Part 7: Getting Unionized

Part 07 - Getting Unionized







(Rather than a "proper" track, the music here is actually a mix of two tracks which we haven't heard yet, Dark Alley and Eyes in the Dark, alternating a small portion from both. Incidentally, this is also the first bit of music composed by the Genesis Shadowrun composer Sam Powell that we've heard.)




Nice jukebox. Our best bet is probably to start with the scantily-clad bartender.



We've had a pretty long day so far.

Something dirty in a clean glass.

Oooh, a hard-case - I like that. Okay, "Hard Case", I'll get you something stiff.





I think plenty, Shane! I'm getting a Ph-freaking-d from UW in neuroprosthetics, studying under Ojemanns! And how am I paying for it? Bartending. Tips. There are faster ways for a Barrens girl to earn that kind of scratch but I'm not taking 'em. So what do you want from me?

Uh, should we go elsewhere for a while or

I want what you want. A better life. A better world for everyone. The Universal Brotherhood can give you that...

I've heard all this before.

This isn't some trick to get us back together. Things are different now. The Brotherhood...

Don't you just hate it when two people you don't really know start arguing about something personal and you just kinda stand there feeling super awkward?

[Cherry Bomb's pretty face is hard, armored in lipstick and low expectations]

The Universal Brotherhood is for other people, Shane. Rich Bellevue types, who can afford their membership fees and "voluntary donations".

This isn't about the money. It's about binding the world together in brotherhood. Come with me. Attend a Discovery Meeting. Get to the core of who you are. I heard Lynne Telestrian give a talk last night called, "The New Family of the Sixth World"...

Oh good, it's one of those.

I've got a family right here, Shane. They're drunks and lowlifes and whores and I'd choose them over any of your Brotherhood members. Now buzz. I need to get back to work.

[With body language that leaves no question that the conversation is over, Cherry Bomb turns her back on him.]

Thankfully the goony guy takes the hint and leaves.

Sorry, I got interrupted.

Sorry you had to go through that. Sounds like you've got big plans for yourself.

[Her pretty eyes soften.] Yeah... I do. Can't stay here forever.

You've got a look that says you're not here just for the entertainment. Are you a badge?

I think you know the answer to that.

I mean, we managed to open the front door without assistance so we're clearly overqualified for that particular job.

[She regards you with a smirk.] Mmm hmm. I do. You're... independent. We're trained to spot a bronze the minute they walk in here. Something I can help you with?

I have a few questions.

Ask away.

Yep, it's that time gain.

Tell me about this place.



"People like you"? Why does everybody keep saying that?!

Who was that you were talking to?

Shane. Old boyfriend. He used to work here. Then one day, he saw a billboard for the Universal Brotherhood and that was that. Went to a meeting, made new friends... moved in with them. I was happy for him, until he started coming around trying to recruit me. I don't need that drek.

That guy mentioned Coyote. She here?

[She looks worried.] No. I think she's... away on business.

One day we'll get something done easily without facing yet another speed bump. Today is not that day.

Business, huh? Is she a shaman? With a name like "Coyote"...



I'm sorry, what? What is wrong with everyone in this place? Is it all the crap in the air?

[Her face falls.] She's been missing for a couple of days, now. Some people think the Ripper got her, but I know her. Coyote can take care of herself.

Ever heard the name Sam Watts?

[She nods.] Sam was a regular customer and a regular pain in the ass for as long as I've been here. Talked a big game but he was always broke. As soon as he got any money in his pocket, it went straight to his head - chips, drugs, or booze. Coyote had a soft spot for him though.

She's not talking about potato chips by the way, but rather Simsense ones which are basically like virtual reality except with practically complete immersion. BTL or Better Than Life chips are an especially hardcore version which mess up your brain and can cause serious addiction similar to hard drugs.

Did you see Sam on the night he died?

No. That was Coyote's shift.

Who runs this place? I want to talk to them.

That'd be Mrs. Kubota. She's in the back room. You can't miss her.

