system kicked you out last time won’t have the time to this time. You’re gunning for that file (DC 20. The firewall and Something Else will get a chance to detect you)

>>33709961
>>You’re running out of time. Whatever in the system kicked you out last time won’t have the time to this time. You’re gunning for that file (DC 20. The firewall and Something Else will get a chance to detect you)

This is going to get interesting.

>>33710280
AIs used to require giant, building-sized superclusters to operate, but that was back when AIs were basically gods. This is no longer the case.

Rolled 14

>>33709961
>>You’re running out of time. Whatever in the system kicked you out last time won’t have the time to this time. You’re gunning for that file (DC 20. The firewall and Something Else will get a chance to detect you)

Sorry, Null, Im a bit distracted. Im building that game for thursday

>>33710346
And with recent insight into photonic memory as an example, it's hard to think in the Shadowrun work they wouldn't be able to Science! up something for an AI...

Null;Fear, the idea of all of this taking place in someone's legs is the silliest thing imaginable. I imagine Harriet is either riding in an elevator listening to muzak or reading a Trid-mag bored out of her mind right now.

>>33710446
The thought of the scene switching between fractal-hell-dimension with high-tension electronica and relaxing on the deck to the easiest of listening is more than I can handle right now. I need to stop thinking about this before I have too much fun.

>>33710433
>>33710282
>>33710280
>Writing

>>33710520
SR:R Endgame run music is playing for me right now. What about you, Null?

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>>33709961
Turning off the IC took too much time. It was necessary. Dealing with two things staring at you is better than dealing with three. Trying to dodge out of the way of whatever the hell is sleeping in this system will take more time than you probably have. It’s time to go balls to the wall.

Most of this fractal nightmare is just window-dressing. The partition you’re looking for is just beyond here. You remember the location well, and can find it from memory. The fractal begins folding, compressing together. Multitudes of identical images spiral into a single image faster than your eyes can track. Once your head stops spinning, you’re at the entrance of an endless tunnel of cubes. Once you’ve authenticated yourself, this place, too, will be reduced to a single unit amongst its multitudes. Whatever designed this iconography, it has a thing for patterns.

You open a window showing cascading lines of code and launch your Exploit looking for a weak spot.

>roll 1d20

Rolled 4

>>33710725
Just not our night, is it?

Rolled 8

>>33710725

>>33710547
I've got a mix playlist of deadmau5 and some Atari Teenaged Riot going right now. I'll have to update my cyberpunk playlists at some point

>>33710753
>>33710761
Apparently not

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Rolled 20

>>33710753
>>33710761
>>33710845
>Writing

>>33710845
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Rolled 17

>>33710875
Forgot about this again. That said, that nat 20 is eliminating one of these rolls.

>>33710892
I'm only seeing the one roll, Null.

>>33710764
Any suggestions out of the two? Never had much luck with finding decent stuff and I'm so busy with finding a job that I don't have the time to search for hours.

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>>33710725
>Critical Hit! +1 Edge

Your IC-breaker presents itself as a cascade of crystal swords thrusting into space. The area in front of you cracks, as though it’s made of glass, and a single cube from the endless tunnel separates itself from the group. It grows to fill the entire space, encompassing everything else in the area, including you.

The room is a completely pitch black void. You steady yourself to keep the same disorientation from the Mandelbrot fractal from overtaking you. You look around for something to focus on. Your eyes catch a single mote of light out in the darkness. Your Analyze program tells you that it’s a file. In fact, it’s THE file. You begin copying the Declan data into your commlink’s memory. Like the last time you looked, this file is enormous. It can’t copy over instantaneously. You won’t be helpless while the file copies, but the transfer will terminate if you leave this node. You open a window and prepare to switch back to AR for a bre-

You feel it. An enormous, overwhelming presence. The thing lurking in the system is beginning to wake. It hasn’t noticed YOU necessarily, but it knows that something’s amiss. If it sees you…

>Mask yourself and hide in the darkness iconography (DC 13. Success will force the Thing to make a second check to notice you.)
>Prematurely crash it. (DC 15. Success will shut the Thing down, but you don’t know what effect it will have on the rest of the node.
>Log out and pull the plug. (No check required, but complications will occur.)

>>33711135
>Mask yourself and hide in the darkness iconography (DC 13. Success will force the Thing to make a second check to notice you.)

>>33711052
Sorry for the ambiguity. What I should have said is that the nat 20 eliminated the possibility of the firewall catching you.

>>33711070
Probably Deadmau5. They're both really good for Shadowrun, but ATR is mostly industrial, whereas Deadmau5 has a pretty good balance between industrial and EBM.

>>33711135
>Mask yourself and hide in the darkness iconography (DC 13. Success will force the Thing to make a second check to notice you.)
Crashing whatever's in here could be BAAAAAAD.

>>33711185
>EBM
EDM. Maybe going to bed at three in the morning last night wasn't a great idea.

>>33711177
>>33711189

>roll 1d20

Rolled 3

>>33711371

>>33711135
>>Mask yourself and hide in the darkness iconography (DC 13. Success will force the Thing to make a second check to notice you.)

The fact we are still in the node means we should not under any circumstances try to do anything that might hurt the file and us.

Rolled 8

>>33711371
I think our luck runs out now.

Rolled 13

>>33711371

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Rolled 15

>>33711135
>>Mask yourself and hide in the darkness iconography (DC 13. Success will force the Thing to make a second check to notice you.)

Rolled 1

>>33711389
>>33711410
>>33711428

Rolling and
>writing

>>33711389
>>33710761
I should probably stop rolling.
>>33711478
Looks like the AI wants to help us, Null.

>>33711135
You need to think fast. You quickly Analyze the iconography of the node creating this pitch-black void and try to alter yourself to hide in it. It’s a shoddy job that probably won’t stand up to close scrutiny, but you’re working on borrowed time here.

You don’t see the Thing waking up. You don’t see it roaming around searching, but you could swear that you can feel it. Massive, horrendous and beyond the world, this thing’s code and optimization feel inhuman. If it turns its eye on you, it’s game over. Its perception sweeps over the entire node, over your icon hidden in the darkness, and then it vanishes. It returns to its slumber. The file copy completes, you delete your actions from the access log and you punch out without a second thought.

You come to in the private room at the hotel. You’re covered in sweat and shaking uncontrollably. It takes a lot of concentrated effort and the use of both hands to unplug the fiber optic cable connecting your commlink to the jackpoint.

“Are you alright, sir?” the maid attendant asks. You ignore her and try to get to your feet. The world spins as you straighten up, and the attendant catches you by your arm. “Sir? Sir!” Her voice sounds indistinct, distant, virtual. The last thing you think before you black out is that the node you just hacked felt more real than this.

When you wake up, Terminal tells you that you were under for over an hour. Judging by the usual approximations, you shouldn’t have been longer than a minute. Whatever it was hiding in that node, you never want to run into it again. You think back to your conquest, to the huge file waiting in the commlink, and realize that you never will.

[THREAD 15: END]

That's all for tonight, folks. Shadowrun Hacker Quest returns next Sunday at 18:00 EST. Follow me on Twitter for schedule updates and be the first to know when the next thread goes live.

https://twitter.com/NullFearQuests

As usual, I'll be around for a bit (not as long as normal. I was out all day and plenty of the night yesterday and I'm pretty damn tired) and I'll archive the thread in a bit.

>>33711816
Thanks for running Null.

>>33711816
Thanks for running Null and that huge file we just downloaded I wouldn't be surprised if something was there as well.