The Campaign Builder's Guild

[ic=T'Parn Network Message]To: Squad 7
Message:
 --- CEO Dikos requests your presence at the Site 44 '" the Flame's Keep '" at 18:30 GSD. Be sure you aren't followed.

-   Secretary Akinna D'Arras

Message Attachment:
--- Encrypted Pass Key
[/ic]

[IC=The Flame's Keep]You find yourselves in the Flame's Keep, a secret T'Parn bunker located inside the Odal Foundry, a fully automated ore processing facility operated by T'Soki Industries. The entrance to the Flame's Keep, which is protected by kinetic barriers, lies at the center of the maze-like foundry. The room itself is quite cozy, perhaps 10 meters by 10 meters square. Looking into the bunker from the doorway, the left and right walls are lined with many different chairs, each of which appears to be designed to seat the diverse anatomies of the most common races. On the back wall lies a Holo Screen, displaying the latest stock numbers as well as a picture of a Volus. The room is quite dark, being lit by a single light on the ceiling and the eerie glow of the Holo Screen. The room in empty, save for the four members of Squad 7. [/IC]

[note][ooc]The Flame's Keep is in Nos Astra, Illium.

Feel free to describe how your character arrived at the Flame's Keep. I posed the second IC to get the ball rolling.   [/ooc][/note]

[note=Character Sheets][ooc][spoiler=Kai]
Kai (KIE) Rijinder
Medium Humanoid
Human Noble 2

Strength 10
Dexterity 14
Constitution 10
Intelligence 14
Wisdom 12
Charisma 17

Hit Points 18+1d6
Damage Threshold: 12

Defense
Fortitude 12
Reflex 17
Will 15

Shield Rating 5

Base Attack Bonus +1
Combat Knife +1, 1d4
"Noisy Cricket" (Hold-Out Blaster), +3, 3d4
M-29 Incisor (Hunting Blaster Carbine), +3 3d8 (3d10 Critical)
Terminator Assault Rifle (Blaster Carbine +2 to hit) +5 3d8

Speed 6 squares

Skills
Trained: Deception +14 (+19 Disguise/Forgery), Gather Information +9, K (Bureaucracy) +8, K (Social Sciences) +8, K (Tactics) +8, Persuasion +9, Pilot +8, Use Computer +8.

Feats
Linguist, Master of Disguise, Skill Focus (Deception), Armor Proficiency (Light), Weapon Proficiency (Pistol, Rifle, Simple)


Talents
Get Into Position

Languages
Batarian, Common, Frisian, Krogan, Quarian, Salarian, Turian


Equipment
Combat Jumpsuit + Climbing Claws
Hunting Carbine + Rangefinder + Targeting Scope
Short-Range Commlink (Video)
Pocket Scrambler
Utility Belt
All-Temp Cloak
Omni-Tool
Camouflage Poncho
465 Credits[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Salana ]Name Salana 'Sal' T'Sara Race Asari Class Noble 1 / Soldier 1
Age 436 Height 6'0' Weight 175 lbs

Strength 14
Dexterity 16
Constitution 14
Intelligence 10
Wisdom 14
Charisma 12

Hit Points 32
Damage Threshold 16
Shield Rating 5

Defenses
Fortitude 16
Reflex 22
Will 16

Speed 4 (6 without armor)

Base Attack Bonus 1
Melee Attack Bonus 3
Ranged Attack Bonus 5

Skills
Use Biotics 7
Deception 7
Initiative 4
Knowledge (tactics) 6
Perception 8
Persuasion 12
Treat Injury 8

Feats
Biotic Training
Weapon Proficiency (pistols)
Weapon Proficiency (rifles)
Weapon Proficiency (simple weapons)
Armor Proficiency (light)
Armor Proficiency (medium)
Skill Focus (Persuasion)
Weapon Focus (rifles)

Talents
Wealth
Weapon Specialization (rifles)

Biotic Powers
Lift
Warp

Attack Modifier Damage
Improvised Rifle Melee -2 1d6+2
ICWS Rifle 6 3d8+2
ICWS Sniper 6 (4 point blank) 3d10+2
Gorgon Assault Rifle 6 3d8+4

Credits 300
Equipment :
Omni-Tool
Kinetic Barrier Shield
Power Suit
Interchangeable Weapon System (Galaxy At War)

Max Weight 98
Carried 25

Languages
Asari
Common[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Lini'Leera]Name: Lini'Leera vas Quee-Queeg.
Class: Scoundrel 2
Species: Quarian
Gender: Female
Age: 23
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 108

STR 8 -1
DEX 16 +3
CON 8 -1
INT 18 +4
WIS 12 +1
CHA 10 +0

HP: 17 + 1d6-1
Damage Threshold: 11
Base Armor/Level Ability Class
Fort 11= 10 + 2 - 1 + 0
Ref 16= 10 + 2 + 2 + 2
Will 14= 10 + 2 + 1 + 1

+1 BAB

Knife +0 1d4-1 .5kg P/S
Hold-Out Pistol +4 3d4 .5kg Energy +5 Stealth to conceal
Heavy Blaster +4 3d8 1.3kg Energy
Ion Pistol +4 3d6 1kg Ion*
Ion Damage: Half damage to Organic. Full damage to Synthetic/Vehicle/Cybernetic. If hit reduces HP to 0, target drops 5 steps on condition track. If damage equals or exceeds target damage threshhold, target drops 2 steps on condition track.

Talents
Dastardly Strike: Whenever you make a successful attak against an opponent that is denied its Dexterity bonus to Reflex Defense, the target moves -1 step along the condition track.

Feats
Point Blank Shot
Precise Shot
Skill Focus (Mechanic)
Use Tech (Combat Drone, Tech Armor)
Weapon Proficiency (Pistols, Simple Weapons)

Skills: Bonus Level Ability Trained Other
Gather Information +6 = 1 + 0 + 5
Initiative +9 = 1 + 3 + 5
K (Galactic Lore) +10 = 1 + 4 + 5
K (Physical Sciences) +10 = 1 + 4 + 5
K (Technology) +10 = 1 + 4 + 5
Mechanic +15 = 1 + 4 + 5 + 5
Perception +7 = 1 + 1 + 5
Stealth +9 = 1 + 3 + 5
Use Computer +10 = 1 + 4 + 5
Use Tech +10 = 1 + 4 + 5

Languages: Asari, Common, Quarian, Salarian, Turian, Volus

Tech Powers
AI Hacking
Combat Drone (x2)
Cryo Blast
Tech Armor

Equipment:

Utility Belt Free
Omni-Tool (Datapad) Free
Knife 25
Hold-Out blaster Pistol 450
Heavy Blaster Pistol 900
Ion Pistol 265
Security Kit 750
Tool Kit 250
Commlink, Short, Video) 50
Datacards (Blank) [10] 10
Power Pack [2] 50
Mesh Tape 5

305 Credits

Racial:
Ability Mods: +2 Intelligence, -2 Constitution
- Medium Size
- Speed: 6 Squares
- Vulnerability to Disease: Quarians receive a -2 modifier to their Fortitude Defense against Diseases.
- Mechanics: All Quarians are considered trained in Mechanics. This is a bonus trained skill
- Cooperative Spirit: Quarians can aid another on skill checks made by adjacent allies as a swift action. Adjacent allies can also aid another on skill checks made by an adjacent Quarian as a swift action. This ability can only be used with the following skills: Gather Information, Knowledge (any), Mechanics, Pilot, Ride, Treat Injury and Use Computer.
- Conditional Bonus Feat: If a Quarian is trained in Use Computer, she may choose Skill Focus (Mechanics) or Skill Focus (Use Computer) as a bonus feat.
- Languages: Quarian and Common[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Archimedes]Statistics

Archimedes

Medium Humanoid

Vorcha Savant ["Scoundrel"] 2

Strength 8

Dexterity 12

Constitution 10

Intelligence 20

Wisdom 10

Charisma 10

Hit Points 23

Defense

Fortitude 14

Reflex 19

Will 13

Damage Threshold 13

Shield Rating 5

Attack

Base Attack Bonus +1

Melee Attack Bonus +0

Ranged Attack Bonus +2 (+3 within Point Blank range): M-6 Carnifex Heavy Pistol 3d8

Speed 6 squares

Skills

Trained: Initiative +12, Knowledge (Galactic Lore) +11, Knowledge (Physical Sciences) +11, Knowledge (Life Sciences) +11, Mechanics +11, Perception +6, Pilot +12, Use Computer +13, Use Tech +11.

Feats

Skill Focus (Pilot), Skill Focus (Initiative), Tech Training, Point Blank Shot, Weapon Proficiency (pistols), Weapon Proficiency (simple weapons)

Talents

Savant (Computer Use)

Tech Powers

AI Hacking (x2), Tech Armour (x2), Overload (x2)

Languages

Common, Quarian, Vorcha, Turian, Asari, Salarian

Age 6

Equipment

Padded Flight Suit
M-6 Carnifex Heavy Pistol
Omni-Tool
2 Medi-Gel Packs
Shield Battery
Utility Belt
Security Kit
Rubik's Cube[/spoiler]
[/ooc][/note]

Fair warning: Language is censored mostly. I will probably tone it down further in future posts, but as a reference post- this is how Lini'Leera thinks and talks.

[ic=Lini'Leera - Entrapment or "Dox'd"]
"Really now? Really? Some Boshtet code monkey saw me on the T'Parn Sec Network, and this is how they try to screw me?"

Lini looked down at the email; a contract of adhesion. It wouldn't stand up in any court of law--it was clearly one filled with duress, clicking no certainly activated a "doomsday virus" that would revoke her Passport, scramble her identity and destroy her credit.

"I can recover from this." Lini'Leera mused. "Best way to get out of a Boshtet pit is to crack more."

"Then again." Lini'Leera read the lines of code again, following the Firm's indication of how they tracked her through their network, and a trail of where she had been on a bevy of Illium's networks for the past few months. "They managed to latch on to three of my five identities and they went around the firewall of my logic bomb without setting it off--that's gutsy."

Her eyes sparkled.

"That's interesting."

She read the offer more closely.

"All right 'Archimedes', I'll accept. Let's just hope your little 'bathtub of inspiration' doesn't drain out before we've 'Gone a 'Roving' into the night and made Volus-sized shipmentloads of cash. Besides," she laughed, "It's not like I actually have to follow any contract to the letter; I'll just hack to adjust."

She got out a second OmniTool, entered the Sec Network's systems, changed a few words, then laughed and went back to the original contract--which updated. She then clicked accept. Leaning back, she reflected on the words in the PS. Archimedes' words were strange, like a sort of code, but before entering into decryption mode, she ran a SubNet search on her backup OmniTool.

"Human poem that." She frowned. "Ugh. Bested by a human." A chill ran down her spine. "-Least it wasn't a Krogan."[/ic]

[ic=Lini'Leera -Planning]Lini'Leera hummed to herself, copying the CEO's message onto a datapad file while Krogan deathmetal played in the background.* She encrypted it and uploaded the words to InterCred's banking database under a new identity's vault files**. The message was wrapped with a failsafe protection wrapper. If no activation code was received from her with the proper key in thirty days, the data would be released--the message and all the little bits and pieces and scandals and evidence of twits she'd gathered from the T'Parn net. Once canceled, she'd close out the account and the identity; T'Parn would easily track her movements once she joined them, even easier than it had before.

Typing scatter scatter, she flipped up an email and encrypted it with a double-failsafe 128-letter key: "Welcome to the b****inist party place for hardcore methamphetamine deals- Site 44- Flame's Keep. Party courtesy Secretary Akinna D'Arras. The email revealed intimate details about how to get to the planet--interstellar coordinates--and it promised a key to a discrete bank account where earnest money was secured (not her money--just some money secreted by a bunch of kroganheaded fools who set their passwords with only ONE biometric identification signature that could be so ****ing easily tied to the Genetic Database records at their birth-hospitals--no one ever learned how boshtet-stupid that was).

She set up the email on the Cloud's redundant databases and wrote a program-dat to forward it to all the names in her 'Journalists' and 'Drugrunners' address categories in thirty days unless canceled.

She stretched, cracking her muscles as she twisted her head around in a soothing circle. "Pity everyone else is a boshtet-loaded-thresher-maw-trustlessworthy Husk." She tapped fingers against the side of her datapad. "T'would be a better failsafe. Email's gonna be hacked. The Cloud's gonna fail. I can be tracked. They've probably bugged me-yeah f****ers- ****** ***** eat ***** boshtet **************.

She keyed off the Krogan deathmetal, which had been stuck on a guttural growling war-cry yell for the past several minutes. "With luck you boshtet ******** didn't hear anything thanks to this sub-Quarian racket I've filled your *****ing ***** ***** ears with ******ers."

"Oh yeah." She stood up in the mostly-empty storage room. "I know you're looking at me Archimedes--alien pervert--And I'm coming to you; gonna reveal just what you want; let you see it all, touch it all, pay for it--see how you like someone getting all up in your business. You get the time of the day-but only just because you're good enough to hit this." She gestured at her face with a thick scoop of air. "Find out a few of my identities **** me over; knowing you'll be fun, pervert--just make it worthwhile to me or I'll **** you harder than a Krogan orgy gets ****ed by a p****load of Asari Commandos with their whory hair-hardons."

Lini'Leera left the room, replacing the cracked lock and giving it a twist with her Omnitool to replace it at the right angle. Then she hacked it back into service.

She pressed another button on her OmniTool and appeared again on the ship's spectroscopic sensors, seeming as though she hobbled out of her rented room, clutching a bottle of Batarian Brew. The drone-loop playing in her room ended and she started recharging Trillian with her OmniTool's fusion core.


*Krogan Deathmetal Band - Maw Destroyers.
**Wade Gao, Human entrepreneur.

[note]
"Squad 7." Sure know how to welcome a Quarian. Pick the unluckiest number; one shorter than 8-the full Squad number- double the ideal family unit-a unit to preserve the number of the fleet without straining resources. ****ing ignorant Volus foreigners.
[/note]
[/ic]

[ic=Lini'Leera - Departure]

"Ancestors... ****." Lini'Leera paused as she stepped into the rental solo spacepod. She was deep in Asari space; near Nos Astra, the planet the message indicated.

She looked around the Volus-flagship Inevitable Inevitability's docking bay and sneered. Money, status, safety --T'Parn offered two of three and the Fleet only offered one. Subservience, Loyalty, Fellowship T'Parn required at least two of the three; the Fleet required all three. T'Parn was an improvement--if they weren't out to screw her.

Lini'Leera shuddered and turned to leave the docking bay. This was wrong for her. She did not belong under a fascist hierarchy that ordered her and caged her discretion and killed freedom and hope. Music played over the loudspeakers, electronic techno, from a Human-Volus transspecies collaboration. She paused, placed a hand over her face, and another turned off her hearing amplifier--she hated that music, it sounded like malfunctioning mechanics and engines--the nightmare of every Quarian--to be stranded in deep space, alone, away from the fleet, unable to complete one's Pilgrimage, with nothing to offer the fleet. Adrift. Lost. Gone.

Lini'Leera found herself in the space pod, queuing the systems, setting them on autopilot for Flame's Keep.

Her pod launched, by itself, the last before maintenance took the bay offline.

[/ic]

At the Meeting
[ic=Lini'Leera -Arrival]

Lini'Leera keeps to the back of the room, seething about what the **** kind of joke is being played on her. Here she is, in a room with a ****ing Vorcha, an Asari Commando who would give a Vorcha a run for the title of 'dumbest thing in the room', and a human... at least the human looked like the quality of person who she'd be associating with--maybe he was that *** Archimedes. She stared at him, then dismissed the thought; he didn't look clever enough.

She'd been allowed to keep her blasters, and she had her fingers on one of them. She pretended to fiddle with her OmniTool, not responding when spoken to, except with a wave away with her hand.

She sat in a chair made for a Krogan--uncomfortable to a Quarian physique (she sunk down way far into it and needed to pivot slightly to avoid the alternating round and jagged Krogan beads on its bottom, beads that massaged a Krogan's tough physique, but which prodded and poked at her suit like knives)--but why the hell would she trust that the Quarian chair wouldn't be trapped? Besides, she could use this chair's shell to conceal herself.

Lini'Leera waited.

[/ic]

[ic=Outside Nos Astra]Archimedes smiled; a frightening thing for a vorcha to do.  He sat in a columned marble room in his apartment on Illium; apart from the dull red glow of the simulated fire in the holo-hearth the only illumination was the dimming smoulder of Tasale and the cold, ever-flickering light of the dozen gilt-framed monitors that surrounded his chair.

"She really is magnificently vulgar," he murmured to himself, replaying the quarian's amusing tirade again.  "Almost lyrical.  A true gift for the obscene..." The quarian's talents, of course, extended well beyond profanity: it had been a genuine challenge, and a keen pleasure, to circumvent the myriad traps and prolix digital fortifications she armoured her multifarious identities with.  Chasing her through the labyrinth of T'Parn's network had banished a migraine for hours.  Now, as his synapses cooled, the pain already began to grow again; in a few hours it would be truly excruciating.  It would take solving a 7^5 5-cube on his Omni-Tool to quiet the pain enough for him to sleep.

Archimedes' sleek grey cat, Mycroft, twined itself around his legs as the vorcha's talons skittered across the console, sifting through a morass of information.  Tomorrow he would take a company car into town to Odal Foundry, to meet the rest of "Squad 7."  The meeting, and the subsequent assignment, held the potential to stave off the throbbing agony beneath his skull for quite some time...[/ic]
[ic=The Flame's Keep]Archimedes hums the tune to Berlioz' La damnantion de Faust while tapping away at a holo-program on his Omni-Tool - a diverting puzzle-game of his own design, 'Zarathustra's Paradox' - with the claws of his left hand while his right casually takes out and solves a 3x3 Rubik's Cube.

He darts a quick, surreptitious glance at the other individuals gathered in the room with him.  A pity he can't see the quarian's face; the mixture of puzzlement, annoyance, and incredulity sure to play across her features when she realizes she was snared by a vorcha would have been satisfying.  From what he can see she's impossibly tense - pretending to fidget with her Omni-Tool, tapping her fingers against the pistols at her waist, like they were in some kind of cantina backroom and she expected someone to pull a gun.

He catches a whiff of the asari: a mixture of sweat, cigar smoke, elasa, krogan ryncol, and the weird, eldritch tang of element zero.  One doesn't need to be fully versed on the latest theories in proxemecist paralinguistics and kinesics, as he is, to notice the giant chip on her shoulder; she and the quarian have that in common.  She looks like it's been too long since she's hit someone and that waiting around in this bunker isn't helping matters.

The human is the hardest to pin down; Archimedes can tell the man is very conscious of how he presents himself - a practiced manipulator.  Like the asari he smells of nicotine and booze (turian faux-Terran scotch, a good enough imitation to fool most palettes); unlike the asari he doesn't radiate aggression and braggadocio from every pore of his body.

"That chair really can't be comfortable," he says presently, without looking up from his game.[/ic]

[note=Open Dossier]Operative Name Salana "Sal" T'Sara
Born [CLASSIFIED]-[CLASSIFIED]-1748, to [CLASSIFIED] and [CLASSIFIED], at Artemis Tau Cluster - Sparta System - [CLASSIFIED] - [CLASSIFIED]
Specialization Combat, Ranged Combat, Sharpshooter

[CLASSIFIED][ERROR = 12 DEFAULT LINES READING "[CLASSIFIED]"]

Personal History [CLASSIFIED][ERROR = 147 DEFAULT LINES READING "[CLASSIFIED]"][ERROR = DATA HAS BEEN REMOVED][ERROR = GENERAL ERROR]

Service History Joined as active operative 23-February-2168. [CLASSIFIED][ERROR = 27 DEFAULT LINES READING "[CLASSIFIED]"][ERROR = DATA HAS BEEN REMOVED][ERROR = LINKS HAVE BEEN REMOVED][ERROR = GENERAL ERROR]

Psychological Profile [ERROR = DATA HAS BEEN REMOVED]

[AMMENDMENT ADDED 10-January-2184 BY Administrator 12A][MESSAGE DICTATED ELECTRONICALLY][BEGIN MESSAGE]"I don't know how that slut keeps doing this to her personnel file. By all accounts she's totally inept with computers and all technology that doesn't relate to sex or killing. I really don't know when we'll get to restoring her profile this time. The backups appear to have been wiped. The short version is she's a bitch but she's very good at what she does. Oh, yeah, and having her on a mission voids certain parts of our personal insurance policy. So, yeah...watch out. End dictation."[END MESSAGE][/note][ic=Recruitment]February 20th, 2168
Omega

Salana sat in her chair, checking her messages on her omni-tool, which was linked into the extranet. That service didn't come cheap on Omega, Aria made sure of it. The chair was the only piece of furniture in the first room of her small two room apartment. The second room held only a bed. The chair was comfortable and sitting in it while checking her messages had become a sort of daily ritual. It was odd, considering that she was usually pragmatic and she usually ended up deleting all the messages without opening them.

Sometimes she read the junk mail, just for entertainment. Her favorites were the ones that claimed to be from a salarian prince. His story was always the same and his name was always different, probably the result of some automated randomizing algorithm on some equally impersonal mass mailing server. The prince was always looking to get out of legal trouble and would pay handsomely for help, all you had to do was send back your credit account number.

For about the last week, there had been a new message showing up every day. The sender was a T'Parn Security and Investigations Firm and the subject line always said something about a job offer. The message showed up like clockwork and was deleted without being read just as regularly. Today, that message seemed to be missing and Salana hoped they'd given up. When she wanted to work, she was perfectly capable of finding it on her own.

Today, one message caught her eye. It seemed to be a simple advertisement. The sender was Live It Up Bar and the subject line read, 'Grand Opening Ladies Night!!! Asari drink free!' Salana opened the message and found that the first thing in its body was an image of a beautiful, dark haired, human woman. The woman was visible from the midsection up in profile. Before Sal got the chance to scroll down further, the woman in the image moved, revealing that she was actually seeing a video. 'Hello, Salana,' the woman said. 'My name is Chelsea Klonde, I was hoping you could spare me a minute of your time.' A live feed, then. Salana was now sure that this message was not actually from any bar.

A grin crossed Salana's face. It was a look she considered her hunter's grin because she always found herself wearing it when she was after a certain type of 'prey'. 'For a treat like you, I'm sure I can spare a solid 20 minutes, any time you want it.'

Chelsea appeared to blush. 'Well, thank you,' she said. 'I have a job offer for you from the T'Parn Security and Investigations Firm. You have a reputation and, based on our research, it is well-deserved. We'd like you to come work for us as a special operative, primarily for security contracts.'

'Are there other girls like you there? No, nevermind. Where is this job?'

'The T'Parn Firm is based on Illium,' Chelsea replied, 'but the work could take you elsewhere. The pay is also highest tier.'

Salana had been to Illium before, pretty early on in her maiden days. There were no humans there then. 'Alright, I'm in. I was getting bored here, anyway. When do I--'

'We've arranged for you to leave in the morning, via private shuttle.' As the human woman answered the unfinished question, a small notification appeared on the screen of Salana's omni-tool. The subject line was cut short but it was obviously a confirmation message of some sort.

The rough faced asari nodded. 'Good, I still have a night to see this place off. There's just one thing; I think your message promised me free drinks.'

Chelsea was clearly surprised. 'Yes, it,' she hesitated. 'Yes, of course. I'll transfer some money to your account to make good on that.'

There was another new message notification on the omni-tool's screen. This one said that 50 credits had just been transferred into Salana's personal account. She nearly laughed, 'You said you knew me by reputation. If that's true, you know 50 credits ain't going to cut it.'

Again, Chelsea was surprised. She appeared to quickly check something on the screen of a computer to her side. 'Of course, I'm sorry.' Another notification of a new message appeared, this one stating that an additional 350 credits had been deposited into Salana's personal account.

'Thank you,' Sal said, as she got up out of her chair. 'I expect to see you, personally, when I get off that shuttle.' The human woman began to speak, probably in protest, as Salana closed the message and put her omni-tool into standby mode. Her face still wore that hunter's grin. She'd be spending the evening in Afterlife and tonight, she admitted to herself as she thought of the girl called Chelsea, she would be looking for some human company.[/ic][ic=The Message]Salana was lying on the floor of her Ilium apartment, looking up at the ceiling. It was mostly a boring thing, made of several large, metal plates. There were two lights on it, each one near to a door. There were also two scorch marks that were Sal's unintentional contribution to the decor several years ago. The entire apartment was very small for someone with as much money as Sal, especially on Ilium.

She wore the form fitted jumpsuit that is made for beneath her armor. She didn't have the process down to a science she could explain in any way but she always knew when she was going to get another job. This day seemed like it had been just long enough since the last one, so she waited at the ready. Raising one arm slowing up into the air, she blocked one of the lights with her cigar. She carefully admired the wisps of smoke flowing smoothly from its lit end before bringing it back down, once again very slowly, to her lips for a long, deep drag. As she did this her omni-tool chirped. 'Priority message received,' it said in a synthetic voice. All omni-tools had this feature, most people just found it annoying and turned it off. Sal left it on because it often seemed impressive to simple girls when the notification sounded.

Sal closed her eyes slowly and held them shut for several seconds, taking another drag from her cigar. 'And so it begins again,' she said to her self, as softly as her rough voice could manage. She raised her arm so that the omni-tool was in front of her face. She paused a moment to admire the device. The core of it was made of dark metal, like nearly everything else, but when it was activated a much larger, holographic device seemed to appear out of nowhere. The lit up portion of hers was light purple, only a little darker than lavender. In her current, less-than-sober state, it looked mesmerizing as the faint wisps of smoke from her cigar trailed through it. She used her left hand to select the new message on the screen and read it carefully. Then she read it again, and again. She memorized the message and then deleted it.

When she let both arms fall to the floor on either side of her, she accidentally tipped over a glass on her right side. The blue contents, some cheap liquor she had picked up down in the market, spilled onto the rough, tightly-woven carpet. 'Damn.' Not bothering to clean the spill up, Sal put out her cigar and stood to prepare for work.[/ic][ic=Arrival]Salana approached the door of the bunker incautiously. Rarely was anyone foolish enough to follow her. If they had, they could be dealt with easily enough. She took one last drag from her cigar, then put it out on the side of the building before submitting to the scan required to enter. When that was finished, she waved her omni-tool in front of the control panel to transmit her identification code and the door opened.

Entering the room, she looked at each individual that was there in turn. All of them were new to her, though she'd seen limited dossiers on most. She wasn't supposed to have of course but there were benefits to keeping a girlfriend that worked in the data entry and records department of the firm. Benefits other than the obvious, that is. The vorcha she'd seen on a monitor at headquarters before. Someone had been speaking with him, as strange as that had seemed at the time it seemed even stranger now. There had been no dossier on him in the files she'd been given.