Thanks for the intel. I appreciate the help.

Gutterpunks have to stick together.


Next up is the big fella next to her.



Eric doesn't have much to say, but he's a very important character nonetheless, being our very first opportunity to upgrade our armor.



While he technically has a real impressive selection, in practice everyone who can afford it just buys the Alley Punk outfit for its high armor value. Plus it's the set featured in the promo art.

On the other hand I think we should try to avoid attracting too much attention, we don't want to look too threatening y'know? So really, the choice here is obvious.






Hell yeah, they'll never see us coming.



Going further in, we find another merchant. As a sidenote, Kickstarter backers could chat with the ghost of Jordan Weisman back here as well.



We probably won't be firing any guns anytime soon, if ever, and despite what she says Jin doesn't carry anything except the most basic weaponry anyway.

The tech part is of interest to us though. She's our first source of Drone Repair Kits and more interestingly, she sells the first available support drone.





Now, it's very easy to overlook the Smoker. You look at the description and go "Smoke? That sounds lame, I'm not going to give up my damage for that." But what the description doesn't tell you is that as a support drone, the Smoker comes equipped with a mini-mortar which is just as damaging as the Doberman's gun. The downside is that it needs to be reloaded after every 3 shots and it's slightly less accurate, but on the other hand mortar hits also damage enemies (and only enemies) directly adjacent to the target.



In addition, the Smoker comes pre-equipped with a pair of smoke grenades (hence the name) and a concussion grenade which deals AP damage to everyone hit. Like all drone items, they automatically replenish themselves between missions. The Smoker also appears to be slightly sturdier than the Doberman, with higher HP and armor.

What I'm saying is that welcome to the team, Hello World. We also get a couple of repair kits because if our drone gets busted, we'll become useless again until the next time we can access our item stash.


Watching the back room is this well-dressed giant.



I'm not going to draw further attention to it but I'll mention here that various characters in the game are drawn after Kickstarter backers. Mr. Kluwe here is based on the former American football player Chris Kluwe who was a backer, with the horns referencing the Minnesota Vikings which is where he spent most of his career. Apparently.

Funny place for the architect to put a wall.

Load bearing, too. You have business here?

Looking into the death of Sam Watts.

Heard about that. Real shame what happened to him.

[There is a sharpness in Kluwe's eyes, the look of a man who has seen much and earned wisdom at a young age.]

I figure Sam was the type who needed to be thrown out on occasion.

Encouraged to call it a night, I'd say. Sam was a drunk, but he usually wasn't a violent one.

Usually? What about the night he died?



Hmm.

Thanks for the info.

No problem.


Last up is the back room.



Fancy-looking place, they got elven dancers and everything. Although...



...only one of them is putting any kind of effort into it. Or maybe "The bus driver" is the hottest dance of 2054, hell if I know.

Anyway, let's see who's around back here.



Yeah, first time. Just getting a look at the place.

Well enjoy yourself. This looks like your type of place. I'm just sweeping up a bit.

I swear to god if you people don't stop with the "your type of place" comments...




..."Noog", huh.

*mutter*... THAT was why I said to use mustard instead of catsup!... *mutter*... Forgive me, Jean. I was a fool... *mutter*

[He looks you in the eye, his other conversations on hold.]

You may peruse my magical wares and see their glory.



He sells all kinds of stuff for all three caster classes. We have zero business with this guy, at least for now.

Only one person left, so that has to be...



My, but aren't you the pretty elf! Are you enjoying the Seamstresses Union? There should be plenty for a woman like you to enjoy.

[She eyes you closely.]

Or is this business?

I just need a moment of your time, Mrs. Kubota. I have topics to discuss.

So ka. And why should I help you?

She actually uses "So ka" correctly, which if intentional is a nice touch.

Sam Watts. I'm looking for his killer.

[Her face brightens - amused.] Ah! So *you* are the "little insurance policy" he would go on about when he was drunk. His avenging angel who would strike back for him from beyond the grave.

