Part 24: Dawn of the Metal Age

Part 24 - Dawn of the Metal Age










The Seamstresses Union is lot noisier than usual, guess the whole Ripper thing really had been hurting business. Kubota and Coyote are hanging out at the front, but only the latter deigns to grace us with their attention.



It's interesting to see the prototype of the crew members with personalities and opinions present in the later games in Coyote (and to a lesser degree Shannon). Going back to Returns after them really hammers home what a big difference it makes to have people with actual character with you.

Seems the Universal Brotherhood is all about Belonging - to a hive or something.

And Sam's sister is their leader. If I didn't see it, there is no way I'd believe it. Giant unkillable bugs.



Coyote's personality revolves almost exclusively around taking revenge on people. At least she shoots things real good while at it.

Will do.

Okay. Later.



We have some bad news to break to the busy bartender, so let's just get that out of the way.



Hey, Cherry. Listen, we need to talk about Shane.

Shane? What about Shane?

It's not good, Cherry.

[She looks you in the eye.] Just tell it to me straight, Amazon. I'm a Barrens girl.

Shane's dead. I can't tell you anything else right now. It's too dangerous. But I thought you should know.



Somehow this whole thing reads a lot more serious than what you'd expect from Shane being a bothersome ex.

[She continues processing the information. Then she remembers something.]

Oh hey, Johnny Clean asked me to flag you down the minute I saw you. Said he's got someone who wants to talk to you. Sounded a little freaked out about it. He's waiting for you downstairs.

Johnny Clean freaked out? Did he say who he was?

[The wind is out of her sails.] Uh, I can't remember. He made it sound like royalty. You know someone called The Duke or something like that?

The Baron?




Jon Bartlett is at the bar as well, but he mostly just advertises the Nephilim Network again for some reason, despite the fact that we're slowly but surely approaching the end of the game already. Screw him.



Now here's somebody more interesting.



Smells like a side mission!

In my experience, it's never a milk run.

[He grins, exposing a set of unnaturally white teeth.]

Don't worry... this one's as straightforward as they come. The job's a simple extraction. The people I represent are interested in acquiring the talents of a scientist named Saada. Unfortunately, Mr. Saada is currently engaged with Renraku... which means he's engaged for life. That doesn't sit well with the people I represent. They see it as a... subversion of the free market.

And you want me to secure Mr. Saada's freedom to work for your people, instead.



In other words, "you have to do this mission before continuing the main quest or it's lost forever".

The place should be lightly guarded - probably rent-a-cops. Get in, grab Saada, and get out. In exchange, I'm authorized to remit 9,000 nuyen in payment.

[He fixes you with a hard stare.]

I am not, however, authorized to negotiate.

9,000 isn't bad at all, it's more than we've gotten from anywhere else up to this point. And it's not like we have any pressing matters to attend to or anything.

I'm in. Let's see the nuyen.

We pay on delivery, friend. That's how it always works.



He never specified who these mysterious employers are, but that's probably not relevant.



I'd recognize that hat and dorky face anywhere.



Can I uh... trust you?

Nobody's more trustworthy than ol' Bobby. Kubota wouldn't let me in the place if I wasn't legit.

Bobby now sells Jazz in addition to Nitro and Kamikaze, but he's not of much interest to us. Amazon's more of a techno girl anyway.



Van Graas is enjoying the show in the back room. Kluwe is glued to his spot as usual as well.



How about a list of every politician the Universal Brotherhood has bribed to date?

I could certainly find someone interested in that information. Will take some legwork to verify the veracity of such a list though... how about 2,000?

This info is about to be worth a lot more in the next few days.

Shadowrunner etiquette choice here. Remember etiquettes? They're a thing.



Socialite etiquette works here too, and is actually slightly better than Shadowrunner but it's not a huge difference. I think you get 500 more or something.

How's our troll buddy doing?



I've had better days.

I heard you made trouble with the Universal Brotherhood.

Stirred up a hornet's nest, you might say.

"Kicked an ant hill" would've worked too.

People are starting to say there is some dark drek going down in those chapter houses. Like they're taking advantage of the poor folk who go there looking for help. I gotta say, that makes my blood boil.



And I hate to bring race into it, but it's a fact that a good number of people who go to the Brotherhood for help are metas like me. But what options do we have? Do you realize that it would take an act of Congress to grant me full citizenship? And they have yet to do it once. Wars are started more easily than a meta gets a SIN in this country. So it's no wonder we turn to people like the Brotherhood, who claim to listen to our woes, and speak on our behalf.

Kluwe seems to be the only character in the game who brings a societal point of view instead of focusing solely on talking about themselves or our latest deeds.



Whatever's going on there, I trust you'll put an end to it, one way or another.