Sal's armor was metallic and covered her entire body from just below the neck to her feet. It had no gaps or open joints. Judging by the noise when she walked, it was easy to tell that the suit was mechanized in some way. There were many visible dents and scratches. Saying it looked heavy used was an understatement. It looked like it had been to Hell and back. Maybe it even had. Despite all the damage, a careful inspection would reveal that there were chips of dark purple paint in many places. Likely, such paint once covered the entire suit. Mounted on the back of the armor was a rifle that seemed to be made from many extremely small parts, almost like a jigsaw puzzle, which could be clearly seen by any passive observer.

The battle-worn asari then walked across the room and round a chair designed for turians, just as she always did. As she sat, she removed the rifle from her back and placed it flat on her lap in one fluid motion.[/ic]

[ic=The Invitation]"So someone wants me bad enough to go through the trouble of actually tracking me down and composing a letter that would make a Krogan's head explode. I wonder why?" The question was rhetorical, yet there was no one else present to hear the spoken words. The speaker's teeth clamped down on an unlit cigar. He considered the glass of Terran Scotch sitting on the small table beside him before removing the cigar. Real tobacco. Much too good to waste here and now. He placed it back in its case and back safely into his coat pocket.

As he pondered this latest development, the newest trend of Techno music played at a steady, hypnotic beat outside of his private booth. Night clubs, with their overly loud, terrible music, had never featured high on his list of welcome locations. But there was no denying the usefulness of the place-- public, but far more private than most suspected, and in that same vague twilight of mistaken certainty is where much of his skills lay.

He took a quiet sip of Scotch, savoring the Terran delicacy-- it had cost a small fortune to get a bottle from Earth, but considering it hadn't been his money at the time, he considered it quite the steal.

"T'Parn Security and Investigation." He spoke the name aloud, tasting the spoken name as he would a new drink. "I wonder, just how much do you know, hmm? You must know the official details, of course," he speaks to the message displaying on his omni-tool as if it were a person right beside him. "But I am curious about just how much you know about what really happened. To me, and what I've been up to since they cut me loose." He grins broadly and shakes his head with a sharp laugh, his blonde hair flashing messily with the act. "Or perhaps you simply understand the kinds of 'marketable skills' they teach us in the military these days."

He downs the final measure of his drink and sighs wistfully. "And you have ships. Maybe this won't be so terrible after all."

He reaches over and presses a button near the door. In a few seconds, it opens, revealing a smiling-- and in Kai's opinion, scantily clad-- human server.

"What do you need, Mr. Riggy'ander?"

He couldn't help but laugh at the complete butchering of his given name. The server smiled slightly in response, but otherwise gave away nothing else by her reaction. He had been coming here for months now, and still, the accents these spacers spoke in seemed to preclude them from anything remotely close to his actual name. Perhaps it was more accurate to call it a form of game by now. Much to his chagrin, such a triviality had proven a fun diversion. Apparently, much entertaining of life did come down to the small things in it.

"I'll be closing down my tab today, Miri. It seems that I am to be taking my business off-station for awhile, and I do not know when I will be returning."

"Ah, of course, Mr. Riggy'ander. I will inform Lynn, and she will be here shortly with the bill due."

Kai nodded politely to the woman as she turned to seek someone above her pay-grade, then he leaned back in his chair and wondered if this was going to be a better run than the last time. The Varrens-- a juvenile attempt to seem scary, surely-- but answering only to the president? Very interesting. Maybe this was what he had been waiting for-- but would it prove to be his big break or the next-closest thing to a firing squad? His guess was as good as anyone's, but he'd be damn sure to try to skew the odds however he could along the way.

Now his potential would not be restricted by the incompetence of those having a greater rank than he. Redemption? Justice? Are those what he wants from this? Does any of it really matter in the end? There is only one way he is going to find out.

"Officier aan dek..."[/ic]

[note= Discharge]
Anyone with access to Alliance Military information in any measure-- or even a keen eye on the news surrounding Alliance Military may recognize Kai Rijinder. Kai was dishonorably discharged from the Alliance Military following a disastrous accident during a routine training exercise. The Heavy Cruiser Helsinger was badly damaged, requiring an extensive refit and repair in a dry-dock. Total casualties numbered nearly one-third of the crew, with most of the fatalities coming from the forward batteries, not Engineering, as would be expected from the Captain's testimony.

The cause of the accident is still unclear, and though a lack of clear evidence prevented him from receiving prison time, he was still dishonorably discharged in an effort for the Alliance Systems Military to maintain a reputable image in the eyes of the populace.[/note]

[ic= The Message]
"Flame Keep. Silly name. But it's on Nos Astra, so I suppose there must be something lost in translation." He leans back in his chair and smiles. The military had taught him the basics of enduring space travel, but they had never even pretended to make comfort a matter of importance.

The civilian sector, on the other hand, had more than enough time and energy to devote to luxury, and while Kai felt uncomfortable with the sheer opulence of the truly top-tier levels of comfort-- or pampering, as he sometimes viewed it-- even the basic amenities to travelers far out-did anything the Alliance had yet managed.

Of course, little stopped Kai from indulging in some luxury when he could, so he had taken the trip to Illium from the Citadel on one of the more expensive ships-- nothing fabulously opulent, but something great enough to show that he at least had some means (or that he was busy pretending to be someone of such means).

That meant pleasant staff, food that probably wouldn't endure an Apocalypse, and drinks that didn't make him want to wretch.

All in all, a truly fine way to travel these days, even if he had considered the curiosity of the secrecy of his new employers. He raised a drink to them for their timely intervention of... well, something. Maybe. No, not really. He had been doing nothing worth mentioning when he got his invitation, so it had seemed a little too good to be true. So when does it prove itself to be be?[/ic]

[ic=Meeting Minutes]
Finding the bunker had been an enlightening experience, and it had informed Kai that his employer was someone who seemed ready and willing to take these tasks and give them the due consideration that they deserved. In other words, they just might prove to be able to survive whatever insane jobs these politicians were  plotting to get them killed.

The company itself, however, is what made Kai's cautious suspicion fall through the floor. The Asari-- as gruff and terse as she appeared, was a common enough quality on Illium and hardly something that struck Kai as singularly odd. Even the Quarian-- which seemed angry and terse enough to be a Krogan in all but size-- was an unexpected participant next to the Vorcha.

Hailing largely from Alliance and Citadel space, Kai was at least passingly familiar with the gypsy-like Quarians. The Vorcha was something else entirely-- in this moment, Kai was forced to draw only upon his recollections on how to fight them. The lesson had a blunt charm to it: Fire, apply to target until nothing remains.

This particular Vorcha, however, seemed very out of place. It did not behave like Kai expected vermin to behave, and it seemed to be amusing itself with... video games, if that seemed at all right. Maybe the Alliance-- and the rest of the Galaxy, apparently, was wrong about the Vorcha. Or maybe their policies on them existed for a reason...

Kai cannot help but grin as the Vorcha starts to quip at the Quarian. Obviously, the seat was well and surely unfit for a Quarian, and her obvious discomfort made Kai briefly wonder just what kind of collection of odd-balls and weirdos he was now included with. He, however, decided to choose a human seat, pleased that the seat was comfortable in and of itself, more than just being ergonomic for human anatomy. If this was a sign of things to come, he could definitely get used to it.

Kai finds himself in no need to draw any more attention to himself than necessary, and so he is quite content to resign himself to observing how the others move, talk, and otherwise interact with each other and the room. The Quarian is where she is, and the Vorcha is... being entirely unlike any Vorcha Kai has ever heard of; the Asari, at least, seems rather normal. Perhaps tougher than the average Asari on Illium (at least away from the trading table), she still seems at least somewhat normal in Kai's mind. How true or not this fact is remains unknown.

"Is anyone else yet to arrive, or this all of us who will be coming?" he queries politely to the small group, unsure if any of them are even aware of the answer to his question. No doubt introductions will be either shortly coming, or have a place and time aside from now. He reaches up to flick aside his blonde hair from his eyes, silently chiding himself for not bothering to see to it previously. He smiles warmly to the others, attempting to at least make the semblance of friendliness.[/ic]

[ic=The Flame's Keep]Just as the words leave Kai's mouth, the door swings open and in walks an unusually tall Krogan clad in gilded armor with silver pinstripes racing from the neck to the feet. Attached to his armor is a flowing cape with a picture of a triumphant Krogan (presumably himself) standing atop a verdant blood stained field, thrusting a decapitated head of a Turian into a stormy sky. Above the image are the words '" 'Loathe one another with uncompassionate hatred. Outdo one another in showing of blood' written in a chilling blue ink that is all too reminiscent of genuine Turian blood.

The Krogan carries a colossal gun that would not look out of place mounted on a small spacecraft, the word 'horde' etched into the side of the barrel. His face is painted, or perhaps tattooed (it is hard to tell in this light), a deep lavender with bright white symbols reminiscent of the T'Parn corporate logo surrounding each of his eyes. As he walks forward, he gives each of you a gruff look, then belches out 'The name's Ranom and if any of you wide-eyed, dopey looking, flea-ridden, jellyfish ridding, pyjak babies steps out of line in front of the boss,' he motions with his gun, 'Horde here will make sure to blast you back to your disease-ridden whore of a pyjack brood mare you called mommy.'

As the Krogan finishes his outburst, a very round, almost spherical Drell rolls into the room. The Drell, wearing a finely tailored business suit crafted in the latest styles found on Earth carries himself with the confidence of a wealthy man surrounded by yes-men. His almost iridescent amber tie appears to light up the dimly-lit room almost as much as his strikingly white teeth. 'You'll have to excuse my companion, he is a bit,' the Drell pauses for a moment, searching for the correct term, 'loyal. Yes, Ranom is very loyal. At any rate, my name is CEO Dikos and I have been tasked by President Von Geld to assign you your very first task as members of Squad Seven of the elite Varrens division."

The Krogan lets out and audible grunt of disapproval at the use of the word 'elite'.

'Yes'¦ Well,' the Drell shoots the Krogan a very disapproving glare, scolding the caped-bodyguard  for interrupting what the CEO's obviously believed to be a finely crafted introduction. 'At any rate, before we begin the briefing, my lovely assistant Nani here will field any questions you may have while I fiddle with the Holo Screen.'

A very timid, almost scared Asari, dressed in a very loose knee-length, light brown skirt and a disheveled, long-sleeve white blouse walks into the room carrying four small briefcases. She nervously walks near each of you and places one of the obsidian-colored briefcases in front of you, quickly moving on to the next squad member as soon as the briefcase touches the ground. Following this, she fearfully stands at the front of the room, looking directly at the floor and very quietly asks 'Are'¦ Are there any questions'¦?'
[/ic]

[ic=No Questions Asked; No Questions Answered]Lini'Leera pays no overt attention to the Krogan. Although she looks up when the thing enters the room, once she determines it poses no immediate threat; she only shoots it a side glance as it rants. The words of a Krogan, like the words of a fool, are full of bluster and fury, and not worth attention beyond the fact that the creature is yapping and perhaps is signaling that it is ready to eat some prey or make a mess in a corner of a room.

Beastly creatures those Krogans--an example of how the fascist Citadel species were both disingenous and far more racist than even the authoritarian Admiralty Board--whereas the Quarians were sneered at for having accidentally uplifted synthetics; the Citadel played with organics, giving undeserving beasts intelligence, then eradicating them with the Genophage. If only such a disease existed for Geth.

Seeing the Drell enter, Lini'Leera sits up straighter and puts her OmniTool-bearing arm down so she can get a measure on his mien. "...Varrens division." When she hears that, her head tilts to the side and she actually throws up a bit in her suit; she manages to tilt her mouth to the refuse tube just in time and her waste reclamation system sucks the liquid out to process it. Her suit begins to hum lightly as it processes. Not only was the 'squad'...not yet HER squad, but THE squad... numbered an unlucky digit, but it also bore the name of a loathsome beast.

Even the fool disloyal Krogan guffawed at the term--these people were not only so desperate for good help that they turned to blackmail; they were likely bankrupt as well and looking to get her work for free or to send her and these others on a suicide mission.

On seeing the briefcase set in front of her; Lini'Leera reaches out to pop it open. With luck, it contains something that justifies her remaining in this worthless place.[/ic]

*edited to change 'ventilation' to 'waste reclamation'-- thank you Steerpike.

[ic=Waiting]Salana sits silently and reclines in her turian-fit chair as well as she is able to, gun across her lap. She's careful to not allow the barrel to point directly at anyone in the room, though she seems to otherwise pay no attention to them at all. Her eyes drift, finally settling on one corner of the room where a single fluorescent light seems to be nearing the end of its life. It flickers no more than once every 30 seconds but, aside from the uncomfortable new recruits, it is the only thing in the room that isn't entirely static.[/ic][ooc=T'Parn Veteran]Salana T'Sara is not a new recruit, as the others are. She is, in fact, nearing her 16 year anniversary with the company, though she was at first only an independent contractor. In the very beginning, she was contracted simply as a security guard for some special cargo of moderate to high importance and value. From there, she quickly proved that she could be trusted so long as she continued to get paid and was entertained. Since violence is one of her favorite forms of entertainment, both things were easy for the company to provide. Most of her tenure has been spent doing short-term odd jobs, usually involving security or enforcement of some kind. Often these assignments were solo as those usually ended better for the company. She hasn't been with the Varrens that entire time, though she has been assigned to a couple of other squads before this. She's done one mission with each previously and been reassigned immediately after with the official reason being that she 'was not a good fit for the team.'[/ooc][ic=The Meeting Begins]Being the only T'Parn veteran in the room, Salana is the only one to not even flinch when the krogan comes charging in. She even lets a little smile of amusement cross her weathered and battle scared face. Clearly, she had dealt with Ranon and this very sort of behavior before.

Sal watches closely as the asari fumbles with the briefcases, grinning as she approaches. Sal, being closest to the door the new people entered through, receives he package first. She gives the young assistant a firm slap and the backside as a briefcase is set before the warrior, causing her to start slightly and struggle all the more with her oversized load.

Now that something is actually happening, Salana leans forward. She puts her elbows on her lands and rests her chin a upon her hands, which are folded together in a ball. When the assistant as for questions, Salana only waves her hand dismissively, maintaining her silence.[/ic]

[ic=The Flame's Keep]When Dikos starts speaking Archimedes stops playing his game and puts away his Rubik's Cube.  The meeting is a strange mixture of quasi-clandestine cloak-and-dagger  secrecy and ostentatious displays of power: typical of post-T'Soki-takeover T'Parn dealings.  As the briefcases are passed around he opens his while continuing his discrete observation of his squad-mates.

He hears what he thinks is the quarian's enviro-suit begin its waste reclamation cycle, watches the woman twitch and gurgle slightly when the squad's name is announced.  Somehow she keeps managing to top herself in sheer crassness.  The asari's stance '" and the fact that she didn't bat an eyelid when the solid ton of metal and flesh waddled into the room '" broadcasts her familiarity with all concerned; the lewd pat she administered to Nani's backside demonstrated not only clear gynephila but a certain casual intimacy with company personnel.  What species was her father, I wonder?  Usually I can tell with asari.  No doubt this one thinks of herself almost as a male, despite those child-bearing hips and mammary glands.  Someone should tell her about the whiptail lizards of earth.  I wonder if early proto-asari could reproduce non parthenogenetically with the few vestigial males... I must look that up.  The human, grinning ingratiatingly, seems to be the only one trying to endear himself to the group.  Compared to the puking quarian and the rather loutish asari it isn't hard to seem a gentleman.  Still, a high degree of EI, that one.[/ic]

[ic=Measure for Measure]
The Krogan is mildly amusing to Kai-- in a "Oh, look how hard he's trying!" sort of way. While Kai is keenly aware of the combat potential of the Krogan, he also finds them lacking in creativity. Sure, the more crazy ones might not even need a reason to blow your head off, but they also lack the human ingenuity for applying pain and suffering, a quality very clearly breed into certain Alliance training instructors. Being Keelhauled seems much worse a fate. Never mind half of the devices and methods from Human history. Drawing and quartering, necklacing, or the Sicilian Bull are the first examples to spring to mind. Compared to them, the quick, messy end of a Krogan is much, much more preferable.

Piss off the Krogan, and you will die messily and quickly. Piss off the wrong human, and you die messily over a much longer period of time.

Their superior's entrance is much more theatrical than Kai expected it to be, and it once more made him wonder just how likely they were to survive whatever they were about to be ordered to do.

The Asari's... familiarity with the assistant actually serves to put Kai at ease-- to him, it's a sign that this Asari has been around for awhile, and lived long enough to have some merit either as a useful tool, or simply being good enough to stay alive. Both potentials were very, very useful to his continued well-being and his success in the private sector.

The Quarian's disgust, as it is happening within her suit, goes well and surely beyond Kai's notice, though the Vorcha's sudden shift of attention gains notice, though what to make of it, Kai is unsure. It is tough to tell, as most of Kai's knowledge of Behavioral Sciences applies to humans, but at least the Asari and the Vorcha seem somewhat professional. To his mind, the Quarian seems childish with her behavior so far.

When the half-scared Asari comes to drop off the briefcase, he smiles pleasantly. "Calm down, Nani. We don't bite--" he quickly glances at the others present. "Ah, well, at least two of us don't bite. Probably." He looks pointedly at the Quarian. Then back to Nani. "You know what, never mind. You're probably smart enough to be nervous of us, I bet. Smarter than me, at least." He shrugs unconcernedly and reaches to pop open the briefcase to peruse its contents.

When Nani reaches the front of the room, looking still as wary, he at least volunteers something useful. "I'm sure we have everything we need to know here," he indicates the brefcase as he begins to sack its contents. "But why don't you go ahead and give us a brief outline to start with." He tries to be polite with his request, wondering just why this timid, scared-looking Asari is handling their briefing. It seems rather unorthodox. He would have used the Krogan, personally.

He laughs to himself briefly. Civilian Sector-- doing everything back-asswards as always.[/ic]

[ic]Nani, encouraged and perhaps even emboldened by the Human's kind words, straightens her back slightly and begins, 'Inside each of the briefcases, you will find a cred chip containing a 500 credit advance, a data chip containing pertinent information concerning the mission, a bottle of Losega Wine, which is safe for dextro-protein races to drink,' she pauses slightly to take a quick glance at the Quarian then continues,  'and a hand written note containing the locations of three additional meeting locations '" the Hanar Hall, Starlight and Shizukesa.' She stops for a moment and looks nervously back at the CEO, who is still fumbling with the Holo-Screen, cursing under his breath.  

The Krogan grunts 'Did you say the Hanar Hall? Ha! Do you honestly believe these primitive troglodytes are ready for the Hall? They'll muck up the pla'¦' the Krogan is interrupted by a whirling chirp emanating from the Holo-Screen and the disgruntled cursing of a frustrated Drell.

'Well,' Nani begins, 'these were the orders given to me by President Vod Ge'¦' she too is interrupted by the Holo-Screen that is once again producing strange noises.

'HA! HA! HA! Von Geld wouldn't know sophistication if it slapped his good-for-nothing pampered as'¦' the Holo-Screen yet again emits a loud buzzing noise.

'Damn it all to the void. Nani, get over here and fix this screen. I think'¦' says the Drell as he hastens the Asari over. The two briefly converse in whispers, until Dikos brushes off his suit and waddles over to the center of the room.

 'It appears we are having some technical difficulties. Not surprising given the unique location of this room. I will, as the humans say, cut to the chase. There's a Volus named Chesla Don. He sought to re-develop portions of the planet Talis Fia (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Talis_Fia). Mr. Don borrowed a quarter of a million credits from Merosyndar Banking Corp. (which as you will remember is also owned by the parent company of T'Parn). His plan failed, and miserably at that. We now believe he wants to,' the Drell grits his teeth slightly, 'declare BANKRUPTCY! This wouldn't be much of an issue if not for the fact that we believe he embezzled most of money. Our informants tell us that he is using the money to create small fleet of pirate ships!' the Drell throws his hands up in the air as if in disbelief at the situation.  'If this gets out, it will bring much scrutiny down upon the Bank, and the corporation as a whole, scrutiny that is not desired in the least. Your job, my dearest squad 7, is to find Chesla Don and either force him to return the quarter million dollar loan (with interest) or,' the Drell's face betrays a slight smile. 'find some other means of eliminating the problem.'

As Dikos finishes, the Holo-Screen blinks off. The Asari walks up to the center of the room, 'the last known location of Don was here on Illium at the Refreshing Spice Club over on the south-east side of Nos Astra. We also know he has an Asari friend in the port authority named Lawa T'Kin - a friend who could easily and discreetly shuttle him off world. The Data Chip provided to you contains all of the information given to you here at this meeting, directions to the Club as well as to T'Kin's residence and office. If you need any additional information send me a message on the T'Parn Network and I will do my best to help you.' As the Asari finishes, she winks at the Human member of squad 7, then lets out an audible sigh of relief.

With that the Drell and the Asari exit the Flame's Keep. The Krogan lingers for a few seconds, glaring at each of you in turn, especially the Vorcha. Then he too slowly meanders out of the room, leaving the four of you alone.  

[/ic][note= I rolled perception checks for each of you][ooc=the whispered conversation][spoiler=For Salana, Archimedes and Lini'Leera]Though you couldn't make out everything that was whispered between the Drell and the Asari, you did make out a few key words/phrases "Nol infiltrated", "causing minor difficulties" and "stole some files". [/spoiler][/ooc][/note]

[ic]After the drell, asari, and krogan have departed, Archimedes gets to his feet.

"As our employer failed to introduce us to one another, the task would appear to fall on our shoulders.  I am called Archimedes.  To address the obvious: yes I am a vorcha, and yes, I have more than two neurons to rub together.  Suffice to say I had an unorthodox education - one that rendered me certain advantages not usually provided to my ilk."[/ic]

[ic]
Kai listens closely to the details. It seems that a mission with such potential ways of resolution is uniquely suited to a team of operatives with what are clearly diverse specialties. At a glance, the problem seems easy to solve-- at the very least, the Volus needs to be ended. At the best, he needs to be ended after the money is retrieved from his assets. Kai will need time to dig through the data presented to him in order to begin to work on a plan-- at least one that caters to his specialty.

He does work hard to keep from laughing at the Drell's obvious difficulty with the holo=projector, used to such sights with some of the older officers in the Systems Alliance as well. He had heard that Fifth Fleet's Admiral Hackett refused to use anything but audio communications-- probably because he was too old and surly to deal with any of the more modern technologies.

His smile widens slightly at the brief attention from Nani, but he otherwise makes little show of returning any impressions of his own. He begins to busy himself with the contents of the briefcase-- he begins to lift a critical eye to to the wine present, trying to decide if it is worth his time, or better as a friendly gift.

Much to his surprise, the Vorcha is the first of the motley assortment to stand and introduce himself. Archimedes. Something told Kai that the name was not an accident-- and he seriously doubted that most Vorcha had a penchant for Classical Greek myth. Not that Kai knew what a Vorcha actually would call itself. Archimedes seemed as likely as anything else in that light.

Once the Vorcha is done, he takes his turn to stand, placing the bottle of wine back in the case as he does so. "Kai Rijinder," he says stiffly, obviously trying to debate if he should salute or bow. He decides on neither. "Formerly of the Alliance Systems Navy. Now, I am simply whomever I need to be, when it suits me."

He sits. He resumes feigning interest in the bottle of wine.[/ic]

[ooc]>>To his mind, the Quarian seems childish with her behavior so far.

He has a pretty good read on that. It comes with the territory of being young, isolated, and an agit-prop anarchist. Also, she has a really hard time getting over racial conditioning; she feels awkward when she isn't with the Flotilla, but she doesn't want to be with the Flotilla. I guess she's like an Amish rebel or a Hassidic Jew who is pitching a hissy fit and leaving the Temple...who dislikes outsiders, is very indoctrinated in her own culture (and proud of it), and who doesn't have anyone to support her decision to leave except herself (no mentor).[/ooc]

[ic=Just Her Imagination]

500 credits... more money than Lini'Leera had ever legitimately earned, but a pittance compared to the full rewards promised for this job. At least the present award appeared realistic, which made her feel better about the endeavour. She wondered what she would do with the money...perhaps she could upgrade her OmniTool to the new VI or VII Models from the Serrice Council Consortium http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Serrice_Council.

But then there was a bottle of Losega wine. Lini picked up the blue cube and turned it around while the Asari spoke. High class wine; low class move. Once again these people were insensitive to Quarian culture. One did not begin a journey with intoxication unless one wanted to crash one's vessel. Lini would have thought these people were attempting to be offensive if she had not constantly suffered foolish racio-centrism everywhere she went. She placed the unlucky wine back in the briefcase. Drinking was for after a job; never during, never at the outset.

Lini'Leera watches the vorcha open and shut its mouth and vocalize rather clearly and she looks in its direction, then she looks back to the human, whose mouth is shut. No ventriloquism there. But the vorcha could be an AI, or there could be a digital voice modulator. Someone was playing a joke on her, probably in revenge for her hacking the T'Parn systems. This was not 'her' Archimedes.She cocks her head and studies the vorcha for a moment more; while she studies him, the human speaks; then Lini swivels her chair and addresses the non-vorchas in the room, cognizant that bugs are probably arranged throughout the room and the real Archimedes is likely listening.

"T'Parn should just hack this Volus on the net and steal the money back. But it sounds like everything has already been spent on those "pirate" ships. (Lini'Leera rolled her head in the traditional Quarian method of expressing bemused distrust). Perhaps we could hack the banks instead; but then I wonder why T'Parn needs anyone other than me... unless the data is on internal networks we need to actually raid or some other boshtet **** like that. These employers...our employers appear to prefer to wring credits out of the Volus' husk, like blood from water; which makes me wonder why they went to such excruciating efforts to track me down if they would rather resort to brute force.

"The orientation sucked, so I am going to read this data chip and then perhaps we can have a productive discussion. Asari (nods toward Salana), Kai Rjinder vas Human (nods toward Rjinder), other (nods toward the vorcha); enjoy your liqueur; If you need to address me- call me Lini'Leera; right now though, I am getting to work."

She vacates the krogan chair and heads for a more comfortable Quarian-made one, then turns it around and pushes it into a corner before she sits in it, then she places the data unit in her secondary OmniTool. As she moves the chair, she rubs a hand against her backside where the krogan balls had indented small round circles in her back.
[/ic]

[ooc]Okay, I think this is edited in its final condition... I seem to post something, then I take about 40 minutes to get it in a final readable state-as a fair warning to other players-I'll probably be editing a few times right after I post. This time I added 2 paragraphs and improved diction and flow. I am one of those authors who ends up rewriting my novels 3-6 times before they end up in a finished state :o[/ooc]

[ic=During the Briefing]After Nani speaks, Salana waits almost a minute in silence. When no one else speaks up, she does. 'Girly, you look so damned adorable giving these briefings, it's distracting.' She pops open her briefcase and removes the bottle of wine followed by the data chip. 'You're sure this chip has all relevant intel? You and scales over there sometimes skimp.' She nods her head in the direction of the drell and removes the cork from the wine bottle with her hand. 'If anything is missing, I'll be knockin' on your door,' she turns the bottle up and takes a drink straight from it, 'this time for business.' Though the others wouldn't know it, Sal is referring to her habit of showing up at Nani's apartment drunk on the nights she gets kicked out of the bar before finding someone to take home with her.