Guess he was one of those people who get all dramatic after drinking.

What do you want to know?

Why is this place called the Seamstresses Union?

During the gold rush years, there was a census, and the politicians wanted as high a number as possible to gain power and revenue. To bolster their numbers, they decided to include all the "working girls" - of which there were many - to the rolls. However, given the times, they could not list the girl's true occupation so they entered them all as "seamstresses".

From what I can tell this is a thing that actually happened, at least as far as the euphenism is concerned.

When a girl accumulated enough money to open her own place of business, she named it the Seamstresses Union so potential workers would know that they would be treated fairly there. And thus, a rich tradition was born.

So you're a former... seamstress?

No. Perhaps when we know each other more, I will reveal more about myself. For now, enjoy the Union.

As you might've guessed, we'll be sticking around for a while.

How well did you know Sam?

I knew him - we all did. Sam was a regular here, whenever he could beg or borrow enough nuyen to become altered in some way. Drugs, chips, alcohol - it didn't matter to Sam. As long as he was bent. He was always looking for his next fix.

And yet somehow he had a 100k insurance going. Did he put all of his money into it? Does it even exist? Or did someone else pay for it for some reason?

He clung to this place like it was his lifeline and we treated him as part of the family, even if none of us truly liked him - except Coyote.

Did you see him on the night of his death?



They got harassed by gangers and Sam stumbled off to get murdered, we know that part.

One more question. Can you tell me where to find Coyote?

[Her face darkens.] Would that I could. I have not seen her in two days. She is a smart woman, and quite dangerous, but I fear for her.

If she's smart, why fear for her?

Because she is in a dangerous line of work and there is always someone smarter. More prepared.



Maybe we should name our drone Watson with how much detective work seems to be getting thrown our way. Ah well, upstairs we go.





Now technically she never said which room was Coyote's, so it's best we go through them all. You know, just in case. The first door seems to be locked with a security panel, but maybe she just forgot to mention it.



Our choice of profession begins paying off. You don't have the option to guess the password, so it's decking or nothing.



There's nothing of value inside at first glance, but we do find some Nitro stuffed inside a teddy bear. I'm sure nobody will miss it.

The second room's empty, so we head on to Coyote's room at the end of the hallway.



At least when it comes to size, our place was like a manor compared to these apartments. We've got a few things to look at here.







Doesn't tell us much, except that she might very well be a goon. There's also a diary with several papers sticking out of it on the bed. The first entry:





There's also a receipt on the page.



Hell, same. At the very least Coyote seems to have been armed. The second entry:





Guess things were looking up. There's a few other things here, but only a couple of receipts stand out as relevant. First is the receipt to a wall safe complete with its combination, and the second...



Sure I get it, everyone has those days when you're really just craving to bite into a good ol' chunk of zebra meat.



We find the aforementioned safe behind the broken mirror, open it up, and loot ourselves a frag grenade.

The last thing we can look at is Coyote's computer.



What we have here is a small puzzle. The password recovery system consists of a series of questions, and the answers can mostly be found amongst all the things in the room we've looked at so far.

I invite everyone at home to play along and see if they can figure out the answers by themselves. Should be fun.

Ready? Let's go!


















Just kidding, puzzle-solving is for peasants.



Hopefully the truth is in here.


We've got three options: "Contacts", "Access History" and "Calendar". The contacts only list Paco but has no actual contact info, so it's not very useful.

"Access History":



You gotta be careful when you order hot dogs in Shadowrun, could make for a nasty misunderstanding.

"Calendar":



Wait, today? Hasn't she been missing for a couple of days already?

Well whatever, guess we have our next destination. Back downstairs and to Mrs. Kubota.


Coyote has a date with Paco at Pike Place Market in the next half hour.

Or it might've been in a half hour two days ago, but who's really counting.




Man, not even a moment's rest. I don't think we ever even got our drink, now that I think about it.

At least we have a nice relaxing stroll at the local market to look forward to, next time.