Part 49: Doom & Gloom
Part 49 - Doom & Gloom


We are back, and rarely has the Kreuzbasar felt as quiet and peaceful as today. Finishing the MKVI run nets us a whopping 10 Karma, the highest one-time Karma reward we've gotten so far. We've accumulated a fair amount of the stuff, gonna have to spend some when we get to our next mission.

Oh hey, Paul's calling. Hope he has good news for us, sure could use some after that major bummer of a mission.

So much for that. We're already facing what might be an angry and possible radioactive dragon and maybe a crazy cult and definitely a giant ork with a miserable attitude and a minigun, it takes some effort to qualify as "terrible" in that company.

Let's wrap up our other business in the 'basar before going to receive our latest dose of depressing news. The Schockwellenreiter are still waiting for their data for one.

Whether letting this stuff get public is the responsible thing to do is and has been up to debate, the original data is still in the hands of AG Chemie after all, but there's no other way to get rid of it so otherwise we'll be lugging around both the objective and the data until the end of this thing.

Also our reward is 2 Karma and ¥1000 which is more than we've gotten from some full side missions. Really smooths out these kind of moral dilemmas.

Speaking of information, we say hi to Burakgazi's young assistant en route to checking if Doerr's still around despite our disagreements concerning our recent mission objective.
[Kami grins at you, all spark and mischief.]

Lady you don't even wanna know what we've been through lately, and wanting to know things is your entire business.


Uh okay, see you.

Hey baldie, no hard feelings over the whole MKVI business, right?


Huh, he took it unexpectedly well, actually. Almost a shame, was looking forward to seeing him fume a bit more. Hopefully their next request will be something a little less disagreeable, we can still use any help we can get.

Hey, that doesn't sound half bad. Paul probably wouldn't appreciate us sitting here sipping hot drinks while he clearly has important business with us. Hell, we know the feeling all too well.

Back in the AG Chemie building we grabbed a random bottle from the bar of that one exec. We weren't enough of a Socialite to tell what we were grabbing though, but you never know.




Maybe we'll just leave booze appraisal to the experts and stick to drinking the stuff from now on. But hey, ¥10 is ¥10.

That's the town covered so back to the hideout it is.
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Before we go hear Paul out, let's put this last job to bed for good.

Got a message too.



[She pauses. A slight frown crosses her face.]


There's clearly more to that old man that we thought if he could fix something even the local tech pro couldn't get working, guess sometimes there's just no substitute to plain old life experience. We'll have to go check out that last disc before we leave for our next job.
Now, let's see if Herr Schmidt is willing to keep his end of the bargain despite the deal likely not having gone exactly the way he intended.

Schmidt's Message posted:
>>*Herr Schmidt*
>>to: Rosa
To call your work "unsatisfactory" would be an understatement. When I said that we wanted the prototype, it should have gone without saying that we wanted it INTACT and OPERATIONAL.
You technically fulfilled the terms of our arrangement, so you will get paid. But don't ever expect to work for us again.
-Schmidt
Yeah, probably no great loss that. Maybe the next time he'll hire some sucker he'll consider culling the list of things that "should go without saying" a bit.

With that we're officially 10,000 nuyen from having Alice's fee together. Our own pockets are getting nice and fat too, mostly because we haven't had anything new to buy recently.

Since we're already here, let's check what's hot on the Shadowland. No pay data to post this time so we'll just be browsing.
(I've changed the formatting a bit for easier readability)

- WorriedMother004 <12:44;01/11-13-54>
[Please help me find my daughter! She ran away from home. She is human, in her early twenties with short blonde hair and a datajack. She was last seen wearing a light blue dress.]
- WraithLike44 <13:55:44/11-13-54>
[This is not exactly the place to be looking for missing kids. How did you even get in here?]
- WorriedMother004 <14:06;13/11-13-54>
[I paid good money to get on here! I was told you people could help!]
- Ruby <14:21:29/11-13-54>
[If you've got the nuyen, you came to the right place. I sent you a number that you can reach me at.]
- Maelstrom <14:22:45/11-13-54>
[The old "help me find my missing kid" routine, a classic.]
- WraithLike44 <14:24:59/11-13-54>
[My money is on "escaped wage slave."]
- Tolstoi <16:42:19/11-13-54>
[Make sure you do your homework, Ruby.]