Sal takes another drink straight from the bottle and shakes her head. 'This stuffs not bad.'[/ic][ooc=Data chip?]Do we get a summary of the data on the chip?[/ooc][ic=Introductions]Sal listens to the others speak. In response to the quarian, she says, 'this ain't all about money. T'Parn has plenty of money. This is how they do business. When someone tries to rip off a T'Parn subsidiary, they get made an example of.' She takes another drink of wine, 'my being here says that they expect bullets to fly and blood to spill. Really, my being here says they want that to happen.' She takes another long drink.[/ic]

[ooc=data chip]In addition to the info presented in the briefing, the data chip provides supplementary information that can be fundamentally broken down into 7 key points.

1. The ships are being built some where in the Terminus Systems.
 
2. It is believed the Batarian Pirate Khaza Blackeyes is providing the shipwrights.

3. Blackeyes has a 20k Credit bounty on his head.

4. The Volus Chesla Don has a child named Chan Don, who is listed as the sole heir to all of Chesla's fortune upon his death.

5. Chan Don was last seen on the Citadel (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Citadel).

6. Chesla Don also had an estranged business partner during the early days of the Talis Fia (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Talis_Fia) venture - a human named Sergey Volkov.

7. Sergey Volkov is believed to live on Omega (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Omega)[/ooc]

[ic]Before everyone departs, Archimedes says, "Chesla Don is almost certainly off-world at this point, but I suggest we begin by paying a visit to Lawa T'Kin.  With some creative persuasion she may provide us with the name of a ship.  Of course, Chesla's departure will probably not have been recorded, but perhaps T'Kin's computer might contain correspondence between herself and Chesla; it's probably worth trying to hack into her files."[/ic]

[ic= Master Minds]
The Quarian's behavior confuses Kai, at first. Whatever her faults, she suddenly displays something radically different, and it is somehow tied directly to the Vorcha. Implications? The worst implication may make it impossible for the two to work together. Hopefully the issue at hand is not so drastic and can be sorted out soon.

He considers some of the pieces of this plan.

"I believe we may wish to see to this heir as well. And it may prove highly useful in drawing out Chesla if he has gone to ground. Or, at the very least, ensuring that the assets of the father never actually reach the son. It may ease the matter of the money." Kai pauses and considers. Likely, this is to be a secondary or tertiary measure. They need not directly involve the heir until other, more direct avenues have been used.

"But this business with Blackeyes is bad, and it gives the Volus a great many chances to hide in the Terminus systems. We may need to proceed cautiously in case he has not yet sought out a safe bolt hole." He begins to consider some of the other notes. In particular, the Asari Lawa T'Kin is going to be a problem. If they do not handle that delicately, then it may not take long before the Volus is in the wind. Or dirt, maybe.

"That seems like a fair starting point, Archimedes, but we may need to prepare some way to prevent her from warning Chesla that we are coming." He glances to the Asari present. "The easiest would be to dispose of her once the information is gained-- in order to prevent word of our activities from reaching our quarry. But word of his friend disappearing may be just as hazardous to our efforts. I would be much happier with some form of plan to retrieve the information without alerting her or him to our intentions."

If all that was expected was violence, then Kai would not have been brought into this project. He knows how to shoot a rifle, but he's hardly a fair hand with it; his talents lay elsewhere.

"The least assuming lead seems to be his former partner, Volkov. Being on Omega may also put us into a position to keep tabs on the biggest events of note in the Terminus systems. Nobody builds a fleet without somebody noticing, and I imagine that if anyone will know, they will be on Omega." Kai hesitates, not particularly pleased with the frontier justice of the Terminus Systems, but also seeing it as the exact place he would hide out in this Volus' situation.

"For now, I think we should seek out T'Kin, then her residence. They seem the best sources for information. If we can't find anything else useful there, then we may want to consider heading to Omega next. Beyond that... well, I imagine that will depend on just how effective our own cunning and ingenuity is."[/ic]

[ic=Planning]Salana slides the data chip into her omni-tool and begins reading, sipping wine as she does so. 'It seems Chesla Don has given his offspring one of his names. That's a piece of arrogance.'[/ic][ooc=Volus Naming]Maybe I'm the only one that remembers that volus don't have surnames.[/ooc][ic=Planning 2]'One plan is as good as any,' she says, holding the wine bottle out in front of her at arm's length and examining it. Just over half the bottle remains. 'T'Kin is likely our target's best chance of disappearing quickly. We should eliminate that option before he wants to use it.' She puts the cork back in the bottle firmly and returns it to her briefcase. 'That's my suggestion.'[/ic][ooc=Medi-gel?]Do we get any medi-gel?[/ooc]

[ooc]I'm really glad you picked up on the Surname.

You have the max amount of Medi-Gel you can carry right now - 2 gels.

[/ooc]

[ic=Expectations & Impressions]
Lini'Leera poured over the data on her Omni'Tool, amping up her hearing aid while she did so she could hear the others.

She had not intended to become a murderer, so she increasingly got a bad taste in her mouth about the entire endeavour. Quarians received enough legal difficulties without being tied to real disappearances.

Turian and Salarian stories of roving Quarians abducting tech-savvy youth and great scientists during their Pilgrimages were almost certainly false to the 99% percentile of possibility, but in a court of law the Jury often voted more with their emotions than their heads...unless they were Elcor, but Elcor rarely sat on a jury--they often stood as judges, but they were too few in population to regularly be selected as jurors.

Lini'Leera if caught, would not fare well in the Judicial System. And even if not caught, but only if a Quarian was associated with such shady deals, she would shame her father and the Flotilla. Lini'Leera grimaced. The Flotilla was mismanaged, but it was the Flotilla-her species-Quarians deserved better.

Hearing the others speak, she continued to form opinions of them: Asari "blood to spill..." Violent, but clever, and oddly polite, only offering a suggestion instead of being forceful. A team player perhaps... unlikely though. More likely she is used to being on a team and being oppressed--never a leader--like a Flotillan, so she never thinks to lead, or attains the necessary skills.

Human. "...dispose of her" Violent. Brutal. Dangerous factor. Not as clever as the Asari. Speaks too much. Rambles. Lays too much on the table about his personality. Unless he's showing off, like Lini was with her words.

Vorcha-AI. A plant who is likely speaking the party line of the Drell and the other Asari and Krogan. Probably best to follow what the AI wants if one wants to gather favor with this organization. But does she want to gather favor? Being favored is better than being hated at least. The AI in this creature seemed decent with its voice modulation. Lini wondered how well it could move and react to changing situations... perhaps it was even a semi-autonomous VI? She had read of such things, illegally created...not all VIs had to end like the Geth. She tried to brainstorm some diagnostics to run on the AI next time she got near it.

When she's done reading through the chip and before everyone departs, she echoes Archimedes with a sigh. "Yes, hack her files, makes the most sense. Let's minimize the bodies, no? Unless we're killing synthetics." She looked quickly over at the one who claimed to be Archimedes to see if he reacted to the word. Or unless the community wants them dead. None of you have a reward out for you yet? No? Let's keep it that way.
[/ic]

[ooc=Explanation] I am going to assume you guys would prefer to scope the Port Authority Building and her apartment out a little before running in and hacking computers and risk killing bystanders. After searching the T'Parn Network, you find the following information. [/ooc]

[ooc=T'kin's Office] The T'Parn network has a fair amount of information concerning the Port Authority. The Authority divides the air space above Nos Astra into three regions - North, East and South-West. The main headquarters of the Port Authority lies in the Laszen Tower, near the center of the city. Each region is given a smaller campus facility to manage the day-to-day issues and co-ordinate the local departments spread across their region. T'Kin splits her time equally between the North Campus, the main Office and the Ancomp Department (located in the far north of the city).

 Officially, T'Kin's role in the company is to act as liaison between the North Campus and the Main Office however in practice she regularly schedules herself to work in the Ancomp Department for nearly half her work hours. The T'Parn Network operatives do not know the rationale behind this.

Currently, her work schedule states that she is working at the Ancomp Department for the remainder of her shift (which lasts until 9:00 GSD tomorrow morning). Following that, she will have a 7 hour break before reporting to the North Campus for a 3 hour shift (which begins at 16:00 GSD and ends at 19:00 GSD). Following this, her weekend begins, which lasts for the next three days.

The Ancomp Department is located in the Rodla Shopping Area. Ancomp is a fairly modest workplace, with 3 small offices, a storage area, a large reception area and a break room. T'Kin's office is the largest and set the furthest away from the reception area (i.e. the front door). It is very spartan, containing a large L-shaped desk at the far end, several chairs for guests and a large holo-screen opposite the desk. Offices 1 and 2 house four rectangular desks each and are manned by 2 employees most hours of the day. The Break Room contains a large sofa and a small round table with four chairs. The Storage area is filled with crates that Nos Astria-ites pay the Port Authority to ship to different locations across the city. The reception area contains a half-octagon desk which is manned by a receptionist during business house (6-16 GSD).  

All of the employees are Asari save for the receptionist, who is Human.

The Department is constantly being monitored via video feeds, both inside and out. However both T'kin's office and the storage area lack video and audio recording devices (at the request of T'kin roughly 5 months ago). [/ooc]

[ooc=T'Kin's Appartment]T'kin lives in a modest square-shaped studio apartment in one of the wealthier neighborhoods on the south-side of town. The apartment contains a small kitchen and a petite table with three stools in the lower left corner. The upper left corner houses a living room with a holo-screen and a sofa. The upper right corner has a queen-sized loft bed with three crates. The entrance and a small bathroom lie in the lower right corner.

T'parn Operatives are unable to ascertain why T'kin, who earns a decent income, chooses to live in such a small apartment. [/ooc]

[ooc]The following in-character section is in response to

Quote from: ReplySal looks at the quarian, curiously. "That's hardly a reasonable assumption in this line of work." She lets out a single, uncomfortable laugh, almost like a cough. "I may or may not have a reward out for me on Omega."[/ic][ooc=Assumption]Next, I'm going to assume that all that data was read to us by Archimedes, who likely got bored while we were talking and looked it up. If that turns out to not be the case, I will try to alter this post to reflect where it did come from. If that's information we could have found on our own, later, Sal probably won't know it. She'll favor just showing up at the appointed time and waiting for someone to direct her where to point her gun.[/ooc][ic=Reply 2]"The only reason I know for a girl with money to live in a place like that," Sal puts in, like an expert on the subject, "is that she doesn't often spend her nights there. I doubt we'll find her at her place. We'd be better off trailing her after her last work shift."[/ic]

[ooc]Can I make an intelligence check to simulate Archimedes' calculations concerning the fleet size/armaments?[/ooc][ic]Archimedes reads out the data stored on the ship and what he can find on the T'Parn network concerning T'Kin.  While he does his brain seethes, calculating variables at a fantastic rate '" probabilities that Chesla is still on Illium or that he in the Terminus systems; the likely percentage of the pirate fleet's completion; the number of ships and likely armaments a quarter million credits could purchase.  The dull headache building behind his eyes begins to gradually recede.  Not enough data for conclusive results '" margins of error still high.

The human, Kai, has surprised him.  His brain seems to work like a shotgun '" wide angle, scattered distribution.  That sort of intelligence could be valuable, could force you to see a problem for perspectives others might dismiss.

The quarian's nervousness is increasing; he can see her fretting.  Her comment might suggest a strong moral center beneath the layers of narcissism and paranoia '" more likely, though, she was just worried about potential jail-time.  A neurotic temperament, certainly.

"Alright, it seems that we're agreed '" hacking into T'Kin's files first makes sense.  If we can find out what channels she's using to communicate with Chesla, perhaps we can sever them without her realizing it '" reconfigure her system so that it sends messages to an address we set up.  Then one of us can impersonate Chesla, try and extract information that way."  Throw the quarian a bone; egomaniacs like it when you flatter them.  "Lini'Leera, is that viable?"[/ic]

[ic= Germination]
>>"Sal looks at the quarian, curiously. "That's hardly a reasonable assumption in this line of work." She lets out a single, uncomfortable laugh, almost like a cough. "I may or may not have a reward out for me on Omega."

In response to Sal, Lini shakes her head. "I was not aware that Omega had a functioning community."

To Archimedes. "Certainly. Hacking is simple. Impersonating a Volus--not so simple. Sal, have you ever known a Volus intimately? Do you know how they think? ... Even then, we need to know more about him; what he wants, what he sounds like if we do a voice modulation. A text message can work, but-"

She looks back at Archimedes. "It is unclear how impersonating Chesla will lead us anywhere, except to tipping him off. Better I would think, to break and enter if needed, access emails and flight reservations. If necessary, remove her Omnitool and examine its data. Still better; discover from her files how to contact Chesla--and work from there."[/ic]

[ooc]Could the Overload Tech power be used to destroy a security camera?  Obviously we won't have to worry while in her office or in the storage area, but any connecting corridors and the exterior of the building will be monitored.[/ooc]

[ooc]It could easily destroy a camera. You just have to worry about the consequences if you get caught (i.e. the police). [/ooc]

[ic]Sal shifts uneasily in her seat when the silence has gone on for too long. "Well," she begins, uncomfortably, "what do you need to try to hack her data? That is what you're all planning, right?"

I really must be the only one that's done this sort of thing before.[/ic]

[ic]"We should look into the Volus' current residence. If he has not left Illium-- unlikely though it is-- then we may find him, or, more likely, a potential lead on where exactly he may be going.

Depending on what we can find within the Volus' data store, seeking the Asari may be pointless." He tilts his head to the side. He smiles like a predator that has just caught wind of its favorite prey. "Do not forget that Nos Astra is run by a giant bureaucracy. It would be simple to convince her that turning on the Volus would be in her best interest. I would prefer to know more about their relation, but I highly doubt their bond is strong enough for her to risk losing everything to protect him. This is Nos Astra. Everything has a price." His smile softens slightly; he looks around. "That may be the safest way to approach her-- and it may give our tech specialists all the time they need to dig through whatever information they can access. Heh. I could probably provide a warrant to seize all of her data assets if we wanted to do away with the cloak-and-dagger ploys and be magnificently blunt. Without the bloodshed, of course."

He looks to Sal. "Unless you'd prefer to indulge in some...?" he queries politely.[/ic]

[ic=Refining The Plan]Sal shrugs, her chin still resting on her balled up hands. "If you all can complete our mission without me ever firing a shot, I still get paid. I guess that's what you could call a benefit of working with a team."[/ic]

[ic=Lini Doesn't Give a $***, or Not Leadership Material]
>>That may be the safest way to approach her-- and it may give our tech specialists all the time they need to dig through whatever information they can access. Heh. I could probably provide a warrant to seize all of her data assets if we wanted to do away with the cloak-and-dagger ploys and be magnificently blunt.

Yeah, do whatever. If you need to serve her fascist-order-papers; I could even set up corroborating material in Illium's SecDatabase. The less she thinks she's being taken, the better.

Everything has a price-yeah-but do we have the funds? Better solve that one before getting out there.

And Chesla Don's house; Yeah, visit it- why not- but I doubt he's stupid enough to not cram the place with bugs, monitors, plants, whatever. Then again, most people are that stupid. Volus' particularly so--they don't want to shill out extra creds.

Lini starts bringing up her usual hacking tools and macros on her OmniTool. She rolls the Quarian chair closer to the table as she punches instructions. Then she kicks her feet up on the table, so she leans back deep in the bendable chair and makes a 45 degree arch on the table with her legs. Her OmniTool rests against her mostly-straight legs and she stares intently at its data.

[ooc]
She doesn't particularly care if anyone takes a look at her work and she'll even mug for them and detail exactly the steps she's taking, if they ask.
[/ooc]
[/ic]

[ooc=For Chesla's Residence. ]Checking into the T'Parn Network you find the following data:

Chela's current residence is located in one of the richest apartment buildings in the city - Prinsaba Promontory Heights. The people who live in Prinsaba place their security and privacy above all other concerns. The Apartment is guarded by the Marte Oras Security Company, a bitter rival of T'Parn. The company is paid an unbelievably large sum to guard the Apartment Building, as such Prinsaba houses a small army of security personnel.

The Apartment itself is surrounded by three 50 foot concentric, electrified walls. In between each wall, a small horde of security personnel patrol in a fixed pattern, while assault and rocket drones are programmed to rove around in a random pattern both between the walls and up around the high-rise building. The basement of the Building is a bunker, with a full stock of weapons. Each of the 200 floors has a small command station where 10 security officers are stationed. The 51st-61st floors house the parking garage, which can be entered via a large bay on each of the 4 sides of the building. Most residents utilize valet however, many of the more paranoid denizens choose to park their own vehicle. A special parking signal, indicating your name and residency number, is all that is necessary for these residents to enter the[note= Gather Information Check about residents of Prinsaba]
Thanks to Lini's and Kai's great Gather Information Checks, you know one resident of Prinsaba, a Michael Lament, is a well known drunkard. His favorite watering hole is the Refreshing Spice Club, where he enjoys the wide selection of alcoholic beverages and the services of of the Asari Maidens.  He actually has two parking signalers and has a penchant for not returning to his home for weeks at a time. [/note] garage.

Nothing is known about Chesla's apartment other than it occupies the entire 140th floor and is garrisoned by 20 heavily armed Krogan and Vorcha.
[/ooc]

[ooc=Putting legal pressure on T'Kin]Utilizing the T'Parn network, you discover that T'Kin actually has several outstanding parking and speeding tickets. Her employers have kept the police at bay but thanks to Kai's knowledge of Bureaucracy, you can easily get the information into the hands of a Salarian police officer - one Sergeant Pepgon - who views law breakers as the worst kind of scum and isn't afraid of bucking his superiors to haul criminals in. The easiest crimes to forge additional documents for would be the following - Speeding, Parking Violations, Harassment, Bribery and Unlawful Hacking of a Government Official's Personal Computer. [/ooc]

[ic]It looks as if Don's apartment may not be the best starting point, considering the amount of security," Archimedes says after reading out the data on Chesla's residence.  "I think we've considered most of our options.  It still seems that T'Kin is our best starting point.  I agree with Kai that a double-pronged strategy would be best; I suggest that Sal and Kai approach T'Kin and ascertain whether or not she is susceptible to bribery or, if necessary, coercion.  Meanwhile, Lini'Leera and myself can attempt to hack her files covertly."[/ic]

[ic=Message from Nani]

To: Squad 7
Message:
 --- I was able to bribe a mid-level manager from the Port Authority to create false identifications for the four of you. These fake IDs will expire in 2 days, so use them ASAP. Unfortunately, the person I bribed had the smallest hint of a sense of humor and gave each of you a human names...

Kai, you are now a Customer Relations Officer of the Port Authority going by the name of George Washington. Lini you are now Joan Arc Vas Orleans, a Technical Adviser. Archimedes you are now Leonidas, a Marketing Research Assistant. Sal you are Washington's devoted Secretary going by the name Marie Antoinette.

Officially, the four of you are being contracted by the Port Authority to assess the productivity, customer service and basic marketing strategy for the Ancomp Department. Unofficially, your goal is to investigate T'Kin, ascertain what she knows about Chesla and, if possible, prevent her from aiding him in finding a means off world.

I have included a voucher for new business-appropriate clothing that will aid in your disguise.

-   Best of Luck, Nani

Message Attachment:
--- Identification
--- Voucher for Business clothing
[/ic]

[ic][spoiler=To Sal][ic=Message from Nani]To: Sal
Message: Sorry I couldn't acquire a better fake ID for you. The damn Asari I bribed thought she was the center of the whole galaxy. She wouldn't relinquish anything better than Secretary.

- Don't get too carried away with your new responsibilities,  

Nani

Message Attachment:
--- Voucher for a Bottle of Vintage Losega Wine [/ic][/spoiler][/ic]

[ic=Confusion]
Vas Orleans? "There is no ship called the Orleans?" Lini'Leera looked up after examining the profile on her false identity. Joan Arc was also not a traditional Quarian name; phonetically, the name should be Jllana'Erc to be most correct, if a phonetic relation was intended.

Lini brought up a culture module on her OmniTool and searched. Apparently her name was a reference to either a French City of Orleans, a Canadian City, an American city of 'New Orleans', a musical band http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orleans_%28band%29, or a reference to the French Royal Family.

She had no idea what Joan Arc was referring to, but a search brought up an actress: Joan Arc Orleans, from the Humans' middle 21st century and a Joan d'Arc who received a lot of search ping results, about a factor of ten more than Joan Arc.

She pondered how she could construct a story to deter any annoying questions about the ludicrousness of her name.[/ic]

[ic]Kai begins openly laughing as the message is read. As the only human present, he is likely the only one guaranteed some measure of knowledge concerning these names-- though the Vorcha Encyclopedia Archimedes may very well be full of enough random information to know.

After a few moments, he is finally able to restrain his rampant humor. He is forced to wipe a small tear from his eye brought on by his laughter.

"Oh, that is rich," he says. "Beware bored mid-level management." He unleashes another short laugh before he is able to quash it with finality.

"Ah, so we have some convenient ident cards if needed--" He hears the Quarian testing the name. She isn't pronouncing it right. He considers correcting her, but then decides that it is simply too amusing not to.

"So, this gives us, for the time being, a brief window to act in a relatively unobstructed manner. I suggest we move to clean up and make use of the vouchers-- we will need to look the part..."

He hesitates when he looks at Archimedes. Somehow, a Vorcha walking about in casual business attire is simply disturbing. Then there is Lini. That could be a problem-- the Asari may simply assume that she stole anything nice.

He shakes his head quickly. This is going to be an interesting challenge.

"Alright. So we are investigating T'kin. That's a good start-- especially since it may be more trouble than it is worth to get into Chesla's residence. How should we approach her, first? Intimidation, coercion, deceit, or other?"[/ic]

[ic=Shopping]
Lini'Leera paged through the available styles of business clothing that the provided chip would net her. The chip provided a voucher of 1200 credits and she intended to redeem every last cent of that business expense.

She netted the advertisement sound directly to inside her suit so she would not disturb the others, and so that the others would not see where she was searching.

She typed in: "Quarian Business Attire" on her first search. After a brief search, she found an appropriate pair of sanitized white gloves to be worn for formal interactions with other species and she purchased it.

Given that any Quarian would find it silly to wear anything else than her suit and she didn't want to paint it, she continued searching.

She typed in "Technical Adviser Clothing"; perhaps that could shed some light on what was appropriate to wear when dealing with aliens. She was treated to an array of jump suits in various colors. She filtered out the vibrant pinks and purples and lime greens until she was left with just blacks and blues. Blue went best with her eyes, so she chose a deep Royal Blue and placed it in her Universal Shopping Cart.

Next she typed in "Illium Style." The prices for the clothing listed there were far too expensive. And paging through the clothing images she saw way more Asari side-boobs and ass than she wanted to ever glimpse. She would not be dressed as a Quarian 'gone native' to Illium, she decided.

She looked up at Sal and furrowed her brow. Sal was not wearing anything that would have indicated to Lini'Leera that searching for Asari High fashion would have been quite so disturbing.

She saved a few random items in her false identity's Wishlist, to give the identity an veneer of reality. The items, selected at random from a script she wrote to select items from the pages that came up for a search on "Historical Business Clothing" visited included: Red suit paint, Blue Suit Paint, polka dot paint, red tie, pink bow-tie, jump-boots, Tail extension, Mickey Mouse Watch, and dandelion panties. The last two were from a Human attire website. The one before those two was from a Turian historical re-enactor's site; the tail enhancement was worn by Turian Judges three centuries past. She did not review the purchases.

She had over 1000 credits remaining. Time to buy something for herself.

She tapped a hand on the side of her arm, thinking; then she activated a search for: "Hot New Quarian Kit" and she started tabbing through the vocal and visual advertisements. There was no reason that she couldn't pick something up to keep for herself if she was under the credit limit after buying the relevant attire.

Page 1. "Sgt. Hal'Arac's Military Gear. When you have a robot infestation, sometimes you need a boot big enough to crush them."

NEXT

Voice 1 "I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite store on the Citadel." Voice 2 "Lingerie and Negligee for the discriminating Quarian. Come to Ell'Cellan's Exquisite Palace."

NEXT

PAGE 2 "Ward off Geth with your new No-Geth stencils! Apply directly to BioSuit!"

PAGE 3 "Bulk Up With Hal'Daeris' BioSuit Shoulder Guards"

Lini concentrated on that advertisement. It was in poor taste and it should not have appeared on her search. She would have to adjust her filters. Still... that could be useful for a disguise. She placed an order for the Shoulder Guards.

Lini clicked buy and ordered all selected items shipped to the discreet location provided for by her employers. She felt richer than she had ever felt before, except for that one time she siphoned off 30,000 credits from that Casino and took a vacation at that exclusive spa resort on Pasteur V, a Salarian desert world.

[/ic]

[ic=Dressed For Business]

When it came time to meet at the taxi, Lini wore her white gloves, and she added a little bulk to her suit's shoulders with Hal'Daeris' Quarian Mercenary Brand Shoulder Guards (tm). She also altered her voice modulation so she would sound about twenty years older. There was not much a Quarian could do to disguise oneself without going to great lengths to replace one's BioSuit--which was out of the question given the budget-- but most people couldn't tell one Quarian from another anyway, so for Lini, concealment was not a large concern.
[/ic]

Nearly done finishing it up; may add a few more stores to visit above.

[ic=Salana T'Sara, dedicated secretary]As Sal read the message, her expression became dark. False names, her eyes narrowed. False identities, she released a sigh of annoyance, breath rough, almost shaking. Cloak and dagger shit.  

She spoke slowly, placing bitter emphasis on every syllable and pausing for a moment between words. "Dedicated secretary?" Another sigh, "this had better be worth it."[/ic]

[ic]Finding a suit cut to my dimensions will be a nightmare thinks Archimedes.  A necessary part of the cover, of course.  The thought of Sal as a secretary was amusing; the thought of Lini'Leera attempting to maintain a façade of corporate professionalism was worrying.  Perhaps as Marking Research Assistant he could get Lini and himself access to T'Kin's files without resorting to additional subterfuge.

The asari seems near-apoplectic.  Perhaps she would be more of a threat to their cover than the quarian... still, if their cover was blown, she could be indispensable.