You can count on it.

Go get 'em, ma'am.



That's all there is to do up here, so let's go see what's hot in the underground scene these days.







Mr. Delilah's by the entrance, and as usual he's the one we'll be talking to once we want to put together a team for a run. For now let's start from Castle.



Please, our deliveries are handled by drones these days.

I don't suppose it would do me any good to suggest an early retirement? Or, at the very least, that you might delay whatever is coming long enough for you to get a decent night's sleep and a full meal?

I never knew you cared, doc.

Who said I do. A good cash cow like you only comes around every so often, and you're no good to me dead. So, fine. Do what you will. Just tell me what I can do to keep you alive that much longer.

So what have you heard, doc?

Well, let's review. In the past few days, I've lost one patient and nearly lost a second. I've also learned that a man claiming to be a fellow doctor was responsible for the first of those deaths. And now I hear that another supposed force for good has been committing heinous acts on innocent men and women. Quite frankly, it's almost enough to make a woman give up on the whole human race.



Whatever happened to Paco anyway, the kid seemed to vanish into thin air after the whole Gino business. Shame too, he could do some real work with that SMG of his.

And that's the real reason why you won't hear me argue against your chosen course of action. Because I agree that it must be done. I only hope it can be done without any more innocents coming to harm.

If I could make that deal, I would.

Then do the next best thing. Put an end to this. I'd like to wake up to a world short one less evil. Now, how can I help make that happen?



The doc has upgraded her wares to include the best medkit in the game. Range aside these things are pretty much universally superior to magical healing, unless you take a really massive hit.



She's also carrying what I believe is to be the best cyberware available in the game. We might look into these soon since we might finally have some money to spare and there's no downside to them for non-spellcasters.

I wonder what having kevlar bone lacing installed feels like.



Fry has nothing to say, but he does carry something interesting in his selection.



The best cyberdeck in the game, and the future games as well, the Fairlight Excalibur! With 4 AP and six programs this thing is a hilarious overkill, but we don't actually have the skill to use it anyway because we're about to spend our Karma elsewhere. While we'll pass on it at least for now, we do upgrade our level 2 Programs into the newly available level 3 ones.

Buster's up next, and while he also has nothing to say, he too has upgraded his wares.



First of all he's now selling the top-tier weapons for every single category. The pricing varies a lot, being a pistol slinger is a lot easier on the wallet than running around with rifles. The best shotgun is surprisingly cheap as well, considering its power.



Second of all the best Drone Repair Kits are available now as well, and they're dirt cheap compared to Expert Medkits. We'll make sure to grab a few of these.



Third of all, Class A drones!



While the Steel Lynx is statistical upgrade compared to Strato-9 (+10 hp, +1 armor, +2 damage plus whatever invisible stat increases they get) it suffers from same low movement of 6 as its predecessor.



It has also added the art of shooting people in the face to its skill arsenal.



True to its name, the Sundowner is actually a bit of a downer. While its armor and damage are slightly higher than the RoboDoc's, it's yet another 6 movement drone which makes it noticeably slower than the doc and which is especially troublesome due to the short range of support mortars.

And no, I didn't accidentally switch the drone images around. For some reason the attack drone's model has an obvious mortar while the support drone clearly has a small gun.



Sundowner's saving grace are these babies. Forget about Jazz, Ares Concussion Grenades are the real gamebreaker item of Shadowrun Returns. -3 AP is usually enough to fully stun enemies in a single hit, making them easy targets while also forcing them to skip their next turn.

Now normally we'd jump at the chance of buying both of these things, but...



...it turns out there's something even better available. That's right, A Class and S Class drones become available at the same time, so seeing as we now have access to the absolute best in robotic murder there's no reason to go for the second best.



And believe me, they're not S Class for no reason. With +20 HP, +2 armor, +2 movement and +2 damage alongside other stat boosts compared to the Steel Lynx, the Guardian is an absolute beast and an enormous upgrade in every aspect compared to the already serviceable Strato-9 we're currently using.



The fourth and final attack drone ability is a disarm skill, a variant of the one normally only available to pistol and melee specialists. Target Weapon has about 50% crit chance on average which usually makes it a high-stakes coinflip - a disarmed enemy is practically harmless (assuming it was using a weapon in the first place) but since it costs 2 AP, two normal shots aimed to actually kill the target tends to be the more reliable option.



The Wolfhound boasts equally large upgrades in both offense and defense, and unlike Sundowner retains the RoboDoc's 8 movement.



Remember what I said about Ares Concussion Grenades? I'd hope so since it was about thirty seconds ago. Wolfhound comes with a whopping three of the things and can reliably land them even over longer distances, so while its mortar is still a little lacking in accuracy (if not in damage) it can provide a ton of lockdown even in prolonged fights and missions.