- WraithLike44 <04:19:59/11-14-54>
[Anyone have a good backup plan for when you get stuck with a tracer? Barely managed to bug out of my apartment after a corp hit squad came knocking. Lesson learned - pat yourself down a couple times, and make sure you dont have a tail. But if I miss something, Id rather keep my safe houses, you know, safe.]
- AlanAltbit <06:20:41/11-14-54>
[Ive had good luck with RF blockers. I have a jamming grid set up near my safehouse. It projects any signals to a few miles away, where Ive got some cameras placed. So when someone shows up there, I know they were trying to find me. Then I do a thorough sweep to find the tracker.]
- Tolstoi <06:55:08/11-14-54>
[Sharp. How long does that go on before they give up?]
- AlanAltbit <07:06;34/11-14-54>
[RE: TOLSTOI: Usually rule of threes. I keep re-projecting the signal to different locations. In my experience, they give up after the third one is a dead end and stop listening to that RF signal.]

Alright, we've put off talking to Paul long enough. Lay it on us man, we're ready. Probably.






Really? A dragon, a very upset and burn-scarred minigun man, some digital brain-frying decker-killer we still know exactly jack about, an army of armed security, and now some kinda bio-weapon on top? These people are seriously grabbing for the title of the most horror-filled mansion of all time, and there's historically been some real bad shit going down in those places.



Lemme guess, ingesting that stuff will rip and tear your guts or something.
[He gestures to a technical document on his computer's display.]



Well our guess wasn't that far off the mark. And to think that we originally went in there just to grab some stuff from a vault in a routine job. Now it feels like a small miracle we got out with just one casualty.





The obvious first link that comes to mind between the Firewing and dangerous radioactivity are the SOX and that ork's heavy radiation exposure, though obviously a specialized bio-weapon is a very different beast.
Whatever the case, we were already facing the prospect of a terrible death should we not find a way out of this mess. This Doom stuff is definitely bad news, but going from "we're fucked" to "we're ultra-fucked" ultimately makes little difference until we can actually find the means to actually start doing something about this nightmare situation.





Technically we already have enough to cover her fee if we paid some from our own pocket but eh, dragons live a long time, a few extra days of odd jobs aren't going to make a difference.


[Dietrich casts a backward glance at Glory. If any of this has had an impact on her, she doesn't show it.]

Now then, we've been handling a lot of personal requests lately so it's been about 15 updates since our crew members last felt talkative. Now that we've finished a major run, in fact the final such run discounting Frau Müller's job which is still in the backburner, it is once more time to do the ol' crew tour.

Everyone else has shambled to their usual spots but Dietrich's still hanging around where we gathered, so we'll just start with him.



[He shudders.]

We'll cover what Dietrich and the others' thoughts are about handing over the MKVI in the Extras section.

[He nods, then fishes in his jacket pocket for his flask.]







The real blame lies with the garbage who did that in the first place, but he no doubt knows as much already. That kind of responsibility will still stick with you, even if you know your cause was right.
Another topic that came up last time was that of the Dragonslayer always demanding Dietrich to challenge bigger targets and that inevitably leading to him taking on a dragon too big for him. He seemed pretty resigned to his fate, so we floated the idea of changing that target into something more figurative.


We have the opportunity to tell him it's not worth the risk and to leave it until the current crisis is over which'll drop this matter for good. But that makes for a pretty lame conclusion.





The two suggestions we can give is either enemies of the Flux State, or Saeder-Krupp. Sending him squarely against the biggest corporation in the world run by Lofwyr himself doesn't really feel like the immediately less suicide-by-dragon -type option we're looking for here though.