"After we've picked up our attire, I suggest we rendezvous at the Ancomp Department before T'Kin gets off her shift.  Any objections?[/ic]

[ooc]Taking the initiative to speed things along [/ooc] [note=Map of the top level of the Rodla Shopping Area][ooc][spoiler](http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/2559/ancomp1.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc][/note]

[ic]T'Parn didn't provide an independent means of travel, you think it best to travel as other business professionals do - by way of taxi. You hail a cab, its one of the larger model hover cars, more than enough room for the four of you. Dal, the Salarian driver, deflects all attempts to communicate, preferring instead to listen to his vintage, imported Earth music. The lyrics tend to be nonsensical, something about Poker Faces... Sal has a bit of a lead foot, and a love of weaving in and out of the three-dimensional traffic lanes. You make it across town quite quickly and none the worse for wear.

The Rodla Shopping Area is a multi-level, rectangular-shaped mall located at the top of the Rodla Building. At the center of the building lies an open air courtyard that extends from the ground level to the top. 4 glass elevators are located on each side of the court yard, ferrying people up and down the building. The mall itself is filled with overpriced specialty shops, principally selling clothing, trinkets and the latest needless doodads.

The Ancomp Department is located on the top level of the building, which also houses Skip's Used Books, a Volus bar called Ammonia Only, Voltage arcade, Yama's Café, a luxury movie theatre called High Town Cinema, a Salarian businessware store called Salarian Suits and Nikala, a lingerie store, which specializes in non-Asari body shapes.

Inside the Ancomp Department building, you find a blue carpeted reception area, with a small line in front of an octagonal desk. As you walk in, the human receptionist, a moderately attractive Asian woman with long black hair and pale skin, gives the four of you a bit of a nod then returns to the Volus customer who's booking a trip to Moscow. After a few minutes the line quickly dissipates as the receptionist rapidly and efficiently handles each customer's orders. Finally, it is your turn.

'Hello my name is Kim Eun and welcome to Ancomp. We specialize in booking trips and inter-Illium shipping. How may I help you?' [/ic]

[ic=Self-Important]
Lini puffs her chest out, crosses her arms, and lofts her head up at an acute angle so although she only stands about a handspan and a half shorter than the human, she appears to be doing her best to sneer down at the lady.

She taps her right foot impatiently.

[/ic]

[ic=Shopping]
Kai was hardly one to find himself lost in the throng of business attire-- and some already costly suits were in his collection simply by the sheer virtue of necessity. Most disguises are only so good as the clothes you wrap yourself within-- certainly a prospect that the Quarians or Volus ought to understand.

It doe snot take him long to spend the entirety of the credit voucher-- spending most of it filling out what wardrobe he already has at his disposal rather than an entire outfit.

He errs just this side of oppulent, trying to present the image of someone trying to downplay just how much wealth they have. Kai does not favor the trollish "I own this room, I own you," look. It offends his delicate sensibilities.

He has decided however, to invest in a new cologne-- a scent reminiscent of burnt sienna and amber, with a warm, mellow edge.

His purchases are made in person, unlike the Quarian no doubt peddling her hacking skills while she is at it. Despite this, he manages quickly, finding little difficulty in managing his way through the morass of societal expectations from such endeavors.

And once done, his is more than sure to spare a few minutes to present himself as a different person. Simple skin pigment and hair dye, change him from a pale-skinned blonde to a dark-haired man with a Mediterranean tan.[/ic]

[ooc=Disguise] Simple Deception to make him look like some random human. Being Simple, it grants a +5 bonus and only takes a few minutes of free time to prepare. With the bonus, he has a +24 to the Deception check, and is more than willing to apply his skills to any other party members who want it. I could probably even make the Vorcha look like a not Vorcha... (That would only be a Moderate, I believe, so it's still a +19 versus Will and about an hour of work. +17 to knock that down to about 10 minutes)[/ooc]

[ic=Arrival]
Kai smiles with the ease of a lifetime of deceptions. He glances sidelong at the Quarian and her behavior. He rolls his eyes theatrically. Come now, Joan, their networks can't be as bad as you fear if they have been moving so quickly." He flashes a grin at the Quarian before turning back to the receptionist.

"Good day to you-- I am Mr. Washington, and these are my associates Ms. vasOrleans," he gestures to Lini. "Leonidas," Archimedes. "And my secretary, Marie." Sal. "We are here on behalf of the Port Authority to assess Ancomp's performances here. I believe we are expected...?" he queries politely.[/ic]

[ooc]Sadly, I don't have time for too much more today, but I can add more in later if its needed.[/occ]

[ic=A Breath of Not-So-Fresh Air]

"Clearly we were NOT expected. Otherwise, they would have known who YOU are." Lini sneers, gesturing toward Kai as she does. Then she jerks her head away and coughs.

Ever since she had been in that Salarian's stinking car, her skin had started tingling and now it was beginning to take on a bit of a burning sensation. She looked back at the female human and continued, as sharply as she could, and pointing a white-gloved hand at her. "At least MY pay is going to be justified, although I don't look forward to writing THIS report."

Lini coughed again and she turned away. Eyes watering, she looked down at her OmniTool and, after bobbling slightly due to the extra girth on her gloved finger, she keyed in an adjustment to her suit's filtration system to vent, use stored air, then recycle on infinite loop. Noxious fumes from the Salarian's car seemed to be persisting in their percolation within her suit despite the precautions she had taken in the car to recycle her air; she hoped the fumes didn't cause an allergic reaction beyond the Stage Zero or Stage One that she was already experiencing.

[/ic]

[ooc]...Cologne...the bane of Quarians. And LD. I hate that stuff... Like Perfume- to me, cologne is as noxious as cigarettes, tending to send me into paroxysms of coughs.[/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes remains silent while Kai speaks and Lini stroppily blusters.  He carefully and surreptitiously scans the room, noting the locations of cameras and darting brief but observant glances at the staff and customers, being as discrete as possible[/ic][ooc]Perception check (+6 bonus) - not sure if you're rolling those sorts of things for us, Elf, or we do them ourselves?  If the latter I got a 16.

Apologies for brevity, bit of a busier day.[/ooc]

[ooc]You guys can roll when you are actively doing something, I'll roll if I need your characters to roll :) [/ooc]

[ooc=Archimedes' Check]Archimedes notices a camera in the corner of the wall, on the ceiling, nearest the exit. Archimdes' check is also high enough to spot a hidden camera in the center of the door leading to the rest of the office.

The Human Receptionist is behind an octagonal desk, which lies to the left of the door leading to the rest of the office. There are three customers in line behind you. One of the customers, a human male, wearing a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts and sun glasses, is filming himself with a small video drone; he appears to be making a vlog, excessively utilizing the words "brah, dude, totally and chaaa". There are two other customers behind you, both elegantly dressed Asari, that appear to be in a rush. [/ooc]

[ic]The Human seems quite taken aback, "No, no sir. No one informed us of your visit..." she glances frightfully at the Quarian before feverishly rustling through the files on her Omni-Tool, desperately searching for a missed a memo or some kind of note.

"No, I'm very sorry Mr. Washington, there is no record of your appointment... However," she pauses for a moment to think, "the HQ did warn us that they would be performing random evaluations of different Departments." She pauses again, a smile comes across her face as she slowly accepts her own line of thought.

"Yes, yes. A Ms. Aloc will be better equipped to handle your needs. She's in Office number 2. Let me just unlock the back door for you..."

She taps a small button on here holoscreen, the door's locking mechanism makes a short hissing noise, then in a flash, the entire door shoots up into the ceiling reveling a brightly lit, though quite narrow, hallway. "First door on your right."[/ic]

[ic=Nothing To See Here]Lini waits for Kai to lead the way before following. She ignores the human woman as she walks past.[/ic]


[ooc]May add more after someone else posts.[/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes polishes and resettles the absurd round spectacles perched on his face (purchased with the voucher provided).

"I will require access to all of the company computers, Miss Eun" he informs the secretary.  "To install standardized efficiency-evaluation programs to track usage, optimize efficiency, and prevent time-theft.  If you would be so kind as to supply any relevant passwords...?"[/ic][ooc]Archimedes will not only snoop through any files he can find, he'll install a remotely relayed keystroke tracker if possible (logs sent to an address that looks like a Port Authority address, but isn't), with the files named to resemble the aforementioned corporate efficiency-evaluation program.

EDIT: to preemptively roll for that, my Use Computer check was 21 total.  If that's not enough, perhaps Lini could aid another?[/ooc]

[ooc=Perception Checks]
[spoiler=To Kai] As you walk into the hallway, you notice one of the Asari who was in line behind you, the more attractive of the two, sizes you up and gives you a bit of a wink. She motions towards her Omni-Tool, the universal sign of "give me your email address, cutie".[/spoiler]

[spoiler=To Kai, Sal and Lini]As you venture into the hallway, you hear a loud but muffled bang, as if someone had just slammed their fist on a table. The noise came from the end of the hallway, most likely in T'Kin's office. [/spoiler]

[spoiler=Archimedes] As you enter the hallway you notice several interesting things. First, one of the Asari, who was waiting in line behind you, is flirting with Kai, gesturing for him to send her his email address. You also notice the secretary quietly clicking a small red button on the bottom of her Holoscreen. Almost immediately, you hear a loud but muffled bang, as if someone had just slammed their fist on a table. The noise came from the end of the hallway, most likely in T'Kin's office. You also hear the telltale clicking of a camera zooming in, the noise is emanating from the security camera on the wall behind you. [/spoiler][/ooc]

[ic]The Office designated 2 is quite large, given the small size of the department. The four walls are lined with 2 desks, each with a finely dressed Asari busy at work. The office is abuzz with the sound of furious typing and the low hum of the ventilation system.

One of the Asari on the far end of the room, gaunt and aqua colored, stands up abruptly, runs up to the Vorcha, points her finger in his face and yells, "You want to do WHAT!? Who sent you!? Who are you!? What gives you the right to come in here and demand anything you slimely little cretin?" She pauses for a moment, taking in the entire party, then stretches her other arm out and points to Kai, "And you! Keep your pet on a leash or I'll put him down like the dog he is! Oh and while you're at it," she nods over to Lini, a cruel smile appearing on her face "Get rid of the bubble-wrapped, freak-show thief before I crack open her face plate and gouge out those pretty little glowing orbs her kind call eyes." [/ic]

[ic]"Calm down, madam," Archimedes says with utmost courtesy.  "As I explained, we've been sent from the Port Authority.  I am a Marketing Research Assistant; you can call me Leonidas." He carefully presents his identification.  "Among other things, we're here to assess the efficiency of this office.  If you have a complaint, I suggest you take it up with the Port Authority."

He makes straight for T'Kin's office, stepping around the asari and ignoring any further protests.  She will have to physically restrain him to stop him - and judging from her bigoted attitude, she wouldn't be too keen on touching a vorcha if she can help it...[/ic][ooc]I rolled a Bluff or Diplomacy check (whichever you think is appropriate) and got a 15.[/ooc]

[ooc]Bluff Check Failed :( [/ooc]

[ic]Aloc screams, "Ladies, we have a stray dog that needs to be put down." Then, almost immediately, 3 of the other Asari pop up from their desks and assume some sort of martial arts stance with a Stun Batons drawn and the eerie glow of biotic powers slowly wrapping around each of their bodies. The remaining four Asari office workers scream in horror and duck under their desks.

"Lets teach these blackguards the reason no one messes with Eclipse (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Eclipse)!" [/ic]

[ooc=Positions] Kai, Sal and Lini stand inside office #2 near the doorway. Standing in front of them is Aloc, who has taken up a martial arts stance with the biotic aura enveloping her, but no weapon drawn. Archimedes is outside of the Office in the hallway. Two of the Eclipse Asari with Stun Batons are on the long wall opposite you while the third is at the at the bottom of the office on the furthest wall from the door. The room is roughly 7 Squares long by 3 squares wide, so roughly 10.5 m x 4.5 m. [/ooc]

[ooc=Perception Checks][spoiler=Archimedes][note]By the goddess, I keep rolling 20's on your checks! :) [/note] As you rush into the office's hallway, you see a handsome dark-blue-almost-purple Asari wearing a tight-fitting combat suit. She has a large rifle in her hands and what appears to be a jetpack on her back. She's currently in the hallway between her office and the storage area. She's obviously trying to make a break for it. The Hallway is 15 squares long, she is currently right outside her office's door.[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ooc=Initiative checks ]
Sal
Lini
Asari #3
Archimedes
Asari #1
T'Kin
Kai
Aloc
Asari #2
[/ooc]

[ooc=Rules about Initiative] If there's only a player above you in the initiative order, then feel free to post what you want to do in combat, that way we can keep the combat going at a good pace. [/ooc]

[ic=Not Exactly a Hostage Situation]
Lini watched Archimedes be accosted by an Asari that she figured was the 'Aloc' the receptionist indicated. The vorcha disguise was a foolish one for a synthetic. Her employers, who had been at least reasonably competent in everything else should have realized the difficulties inherent with vesting powers in such a reviled form.

Then the insults were directed at Lini, who choked back an automatically snarky response. Swallowing her words, quit literally, she coughed as phlegm went down her throat that was swollen by her Stage 1 or 2 allergic reaction (stage 2 led to inflammation of the glands). Asari whores always did hate Quarians--the only species the prostitutes couldn't pollute with their mind-raping. [ooc]Lini may not be entirely right here about Asaris not being able to mate with Quarians; but think about Mass Effect- have you EVER seen an Asari with a Quarian? I wonder why. My thesis is that contrary to usual mating with other races-which endangers Quarians; an Asari mating with a Quarian in the Asari way would be at more risk of damage due to a chemical misalignment.[/ooc] It was best to ignore the Tramp's jealousy.

Then Lini heard the Bimbo's screech and claims of being an Eclipse Mercenary--Unexpected.

Lini activates her Tech Armor and retreats back to the reception area, where if possible, she is going to race towards the receptionist, crying "Help! They're killing Archimedes--he's not a monster. Can't you save us! Call security!" She's going to grab the receptionist, holding her around the waist and twisting her to face the hallway as Lini forces sobs. [OOC]Would I just straight-out-succeed if the receptionist isn't trying to resist? I'm also hoping that the 'grabbing' the receptionist is more of a move action than a full action--it's not an attack. IF necessary, Lini only grabs at her this turn and doesn't turn her around-but if she has enough actions left, she'll turn her around.[/ooc]

Lini will also draw her heavy blaster while she's enveloping the receptionist and using her as a shield towards the hallway door.

[ooc]-As a player I sort of get the idea that the receptionist *may* have known we weren't above the level. Lini doesn't suspect at all.

-Knowing Eclipse from the ME games, Lini's hostage-taking may not be the most useful idea, but she doesn't know that.

-Lini also isn't interested in combat or in actually killing anyone; seeing as they drew stun weapons, she's not going to fire the first deadly shot.[/ooc][/ic]

[ooc]You can easily make it out of the office and to the reception room with your move action. Since you have +1 BAB, you can draw your weapon as part of your move action. I will allow you to grab the helpless Receptionist as a swift action (she's very distraught and doesn't know what is going on). Activating your tech armor is another Swift action. You forgot to roll your Use Tech check. I'll roll it for you 1d20+10=25.

Ath the very end of the hallway, you see a purple-colored Asari, in a combat jump suit with a large back pack and a rifle in hand. You immediately recognize her from the photo's you've seen - it's T'Kin. [/ooc]

[ic]The three customers in the reception room are floored by what's going on. The Human immediately turns his video drone around and begins filming. The two Asari that were in line behind him, tremble with fear, out of instinct they lunge for cover behind a small couch.[/ic]

[ic=Designated Meeting Place and Time]Salana arrives a few minutes late, wearing a form fit dress and glasses. He attire would likely be quite attractive on any other asari. Sal is not an ordinary asari, however. Seeing her in this manner of dress is almost comical because of how unnatural it looks. The scars of he face are lit by the glasses, which have visible words and lines moving across them.[/ic][ooc]The glasses are set up like a computer monitor and linked up with her omni-tool.[/ooc][ic=Reception Area]Sal remains silent, even when introduced. Her annoyance radiates from her and she is constantly doing something on her omni-tool. In her mind, this should come across as in-character, though she makes no serious effort to be convincing. She follows the others into office number 2.[/ic][ic=Confrontation]Sal remains silent as the asari in the office exchanges words with Archimedes. As soon as her and the others drop into combat stances, however, Sal's annoyed scowl turns into a grin.

"Aww, thanks, girls. You don't know how much I need this." She says, tossing her glasses aside and easing into a more relaxed stance. Immediately, she begins to glow with biotic energy, then reaches a hand out. Suddenly, she makes a motion as though she is violently snatching something from the air and the asari that had just been speaking is lifted from the ground and slammed into the ceiling, clearly with great force.[/ic][ooc]Ohsweetbabyjesus, I rolled a 20 on my Use Biotics check. I'll attribute that to her frustration. Obviously I'm using Lift. The natural 20 along with my +7 from the skill makes the check 27. That puts the damage at 6d6, right?

Damage[dice]6d6[/dice][/ooc]

*

[Note][ooc]Golf clap for NinjaD! Awesome roll! [/ooc][/note][ic]With a single violent thrust, Sal rockets Aloc into the air, her head collides with with the ceiling above. A distinctive, and quite gratifying, snapping sound is heard right before the corpse plummets to the ground with an equally satisfying thud.

Aloc's three companions are horrified - their mentor of many years, a woman they believed invincible, is now dead. Anger and hatred wash over their faces. They stare at Sal for a moment before beginning their assault upon the woman who murdered their friend.    [/ic]

[ic=Asari #3]"By the goddess! You pure blooded whore! I will kill you where you stand!" The Asari closes her eyes for a moment, slowly gathering the biotic energy needed for her attack. With a single motion she stretches her arm out, and lets fly a small black ball. The ball races over near Sal and suddenly stops, hanging in mid air for a mere second before violently exploding into a miniature Black Hole.

[ooc=Her roll]She places the singularity in an unoccupied square so that both Kai and Sal are trapped. Use Biotics Check - 24. Until her next turn both Sal and Kai will loose their Standard and Move Actions.  [/ooc][/ic]


[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Archimedes
Asari #1
T'Kin
Kai
Aloc
Asari #2
---EoT---
Sal
Lini
Asari #3
[/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes' brain races.  Sal has just killed one of the Eclipse mercenaries; in for a penny in for a pound, as the saying goes.

Aiming to injure rather than kill, Archimedes pulls out his M-6 Carnifex Heavy Pistol from a shoulder holster concealed inside his suit and fires at the fleeing asari, hoping to disable her.[/ic][ooc]Got a natural 20 to hit for a total of 23 if in Point Blank Shot range, if not then 22!  Critical confirmation roll was an 8, so total is 11 or 10 if not in Point Blank Shot range.

Next round I'm going probably going to try and knock out the security cameras.  May be too late, but we'll see.

I see the subtle approach has pretty much gone to hell in handbasket, so we might as well go apeshit.[/ooc]

[ooc]I house ruled that we don't roll for confirmation (always hated that rule). If you roll a 20, you crit! :)

To keep things moving, I'll roll your damage 8,8,4,4,8,1 = 33 [/ooc]

[ic]What was intended as a simple shot to maim quickly turned into a gory assassination. T'Kin, who was running at full speed out of her office, was struck by Archimedes' shot right in the neck, wrenching her head clear off. Her body slammed into the wall opposite Archimedes with a very loud thud, then toppled over in a contorted fashion, blood spewing everywhere.

You can hear the human in the reception room yell out "RIGHTEOUS!!! My fans are going to, like, totally dig this! Chaaaa!"  [/ic]

[ic=Meanwhile in Office #2]The Second Asari drops her Stun Baton and draws a pistol - she takes aim at the helpless Sal. However, she forgot to take the Singularity's gravity into account and so misses by a wide margin. She yells out, "You got lucky pureblood, real lucky!" [/ic]


[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Kai
Aloc
Asari #2
---EoT---
Sal
Lini
Asari #3
Archimedes
Asari #1
T'Kin
[/ooc]

[ic=Downwipe]
Lini's eyes are wide as she, from behind her human shield, watches Aloc get slammed into the ceiling and crushed; then she sees Archimedes eviscerate T'Kin with a shot to the neck. Synthetics always were good shots, but it was unclear how killing T'Kin was the most intelligent decision.

She heard the other human yell out in glee and then she saw his video recording bot. Her eyes narrowed again into their thin slits and, while still gripping her human shield with one hand and being careful to keep her blaster out of sight from the others in the office (since it was being held on the far right side of the human receptionist), she pulled the receptionist to the ground, with her arms enveloped around the lady's body.

Once on the ground, Lini had a better brace and she pointed her OmniTool at the recording bot, focusing on it and trying to identify its frequency.

Use Computer Check: [dice]1d20+10[/dice]

With a success, she sends two pre-configured scripts to the bot, one copying its data, the second on a several second time delay to overload its electronic circuits and cause it to crash and wipe its hard drive. While the bot might have contained information useful to prove that her allies had been attacked first, exculpating her in the event of arrest, once her associates started blasting off the heads of their targets--it became more of a liability.
[/ic]

[ooc]I will be gone this evening (its D&D night). I will post what Asari #2 is doing, that way both Ninja and Light Dragon (who has already posted) will have the freedom to act. Obviously, Asari #2 acts after Kai. [/ooc]

[ic]"Ha! You never could hit the broadside of a skyscraper could you Bosa? I'll show you how its really done!" The Asari whips out her pistol and fires it at Sal in a single fluid motion.

[ooc]Her attack roll is a NATURAL 1![/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Fortune Favors the Bold. Apparently Kai is neither Bold, nor Beautfiul]
The day had started out so pormising. He had a good sleep, he got paid, he got to buy new clothes. And he had just been given the chance to make use of his own particular talents. He even had a pleasant chance to send his fake identity's address to a cute asari's omni-tool. The day had started so well-- and it had continued to do so, right up until T'Kin panicked on them. She then did one of the worst things possible: she made a fight out of it.

While the world began to explode in violence and carnage around him, Kai quickly realized that he was smack in the center of that carnage-- a place where he never really hoped to ever find himself, especially when he was in expensive suits.

But Kai's training, though military in nature, was for the calm, cool, intellectual displays of naval warfare, not the frantic, fast-paced carnage of infantry battles, and it takes a few moments for him to realize just how out of his depth he is, standing about as Sal sends one of the Asari skull-first into the ceiling. The crack makes Kai wince visibly at the sound.

Kai takes so long to do anything that he is caught unaware by the biotic singularity-- it takes all of his effort to simply remain on his feet, never mind attempting to manage anything useful. Which, in all due fairness, most likely would have been hiding behind his 'secretary'.

"This is not good customer service!" he yells, doing what he can to fight against the singularity's pull so that he can flee to find some kind of proper cover. Maybe he'd even shoot back at them once his arse isn't hanging out in the line of fire.[/ic]

[ic]Lini's gambit works without a hitch - commercial-grade Drones are like putty in her expert hands. Quite unexpectedly, the Video Drone slowly begins to smoke, following by loud cracks and snaps until it finally crashes to the ground busting open like a ripe watermelon. The Human stares at his prized possession with utter shock and dismay, tears begin to flow out of his big puppy dog eyes, "My... My mom gave me that drone... It... It was the last gift she ever gave me before she died... And now its broken..." The Human drops to his knees and begins to cry while pushing different pieces of the drone together, trying in vain to make the drone whole again. [/ic]


[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Sal
Lini (already acted)
Asari #3
Archimedes
Asari #1
T'Kin
Kai
Aloc
Asari #2
---EoT---
[/ooc]

[ooc]Since Sal is stuck in the singularity, I am going to post what Asari #3 does. Ninja, feel free to post what ever you wish. [/ooc]

[ic=Asari #3]Music suddenly begins to play over the intercom. Its difficult to hear over the sounds of the battle. The song has a stirring upbeat melody, quite nice.

The Asari chuckles at both of her victims. Though the singularity was wearing off, that doesdn't mean she didn't have a few more tricks up her sleeve. She slaps her hand down on her Omni-Tool and yells "Come forth MIGHTY DRAGON!"

[ooc]She uses the Combat Drone. With modifiers, she rolls a 21.[/ooc]

A large red orb with glowing gold tech armor forms in front of the Asari.

"You can't possibly defeat my customized Combat Drone - Mighty Dragon! Feel his fury as he strikes you with his fire breath!"

The Drone slowly moves forward until it is in the center of the room, roughly 2 squares from Sal. It then lets loose a gout of fire that chars everything in its path.

[ooc]The Drone spurts a 4 square by 1 square gush of intense fire. With modifiers its attack roll is 8. The Drone deals 8 damage, since it failed to beat Sal's Ref Defense, she only takes 4 damage. [/ooc][/ic]

[ic=New Human Combatant] A Human, clad in very heavy bronze armor, walks out of T'Kin's office. His head is exposed, he has blond hair, green eyes with a chubby, bearded, swarthy face.

"You killed T'Kin. For that, the Eclipse thanks you. She's been stealing from us for months." His voice is quite deep and guttural. "Yet, you killed Aloc. For that sin, I cannot let you leave without reciprocal punishment. I will kill one of you, perhaps two, she was a good soldier after all. However, first I must finish what I began by destroying all evidence of our being here."

The Human, clicks a few buttons on his Omni-Tool. Suddenly every unattended electronic device in the office begins to sputter, hiss and smoke. As the song, that's been playing over the intercom, reaches its crescendo all of the electronics explode in timing to the music.  The human closes his eyes and raises his hands in triumph. [/ic]

[ooc=Song]The Song is Ride of the Valkyries (http://youtu.be/V92OBNsQgxU). [/ooc]


[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Archimedes
Asari #1
Kai
Asari #2
---EoT---
Sal
Lini
Asari #3
Human Combatant
[/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes fires a second shot with his Carnifex at the human Eclipse mercenary and backs up into the Storage Room in hopes of getting into cover.

"There is no sin except stupidity," he mutters, ejecting a thermal clip onto the ground.  A curious, toothy grin has stolen onto his monstrous features.[/ic][ooc][dice]1d20+3[/dice]

Just realized how to use this thing!  I think I used it properly...[/ooc]

[ic]The Vorcha takes a shot at the human, however the bullet is stopped by the Human's shields.[/ic]

 [ic][spoiler=Archimedes]Inside the storage area, you find 3 Volus with datapads, inspecting several large green and white crates marked "fragile". One of the crates is open, you can see that it contains small baggies full of red powder. You immediately recognize the powder for what it is - Minagen X3 (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Drugs#Minagen_X3).

One of the Volus looks up at you in a startled manner and quietly says "Uhhh... Sir, you aren't supposed to be in here... We have to inspect the crates before you all-brawn-no-brain types come in here and take the crates away. See that's how we run things in the REAL GALAXY. Me Volus, me inspect. You Vorcha, you take. BUT NOT BEFORE I FINISH MY BLOODY JOB YOU INCOMPETENT BOOB!" [/spoiler][/ic]

 [ic=Asari 1]"Listen to that crap music. Goddess, I hate working with Igor, such an idiot. Ah well, can't let it ruin my day, not when I have an ugly Asari to kill!"