Long story short we're buying the hell out of both of these magnificient specimens of botmurdering, and we shall name them Prime and Jade Rabbit.



True to the pattern so far, Mersmann has nothing to say but is now selling all top-tier armor in the game. We're not actually going to get any of these, opting instead for one of the older outfits.



Yeah, we're finally saying a tearful farewell to our trusty tourist look and switching to Golden Boy instead. The reason for this is the +1 Drone Combat it provides, and while The Mechanic also provides the same while also being statistically superior, it's also so ugly that I'm willing to sacrifice the extra armor to avoid having to wear it.



This is the ideal Rigger body. You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like.



Let's see if Aljernon has any pearls of wisdom to share with us, being the local spirit expert and all.



I've never really thought about it before, but Aljernon's probably the smuggest-looking elf I've ever seen.

Welcome, Amazon. Is there anything I might provide to make your life easier, or perhaps make another's more difficult?

Ever heard of a bug spirit or a bug shaman, Aljernon?

[The elf's face curls into a grimace.]

I'm sorry. I find the very thought repugnant. You must understand, a shaman does not follow the literal incarnation of his totem. One who pledges himself to Cat does not drink milk from a saucer or claw the drapes. Instead, a shaman follows the ideals of his totem. Dog is less a canine and more a symbol of loyalty. Coyote is less a scavenger and more a trickster.



Maybe they're big on building communities and working together?

Please, let us speak of more pleasant things. Perhaps, commerce?



Spells remain useless for us, but here's a look at some of the best. The absurdly powerful Haste 4 eventually got a fairly high Quickness requirement to make it harder for most shamans to access. Mage lockdown spells like Confusion and Petrify here are also incredibly good and a big reason why the archetype remains arguably the most useful game after game.



We've run out of shops, so it's time to get things moving along again.



Yep, that's me. The friendly type.

[He frowns.] Apparently so. You seem to have made a new friend in the Matrix at least, calls himself Baron Samedi. He's been asking about you on Shadowlands. Has a pretty distinctive icon - skull face with a top hat. I can't tell what he wants... but the guy seems pretty serious. I wouldn't ignore this if I were you, as you well know Deckers have a way of making people's lives miserable if they're so inclined.

This Baron character - what do you know about him?



"Janitor" sounds like the lamest Persona.

Samedi, like the voodoo spirit?

Yeah, that's the one. He sits at the crossroads of the living and the dead.

Think that has any significance?

I've been around a long time and I've seen a lot of avatars running around the 'trix. A lot of 'em. You ask me, it's just some guy trying to look scary to make a name for himself. Think of it as "personal branding".

How long has he been looking for me?

He's been spamming Shadowlands for the last hour, I'd say. He's new on the scene but everyone's talking about him - even the hottest deckers like Dodger are saying he's a force to be reckoned with.

Nothing says you're a bona fide internet badass like spamming message boards.

Guess he's not the patient type.

Something I should know?

Could be. I'll tell you after I talk to him. Incidentally, know anything about giant, magic, indestructible bugs?

Maybe his janitor equipment includes some insecticide we could borrow.

Is that a joke?

No. I saw one underneath the Universal Brotherhood an hour ago. Bigger than a troll.

What do you mean, "indestructible?"

As in, I couldn't kill it.



Will do. But that's enough talk, I need to chat with the Baron.

Okay, you can use my secure jackpoint. I've already set up a portal to Shadowlands, so feel free to jack in whenever you're ready.







Luckily we don't need to go through a Matrix dungeon or anything as our new pal addresses us the moment we enter.



So, what do you want?

Samedi wishes to thank you for saving Marie-Louise from the Universal Brotherhood. The girl is quite... precious. If harm were to come to her, he does not know what he would do.



I don't know, that sounds more like a job for the QA department.

I think I'm getting into a lot more than I bargained for...

Now, now. Listen. Hear Samedi.



Unfortunately this manufacturing plant in the Columbia Valley was recently... blown up. It could have been corporate espionage or it could have been something else. This is unknown. What is known is that a large sample of the formula survived.

And what does this have to do with Jessica and the Universal Brotherhood?

We want Aegis because it kills bugs. Big ones. Like the ones you met at the Universal Brotherhood. If you want to go back there and bring the Watts woman to justice, you'll need Aegis.

So we need this Aegis to make the final push and end the game, huh? And here I thought my Dota days were behind me.



Convenient. Good thing they didn't manufacture this stuff in Japan or something.

You want me to break into one of the most influential corps in the Pacific Northwest? You've got to be joking.

Would that I were, but it is the only way. It is the only place to get what we need. But take heart! You will have Samedi with you! And he is clever in the ways of the Matrix. We cannot lose. So. Will you do this thing? Will you ally with Baron Samedi?