Be honest, are you just thinking about punching people right now Dietrich
[Dietrich opens his eyes and turns to face you.]




Well hey great, it's nice when things just work out sometimes. There's no telling what lies in store for the future of the Flux State but anyone gunning for the place is definitely not going to have it easy now.




We'll check Blitz next.
[At the sound of your approach, Blitz stubs out his cigarette. He gives you a curt nod.]

Pff, as if we'd go anywhere without a supply of our own.



You're still a monster, Blitz. ...but it's true that in combat that thing could do some work. Anyhow, how's stalking the ex-girlfriend going?







Absolutely no argument there. You know what else got results, the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. Just saying.
[Blitz's smile dies away. He turns his eyes down to the floor.]

[He presses forward without waiting for a response.]


Huh. Frankly the immediate conclusion we made was that she had just dumped him because well, she was in a relationship with Blitz after all, but maybe there really was something more to it.





Alternatively:
quote:
You're an idiot, Blitz.
Hey! Could an idiot turn up *another clue* in under a day? No? I didn't think so. So take your insults and choke on 'em.



Well this is Germany, dig deep enough and you'll probably always find some connection to Lofwyr's joint sooner or later. But he probably means something more immediate than that.



One day, when aliens arrive on Earth to harvest our brains, you'll be hailed as the savior of mankind. Because when we send them yours, they'll be too scared and confused by what they find to ever bother us again.



Alright, it's time to make the decision which determines how Blitz's personal storyline ends by either encouraging him to back down or keep chasing her. Now he's clearly being irrational about this whole business, but we can't really pretend like we don't share some responsibility for things to have progressed this far. It kind of was us who initially pushed him to go digging for her again in the first place after all. Hey, it seemed entertaining at the time!
It has since become evident that this is clearly more serious a matter than we initially thought. Also the tone of the message wasn't particularly malicious, it sounded more like she did what she did out of necessity and her intention was always to eventually come back.
And if all this is related to that information Blitz stole from Aztechnology, it's entirely possible that we might be in the process of messing things up big time if we keep trying to shine a light on the shadows she's clearly trying to hide in. All in all, it's probably time to stop this here.




Dammit you arrogant dunce, you're long overdue for a serious wake-up call here.

[He recoils as if you'd punched him.]







We can only hope that we actually got through to him and for once he'll do the smart thing. Next let's see how Glory's doing.

Hm? Oh, the whole nasty cult membership business, Adversary worship, burned her mother alive trying to kill her father. Right. Not a lot of cheery topics lately.



Yeah, understandably not the easiest topic to talk about. Unfortunately taking this conversation further will start Glory's personal mission which we'll leave for last, and so we'll have to wait a little longer to see where things go with the whole Harrow's cult business.

[A tinge of red crawls up Glory's neck.]

[She extends her sculpted metal arms. Chrome glints in the flickering light.]


Aw. Don't think it actually ended up costing us that much in the end, but it means a lot to hear that nonetheless.