 [ooc]She shoots Sal with her pistol, with modifiers she gets a 10.[/ooc][/ic]




[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Kai
Asari #2
---EoT---
Sal
Lini
Asari #3
Human Combatant
Archimedes
Asari #1
[/ooc]

[ic]
He could move again. In fact, he could suddenly move so well that he nearly tumbled to the ground when the singularity vanished. With only a moment to reorient himself-- and dictate his role in this fight-- Kai glances left, glances right, then throws himself behind the nearest piece of cover he can find.

Now from a position of relative safety, he works to retrieve his concealed side-arm, wishing mightily that he had his Incisor instead of the popgun.

With little actual combat training under his belt, Kai does what would be expected of any Naval Officer caught in such a situation: he tries to make someone else do all the hard work for him.

"Hey! Listen here, if your friends had the wherewithal to not start shooting at us for no reason, then everything would be well and fine, and they would all be alive right about now!

Clearly you are not as stupid as they were, so how about we stop shooting at each other for the next few minutes, share some polite conversation, and forget the fact that you're Eclipse and you have a hard-on for thinking you're the biggest, baddest bastard around? Or maybe you'd rather file a complaint with the Port Authority?"
[/ic]

[ooc]Move Action: Find total cover wherever it presents itself.

Standard: Draw concealed pistol. (I believe it is at least a standard to draw a concealed weapon)

Free: Talk big. While hiding.[/ooc]

[ic=Lini Digs In]

Lini watched the floating video recorder go down in flames. While she was expecting it to crash, her routines shouldn't have led to a short circuit quite that flashy. She was going to have to review the routine...

She did find herself smiling, though as she watched the human whine about his precious mother's gift. He was a Boshtet fool for not locking it away.

Then she heard buzzing from the receptionist's computer, and the sound of an orchestral composition. Her music-pattern-identifier routine identified the song as "Ride of the Valkyries," a song by a human supremacist named Wagner, who believed that he was a member of the Master Race--another Boshtet fool--how could humans be a Master Race when their fleet was not a tenth the size of the Armada; and when they could never master the technology of the Protheans--Eden Prime was a lesson of that.

Lini then looked at the wrist of the human she was using as a shield. The receptionist had what appeared to be a detailed schedule book. Staring intently, Lini just barely made out the name "T'Kin" on the top of the page.

Lini briefly glanced back to the firefight in the hall...which seemed to be going rather well for her side; so she sighed and got about doing her job, but not before a short coughing fit.

Lini shifted her tactics, no longer seeming the frightened middle-management type and she hissed in the receptionist's ear as she dragged her behind the desk. "Human! I need access to your network! Quick! Do you have any security systems to activate? In the storage room? Anything? I need to know! I just dialed for backup, but they're not going to get here in time. You've been infiltrated. We need to shut this down before anyone innocent dies. What are your passwords!"

[ooc]Lini is also laying the groundwork to lay bridge a connection between her Omni-Tool and the receptionist's and to copy the schedule book as a free action.[/ooc]

[ooc]All Lini wants is a headway into the system; she realizes that a receptionist probably won't have the important passwords- but some passwords are better than none[/ooc]

[ooc]Full defense if the move was only a 5 ft. step.[/ooc]

[/ic]

[ooc=Kai]The singularity pulled a desk near you, its made of a strong, durable metal - perfect cover. [/ooc]

[ic=Asari #2] The Asari looks at Kai with a puzzled look. Was he really trying to dissuade an elite Eclipse Gang Member from a path of violence? She laughed, "You're a real piece of work Human! If you ever get tired of your pets, and presuming you some how survive this battle, you should think about joining our ranks."

She then decided to see if she could pop a hole in the Human's ally's head.

[ooc]With modifiers, the Asari rolls a 21 to hit Sal. Fortunately, the bullet simply grazes her shoulder, missing by mere millimeters. [/ooc][/ic]


[ooc=Lini]You are able to snag a copy of the Schedule Book.[/ooc]

[ic=The Receptionist]The Human Receptionist is very distraught, blurting out, "There's some Volus in the storage room, they have pass codes to the crates... Also the... The janitor, Dashoko, he's a, uhh, a Salarian, he has the pass codes to all of the rooms... Even T'Kin's safe... Last I saw, he was in the break room... There's a hidden Turret in the ceiling in the hall way... Only T'Kin had the codes... Well, I stole a copy of the codes when we were sleeping together but... Its in a file, on my Omni-Tool, labeled Lover's Gifts." The human begins to cry and wail loudly, "I've told you what you want to know... Now, please, please let me go! I don't want to die! I don't want to DIE!" [/ic]

[ooc=Lini Again]You are also able to snag the codes to the Turret. [/ooc]

[ooc=Turret]To activate the Turret, you need to make a DC 15 Use Computer Check at the start of your turn. The Turret can be fired as a Full Round Action.  The Turret has the same statistics as a Blaster Rifle. [/ooc]

[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Sal
Lini (already acted)
Asari #3
Human Combatant
Archimedes
Asari #1
Kai
Asari #2
---EoT---
[/ooc]

[ooc] Sal delays. Feel free to post any time before the End of Turn Ninja :) [/ooc]

[ic] The Asari looks at her companions in with an amused look, "MIGHTY DRAGON, attack the Asari whore again!" The Drone lets out a big burst of fire at Sal, meanwhile the Eclipse gang member aims her pistol and takes a shot at Sal as well.

[ooc]With modifiers, the Drone rolls a 19. Even though it missed, Sal still takes 1/2 damage... 3 Damage.

With modifiers the Eclipse Asari attacks Sal for 21. A miss. [/ooc] [/ic]

[ic=Human Combatant]The Human looks puzzled by Archimedes' movement. He chuckles a bit to himself, "Heh, silly Vorcha, Warriors fight with one another face to face! Hiding will get you nothing." The heavily armored Human then meanders up to the Storage Room doorway all the while drawing and readying his Rifle. "Silly, silly Vorcha. Why are Vorcha so stupid? Could it be that you aren't sentient? Perhaps this one isn't? Jokax," the Human nods at the leader of the Volus, "what do you think? Smart or dumb?"

The Volus eagerly answers the Human, "Definitely dumb sir. Definitely. No doubt about it. I'd wager he couldn't even do basic math!"

"Hahaha! Good one Jo! I knew there was a reason I liked you! Now, snag the crates while I put this old dog down."

The Human then blasts Archimedes with his bright red, over-sized, battle-worn Rifle.

[ooc]The Human casually shoots for (with modifiers) a 22. He rolls an 11 for damage! :o[/ooc][/ic]


[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Archimedes
Asari #1
Kai
Asari #2
---EoT---
Sal (DELAYING)
Lini
Asari #3
Human Combatant
[/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes snarls in pain as the shot punches through his shields.  Moving swiftly he activates his Tech Armour, then fires at the human while moving backwards to intercept the volus.  After firing on the human he turns his pistol towards the "Fragile" crates.

"I suggest you withdraw, sir, or I will be forced to vaporize the contents of these crates," he says, maintaining his cool as his Armour powers up.  "Fire on me now and my Shield will go down, releasing an explosion big enough to take out the entirety of your merchandise."[/ic][ooc]Swift Action - Use Tech [dice]1d20+11[/dice]

Attack [dice]1d20+3[/dice]
Damage [dice]3d8[/dice]

So my shield absorbs 5 damage, right?  Meaning that I take 6 damage to my hp?

EDIT: damn, poor attack roll...[/ooc]

[ooc=Archimedes]You are correct about the Shields.

You spot a small open hatch at the far end of the room, you deftly move past the waddling Volus and prevent them from exiting. [/ooc]

[ic=Human Combatant's response] "Ha! Ha! Ha! Seems like God did gift you with a brain!" The Human taps his Omni-Tool. The music suddenly changes from an orchestral overture to a chirping noise and a guitar. "Looks like we have an old fashioned Mexican Standoff here. I wonder which one of us will blink first..."[/ic]

[ooc=The Song]The music now playing is this famous song (http://youtu.be/29YhWIvTAIU). [/ooc]

[ic=Asari #1] The Asari, obviously frustrated by her group's lack of progress, yells out "Forget the whore, time to kill the pink squishy human! Time to get rid of that damn desk!" She focuses her biotic energy for a moment, then trusts it out and lifts the desk high into the air. "Now girls, kill the human!"

[ooc]The Asari uses the biotic Power Lift, to raise the desk off the ground, exposing Kai. [/ooc][/ic]


[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Kai
Asari #2
---EoT---
Sal (DELAYING)
Lini
Asari #3
Human Combatant
Archimedes
Asari #1
[/ooc]

[ic=Bullets! My Only Weakness! Wait, These Aren't Bullets...]
"Hey! Give that back!" Kai yells as his solid and reliable cover is very quickly taken away from him. With nothing else to favor him but hope and blind, stupid luck, Kai twits around, points his pistol in the direction of the offending Asari and snaps off a quick shot, trusting more to any luck than actual skill.
[note=Rolls]
Shooty: [dice]1d20+3[/dice]
Ouchie: [dice]3d4[/dice]
[/note]
Now out in the open-- and lacking both heavy armor and competence with weapons, Kai acts very quickly in where to go next and what to do.

He runs to his secretary, hoping to hide behind her heavier armor.

"Ah! Save me! Save me! Hurt them! Hurt them!"[/ic]

[ooc]Move Action to move behind Sal and claim Partial (+4 Reflex?) Cover. Standard to shoot the pop-gun and probably just annoy our aggressors[/ooc]

[ooc=To Kai]You only gain partial cover (+5 Ref) from Asari #2 since she is opposite you, sadly the other two can draw lines of sight that pass along Sal's square, thus negating your cover (from their points of view).

Dang, both you and Steerpike rolled really low on your attacks :( [/ooc]

[ic=Asari #2]"I'm not doing what you say! I'll shoot whoever I darn well please!" She aims her Pistol at one of the Asari office workers, who is cowering beneath her desk, "Bad luck, cutie."

The Asari employee pleads "No! Don't kill me! Kill the HUM..." The office worker is cut off by the sound of gun fire, then the eerie squishy sound of a bullet piercing a skull.  All of the other Employees scream in horror as their friend's body goes limp.

"Heh, see Deeta, I can do what I want and you can't stop me!" [/ic]

[ooc=Sal]Since Ninja has been busy lately, I'll go ahead and post for him.  Hmm, I'm not sure if Sal has her Rifle or not. I'll just have Sal use her Move Action to pick up Aloc's pistol and use it to attack the Drone.

Sal's attack roll: [dice]1d20+5[/dice]
Sal's Damage Roll: [dice]3d6+1[/dice][/ooc]

[ooc=Results]The attack misses.[/ooc]

[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Lini
Asari #3
Human Combatant
Archimedes
Asari #1
Kai
Asari #2
Sal
---EoT---
[/ooc]

[ic=Big Guns]
Lini'Leera titters at the receptionist's plea. "Go? Run and you'll get deep spaced [Quarian slang: Killed; as in jettisoned into deep space]. Be Thankful I dragged your malfunctioning unit here [Quarian slang: You were a deer in the headlights]. We're out of the firefight-- are you a f--ing idiot?"

Lini triggers the assault turret to strafe the hall, especially near the doors, attempting to keep combatants out of the hallway. The gun lays several thick slugs into the ground, blasting charred holes.

[ooc]She's going to try to back anyone off the doorways who's not an ally.[/ooc]

As she operates the machine, she watches the cannon's armor-piercing rounds carve deep holes in the floor, and she bitches. "Who the F--k installs industrial turret cannons in a mall? Why not a laser cannon? Who the F--k granted the building permit-Human? This bulls--t cannon's ripping into the floor! Let's just F--king hope the Asari-F---ing floor's shielded against this Boshtet bulls--t."

She hopes that the cannon's firing will give her allies a chance to get out of the firefight and into cover, though she doesn't think to yell that. To her, it's sort of obvious that running would be a good idea. She does not immediately notice where Archimedes has gotten, but since he's a synthetic, she figures his loss isn't that large a problem.

[ooc]If she misses the shot (attempting to hit no one, but scattering shots to back people off), do what you will EE...maybe she hits the human instead...I don't think she'd be firing close enough to hit her allies unless it's a natural one, but she would be reckless enough to attempt to scare the musical human by firing closer than she should. Or it could jam or something; your discretion.[/ooc]

Use Computer [dice]1d20+10[/dice]
Attack Roll [dice]1d20+4[/dice](added my BAB and dex)
[/ic]

[ic=Receptionist] "By the goddess! You're a terrorist! You're going to kill me aren't you!? You are going to use my body as a human shield in your little gang war! Oh god, don't do that to me! Shoot me now, I don't want to die as your shield!" [/ic]

[ic=Lini]Lini does indeed strafe a bit too close to the storage room door and manages to spray the back of the Human with Bullets (i.e. Autofire). His shields blaze a bright, aqua Blue as they prevent the buellets from hitting his armor.

[ooc][dice]3d8+1[/dice] Divide that by 2 and that's how much the human takes. [/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Asari #3] The Asari gleefully cheers as she watches the office worker die. "Hahaha! Headshot! +10 points to you Sasha!" She quiets quickly when she realizes the other Eclipse gang member is glaring at her. "I'll shoot the Whore..."

[ooc]With modifiers, she rolls as 22! With modifiers, she rolls 12 damage! :o[/ooc]

"HA! I finally got her! I bet the whore is so wounded she won't be able to fight! Hahaha!"

[ooc]In her exuberance, she forgot to tell her drone to attack[/ooc][/ic]

[ic=Human Combatant] The Human was completely caught off guard. "What in tarnation!? VOLUS! Get out there and find out WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!" The Volus furthest from Archimedes waddles out into the hallway to look around. The human then slams his fist down on his omni-tool, the song changes to a hard rock song. The frustration and anger emanating from the Human is now palpable. He points his massive over-sized rifle at you, "Vorcha! VORcha! VORCHA! STAND DOWN OR I WILL DESTROY YOU!" [/ic]

[ooc=Song]Switched over to this (http://youtu.be/XHUsIU161w4)[/ooc]

[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Archimedes
Asari #1
Kai
Asari #2
Sal
---EoT---
Lini
Asari #3
Human Combatant
[/ooc]

[ic]"Destroy me and all of your merchandise goes with me.  Now, if you would be so kind, lower the gun and remove yourself from this chamber immediately or I will overload one of these crates.  How many credits will be lost, do you think?  One false move and I'll be forced to start, ahem, terminating hostages, so to speak."[/ic][ooc]Archimedes readies an action to Overload one of the fragile crates if the human doesn't do as he says.

Preemptive Use Tech check: [dice]1d20+11[/dice]
Boom Goes the Dynamite [dice]4d6[/dice][/ooc]

[ic=Asari #1] She looks over at her companion who had just scored a shot on Sal, "By the goddess, you forgot to use the Drone! Gah! You are such a fool!"

She then looks over to her other companion, "You disobeyed a direct order. You must pay the price for your incompetence!"

The leader of the eclipse gathers her biotic power into her hands and shoot a beam of energy at her disloyal companion. It easily strikes her friend, piercing her heart.

Sahsha drops to one knee, "You b*tch! How dare you attack me! I will strike you down and kill your mate too!"

[ooc]Deeta/Asari #1 used the Warp power and rolled really high, harming Shasha/Asari #2. [/ooc][/ic]


[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Kai
Asari #2
Sal
---EoT---
Lini
Asari #3
Human Combatant
Archimedes
Asari #1
[/ooc]

[ic=All is not well]
"What the hell...?"

This was unexpected. Now, for whatever reason, the Asari were actually attacking each other. Were they mad, or were they just that stupid?

Whatever their reason, the distractions they were turning themselves into was exactly what Kai was waiting for. "We should find cover now." he says quickly to Sal before taking off to follow his own advice-- quite content to let the Asari work out their problems with violence. Then they could simply overpower whichever one turns out to be right.

What a hell of a day this has been.[/ic]

[ooc]Double move to the nearest source of Full Cover, be it desk, doorway. Not firing yet, since the Asari seem annoyed at each other.[/ooc]

[ooc=Kai] You can easily move behind a desk at the top of the office (the side whose wall borders the reception area). [/ooc]

[ic=Asari #2] Shasha/Asari #2 looked at her former ally in disgust, how could her companion attack her? They joined Eclipse at the same time, they were bunk mates, friends even. All that was in the past now. It was time for revenge. The Asari gathered her biotic energy and used it to thrust Deeta/Asari #1 into the ceiling.

Deeta/Asari #1, anticipating the maneuver, braced herself for the attack. She could feel her legs leaving the ground, thankfully at a slower than anticipated pace. Her head slammed into the ceiling with a loud thud but her shields had managed to deflect some of the damage. Still floating beneath the ceiling, Deeta spat, "You'll have to do better than that to kill me! You never were any good at Biotics!"  [/ic]  

[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Sal
---EoT---
Lini
Asari #3
Human Combatant
Archimedes
Asari #1
Kai
Asari #2
[/ooc]

[ic=Intermission]
Lini winced when the turret's bullet-spray struck a combatant. Although she pwned the turret system, she did not have a good grasp on its targeting mechanism.

Her allies weren't running down the hall towards her, she also noted. Sal and Kai had moved into the office room, although Sal was straddling the door frame.

The only other living thing in the hall was a Volus, who had popped his head out of a room at the far end of the hallway. A rotund, face-mask wearing, wide-eyed looking Volus. ----ing Volii. She would have shot a warning rat-a-tat, but she with the way she was aiming, it would probably kill the thing.

Lini turned her voice commlink to the shared channel. "Why don't you Boshtet fools get the Void out of here? The Turret's covering you." She closes the channel and looks at the receptionist who just accused her of being a terrorist. "Don't be an idiot. We're f---ing safe behind this goddessd***ed desk. Now, what the Void's been going on in here? Where did those b------s come from? They're not regular employees? All we know is that T'kin's boss hired an assassin to kill her. How many people are back there?" When the receptionist hesitates in answering "You want a medal? ---- the Port Authority can probably get you a ----ing medal. Decent work so far human, your turret's keeping them pinned. You want credit for that, you got it. Now how about some answers." Lini says the bit about the turret loud enough so she hopes that the other Asari, huddling in the reception-area can hear and spread information that the receptionist activated the turret. Lini never did like Asariwhorebait [slang: People involved romantically with Asari]--she wished more Asari were Ardat Yakshi...that would certainly put a damper on promiscuous plans.
 
[/ic]


[ooc]Lini may have seen Archimedes shoot someone; if she did, she doesn't know it's T'kin.

Lini is also operating under the assumption that even if the person Archimedes shot was T'kin, then the Receptionist may or may not have seen who shot T'kin- to see the shot she would have to look past the cluster of people at the entrance to office 1 right before Lini tackled her, and at the same time Sal sent an Asari into the ceiling.[/ooc]

[ic]Sal, not bothering to get behind any sort of cover aimed her newly acquired pistol at the nearest asari. "My father was a turian," she said, firing a single round.[/ic][ooc]I'm pretty confused at this point which one that is. Some sort of recap, or description of where everyone and everything currently is, or even a crude map would be great.

To hit:[dice]1d20+5[/dice]
Damage:[dice]3d6[/dice][/ooc]

[ic=Sal]Sal shoots Asari #1, who is still suspended high up near the ceiling. The shot pierces the Asari's left shoulder, blood begins to flow out of the wound. She yells, "YOU WHORE! YOU BLOODY GOOD FOR NOTHING PUREBLOOD WHORE!!! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" [/ic]

[ic=To Lini] The receptionist is still wailing, "Don't kill me! Don't use me as a shield! I don't want a medal, I want to LIVE! The... The Asari... They're from Eclipse... They... They're hired by T'Kin... For protection... Oh god! Don't kill me! I'm just a receptionist! I don't do anything important! I don't know anything more!" The receptionist is so busy crying and yelling that she failed to pick up on Lini's subtle ploy to pin the turret on her.

The two Asari customers, when the mention of who fired the Turret is made, let out an audible gasp. Lini can hear hushed whispers from behind the couch, one of them is in disbelief, while the other says she "knew the human was no good." [/ic]

[ic=Asari #3] "Hey you gals, no fighting! We have enemies to kill!"

Asari #2/Shasha hollers, "She betrayed us! She IS an enemy!"

Deeta/Asar #1 yells down from the ceiling, "Twoa, kill Sasha, then the pureblood and the human! I order you to do it! Now!"

Twoa/Asari #3 hesitates. She looks at each of her companions, "I... I don't want to kill you... But you betrayed my trust..." The Asari points her pistol and fires at the Asari on the ceiling (#1). The shot punctures her stomach, blood spurts out at an alarming rate.

Deeta/Asari #1 whispers, "I thought we were friends Twoa..." as the body slowly descends from the sky landing on the ground with a loud thud.[/ic]

[ic=Human Combatant]
"Damn it!" yells the Human as he slams his fist on his Omni-Tool, once more changing the song, this time to something with an acoustic guitar. "Well, I know when I'm beat sonny. I'll walk out of this place and leave you alone. Jokax!" the human motions his head over to the leader of the Volus, "We're leaving."

The two Volus still in the room walk out and over into T'Kin's office, the Volus who was in the hallway follows suit. The Human stares into Archimedes' eyes, "Heh, you're quite the man. Yup, quite the man indeed. I figure we'll be seeing each other again some day." He turns around to leave, "Don't get your self blown up by those Eclipse chicks, they're quite the headache. Oh, by the way," the heavily armored human tilts his head back, gives the Vorcha a wink, "They call me Stampede. Named after my favorite TV character, pretty cool, eh?" The human then continues out into the hallway and into T'Kin's office. [/ic]

[ooc]The music playing is this song (http://youtu.be/7cjEgovupTw)[/ooc]


[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Archimedes
Asari #1
Kai
Asari #2
Sal
---EoT---
Lini
Asari #3
Human Combatant
[/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes says nothing as the human departs.  After he hears the human's footsteps begin to recede he moves to the door, pistol still in hand, and looks out the door, ready to shoot any combatants threatening his comrades.

He presses a hand to his wound and mutters, "Bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain..."[/ic]

[ic=Archimedes]No one is in the hallway save for T'kin's blood-strewn carcass. The door to T'kin's office is closed. You see a turret on the ceiling and hear gun shots emanating from Office #1. You also see Lini and the Receptionist out in the Reception Room. [/ic]

[ic]Archimedes moves quickly down the hall, gun at the ready.[/ic][ooc]Ready an action to shoot the first hostile target who comes within line of sight.

Attack [dice]1d20+2[/dice] (+1 to that if within Point Blank range).
Damage [dice]3d8[/dice][/ooc]

[ooc]With Asari #1 dead, looks like Kai is up![/ooc]

[ooc=Current Initiative Order]
Kai
Asari #2
Sal
---EoT---
Lini
Asari #3
Human Combatant
Archimedes
[/ooc]

[ic=A Violent Resolution to Civil Strife]
With the Asaris' domestic difficulties suddenly and abruptly tended to, there is little other option except for Kai to resume something that could tenuously be called an offensive.

Especially while Sal is hanging about in the opening, making herself a far better target than Kai is.

He picks the closest target to him, pops out of cover, and fires a quick shot before diving back down into cover. With only his side-arm, he fears that he will able to deal terribly much damage anyway, but he should at least appear to do something that may tenuously be called useful.
[note=Rolls]
Attack: [dice]1d20+3[/dice]
Damage: [dice]3d4[/dice]
[/note]
When he dives back into cover, he clicks on his short wave communicator and-- after biting his tongue a moment to keep from using their real names, tries to contact the rest of the squad.

"Leo. Joan. Where are you, and what is the condition of the primary target?"[/ic]

[ooc]
Standard to Fire. Not sure if a Move can be used to take additional cover.

If I remember right, Kai was in the office when T'kin was splattered, so as far as he knows only two combatants are down, yes?[/ooc]

[ooc=Kai]The Closest Target is the Drone.[/ooc]

[ic=Kai]Kai sits up from behind the desk just long enough to aim and fire a shot into the Drone. The shot punctures its flamethrower's gas tank, which instantly explodes in a torrent of red and yellow flame. Smoke begins to fill the office, the fire alarm goes off, water, and some sort of white foam, begin to rain down from the ceiling. [/ic]

[ic=Asari #2] The Asari looks upon the flaming ruins of her companion's drone with abject horror. She frantically looks around for an exit - there's only one and Sal is standing in her way.

"Let's blow this joint and get the h*ll out of here!"

She pulls out a small orb-like device, "This is a prototype Cyro-Grenade! It'll freeze you and your little human friend! Ha! see ya!"  With that, she throws the grenade at Sal and runs forward as fast as she can.

[ooc]The grenade allows her to use the Cyro-Blast Tech Power untrained and make it a burst 2 power. With modifiers, she rolls a 15. The power does not freeze Sal and, thanks to Kai's cover, it doesn't freeze him either.

Unfortunately, the grenade did not hit, thus the Eclipse gang member must attempt to tumble past.

With modifiers she rolls a 15, just enough to pass through Sal's square.[/ooc]

The second the Asari's face breaches the doorway, Archimedes fires. The shot was perfectly timed and expertly fired - the bullet pierces the Asari's skull, quickly turning her brain into mush. Her body keels over dead.  [/ic]

[ooc=Current Initiative Order]

Sal
---EoT---
Lini
Asari #3
Archimedes
Kai
[/ooc]

[ic]Sal pivoted to the face the last remaining Eclipse mercenary directly, extending both arms to brace her pistol as she did so. Her aim was quick and it was true. As she fired a single round, one word passed through he dark blue lips, dripping with venom. "Bitch."[/ic][ooc]
To hit:[dice]1d20+5[/dice]
Damage:[dice]3d6[/dice][/ooc]

[ic=Lini Forgets Something Mildly Important]

Lini heard Kai's voice over the commlink in her head, so she activated the speaker. "Who the F--k are you and who the f--k are you calling for; get off this f---ing channel or I'll insert a virus on your commlink." Somehow, an asshole was using the same frequency as theirs to communicate. Although, after a moment's reflection, Lini noted that this ass apparently knew their encryption signature and precise wavelength, which was odd. But who the hell were 'Leo' and 'Joan'?

Smoke billowed out of the second office and through the turret's optics, Lini saw a burst of fire from Archimedes' gun, followed by an explosion of blood.

Hm. She looked at the human receptionist next to her and something clicked. Her alias was a human name--Joan! She coughed.

Then the sprinklers went on. She activated her commlink again. "You should fall the ---- back. You've got a minute, then I'm getting the ---- out of here unless this situation's under control."

[/ic]

Lini Delays.