I have some questions first. First of all, why not just let Telestrian take care of it? Sounds like they're already halfway there.

Telestrian! Do not talk to me of Telestrian. He is an executive. A businessman. Do you know what his reaction was when he learned of the insect threat? He called a meeting! He and his associates will be debating action forever.

Then why not just tell Lone Star and let them take care of the Brotherhood?

Besides the fact that they probably couldn't find the address.

The Universal Brotherhood has connections - high level connections in the government and in Lone Star. And their message resonates with those who need something to believe in. We have no proof and we have no time. We must act.

And how do you know all of this about Aegis?

Because Samedi has personal connections into James Telestrian's affairs. You see? He knows!

Personal connections? I want to know more about you, who are you really?



Right. By the way, you never explained how you and Marie-Louise know each other either.

Oui, that is true. And it is for her to say, not Samedi. He has nothing to lose, while she... You must ask her.

I'm done asking questions.

And you are convinced?

There are actually 6 different answers we can give here. Four of them are variations of "I'll do it" (Because Jessica has to pay / because we have a job to do / because we have nowhere else to go so might as well / because if someone's gotta save the world might as well be us). The other two are more tentative and there's a little more to them.

I don't know, Baron. Helping a friend is one thing, but this isn't what I signed up for.

There are giant insects nesting beneath Seattle. They cannot be killed. Do you know what insects do? Better than anything? They multiply. And they consume.



Now that's sounding more like it. But I don't know, breaking into such a high-profile place is a pretty huge risk.

Make it an even hundred.

Sacre bleu! Fine. Seventy-five. Done.

And they say crime doesn't pay.

What if we had refused again though?


Yeah, it's a linear game so of course you can't actually choose not to proceed with the mission. But at least the game provides a justification for it rather than just solely limiting your choices to variations of "I'll do it".



We have 8,000 nuyen added to our account here. You get this money whether you asked for payment or not, and it'll simply get added without explanation if you didn't.

Samedi will be part of this evening's events, but must remain remote. He will keep all of Seattle law enforcement and off-duty Telestrian Security away, while you locate the information we need from inside.

And what about the on-duty Telestrian Security? The ones that will shoot me as soon as I step past the lobby.



His business finished, Samedi disappears and we return back to reality.



I'm not entirely sure whether the "second decker" is referring to Samedi or if it's because we have points in Decking.

That means you, right?

[He sighs.] No... I'm not an inside-man anymore, my running days are over. But there's an elf who owes me a favor, goes by "Dodger" - you may have heard of him. He's one of the best deckers in Seattle - and this is *me* saying it. I'll get you his contact information. You'll know him by the way he talks, like he's in a damn Charles Dickens novel.

Dodger is actually an established Shadowrun character and featured in the "Find Your Own Truth" book trilogy. Here he's just as mute as every other random hireling, making the way he talks completely irrelevant. And he's not particularly outstanding as a decker either. Disappointing all around.


Our talk with the Baron rewarded us with 4 Karma. This is quite significant for one simple reason:



It allows us to reach Drone Combat 8. As a reminder, Drone Combat 9 is where drones get a second bonus AP which brings them up to 4 AP per turn. Now normally going from Drone Combat 8 to 9 would require going through Intelligence 9 and Drone Control 9 first, but...



Because we switched outfits to Golden Boy which provides a direct +1 to Drone Combat, we bypass all of that and now have our Drone Combat maxed! We've gone from B-Class drones with 3 AP to S-Class drones with 4 AP in a single update, and while Amazon was already no slouch before, her power level has now skyrocketed.

Seriously, it cannot be overstated how immensely powerful a drone-user with Drone Combat 9 is. With nine AP's worth of actions every turn we now have a small army's worth of firepower at our disposal.



Time to get to work. We're going to do the Renraku job before moving on with the main plot, obviously.



Even this late there are a few faces we haven't seen before amongst the hirelings. Coyote is also available but she's wisened up, now merely asking for half the normal price instead of coming along for free.



Something curious is going on in the Nephlim Network side though. For some reason all the prices there have now been set to either 3,000 or 1,000 nuyen. I have no idea why this is or what the logic behind the pricing is for that matter. For example Tom here who has always been cheaper than all the rest due to only being able to punch things now costs 3,000 while many stronger characters like Alexander Falk only cost 1,000.

Of course none of this really matters.



After all, why would we spend thousands of our precious nuyen on some fleshy mortals when we already have the most reliable team one could ask for?



Last time we went up against Renraku security way back when, we were droneless and helpless. This time, it's going to be different. This time, we're going to be er... droneful and... helpful?

Well, whatever. The results are sure to speak for themselves anyway.