Alright so it's a bit sudden but there's literally not enough space in one update to cover everything until the next mission, so we'll cut things off here which is about halfway. Next time we'll get to that last DVD and get started with Eiger's personal mission.
-- EXTRAS --
There's a decent chunk of alternate dialogue we didn't cover for largely obvious reasons. We'll just go down the list here.
First, returning the MKVI to the Lodge and reporting a successful job completion to Duerr:
quote:
The prototype was delivered safely. Herr Schmidt won't be happy about it, though.
Leave him to us. And regarding the MKVI, don't worry... the prototype is in good hands now.
[He slips a credstick into your hands.]
Enjoy your pay.
Being a Socialite and bringing the actually valuable bottle from the AG Chemie run to Burakgazi:
quote:
(Fancy Booze) I recently procured a bottle of 50 year old Islay scotch. Would you perhaps be interested in acquiring it from me?
Islay, you say? Might I examine the merchandise?
[He takes the bottle and his smile fades for a moment as he become all business examining it with a critical eye. Then, as quickly as it faded, the huge smile is back.]
Quite a little treasure you have found, I'm sorely tempted to ask from where, in hopes of procuring more you see. But no, it would not be polite. I would perhaps value that bottle at ¥400?
(Charisma 5) ¥500, since I've got the only supply in town.
Thank you my friend, I have a buyer already in mind for this little gem. Or perhaps I shall keep it myself, it is good to always have something special on hand for a celebration!
Next up, Herr Schmidt's alternate messages after reporting the job as completed. For delivering the MKVI to him intact:
quote:
>>*Herr Schmidt*
>>to: Rosa
Your reputation is well deserved! The interests that I represent are deeply impressed, both with the MKVI itself and with your work on this assignment.
Please accept this payment with our compliments.
-Schmidt
And for delivering the MKVI to the Lodge instead:
quote:
>>*Herr Schmidt*
>>to: Rosa
Here's your money. Don't ever contact us again.
-Schmidt
PS - When your new "friends" turn on you, I'm gonna spit on your grave.
Dietrich's response is identical regardless of who you recommend as his new target, so we'll jump to Blitz and telling him to continue chasing Emilie instead of laying off:
quote:
I think that you should go after her. She's clearly in over her head... what if she needs you?
You're right, of course. You are *absolutely* right. Besides, it's not like she can send me a distress call. Her communications are probably being monitored! I'll bet that she's spent the whole past year waiting for me to come riding in to the rescue!
[Blitz claps his hands, then rubs them together in excitement.]
Get set, chief. You're about to witness an *event.* When my *gung-ho personality* and *legendary skills* come together, the whole *world* stops and takes notice!
I'm sure that it does, Blitz. I can't wait to see how this plays out.
You won't have to wait long. I know just the place to hit: that same Aztechnology data node that I stole the information from in the first place. I already know that I can get past the security, and my gut tells me that I'll find Emilie there.
Thanks for the encouragement, chief. I knew that this was the right thing to do, of course, but you've helped to quiet any lingering doubts I might've had.
[He nods at you, an expression of supreme confidence on his face.]
And now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a damsel in distress to rescue.
Finally, everyone's responses should the MKVI have been sent to either client.
quote:
[Glory looks you in the eye. Transfixes you with her gaze.]
You handed him over, Rosa. Like a piece of merchandise. Like a *thing.* We shouldn't have done that. I should have *stopped* you. But I didn't. And I don't like what that says about me.
quote:
Look. I get why you handed the MKVI over. It was the job, after all. But I'd've been a *lot* happier if you'd killed that thing.
quote:
I'm glad that we handed it over intact. I mean, I feel sorry for the troll that they installed all of that stuff into, and all... but as a feat of cyber-engineering, it was a thing of beauty. It would've been a pity to destroy it.
Eiger wasn't on the run so I'll include all of her's here. She's the only one with different lines depending on where the MKVI was sent to.
Initial comment:
quote:
I'm not gonna lie, Rosa. This one is gonna stick with me for a while. What they did to that troll was *sick.*
MKVI killed:
quote:
This is probably gonna surprise you... but I'm happy that the MKVI is dead. Yeah, Herr Schmidt was pissed. And sure, our reputation got dinged. Neither of those are good things. But I'll take them over being a part of what they were doing to that troll any day.
Walking out of a run with a clean conscience is a rare pleasure. Savor it while you can.
MKVI sent to the Lodge:
quote:
I understand *why* you went off-mission and handed the MKVI over to the Lodge. It was the wrong call, though. We shouldn't be double-crossing our clients. We're better than that.
And finally, MKVI sent to Schmidt:
quote:
On paper, you did everything right. We did our job to the letter, the client got paid, and everyone went home happy. But between you and me, I wish that we could've put that poor creature down.
The MKVI was a real live person once, just like you and me... and we handed him over to Herr Schmidt like a piece of merchandise. This one's going to sit with me for a while.