[ic=Sal]The Eclipse gang member was in the process of opening her mouth to say something when Sal's shot, which had aimed true, slipped between the subtle lips of the Asari and traveled back through her mouth, through her throat, into her spine, and out the other side. The body stood standing for a moment, then toppled over in a gory mess. [/ic]

[ooc]Combat is over, everyone may move and act as they want now[/ooc]

[ic]Sal vented the heat sink on the pistol. Conveniently, it was an older model that didn't use the new thermal clips that one had to eject every so often. Not expecting to be using a gun today, Sal hadn't brought any spares. I like these better, anyway. She thought to herself.

She looked around the room. It was a mess. This level of destruction would be difficult even to replicate intentionally. "What now?" she asked with a shrug. Suddenly, Sal seemed to remember something and began to scan the floor with her eyes.[/ic]

[ic]Realizing that the fight is over, Archimedes speaks into his comm.

"T'Kin is dead, I'm sorry to say.  If we move fast we might be able to download her files before the police show up.  Joan, perhaps you should head to T'Kin's office and see if there's any information there.  George, Marie, I humbly suggest you check the break room and other offices for any other surprises.  I'm going to check T'Kin's body.

"Oh, and incidentally, it looks like T'Kin was smuggling a considerable amount of Minagen X3, possibly for Don's pirates."

The vorcha brushes his suit clean and turns back to check T'Kin's body for any data pads or other noteworthy items.  He will also take her Omni-Tool, if she has one.[/ic]

[ic]
"...Stop being a damned fool," Kai says with a touch of growing ire. The Quarian's unpleasant retort made him grit his teeth in frustration. He was sitting here dealing with rank, bleeding, amateurs. Well, except for Sal, at least. And maybe the Vorcha. OK, so only the Quarian was a clueless dolt. What the hell was her use supposed to be, again?

While he was pleased enough in seeing that drone finally down, seeing the other Asari fall in such rapid succession left him feeling quite content with the way things were working out right about now, as far as he could tell. Which, sadly, seemed to not be terribly much right at this particular moment. The Quarian was alive, at least, but hadn't provided him with anything else particularly useful in regards to the mission. Maybe once her brain came back home, she'd be a bit more useful. Until then, he'd need to depend on Sal and Archimedes-- wherever he skittered off to.

"The Office is clear," he said, surveying the damage. "No sign of Primary-- I repeat, no sign of Primary. Anyone have a fix?"
[note]My Pocket Scrambler should make it very difficult for anyone to potentially break into Kai's comms-- I don't know if it applies to the others or just to him, but it's a DC 30 Computer Use to decipher.[/note]
He waved to Sal, nodding respectfully to her marksmanship. "We need to hurry. It won't be long before the local law enforcement arrives, and we need to be done here before that happens." With little else said, Kai moves to the doorway, shouldering up against it for cover as he peers out, hoping to spy any further threats-- or allies-- before moving out down the hallway towards T'Kin's office.

Just before he steps out, he hears Archimedes chirp in. Good, he was still alive and well, and it seemed like the immediate danger of the fight was at an end. For the immediate future, at least. He glanced back to Sal again. "Sweep and Clear. Leo and Joan are securing the objective-- that leaves us to make sure nothing else is waiting in the rest of the office."

He waits for Sal to take Point liked the trained professional she is.

"Leo, see if you can find out about where the Minagen is going and how it's getting there. It may not be in the target's files, but it may point us to a potential location. Leave no stone unturned, as they say."[/ic]

[ooc=To Steerpike]T'Kin has a pistol on her person (3d6 damage). You also find a shipment manifest stating 3 crates were being picked up by  a Mr. S. Vash. Furthermore, the manifest lists fees for storage and delivery, Mr. Vash was given a discount due to being a regular customer. Her Omni-Tool appears to have been modified extensively (it provides the user +1 on Use Tech checks as well as allows the user to create an extendible blade usable in melee (which deals 2d6 damage). The Omni-Tool also has the codes to get into the Ancomp Department, her personal in-office safe, her apartment and her vehicle. [/ooc]

[ooc=To Kai]It appears Ninja has a little something going on, would you like to enter the office yourself? [/ooc]

[ic=To Lini] "LET ME GO! LET ME GO! DAMN IT! I WILL NOT DIE FOR YOU!" screams the Receptionist as she desperately struggles to get away.

The two Asari are still cowering behind the couch and the Human is dragging his drone over to a corner. [/ic]

[ic]Archimedes tucks the second pistol into the inside pocket of his jacket.  He begins tapping at the buttons on the Omni-Tool.

"Mademoiselle d'Arc, I'm sending you the passwords for T'Kin's safe and other miscellanea now," he says over the comm.  "I'm going to investigate the storage area a little more thoroughly."  He heads back into the storage area and searches it as swiftly and thoroughly as possible.[/ic]
[ooc][dice]1d20+6[/dice][/ooc]

[ic=Winding Down]
Lini puts her gun away, then completely releases all pressure on the receptionist. "Good work human, but you are hysterical. Get yourself some sedatives."

Lini looks around the reception area, at the crying human with his droid, at the couch with the quivering Asari. "It's safe for the moment. You should get the hell out of here before more Boshtet b**&***t happens."

Lini walks toward the hallway's entrance, then whispers on her commlink as she watches Archimedes re-enter the storage room. "Enter T'Kin's office? You mean the one Musical Human entered? Has it changed from serving death and dissonance, to serving cookies and concert or friendliness and fanfare? If not, then F--- that."

"And another thing- it's not like anyone checked the break room, no? At least one person's holed up in there. What's to say he's not Eclipse too? Doesn't seem that safe a situation to me."

May as well complete the mission, now that she was probably wanted for innumerable crimes she at least deserved a little pay for her trouble; but what the hell was Archimedes thinking--all enemies were not down and she was not entering the hall as long as Musical Human was holed up inside.[/ic]

[ic=Archimedes] The Omni-Tool is mostly devoid of anything pertinent. There is, however, one piece of interesting information - T'Kin loved to make bets on sporting games. There are still 20 games yet to be played with sizable bets placed on them. It appears T'Kin has won two bets recently, on Human Soccer games, totaling 5,000 credits. You can claim the credits electronically using her Omni-Tool.

Inside the storage room you find little of use. The Hatch that you protected during the battle leads to a private parking garage full of delivery trucks and and flying cars. [/ic]

[ic=Lini] The human balks at your "suggestion". She throws her hands up and walks over to her desk. She appears to be fumbling around in a desk drawer.

The two cowering Asari give you a tentative smile and bolt out of the exit.

The Human takes his shirt off and places the broken bits of his drone on to it, using the shirt like a makeshift bag. He then strolls out, but not before walking up to you and handing you a electronic business card. It has his phone number and a small message attached,

Dear Hot Quarian Babe,

I think you are, like, totally hot. I'd really like to, you know, get to know you better. We should totally hang out some time. Give me a ringity ring next time you're free.

XOXOXO
   Chet [/ic]

[ooc]Kai wants to explore the break room, as stated in the other thread. [/ooc]

[ic=Kai's exploration of the Break Room] The door to the Break room opens outward, when you open the door, you are met by a small mountain of objects obviously stacked behind the door to bar entry. From what you can make out, there's a large fold-out table in front of couch with a small refrigerator placed on it. On top of them lies some chairs and several boxes. The barricade was obviously constructed by a rank amateur and in quite a bit of haste. You can hear muffled gasps from behind the pile of junk followed by a tentative voice, fairly high pitched, speaking at an extraordinary speed, "I... Ihaveapistol! No... IhaveaKovalyovRifle! It'slockedandloadedwithyounameonitEclipse! Iwillnothesitatetokillyouwithmyweapon'sawesomePOWER! Staybackfiend!" [/ic]

[ic]
The sound which can barely be described as a voice seems as if it had come from a heavily caffeinated miniature giant space hamster-- but the prospect of being shot at was enough of a damper on his mood to at least keep Kai honest in his dealings. Figuratively, at least.

"Calm down. Calm down, please. It's alright." He says calmly, careful to keep himself beside the doorway and out of the line of fire of a jumpy civilian. "I am not with Eclipse; I am Mr. Washington of the Port Authority. Sounds like you have yourself backed up pretty well in there-- the Eclipse are taken care of. Just stay there and wait for the authorities to arrive-- I'm going to make sure sure everyone else is safe. Wait. Here."

[note=Roll] Deception does not seem appropriate here, but Persuasion seems a little too... Bluff-like. But I guess with no alternative, it must contain Diplomacy as well.

[dice]1d20+9[/dice][/note]

The break room is clear enough for Kai's taste-- there are no Eclipse in there, making further investigation a waste of time. "Break Room is clear of Eclipse, though we have at least one terrified civvie with a pistol inside. No Eclipse. Joan, meet me in T'Kin's office. Sal, keep watch for more Eclipse and the authorities. Leo, finish up with your find and find us a quick exit."

They had maybe a few minutes to fade into the background before the authorities came into the scene. While Kai was confident enough in his own abilities to maintain his cover, he was concerned about the others of the team coming under that kind of scrutiny. That may be very bad, even with credentials. They needed to take the data and get out as quickly as possible.

"... And what the hell is a Musical Human? Are we clear or not?"[/ic]

[ic=To Kai] You hear an exuberant voice from behind the barricade scream out for joy, "AHuman? Strange, strange... LikeCommanderSheppard! YesyesIwassavedbyaCommanderWashington! Oooh, my friendsatthebarwillnotbelievewhathasoccurred! Thankyouhuman,thankyou![/ic]

[ic=Scanning]"Civilian? Must be the Janitor." Lini notes into her commlink. "He has passcodes to the rooms; FYI. Also FYI T'Kin's office is at the end of the hall on the left. Unless it has an exit inside, it is filled with three Volii and a human who enjoys human-suprematist music, [Probably means Ride of the Valkyries], and 'western Imperialist native-oppression music.' [She's probably referring to the Trigun "Slide Blues" song and the western song]. If they're gone, I'll join.  I don't want a ----ing firefight. These Boshtet b------s are living creatures; not synthetics."

Lini opens her OmniTool and starts scanning for any open network access points. She also skims T'Kin's schedule book that she got earlier from the Receptionist, to see if there's any hint of an important meeting or anything that might reveal where T'Kin might have been planning on going later in the day or in the next few days.

She also takes Chet's card, sighs and scans it with her omnitool for viruses, and then copies its text-data of name, address, and other information (none of the electronics) into her system. Then she zaps it with her OmniTool, shredding it into thousands of tiny little electronic pieces. 'What an absolute idiot.' She reflects on Chet.[/ic]

[ic]"I thought I rid us of that fool," Archimedes says over the comm as he reenters the storage area.  "Joan, I heard a cryo grenade earlier.  Were any of the dead ruffians carrying additional grenades?"

He exits the storage chamber and cautiously approaches T'Kin's office, listening.[/ic][ooc]Perception[dice]1d20+6[/dice][/ooc]

[ooc]Perception check down the hall for extra grenades... but not approaching the bodies yet (so probably at a penalty) [dice]1d20+7[/dice][/ooc]

[ic=To Lini]The Schedule book appears to be quite mundane, with appointments for doctors, dentists, work schedules and etc. Nothing too out of the ordinary except for 2 interesting tidbits. The first being that once every month there are three red letters that appear in sequence. The first letter is D, then two days later a P and then two days after that an R. T'Kin is always working at the Ancomp Department during the days marked D and P, and is always off on days marked with an R. You also notice that T'Kin has written down the dates of sporting events with a number, typically in the hundreds to thousands, listed after the game. [/ic]

[ic=To Archimedes] You hear the roar of what sounds like traffic and high winds coming from T'Kin's office.[/ic]

[ooc=Lini's Perception check]The body of the dead Eclipse merc Archimedes killed in the hallway has several grenades on her belt, from where you're standing they appear to be simple frag grenades.[/ooc]

[ic]
As near as he could tell from the comms chatter, there was indeed another hostile somewhere in the immediate vicinity-- though from the reactions of the others, he wasn't exactly sure what to expect.

Which left him with few options except trying to open T'Kin's door, get inside, and figure out the rest once he managed that feat.

Acting on his own impressions-- and the awareness that they likely did not have much time-- he moves to open T'Kin's door, doing so like a trained professional. Which is to say, he is is not merrily standing in the doorway with armed enemies potentially standing on the other side.

At the least, the grenades from the other Eclipse could be useful-- except for potentially destroying everything of use to them...

"I'm checking T'Kin's office now. How likely is this 'Musical Human' to shoot at me, eh? Make up your minds. Is he a hostile or not?" Kai wisely waits for an answer before making attempts to enter the office, but make the attempt he eventually will.[/ic]

[note]If the door is locked, he'll probably just shoot the lock and kick the door in that way.[/note]

[ic=To Lini] The Receptionist finishes rummaging through her desk and whips out what appears to be a Taser, she then runs over behind Lini and whispers "You messed with the wrong chick today honey. I used to be an Alliance Marine before taking this ginchy job. I'm going to make sure the Police know what you and your friends did to me," she nods over to T'Kin's mangled corpse, "and my lover!" The Receptionist then pulls the trigger, firing into Lini's unsuspecting back.

[ooc=her roll] Wow she rolled a Nat 20! The weapon deals 27 damage! So it exceeds Lini's Damage threshold, pushing her -2 steps along the condition track. Since the weapon was designed to stun, Lini only takes half damage, which would still be 14! [/ooc][/ic]

[ooc=Lini's response] Having been hurt quite a bit, Lini taps the targeting sensor on her Omni-Tool, pounds her fist onto the trigger, then crouches to avoid the spray of bullets.

[ooc=Lini's Attack] Lini uses the autofire mode on the turret to spray a hail of lead at the Receptionist.

To hit: [dice]1d20+4[/dice]
Damage: [dice]3d8+2[/dice] (on a miss, the Receptionist still takes half damage[/ooc]

Result: The entire upper body of the Receptionist is blown away in a flood of unadulterated, hate filled, gruesome carnage. Surprisingly, the legs remain standing, a testament to Lini's apparent accuracy and finesse with the remotely controlled turret. [/ooc]

[ic=Back in the office...]Sal searches for less than a minute before locating what she was looking for. With a sigh, she drops down to one knee in front of what had been Kai's improvised cover only a moment ago. Though it takes some effort, she lifts the edge of the desk and removes a now mangled pair of glasses from beneath it. She bends the frame back into the proper shape but that does nothing to hide the broken lense or the scratched paint.[/ic][ooc]The object of her search couldn't have been much more mundane. Yes, even in the future, these computerized glasses are painted. She went for a cheap pair and probably overpaid, too. What does a mercenary know about shopping?[/ooc][ic=Moving on...]Sal nods a Kai's suggestion for her. She tucks her damaged glasses in the belt of her dress (purple in color, she always liked an asari in purple) and moved to the end of the hallway, pistol at the ready. She's been smiling all the while at the quarian's colorful commentary, chuckling from time to time.[/ic][ic=An unneeded reaction]When Lini'Leera takes a hit from the receptionist's taser, Sal spin with her pistol raised. She hesitates for a moment, however, upon seeing the quarian act. In the end, the asari didn't need to fire a shot...much to her disappointment.[/ic][ooc]And the body count continues to rise.[/ooc][ic]"This place is bigband expensive so you can bet your asses it's monitored, maybe even externally so we can't stop the security from calling the police," Sal calls Jdown the hallway. "Scales gets cranky when we have to shoot at LEOs, so you better hurry up whatever you're gonna do back there."[/ic][ooc]In case anyone forgot, "scales" is what Sal called the drell earlier. Also, LEOs = Law Enforcement Officers. They're probably all privitized security here so it would be less of an isdue but the fact remains, once tge become involved (especially if there ends up veing a fight), things become a lot more difficult and expensive to cover up.[/ooc]

[ic]"I'm not sure what's going on in there," Archimedes says, moving to assist Kai.[/ic]

[ic=To move things along] Sal and Kai prepare themselves to for a possible fight by readying their weapons. Archimedes stands by if help is needed. Sal presses the key pad and the door pops open. The muffled sounds of cars racing by becomes a roaring thunder. Looking into the room, you see one of the massive bay windows has a vary large circular hole, large enough to comfortably allow a human wearing heavy armor ease of access. The office appears to be quite disheveled, chairs thrown asunder and T'Kin's desk has been flipped. The Holoscreen is a smoking ruin. There are three bulky pictures of Asari dancers on the wall opposite the windows, all three of them are hanging crookedly. [/ic]

[ic=You hear] You can hear the faint sound of Sirens coming towards you. The sound is steadily getting louder. You estimate you have no more than a minute before the Police arrive.[/ic]

[ooc=Initiative] We will have you guys perform actions in initiative order, unless you are just going to high tale it out of the Department.

Initiative rolls:
Kai: [dice]1d20+3[/dice]
Sal: [dice]1d20+4[/dice]
Lini: [dice]1d20+9[/dice]
Archimedes: [dice]1d20+2[/dice]

Roll off between Kai ( [dice]1d20[/dice] ) and Lini ( [dice]1d20[/dice] )

Initiative Order:

Kai
Lini
Archimedes
Sal
--- EoT --- [/ooc]

[ooc] Can Lini hack the turret to either blow itself up or to short circuit?

Lini is also going to toss a frag grenade into the reception area, preferably in the same area as the receptionist's corpse, obliterating it.

If she can't hack the turret, she's going to toss another frag grenade there.

Note: this is all dependent on if the plan was to leave by taxi the way they came in or if they're going out the storage room bay doors. If they have to leave the way they come in she wouldn't attack the area they're going towards until they've passed it.[/ooc]

[ic=Lini Acts]
Lini feels the slag of a shock to her back; a bruise and a burn rippled through her and she heard the receptionist speaking nonsense. Lini pivots and sees the receptionist holding a weapon, and she drops to the floor, going into Quarian military training mode, necessary rote actions trained to Quarian children to deal with when threatened by danger. She activates the turret and swings it around onto the receptionist. Lini presses a few buttons. The turret thunders, obliterating the human.

There isn't much left of the receptionist when the turret finishes firing.

When it's done, Lini crawls to an Asari's corpse, grabs the frag grenades from its belt, and stumbles to her feet, supporting herself on the wall. She feels dizzy and drugs are floating through her body, stabilizing it. Her suit was also ripped, but it starts repairing itself. Lini feels like throwing up and she's acting in a haze.

Lini looks at the receptionist's remains and muses; 'What a ----ing bitch. She made the turret kill her. How ----ing stupid can a human be?' Lini's eyes crossed and she considered the blood, a little like a Quarian's blood, when a Synthetic had blasted one across the floor. She did not miss the deaths sustained in military action.

She stumbles down the hall to where Kai and Archimedes are opening the door, clutching a belt full of frag grenades in one hand, her Omnitool out in the other. Inside her suit, the bioroutines are recycling vomit, yet again and she is being jabbed with sharp "Alert!" needles. "Vittleflies..."* she muses as she supports herself on a wall.

*Vittleflies, a native species to the Quarian homeworld, their gaudy colors and beauty is only matched by their deadly stings. Candied, Vittleflies have been a Quarian treat, popular among children and given out at historic occasions such as Mechanic's Day, for centuries. As sweet as their beauty, the saying goes, their sting is as harsh.[/ic]

[ooc=To Lini] You can easily annihilate the Corpse with a Grenade and you can overload the Turret with a DC 15 Mechanics Check. You can rig up a timer for the Turret's explosion by increasing the DC to 20. [/ooc]

[ooc]

1. Lini throws the grenade to take care of that issue

2. [dice]1d20+15[/dice] I guess Lini only managed to overload the Turret.[/ooc]

[ic="Blowing S*** Up"]
Lini throws a frag grenade in the remnants of the receptionist's body.

Then she starts programming the turret to overload, destroying data regarding its remote control. Her bleary eyes manage to focus long enough for her to program a proper overload sequence, but with her head spinning, she fails to figure out how to get the thing to explode.


[ooc]At some point she wanders over to the open door if she doesn't hear any shooting.[/ooc]

"Blown out window, blown out desk. Nothing much to hack." She notes, then she leans on the doorframe, limping.[/ic]

[ic]Archimedes swiftly scans the office for anything that might have been left behind and intact.

"There are some vehicles in a hanger attached to the storage room," he says over his comm.  "I have T'Kin's password for one; we can use it to withdraw expeditiously."[/ic][ooc]Perception check[dice]1d20+6[/dice]

EDIT: Wow, that was a swift scan...[/ooc]

[ooc=To Lini] The remaining bits of the corpse are blown away. The Turret destroys itself with a satisfying boom. [/ooc]

[ooc=To Steerpike] Your cursory glance does not reveal any new information.  The office simply appears to be a disheveled mess. [/ooc]

[ooc]To keep the game flowing a bit faster, I am going to suspend the initiative order. In lieu of it, I will simply give everyone (including Lini and Archimedes) 10 turns they can use (i.e. 1 minute of activity). Feel free to post multiple turns worth of actions tonight. [/ooc]

[ic=Groggy]

Lini stumbles towards the storage bay, her head still spinning. "Someone else better drive..."
[/ic]

[ic]"I'll take care of the vehicle.  I think we've extracted what we can from the situation here.  Better to follow Falstaff's advice with regards to the better part of valour..."

Archimedes follows Lini to the hanger and locates T'Kin's vehicle as quickly as possible.[/ic]

[ic=The garage] The Garage is filled with cars of many different makes and models. T'Kin's vehicle is large and black, with nearly black tinted windows. The interior is designed with an open layout. Upon opening the door, your eyes are assaulted by a dazzling display of hot pink and blue upholstery. The vehicle is large enough to fit 5 passengers and and a pilot. [/ic]

[ooc=An image of the interior](http://www.rollsroyceshow.info/wp-content/uploads/lgPinkHummerLimoInterior-4e172994e70e6.jpg)[/ooc]

[ic= With what fashion sense she has shown so far, the Universe must surely thank us for killing T'Kin]
There didn't seem to be much of anything left worth checking out-- and the sounds of sirens told Kai that they had exceptionally little time to work with.

Stupid, bloody Eclipse.

They were out of time, but they still had a few seconds to spare before they ran into trouble-- second sthat Kai spent examining the room for anything that could potentially be important or useful in storing data.
[note] Making a Spot check for the heck of it. Focusing mostly any kind of digital secure storage device, or any small, locked containers that could be easily carried away.) It should be a Move action to make the check actively-- this is far too quick to be a Search check.

[dice]1d20+1[/dice]

If he sees something, he'll grab it and run. Otherwise, he'll just run.[/note]
Kai runs out of T'Kin's office, heading towards the so-called speeder and the promise of a quick exit. "Who's driving?" he asks as he quickly hurries to secure himself into one of the many passenger seats. Obviously, that would not be him. He is far too interested in getting the hell out of Dodge than he is in cringing at the puke-worthy colors of T'Kin's personal vehicle.[/ic]

[ooc]So, I have a convention coming up next week-- I leave Wednesday and come back Friday. I will definitely NOT be around at all during that time.[/ooc]

[ic=Pimp Ambulance]The lights in the vehicle... hurt Lini's eyes. Her suit's systems had realigned to account for the shock her body had taken when she was tased, so their usual stimulant-dimming power was decreased. All Lini saw inside the vehicle was a puff of purple and pink. She stumbled blindly to a corner, felt around and sat, one hand on her head, another on her aching back.[/ic]

[ooc]Are we really all such "Beta" characters that no on is going to take the wheel? That being said, Lini would drive, just to be out of here, if she hadn't just lost about 3/4ths of her hitpoints to a TASER of all things.[/ooc]

[ic=To Kai] Your last glance around the office reveals a hidden safe behind one of the large pictures. The safe has a very complex electronic lock. Luckily, you have the pass code. Inside the safe, you find a printed map of Nos Astra, with several red R's placed around the map. All but one of the R's have a black X on them. The only R with out an X is placed on the Magical Unicorn (a human owned clothing shop) on the far west side of the city. [/ic]

[ooc=To Lini]The vehicle comes stocked with a medigel dispenser. You can use it to heal yourself 1d10+ 1/2 your character lever or move you +1 up along the condition track. [/ooc] [note=About Medigel] I realized as we've been playing the amount I originally gave for Medigel was far too low. So I just updated it. [/note]

[dice]1d10+1[/dice] ... That much healed.

[ooc]This is too low as well. I'm going to change Medi-Gel again.

Ok, I'm going to change it so that Medi-Gel heals you for 1/6th of your hit points or moves you +2 on the condition track. This way, it actually matters to the PCs and makes the ability (sort of) resemble how it worked in the real game a bit more while at the same time not replacing the Second Wind, nor marginalizing it.

[note=New Effect for Medigel Packs]Medi-Gel Pack: Medi-Gel packs have two different effects and are only usable if you are at or below half of your hit points. As a swift action you can either heal your character for 1/6th of their total hit points or move your character +2 up on the condition track.  You can only use 1 Medi-Gel Pack per encounter or once every half hour. Omni-Tool devices can store 2 Packs.[/note]
[/ooc]

[ic=To keep things moving along]Everyone piles into the car. A simple voice command of "get the heck out of here" is all that's required for the auto-pilot VI to shuttle the vehicle out of the garage and into the busy sky-lanes above the city. The police arrive soon after you leave, none the wiser to your existence, let alone your activities in the Ancomp Department.

You are now flying north along one of the major thoroughfares of the city. The four of you sit back in the lap of, what you assume to be, Asari luxury. The internal computer activates a bartender program and pours everyone a drink as well as retrieving several bowls of snacks from a cabinet.

The computer then asks in an unsuspectingly sensual Asari voice "Where are we headed lover girls? A nice quiet little bar or maybe a pay-by-the-hour hotel? Its been a long time since there's been four beautiful sentients inside of me, mmhmm, I feel like I could just burst open with ecstasy!" [/ic]

[ic]"You $(#*ing bimbo." Lini responds to the AI's speech. "It's a wonder VD didn't kill you first. And keep your whore implications to yourself, AI--show some class befitting your position, you $&#*ing tramp."[/ic]

Lini, though groggy, attempts to disable the AI's speech center. [dice]1d20+10[/dice]

[ic]Sal laughs as soon as she sees the inside of the vehicle, "Slut." When seating herself, she remains as close to the door as possible. When the car speaks, Sal bursts out laughing.

Eventually calming herself, Sal asks the obvious question, "Where are we going?"[/ic][ooc]The seats look like Lord Zed.[/ooc]

[ic=The VI] "Oh dearie, you Quarians are so dull. Live a little honey, explore the emotional depth one can feel when linked with an Asari. I hear its quite magical..." The VI lets out a long, audible sigh, then continues, Hehe, magical enough, so my Master touched the very soul of a new sentient every night! Some were wealthy, others poor. She didn't much care, so long as they had a freaky side."

"Why, ladies, I remember one particular Volus. He was quite the romantic! My master even pressurized my insides and flooded it with hot, yellow gas. My Master loved to look upon her companion's flesh, feel his body, merge their souls. When they were done, they would sit inside of my body, which was bursting at the seams, for hours, starring off into the sky, dreaming of the Empire they would forge. Oh, to be a hopeless Romantic... Of course my Master also enjoyed Salarian males. Why once she had 20 of them, naked and oiled, inside of my petite little frame. Why I didn't know what to do that night, mmhmmmmm."

 The VI pauses for a moment, "Asari, I do not know your name. You have not graced my innards before. Why I was sure my master had encountered every Asari in the city. Its too bad My master isn't here, she would have loved you... For all of a single, thrilling night of endless elation. Ah yes, she would have conquered you like she did all the other Asari on Illium..."

"Oh ladies, I want to do something fun tonight! Shall I book passage to the Citadel for the 5 of us or shall I whisk you away to the waterfalls of amour here on Illium? I could order barrels of alcohol and send out invites to all of my Master's contacts! Oh what fun that would be! Oh sweeties, I yearn to do something, anything! I know! Just relax inside me, let me feel your bodies jiggle and shake as I race across the heavens! We shall have a magical night yet!" [/ic]

[ic]Archimedes ignores the garrulous, lascivious VI and speaks to his companions.

"I've procured the entry codes to T'Kin's apartment.  We might as well stop there and see if we can find anything, yes?"[/ic]

>>Why once she had 20 of them, naked and oiled, inside of my petite little frame. Why I didn't know what to do that night, mmhmmmmm."

[ic]Lini looks around herself. "I am thankful for my suit." She mentions, giving up hacking the ship's vocal system. That will be a job for when she feels less ill.[/ic]

[ic]When the vehicle speaks again, Sal clearly has to make an effort to hold back another round of laughter. She met with only partial success as a small chuckle still managed to escape. "I think I would have gotten on just fine with your master," she says to the car, then looks at Archimedes, "it's a shame you made her lose her head." She puts emphasis on the last part, hoping the others will understand her meaning.[/ic][ooc]Her meaning is, of course, that it would be wise to not openly discuss the details of what just happened in here. It's up to you if your character gets it or not.[/ooc][ic]"You're all green," she says, removing the broken glasses from her belt. As she does so a faint scratching -- or maybe ripping -- sound can be heard. "If we're going to check out the apartment, we need to do it quickly." She puts the glasses on and activates her omni-tool. One eye of the glasses seems to be functioning properly while the other flickers once or twice per second. She continues talking as she begins typing something.

"Now," Sal hesitates, "car. Do me a favor and transfer that contact list to my omni-tool. Put it in an isolated folder labeled," she pauses and appears to be scrolling through a list on her private display, "'Slut Eighty-Seven' and be sure to highlight the name of that volus for me."

[spoiler=Archimedes, Lini'Leera]You have received a new text-only message. Would you like to read it now?
[spoiler=NEW MESSAGE]TO: Archimedes, Lini'Leera
FROM: Salana T'Sara
SUBJECT:[NO SUBJECT]
MESSAGE: usually in this sitchuation i would burn the car but i like this one. do you know anything about wiping VIN numbers and vehicle registrations?[/spoiler][/spoiler][/ic]

[ic=The Car] "Anything for you honey bun." Sal receives an encoded message from the VI, the folder is labeled correctly.

[note=The contact list][spoiler=The Entire 87 Name Document]
- Û©
- Agog Jiseosalind Cantrell
- Amber Melanie Bailey
- Angelia Callie Conway
- Bamoran Lllah
- Beatrice Wheeler Estes
- Benjamin Archer
- Bessie Dorothea Reeves
- Blood Jackal
- Brian Shannon
- Cedrick Galloway
- Chesla Don
- Chiskizl Aleralr
- Chuck Sheen
- Ckating Bunart
- Clyde Marc Harper
-  Colton Bridges
- Cond Lubear Zeg
- Connie Salvatore Blevins
- Cotiatk Zbesn
- Dak Dego Ba
- Darius Ivan Ortega
- Dal Sgoz
- Deppjo Hnny
- Dicoshe Xmanur
- Dolo Dikos
- Elmin Sterdr Izzt
- Foul Priest of Hate and Dexterity
- Gmotillo Dziserar
- Harry Dumbledore Riddle
- Igula Ytamod
- Iniocan Oragadall
- Jatzel Torecb
- Jean Kathryn Kirk
- Jesus Ragnarok
- Jian Tsuen
- John Sheppard
- Kim Kardashabot 8000
- Koendig Xmanur-Zbesn
- Lesley Randy Nichols
- Linghia Torecb Jiola
- Longuier Ptegmog
- Loren Stevenson
- Lucio Lawrence
- Malcolm Reynolds
- Malicab Dirabs
- Mamatzle Otilgial
- Marven Ma
- Mary Adolph Underwood
- Mattie Brianna Shannon
- Ming Fa
- Napoleon of Space France VII
- Nathan Otha Jenkins
- Nobu Naga
- Number 6
- Ondin Dxes
- Orareya Uigolonant Itagdeet
- Piga Ytiol
- Pirany
- Qalerss Salinn
- Ranom
- Rarg Rger Rarontth
- Rosie Cherry Duffy
- Rowena Wise
- Selena Jeannine Russell
- Shu Na
- Sindi Idsorc
- Spike Valentine
- Spiora Piodaora
- Stella Gwen Lowery
- Tara Franco-Christensen
- Susie Luz Mccoy
- The Artist Now Known as ˆš–ˆ–" But Formerly Known as «ª« Before Being Known As –²–¼–º—,,
- The Tsar That Looses Agony
- The Ghastly Lover
- Thomas Paris
- Tonia Gena Glenn
- Typhoon
- Ursula Lewis
- Vaga Zierorah
- Valarie Flora York
- Vamere Vati
- Vaprey Ythespr
- Vestment of Need
- William Riker
- Xia Do
- Yo Da Man
[/spoiler][/note][/ic]

[ic=To the Apartment] With a single word, the VI of the car whisks you away to the far side of town to the home of T'Kin. The Apartment tower in which T'Kin once lived was only recently constructed, incorporating Human design elements to give it a more exotic feel. The facade of each floor showcases a different time period and a different culture. T'Kin lives on the floor dubbed "Renaissance Italy" The facade for this level is adorned with frescoes of the great painters of the day as well as sculptures and mosaics. Rather jarringly, the floor above is entitled "Post-Modern Australia" while the floor below is dubbed "Western USA." The car garage is located on the 22nd floor. There are three ways to get to T'Kin's apartment - an interior elevator located inside the building by the concierge's desk, an elevator located on the outside of the building and a stairwell with direct access from the garage.

"Aww, I will sure be a-missin'ya'll on your lil' trip. You come back soon, ya hear?" states the VI in a mock Western accent,  "Hehe, look at me, quite the little explorer! I've already mastered the Ancient Western American accent in less time that it would take that purdy lil' quarien ta strip down an' expose her bountiful... nature to me. Hehe." [/ic]

[ooc]
Rolling for whether Lini knows how to wipe the VIN for this:
[dice]1d20+10[/dice]

[ic=Bitter]
Lini looks at the message, then back over to Sal. She sighs. When they disembark from the car, she taps Sal's shoulder and says. "Don't be a Boshtet fool and send that on the network unless it's a 47*." Then she looks back at the car. "Doable-Yes. Easy. But it's too unique a ride. Also, we'd need to wipe the databanks after we extract. Reformat. Reboot." Her voice lilts slightly up and more pleasant as she reflects on deleting the VI.

[/ic]

[ooc]Perception roll for sensors and vid-cameras at the apartment... obviously they will be reviewed given what happened to T'kin.
[dice]1d20+7[/dice][/ooc]

* A "47" is an important issue.

[ic=The Cameras]You spot several sensor drones meandering around the Tower, as well as your bog-standard, commercial-grade video pods spread around the outer walls in key locations (near entrances, exists, elevators and at the opening of the garage). Given their commercial-grade nature, you believe it would be quite easy to hack into the building's security network and disable a few of the Sensor Drones and/or Video Pods with no one noticing. [/ic]

[ic=No Quarian is an Island] The tech on this place was common trash. Lini knew she could hack it all ASAP without a chance of getting dox-ed. But she was still feeling wretched and once in the car her skin started crawling again and her allergic reaction kept growing. She twitched and looked over at Archimedes, who she still hadn't had time to scan to determine just what sort of a VI he was or if he could be fully trusted. "Gregor Washmanton," she started "Or crap--Leonidas-- look at this system map scan I pulled. Take it down--you do that right--you're not an idiot ent or codetwerp? I'll double eye it, but now I'm--"

She threw up again into her suit. The whirring of the reprocessing units started. "Just f***ing do it." She started hitting a bunch of buttons on her Omnitool. Vent the suit, balance the antibiotics, the computer needed tweaking and she needed to insert a few Brite! pills into its drug synthesizer. She put in a code that popped out the Omnitool's backup battery container and dug around in it for a Brite! pill, then inserted it in a small suction tube at the nape of her neck.
[/ic]

* Ent - Someone who only uses technology for entertainment purposes without knowing how to code or run simple scripts. The hierarchy goes (Luddite/Ent/Coder/"Codetwerp"/Hacker/etc.)
* Codetwerp - Someone who cracks systems and writes viruses for s***s and giggles.
* Double-Eye it - Double Check it.

Essentially she's using her Quarian feat to aid another and add +2 to Archimedes' Roll.

*edit. sorry for double post- I had some difficulty editing the last post.

On a more on-topic note to self... I'll have to start compiling a bit of our slang terms here that we've been using. Lini is particularly guilty of making heavy use of them.

[ic]Archimedes nods at Lini and whips out his omni-tool to attempt to hack into (and disable) the building's security network.[/ic][ooc][dice]1d20+13[/dice][/ooc]

With the Quarian Aid another feat, that makes it a 35... Amazing. :o

[ooc]Maybe before disabling the security we could peek at the cameras, see if anything unusual is occurring?[/ooc]

[ic=Archimedes] Archimedes effortlessly hacks into the system and steals the security profile for an "Administrator Kiko." The profile allows you access to and control over all sensor and video equipment in the building. [/ic]

[ic=In the car]Sal shrugs at the quarian's comment. The old warrior mercenary had never really been one for computers...or security. "If that's the way it is, it probably isn't worth the trouble." Shifting her focus back to the glasses, one lens still flickering irregularly, she begins working her omni-tool once more.

"It looks like T'Kin's volus lover was Chesla Don," Sal announces to the others, then asks the VI, "Was he with her more than once?"[/ic][ooc]I suppose that part could have come sooner. I didn't post right away because I didn't want to be taking over. That and I've been keeping myself pretty busy, too. I might just pick up the pace, anyway, to hopefully spur things on a bit.[/ooc][ic=In the garage]After the vehicle settles down in the garage and speaks one last time, Sal sends a copy of the file containing the list of names to each of the others. The file is no more encrypted this time than it was the last. [spoiler=Lini'Leera][ic]If Lini'Leera is paying any attention to the message indicators of the others, she would notice that her message arrived at least one second later. Along with the list of names, the message also includes Sal's personal contact information and a note reading, "in case you wanna expose your bountafil nature when this is done :)"[/ic][ooc]I sent dat bitch a smiley face. Bitches love smiley faces.[/ooc][/spoiler]Sal deactivates her omni-tool and removes the glasses, sliding them back into her belt on one side, while removing her pistol from the other. She reaches for the door before thinking better of it and listens to the quick exchange between Lini'Leera and Archimedes. "Are the cameras clear?" She asks, hand on the door-opening mechanism.[/ic]

[ic]"What the f*%( is this?" Lini looked at the message Sal forwarded. "Asari whore did everyone in the galaxy?" Then she saw the appendation at the bottom of the list. The Asari's f*$7ing ship was coming onto her. At least the list would provide some good spear phishing opportunities later, or at least some smishing, since the names came with associated location-data.

"Let's get in, grab what we can and get out." Lini said, feeling her stomach rumble, empty now of anything to void.
[/ic]
[ooc]She didn't notice that Sal's personal contact info was added. She might notice that later.[/ooc]

[ic]"The cameras shouldn't be a problem.  I can monitor them in case we get any unexpected visitors."  Archimedes steps out of the car and into the exterior elevator.[/ic]

[ic=Faint Praise]Lini stumbles over to look at Archimedes' omnitool over his shoulder. "Yeah, good work about that... Leonidas." She shuffles over toward the building, taking small steps so as to not upset her stomach, mumbling. "Better than an ent...%*#& anyone half-brained is better than an ent."[/ic]

[ooc]EE? I guess we're going upstairs.[/ooc]

[ooc]I've been waiting for someone to decide if you guys go back to your kit. :(  [/ooc]

[ic]The trip over to the exterior elevator is quick and simple. Many of the residents shuffle about merrily, completely oblivious to you. You hit the up button and wait patiently for the lift to arrive. A human walks up, wearing a loose fitting, button down shirt and long khaki pants. He looks over at Lini and Archimedes before snorting, "Looks like this place is going to the dogs..." After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, you hear a loud CRACK and an even louder BANG emanating from up the shaft. You can tilt your head up and just barely make out the bottom of the the elevator, it appears to be stuck midway between floors. The human grunts again, "I bet you had something to do with this 4 eyes! I'm calling security!" [/ic]
[ooc]He appears to be going for his omni-tool!

Do any of you want to stop him?[/ooc]

[ic]Lini leaned against the panel of elevators and heard the bang as the elevator became stuck.

She heard the human carp and she couldn't help but cough-laugh when she heard the human insult Archimedes.[/ic]

[ooc]
Sorry! I completely forgot about this when I got back.[/ooc]

[ic]This was out of Kai's hands now. Well, most probably. It seemed that T'Kin had been rather... adventurous, even for an Asari, and it reflected in the car's rather entertaining VI. Despite nearly making his eyes bleed from the color, he was at least entertained and amused by the VI-- and the others-- during transit.

Unless they were expecting combat, he had no reason to pick up the rest of his gear-- combat armor and rifles should not be needed here just yet. Hopefully. Just like the offices, up until they ran head-first into a bunch of moronic Eclipse.

He mulled over some of the details of this matter during the short trip to the apartment, trying to figure out bits and pieces of what problems may still be ahead of them. Despite having access to T'Kin's office records and Eclipse connections, it did nothing to actually bring them closer to finding the Volus just yet. Did the Volus have any connections to Eclipse? That may be worth looking into.

For a Face, he remains rather silent once they reach their destination, being quiet as the others banter or bicker with each other-- and Archimedes handily takes ownership of the facility's sensorium suite.

The elevator is a different matter-- but at least it was quiet, lacking either terrible music or hollow jabbering to bother him while they waited.

And then it got stuck. While mechanical failures are rarely a welcome thing for Kai, his primary concern is that this is not accidental break. His first thought is not to the annoyed human waiting for the elevator with them.

"Leo, Joan, see if anyone is busy trying to take over the sound systems." If this was that same Eclipse figure-- the 'Musical Human' as Lini had so eloquently named him, then it seemed like he might reveal himself already with his particular... penchant for loud noise.

Kai spares a glance to see how close the lift is to T'Kin's floor before looking dourly at the man next to him.

"Hah! What? Don't tell me you think the average Vorcha is capable of even banging two rocks together, let alone neurons." Kai inflects the remark as a joke, trying to put the man at ease-- or at least make him not call security in the following few seconds.

"Come now, I don't think we all need to sit around talking to security officers because the elevator probably hit a Vorcha too stupid to move out of the way-- unless you've got a few hours to spare for pointless paperwork. You know them."[/ic]

[ooc]
Persuasion check to stop being a bigot :P

[dice]1d20+9[/dice][/ooc]

[ic=The Human] The human chuckles at Kai's joke, "Sonny, you are the brightest beam of light in an otherwise dark and cloudy day. The name's Galloway, Cedrick Galloway! We should meet up at a bar some time soon. I bet we'd become fast friends." He hands Kai a small electronic business card and walks off towards the stairwell. [/ic]

[ooc=Scanning]Archimedes' scans the Maintenance and Security log for recent activity, revealing the following:

- A theft has been reported in one of the small gift shops.
- A maintenance hatch is open on floor 32nd floor.
- An exterior elevator is out-of-order.
- A Sensor Drone was deactivated on the 34th floor.
- A domestic squabble was reported on the 3rd floor
- A resident has complained about noise coming from the floor below her (34th floor).
- A lifeguard at one of the pools failed to report to duty.
- A hovercar was reported to be parked in the wrong spot.
- The snack room's vending machine on the 57th floor is broken.
- One of the Exterior Video Drones is malfunctioning.
- A non-resident Volus was sighted fiddling with the Pool Temperature Controls. [/ooc]

[ooc]* If I understand correctly, we are on floor 1 and the elevator is broken, correct? So we need to figure out a way to get up there?

* Also, is T'kin's apt. on the 33rd or 34th floor?

* If so, Lini's just going to do a hack check to force the elevator down (as safe as possible). [dice]1d20+10[/dice]  She can also do a tech check to make sure that what she's doing is safe--e.g. elevator wasn't malfunctioning because it's broken; it was malfunctioning because of poor software. [dice]1d20+10[/dice]

* Alternatively, I assume there are other elevator shafts that would be worthwhile to take rather than wrestling with a malfunctioning one.

Interesting list.[/ooc]

[ooc=Response] T'Kin's apartment is on the 34th floor. You are on the 22nd floor (parking garage) near the alcove to get into an external elevator. There are other elevators in the complex, but they require you to go inside the building and out of the garage). The nearest lift is near the cosigner's office, which can be accessed on the same floor as the parking garage. There is also a stairwell that runs the full height of the building.

Your check does not get the elevator working again BUT you can tell that a virus was implanted into the lift's software to make it malfunction.
[/ooc]

[ooc]Thank you for that CC... the party is also better off since Lini'Leera is too ill to make nasty comments at this point and she didn't think the human's words were directed at her.

Note: It may take me another 22 hours to respond to EE's latest development.[/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes' clawed digits flicker over his Omni-Tool, and the headache he'd felt beginning back in that puerile vehicle begins to mercifully abate.  Using his pilfered security profile he attempts to access an installation log or a record of registry changes, with the intent of ascertaining when the virus might have been implanted.  Simultaneously he searches for any anti-viral software present in the Apartment tower network, hoping to sick it on the elevator virus (supplemented by his own efforts to manually delete and/or deactivate the virus).

While he works the vorcha hums the overture of Handel's Samson.  He lets Kai deal with the human, ignoring everything else around him.[/ic][ooc]Use Computer for both actions: [dice]1d20+13[/dice]
[dice]1d20+13[/dice].[/ooc]

[ooc=To Archimedes] Your check doesn't give you an exact time when the virus was implanted but you can deduce that it was within the last 30 minutes.

By combining your own home-brewed anti-vial remedies with the mas produced, commercial varieties owned by the building, you are able to contain and eliminate the little bug. A loud kerchunk is heard from inside the shaft, followed by a ding as the elevator doors open, inviting you inside. [/ooc]

[ic=The elevator] The elevator is made completely of a transparent plastic. There are no buttons or levers, its run by voice alone.[/ic]



[ooc=what the elevator looks like]Just look at the glass elevator, not the building :) [spoiler](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Nxfy9RXbzdg/TNihWG5c7OI/AAAAAAAAAXo/Z3gZGq6DIXE/s1600/370x370_glass_elevator.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ic]Once everyone is inside the elevator Archimedes will command it to ascend to the 34th floor.[/ic][ooc]If any of that atrocious elevator music so common in Mass Effect is playing Archimedes will use his administrator privileges to change the music to this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZD9nt_wsY0).[/ooc]

[ic]The elevator complies to your commands. A voice comes over the the speaker system, obviously Volus, "What *huuuu* are you doing here *huuuuu* Savage-clan? *huuuuu*" [/ic]

[ic]"Administrator Kiko requested I perform a security diagnostic and spot-check of systems on the Renaissance Italy level - a Sensor Drone was deactivated and some of the Video Drones are malfunctioning.  Standard protocol: my team and I won't disturb you, sir!"[/ic]

[ic=Response]"I *huuu* disagree. *huuuu* I think you should *huuuuu* fix the pool *huuuu* first. I need the Administrator's *huuu* password to  bypass the *huuuu* electro-pulse  manifold. *huuu* Come to main pool, quickly Savage-Clan." [/ic]

[ic]Archimedes rapidly cycles over to the main pool Video Drones (if there are any) using his illicit security clearance to check for any surprises - such as more Eclipse mercenaries, or any signs of a trap.[/ic][ooc]What should we do, guys?  Ignore this guy?  Is Elf just screwing with us or is this significant?[/ooc]

[ic=video]You are able to tap into one of the video drones around the main pool, a Volus mechanic is standing beside an open power relay. He waves at the Drone. [/ic]

[ic=Fixing the Elevator]


"Heh. Decent." Lini nods in Archimedes' direction as he dislodges the elevator. "You roxxed a virus. So we're facing the whole ****ing Turian Defense Force again, Volii goons and all. I want my ****ing life back after this ****ing disaster." She leans on the nearest wall while complaining.[/ic]

[ic=On the Elevator]
Lini checks her vital status and realizes that she has reached a full level-3 allergic reaction. Her goal is to get in, get out, and get treatment before she reaches critical level 4 state.

Responding to the #*#(hole Volus Janitor; she speaks in Volus:
[spoiler]"****ing Chlorine's going to make me ****ing sicker. Leave me off at 34th. Oh and by the way Volus-Clan, these elevators are ****ing bugged worse than I am sick--how the **** do you get around this ****ing building with so much Boshtet bull**** ****ing breaking. ****ing Krogan barbarians design this place or something? And what the **** is a Renaissance ****ing Italy floor? This ****head Savage keeps talking about ****ing stupid **** like that--he's giving me a ****ing headache. Take him off my ****ing hands." She makes a gesture that in Volus means "Clanless b******" and points at Archimedes.[/spoiler]

Then in Common to her allies. Not directed at the Volus.
"34th floor first. I'm ****ing getting off there no matter what the **** is going on at the ****ing pool. Ms. Whatsit is coming with me. ****ing heavy lifting required. Problem? Then **** off."

Lini closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the side of the glass elevator. Her head both ached and felt like it was spinning.
[/ic]

[ooc]Out of character, she isn't really upset with Archimedes, though she is pissed at the Volus and is sort of rambling an excuse--b*tching at Archimedes just seemed like a good excuse. She also has no desire to go anywhere near a pool or to be anywhere near water-it's not the chlorine she's worried about; it's the water and its potential strain on her suit. Archimedes could figure out the chlorine excuse is BS... but then again he doesn't speak Volus :D

She's also hoping the volus overhears her b*tching in common, to maintain verisimilitude. Possible problem with her complaining is that she actually offends her allies. :D[/ooc]

[ic]"Sit tight sir, my current task has been assigned priority by my supervisor."[/ic][ooc]If Archimedes can find out who the other Admins are, he'll tel the volus to bother one of them.[/ooc]

[ic=The elevator]You ignore the Volus and command the lift's VI to take you to the 34th floor.

As the elevator slowly rises, you happen to peer out the transparent walls of the small box that's shuttling you up into the heavens. The sun is slowly being blotted out by big, dark rain clouds. Half the city is now being drenched in a heavy downpour.

The elevator dings, bringing you back to the task at hand. The doors slowly creek open, obviously the virus left lasting damage to the elevator. Your ears are immediately assaulted by loud music, this time by up beat cowboy music.

In front of you lie two long hallways, one heading north, the other east. Both are roughly 90 feet long by 10 feet wide. Every 30 feet on the outer walls lie a door, while the inner walls only have two doors. T'Kin's apartment lies on the opposite end of the complex from you.

You can just barely hear the sound of shuffling feet and hushed whispers.

Over the intercom comes the voice of a Volus, "Why did you come here *huuu* Merc-Clan? You must be here to take the *huuu* Thorstad! You'll never get *huuu* it!"

As one Volus speaks over the intercom, another speaks to you via your comm-link, "*huuuu* You should have come to the pool *huuuu* savage-clan! You're in for a big surprise *huuuu* now!"

As the Comm-link Volus ends his sentence, you hear what most assuredly sounds like Krogan racing up stairs, beating down a door and spraying the far hallway with bullets. One of them yells, loud enough to deafen the the ear piercing music, "We Blood Pack Mercs claim the Thorstad and no whooping little Volus is going to get in our way!"

Just as surprisingly, another band of Mercs jumps out of the stairwell opposite you, one of these mercs yells out, "We Eclipse are here to get revenge on you Blood Packs for killing our sisters!" [/ic]

[ooc=map of the floor][spoiler](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/Tkins1.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ooc=The song] Go Go Cactus Man (http://youtu.be/OaKH9bywzgQ)[/ooc]


[ic=The Volus] You hear a few doors open and slam shut, the Volus are obviously hiding. One of them speaks over the intercom, "You'll never get the *huuuu* Thorstand you disgusting pea-brained *huuuu* air breather! We have backup coming soon *huuuuu* and you'll wish you never in- *huuu* -terfered with our plans *huuu*. [/ic]

[ooc=Initiative]
Archimedes
Sal
Lini
Kai
Blood Pack
Eclipse
--- Eot ---
Volus[/ooc]

[ooc=Where everyone is]The PCs are in the elevator marked You. The Eclipse Mercs are down the hall from you by the stair well. You presume the Blood Pack Mercs are down the hall from the Eclipse at the other stair well. The Volus are, presumably, near T'Kin's apartment. [/ooc]

[ooc]Are there any security devices (drones, turrets, sealed doors, whatever) that I could potentially make use of on this floor?[/ooc]

[ooc]Each of the Stairwells has a security door on it, there are also 2 hidden Combat Drones on the floor. They are each equipped with a Commercial-grade Taser [Treat as a Blaster Pistol set on Stun]. You can activate both as a free action, maneuver them as a swift and fire them as a move action. Each comes with a small camera that allows you to remotely use them via your Omni-Tool. They have a +3 bonus to hit. The two Drones are located in the ceiling, in front of the two stairwells. [/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes betrays no hint of surprise as he moves from the elevator to the right-hand corridor, out of sight of the mercenaries.  Claws flickering across his Omni-Tool he accesses the floor's security network, immediately sealing the security doors, cutting off all access to the level.  Beady eyes moving back and forth with startling speed he attempts to reprogram the doors with new encryption to which only he knows the key.[/ic][ooc][dice]1d20+13[/dice][/ooc]

[ic]The doors slam shut and a loud hissing noise is heard as the locking mechanisms latch, lock and set themselves. Quite fortuitously, you managed to trap 2 of the 4 Eclipse mercs on the wrong side of the door! By the muffled growls heard from the other side of the complex, it sounds like you managed to trap a Krogan on the wrong side as well.  [/ic]

[ic]"Send the elevator to the top floor," Archimedes says quietly, though loud enough for his companions to hear him.  "Will delay reinforcements."[/ic]

[ooc]So... how many bogeys in the hall area right now?

2 Eclipse in the stairwell.

Maybe some blood pack

All the Volii in T'kin's room?[/ooc]

[ooc]Unknown.

2 Eclipse are for sure.

At least 1 Volus, probably 2 or 3.

From the sounds of it, 2 Krogan. It's a safe bet to assume there's a few Vorcha with the Krogan. [/ooc]

[ic]What the $*%(. I was expecting like three Volii and that musical human.

And #*$( you Archimedes. The elevator is our best way out. We should #*$(ing leave. But if you Boshtet #*#($)@* are willing to recover T'kin's crap, at least don't make this a Krogan-$*%*ing suicide mission. We're jamming it at this level-both digitially and literally. Sal, you got anything to wedge in the shaft?
[/ic]
Use Computer to jam the elevator at this floor. [dice]1d20+9[/dice] (It should be +10 but Lini's allergic reaction is working against her).

[ic]And Archimedes, your reprogramming doesn't totally suck, but let me show you something. You'd think a VI would know how to make use of this, but T'Parn probably lacked anyone as good as me to learn from.[/ic] (+2 competence bonus to Arch's door reprogramming from the Quarian Assistance feat.)

[ic]
More combat. With Krogan. And all Kai had was a little hold-out pistol and some fancy clothes. Not only was this mission clearly going exactly to plan, but now Kai was beginning to sorely regret not requisitioning a fething flamethrower when he had the chance.

"This will be a hell of a lot easier if we can get them to fight each other and not us," Kai says as he ducks into the right-hand corridor with Archimedes, keeping an eye down the longer hallway in case any of the mercs came bumbling around their flank.

"And you!" He hisses at Lini. "Stow it. If you really want out of here, there are plenty of windows for you to jump out of. And that would at least give the rest of us a small reprieve from your constant whining and aggrandizing. So shut up or do something useful-- like LOCKING DOWN the elevator behind us. See if it has cameras-- any Mercs try coming up it, drop them down into the lobby."

He turns to Archimedes again. "Talk to me-- what are our assets on this level?" Once Archimedes gives him some sort of response, he turns to Sal.

"This is looking pretty grim to me, but this is your field of expertise. I'm thinking we should take this hallway down to the right, and try to swing up to T'Kin's office while the mercs fight each other. It's bound to be occupied, but if we're careful, we can wait until the survivors are weak, then assault them. What do you think?"

He blinks momentarily in confusion. "Some breaching charges would be delightful right about now. And what the hell is the Thorstad?"[/ic]

[ooc]
Assume that, once we enter combat rounds, I will be using my Talent to give Archie and Sal a free Move action before combat technically begins. Lini can only get it if one of the other two can't draw line of effect to me. This is because I can only affect two people with it, and Lini is damaging Kai's calm right now. :P[/ooc]

[ooc=To Lini] The Elevator has been successfully jammed on this floor. You've also successfully aided Archimedes' roll to lock the doors.  [/ooc]

[ooc=To Kai] Sal and Archimedes are free to take their extra Move Action[/ooc]

[ic=To Kai][spoiler=To Kai][ic=An Offer heard over your personal com] " *huuu* hello...? Is this thing *huuu* on? Oh good, my hack worked! Most *huuu* excellent. Earth-Clan, I am the Volus who *huuu* asked you to stop by the pool earlier... *huuu* Thanks for coming, oh *huuu* wait, you didn't! I shouldn't even *huuu* bother to help you but... *huu* I'm a nice guy. Here's the deal *huuuu* you get me a statue from T'Kin's apartment *huuuuuuu* and I'll tell you where I stashed away some military-grade *huuu* weapons on the floor you're currently on. Do we have a deal Earth-Clan, or should I tell the Eclipse mercs who really killed their sisters?"
  [/ic][/spoiler][/ic]

[ic]Lini speaks in a quieter hiss to Kai. Lockdown is done. Before you opened your mouth. I *$&$ing work better while talking, #*#hole. She hits a few knobs on her OmniTool. You're $*#(ing right about talking quieter though. I'll $*$(ing give you that. And I'm getting on the $*$(ing cameras.

And here's a $*$*ing grenade. Brag all you want after you $*$*ing breach-I don't $*$*ing complain about whatever the $*$* you're good at. Lini grabs a grenade from her utility belt and pushes it against Kai's chest, then she goes back to her OmniTool.

As she works, Lini hisses in Quarian, coughing from time to time.
[spoiler]
$*$*ing t*at c**t human--$($*ing jealous $*$(hole. Doubt he could do anything with a stage three allergic reaction. Prissy $*$*ing humans. (and she goes on like that).
[/spoiler][/ic]

Attempt to p3wn the camera system. [dice]1d20+9[/dice] (this is already at 1 lower bonus than usual)
Attempt to p3wn the remaining elevators [dice]1d20+9[/dice] (this is already at 1 lower bonus than usual)
She also gave her remaining grenades to Kai (she either still had 1 or 2).

[ic=To Lini] There are 4 cameras on this floor (not counting the two cameras on the Security Drones), mounted on the ceiling in the 4 (outer) corners of the hallways. Your check is enough to net you control over them.

Your check is good enough to allow you full control of the remaining elevator connected to this floor (there are two elevators next to you, you jammed one and now have control over the other).

If Kai is willing, he can have the Grenade.[/ic]

[ooc]Do I see anything interesting in the cameras?

I guess I can't see what's in the other elevator, right?

How many floors total? Are there basement and sub-basement levels?[/ooc]

[ooc] You see 2 Eclipse Mercs across from you (armed with rifles and pistols); 2 very Angry Krogan (armed with Rifles, pistols, blades and heavy armor) & 3 slimy Vorcha (armed with Rifles and Pistols) in the corner opposite you; a single Volus holding a very large Grenade in the far hallway (that's not connected to the two hallways connected to the corner you are in).

There are 50 Floors in this building with an additional 10 below ground that house additional parking, power generators and rent-able storage space for tenants. [/ooc]

[ic]
What a pain in the ass," Kai immediately thinks of the angsty Quarian.

He takes the grenade nonetheless, as it is no doubt a useful tool all in its own. Though clearly Lini does not seem to understand the necessity for a directional charge rather than a room-clearer like a frag grenade. Bah. She can be lectured later about the intricacies of blowing things to hell and back again (A Human's Tale).

"And stop complaining about your allergies. And being pissy that the rest of us don't have to deal with them. Not all of us humans are ignorant of other races, you--"

Kai abruptly cuts off his retort when a message suddenly comes through for him. Intriguing. While he wasn't sure if the Volus was on the level or not, the promise of some heftier firepower was very, very tempting. Assuming the Volus was telling the truth at all. More importantly, he did not seem to have any affiliation to the two groups of mercenaries waging war with one another. That would make a fourth interested party. This whole place was beginning to get quite crowded. But, while Kai wasn't exactly sure just how far he could trust the Volus, there is no doubting that they needed to get to that apartment one way or another-- and if a bloody statue helped them do that and live, that seemed pretty fair. Hopefully Kai would live long enough to not regret this.

Let it not be said that humans are not without an honor of their own, even if they carry a weapon in the hand not being offered in peace. They can be reasoned with and, occasionally, even make decent dinner guest. Unlike Batarians. And Quarians, evidently. Do they have peanut or shellfish allergies, too, or just the standard "Deathly by Everything in the Universe" allergy?

"That sounds like a fair trade to me, friend," Kai responds. "Though you probably need to be more specific about what this statue looks like. If her apartment is anything like her car, it may be difficult to find anything of value that shouldn't be burned on sight."

He laughs to himself-- a short, curt noise that he tries to rein in quickly. "Heh, you must not have anything to do with these mercs then. So long as your word is good, so is mine-- you point us to some proper gear, the statue is yours." Before bothering to inform the others exactly who or what he is talking to, he waits to hear a response from the Volus. It never hurts to be polite to the person offering you a significantly improved chance of survival in a miniature war-zone.[/ic]

[ic=To Kai][spoiler=To Kai][ic=To Kai] "Good, good. *huuu* then we have an accord Earth-Clan. I *huuuu* am looking for a statue of *huu* the Earth-Clan god Dionysus, *huuu* it stands roughly one half Earth-Clan *huuu* meters tall. I am sending you *huuuu* an image.

The weapons can be found in *huuu* Room 34-2, just down the hall from *huuu* you. Take what you need and *huuuuuuuu* GET ME THAT STATUE!"[/ic][/spoiler][/ic]

[ooc] [spoiler=The Statue](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/223/527097037_f35497c8a2.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]


[ooc] [spoiler=Updated Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/hallway2.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes patches into the floor's Combat Drones and activates them.[/ic]

[ic=Archimedes] Two hatches in the ceiling slide open on each side the complex then out pop the two Security Drones. A video display on your Omni-Tool flickers into life, displaying what each Drone sees.

The Eclipse and Blood Pack mercs are shocked by this sudden development. [/ic]

[ooc=A New Map] I made a much more comprehensive map. [spoiler=The Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/Untitled-2.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ic]Lini, realizing that Kai understood her Quarian-worded complaint, looked up from her OmniTool. "You have some education, human. But not enough to realize I wasn't asking for anyone's pity. I'm *$*$ing good at what I do. Should I think in Volus-$*$&ing foreign tongue-if you're going to be #*#&ing offended otherwise. And what's this 'fair trade'?"

Just then, her hacking of the cameras goes through.

Sal! She shouts back, then hisses. Surveiled: 2 Eclipse; rifles. North. 2 Krogan- Armored; Rifled ; 3 Vorcha; rifled. North East. One Volus- Grenade'd, round the corner.[/ic]

Her next queued action is to send the elevator she has control over to the sub-basement floor -10, then to send it crashing to the ground by frying its system so that the pull-cable breaks--so it can't actually go up--assuming that the shaft only continues about a floor below -10. She's not interested in killing its occupants, just confining them till service techs get there... she realizes she may injure its occupants as collateral damage, but is willing to take that risk as not too large.

[ooc] I will allows you to do your queued action as a Swift action next turn (unless you have a swift available this turn). [/ooc]

[ooc]I'm sort of lost how many turns I've had or where we are in the initiative, honestly. If that last post was a new turn, then I certainly could do it as a swift action on that turn. If that was part of my previous post-turn, then I will need to hold off till my next turn in the initiative order.

As I understand-Sal has a bonus action and an action in regular initiative if the Volus on the ground didn't go already when he was talking to Kai.

If the Volus went when he was talking to Kai, Sal has 3 actions to do, Archimedes and Kai have one action to do, and my swift action was part of this new round, so I still have the rest of my actions to complete.[/ooc]

We're still on the same turn.

The Volus from the Pool is acting on an initiative between Kai and Lini (I didn't include him in the order because I wanted to keep him a secret). The Volus listed in the initiative are the Volus on the same floor as you.

[ooc=The Initiative]
Archimedes (acted)
Sal
Lini (acted)
Kai (acted)
Blood Pack
Eclipse
--- Eot ---
Volus[/ooc]

[ic=Sal] Sal jumps out of the elevator and immediately heads to the square next to Kai, readying a shot to take out an Eclipse merc if they take hostile action against the T'Parn-inites. [/ic]

[ic=Blood Pack] The 2 Krogan roar loudly! However, they merely take aim at their enemies. One Krogon takes aim at the Eclipse mercs, the other the Volus with the Grenade. Each of the three Vorcha aim at one of their three enemies - the Eclipse, Volus and Security Drone. The Krogan behind the door pounds feverishly on the steel door, to no avail. [/ic]

[ic=Eclipse] One Eclipse aims her rifle at the Krogan aiming at her. The other Eclipse pulls out her Omni-Tool and taps a few buttons.

Archimedes' Omni-Tool blinks - she's trying to override the door locks.

Luckily, she doesn't succeed. [/ic]

[ic=the Volus] The Volus hoists the grenade into the sky and proclaims "I AM GOD *huuuuuuuu* KNEEL BEFORE *huuuuu* SHOB!"[/ic]

[ooc=The Initiative]
Archimedes
Sal
Lini
Kai
Blood Pack
Eclipse
--- Eot ---
Volus[/ooc]

OOC- I was wondering about that Volus...
And thank you for the clarification.

[ic]Archimedes continues to remotely manipulate the Combat Drones, swiveling them into position and firing at the nearest targets.  After firing he reaches into his jacket and takes out his Carnifex, jaw clenched, eyes cold.[/ic][ooc][dice]1d20+3[/dice][/ooc]

[ooc]Who were you shooting at? Obviously an Eclipse but did you shoot a Krogan or a Vorcha? [/ooc]

[ooc]I was thinking just the nearest target, but probably a vorcha would be smart - Krogan are probably just going to be tickled by a taser.

If I need to make a second roll, here it is:

[dice]1d20+3[/dice][/ooc]

[ic]
"Room 34-2," Kai says quickly, finished with his other conversation. "There's some military-grade gear stowed there-- and what luck, it's right next to us."

Kai immediately moves to the door an tries to get into the room with the cache.

"Oh, and keep an eye open for a statue of a human god of wine in T'Kin's apartment. That's the deal for the gear."[/ic]

[ooc=To Archimedes]Your roll hits! I'll roll damage:

[dice]3d6[/dice] (divide by 2 to get the total amount of damage)[/ooc]

[ic=Vorcha's Readied action] The Vorcha is pissed at the Drone for shocking him. The Vorcha squints his eyes and pulls the trigger on his pistol. The bullet pierces the Drone's hovering mechanism and it crashes to the ground.

You hear a loud cackling laugh from off in the distance, obviously the Vorcha is pleased. [/ic]

[ic=To Kai] You pop open the door and are met by a fairly bog standard apartment - a Holo-Screen with a couch in front of it, a small breakfast table, a bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen.

[ic=The Volus from the Pool] "The goods *huuuu* are under the couch.[/ic]

You lift the couch up and are met by a veritable buffet of weapons:

- 4 Bandoliers, each with 5 Frag and 5 Smoke Grenades
- 4 Striker Pistols (treat as Sporting Blaster Pistols with +2 to hit)
- 4 Judgement Pistols (Treat as Blaster Pistols with +2 to damage)
- 2 Terminator Assault Rifles (treat as Blaster Carbine with +2 to hit)
- 2 Gorgon Assault Rifles (treat as Blaster Rifle with +2 to damage)
- 2 Titan Sniper Rifles (Treat as a Sporting Blaster Rifle with an Enhanced Low-Light Scope and +1 Die of Damage when you aim)[/ic]

[ooc][spoiler=map](http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/3226/kins2.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]


[ooc=The Initiative]
Archimedes
Sal
Lini
Kai
Blood Pack
Eclipse
--- Eot ---
Volus[/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes fires again from the remaining drone, then follows Kai into room 34-2.  Seeing the trove of weapons he selects a Judgment pistol.  He checks it thermal clip and extends his arm, looking down its sight, his M-6 Carnifex still in his other hand.

"About this statue," he says to Kai.  "Who's making this deal?  What's their interest here?"[/ic][ooc]To hit: [dice]1d20+3[/dice]
Damage if applicable: [dice]3d6[/dice][/ooc]

[ooc=To Archimedes] The Eclipse Merc is hit and takes 7 stun damage. [/ooc]

[ic]Lini uses her swift action to do as described on the previous post regarding the elevator.

Then she queries the apartment's system to find out who is registered as owning the room where they are getting the weapons from.

She also accesses all the video camera logs showing comings and goings and downloads them to her OmniTool.

[dice]1d20+9[/dice] If a roll is necessary for accessing the video camera logs... although she already pwned the cameras, so I wouldn't think that a roll should be needed.

She does not move from her position. Nor does she comment on Kai's revelation regarding the weapons.

Can she take a full defense with her move action then? Probably not--I recall she could take a full defense with a swift action, but a skill check in addition to that is probably a move action rather than one of the other termed actions.[/ic]

[ooc=To Lini] The Elevator is a Swift and you successfully plunge it down into the -10th floor. I'll let you have the name as a free action, the apartment is registered to a - Mary Adolph Underwood. Downloading the Video Logs will be another swift, a quick glance reveals that there have been many sentients coming to this apartment, including Asari, Volus, Human and Batarian.

Fighting Defensively is a Standard Action, it gives you a +2 bonus to your Ref Defense and a -5 to your attack rolls. If you choose to not take any attacks (even attacks of opportunity) you gain a +5 bonus to your Ref Defense (instead of the +2). [/ooc]

Ok. Lini chooses to not take any attacks, presuming that she is currently out of the line of fire.

Thank you.

[ooc=Updated Map][spoiler=Forgot to move Sal the last time](http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/8638/kins3.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ooc=The Initiative]
Archimedes (acted)
Sal
Lini (acted)
Kai
Blood Pack
Eclipse
--- Eot ---
Volus[/ooc]

[ic]Sal followed Kai, hoping to find a weapon better suited to her than the pistol she was carrying. Inspecting the cache, she found that a Gorgon Assault Rifle was just was she needed. She picked one up, checked the thermal clip, and grinned wickedly. "If they wanna fight, let's give it to them."[/ic][ooc]That is, of course, assuming that the thermal clip is good and ready to go.[/ooc]

[ooc=To Sal] All weapons are locked and loaded :) [/ooc]

[ic]"The Volus at the pool," Kai replies to Archimedes. "Seems it has no affiliation to either of these particular groups of Mercs-- though why exactly everyone happens to be here at the same time, I'll be damned if I know that."

With a brief explanation given, Kai turns his attention to the armory in front of him. This should help.

Kai grabs one of the grenade bandoliers, stowing it happily on his person, then he hefts one of the Terminator Assault Rifles, testing it's weight and balance. Satisfied, he quickly makes sure the weapon is primed and readied before readying it.

"Alright, now we've got some measure of fire-power. Let's get to T'Kin's before the Mercs finish with each other."

Kai takes the time to re-stow the secret armory once everyone has taken their turn from it, then makes to exit the room and continue down the hallway, eventually pausing at the corner to peek around and see just what the hell is happening at the other end.[/ic]

[ooc]It'll probably take him at least another turn to get down to the corner.[/ooc]

[ic] You hear one Krogan charge down a hallway and fire a torrent of shots at one of the Eclipse mercs, wounding her badly. All three Vorcha also fire at the same Eclipse merc, though it sounds like they were haphazard with their aim, most puncturing the wall behind their target. The other Krogan charges the Volus, right as he nears his mark you hear a massive BOOOOOM! Followed by some coughs, some snorting and someone yelling "I AM A *huuu* GOD!"

[ooc]Shob readied an action to lob a grenade at anyone who came near him. Unfortunately, he threw the grenade a bit late and was caught in the blast radius. The Korgan was hit directly, Shob was able to escape mostly unscathed. [/ooc]

Another loud explosion is heard from the far corner of the floor, followed by the sound of a steel door collapsing onto the ground. A deep, guttural voice is then heard yelling, "YOU MAY BE GOD BUT I'M GUNNA TO R**E YA B****!"[/ic]

[ic=Eclipse Mercs] The two eclipse mercs looks at one another and bolt down the hallway to escape the furious Krogan. The merc that was not wounded taps a few buttons on her Omni-Tool.

[ooc]Archimedes' Omni-Tool lights up again, she attempted to hack the door but was unsuccessful. [/ooc]

The other merc looks to be aiming down the hall, readying a shot for the first creature to walk into her sight.  [/ic]

[ic=The Volus] The poor Volus hustles down the hallway as fast as his little legs will take him. As he nears the corner, he whips out another grenade and declares SHOB *huuu* WILL NOT LET *huuu* MERE MOR- *huuu* -TALS STOP HIM *huuu* FROM COM- *huuuh* -PLETING HIS *huuuuuu* task..." the voice trails off as the Volus tries to catch his breath. [/ic]

[ooc=The Initiative]
Archimedes
Sal
Lini
Kai
Blood Pack
Eclipse
--- Eot ---
Volus[/ooc]

[ooc=Updated Map][spoiler=The Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/Tkins6.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ic]The vorcha savant nods at Kai as he moves back into the hall.

"A strange situation, to be sure," he says.  "But as the great detective said, 'Amid the action and reaction of so dense a swarm of humanity, every possible combination of events may be expected to take place, and many a little problem will be presented which may be striking and bizarre'.  So it is on Illium."

Archimedes glances at the Drone camera to get a lay of the land, noting the movements of the mercenaries as best he can.  He swiftly powers up his Tech Armour, pistols in hand.

"I'll cover you," he says to Kai.

He winks at Lini, bares his long teeth momentarily in a macabre grin (a flicker of eagerness passing over his features, gone almost immediately), and prepares to shoot any Eclipse mercenaries who enter his view with the Judgment pistol.[/ic][ooc]Use Tech: [dice]1d20+11[/dice]

Attack (if applicable): [dice]1d20+3[/dice] - Readied action to shoot any Eclipse who come into view.

Damage: [dice]3d6+2[/dice][/ooc]

[ic]"****ing ****." Lini heard the twin Eclipse girls heading down the hall toward her and the elevator. "Kaaaa--Georghe-Boshtet bullsh#* names. Two whores round the bend. Grenade?" It would figure that the grenade became useful after she gave it away.

Lini darts into the armaments room and checks her omnitool to see that the elevator's doors stay shut, readying an action to defend against any hacking of elevator shafts.[/ic]

[ooc=to Archimedes and Lini] Which squares were you looking to move to?

I only ask because a lot of the enemies are packing Auto-Fire weapons, which means placement is a bit more important than it was in the last battle. [/ooc]

[ooc]W-11[/ooc]

[ooc]V-15 or 16--whatever is reachable.[/ooc]

[ooc]If Lini double moves, then she can get to pretty much any where in the apartment.

Thank you both for posting :) [/ooc]

[ooc]How thick does the wall look to be in the room, once I'm in it? That is, the wall between that room and T'Kin's. Or are all these walls very well shielded.

Perception check if necessary [dice]1d20+7[/dice][/ooc]

[Ooc]The Walls appear to be a composed of 3 layers - drywall, insulation and an industrial plastic. You could easily puncture the wall with a heavy rifle and some grenades. [/ooc]

[ooc=Kai] Kai skips merrily down the hallway, readying an action to shoot anything that that gets in his sights.[/ooc]

[ooc=Sal]Sal dances down the hallway, joining Kai. She similarly readies an action to obliterate anything that passes into her field of vision.[/ooc]

[ic=Blood Pack]The Korgan in the north hallway slowly meanders to the hallway near the Elevators, a crass smile on his face. He lifts up his Rifle, barely taking the time to aim and fires at the Eclipse merc who has not been wounded. The slug pierces her forehead and rockets out the back of her skull, the body drops to the ground, blood squirting every where.

Two of the Vorca follow the first Krogan down the hallway but they have to run to keep up.

The other Vorcha heads down the opposite hallway aiming his pistol for Shob, however his mark wistfully dodges with the dexterity of a frightened chicken.  

One of the Korgan charges Shob, and once more Shob lobs a grenade at him. A massive explosion rocks the walls of the apartment, the deafening boom (for once) drowning out the sound of the cowboy music.

The Krogan, however, is not deterred by the Grenade and rams right into Shob with his Omni-Tool Sword, however Shob is nothing if not dexterous when fearful and artfully dodges the attack.

[ooc] Shob threw a grenade at the Krogan and wounded him for a fair amount of damage. The Krogan then tried to melee the Volus but he rolled a 2 on the attack roll :( [/ooc]

The Final Krogan, laughing halfheartedly, slowly walks down to the hallway, with a half-confounded look on his face. He constantly glances at T'Kin's apartment door and Shob. The Krogan mutters under his breath, as his gaze drifts between his two targets, "To Torture the Volus or not, that is the question."[/ic]

[ic] With her ally down, the remaining Eclipse merc (whose already been hurt) decides it would be for the best to high tail it out of the apartment. She bolts down the corridor, attempting to gain access to the Elevators. As she rounds the corner, she's met by a single brutal strike by Deadeye Archimdes, who pops a slug into her neck and drops her like a sack of potatoes.

The stairwell in the east hallway, the one trapping the remaining Eclipse mercs, finally bursts open. It appears their combined fire succeeded where their hacking abilities could not.

[ooc]Archimdes can see on the Drone's camera that both of these 3 Asari are hyped up on Minagen X3. [/ooc] [/ic]

[ic=Shob] [ooc]Shob withdraws backwards and is attacked by Sal and Kai[/ooc]

Both Kai and Sal fire, nearly simultaneously, their bullets separating Shob's torso from his legs. The Volus screams in agony as he tries to squirm away - with his pressurized suit decimated, he doesn't move far. The Volus' skin begins to peal and crack, slowly ripping open until finally you hear a loud squishy noise as his organs burst out of his body and splatter against the inner-lining of his suit. [/ic]

[ooc=The Initiative]
Archimedes
Sal
Lini
Kai
Blood Pack
Eclipse
--- Eot ---
Volus[/ooc]

[ooc=Updated Map][spoiler=The Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/A%20Mass%20Effect%20PbP/Tkins7.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes scuttles down the corridor towards the elevators, suddenly looking very much the typical vorcha - with his suit, fastidious manners, and atypical speech patterns, it's easy to forget his species.  He pauses, pressing himself against the north wall before peering around the corner.  He raises his Carnifex and takes a shot at the nearest target - the brutish rifle-wielding krogan.[/ic][ooc]Movement is to W-9.

If possible he'll use a swift action to duck back around the corner - your call whether this is possible rules-wise, Elf.

Attack: [dice]1d20+3[/dice]

Damage: [dice]3d8[/dice][/ooc]

[ooc]I'm willing to play a little hard and fast with the rules, as long as its cinematic. Feel free to pop out and pop back into cover.

Unfortunately, your attack misses :( [/ooc]

[ooc]Ah well, not all of my attacks can be one-shot kills.  Hopefully the krogan will be caught in Eclipse fire anyway.[/ooc]

[ic]"Damnit," Sal says, "this is a mess." She steadies the rifle on her shoulder, ready to fire.[ooc]I want Sal to hold where she is for the moment but ready an action to take a shot at anything that rounds the corner to the right.[/ooc][/ic]

[ooc]>>Shob threw a grenade at the Krogan and wounded him for a fair amount of damage. The Krogan then tried to melee the Volus but he rolled a 2 on the attack roll

Shob is God. ... but then he was slain :( sob.[/ooc]

[ic]Lini sorts through the array of weapons on the ground. If there are any left over explosives, she takes them and starts clearing the area in the top right corner of the room, where she intends to set any charges (if there are any) or throw grenades (if there are any). If both of those options are lacking, Lini will pick up an assault gun and fire away at the wall.

If she has time, she pulls the couch near the door to the entrance of the room and will either retreat back there once triggering charges, or will throw grenades from there.

Once explosions are to begin, she will discretely move past the couch and slightly outside to the hall so as to avoid shrapnel. (w12)
[/ic]

[ooc]So we're actually hearing the cowboy music?
Please roll whatever checks you think are appropriate for Lini. With her explosives placement, she also is making an effort to not actually destroy much of what is in T'Kin's room. If necessary, she will set the charges to focus their blast into the room next to T'kin's and to just weaken the wall to T'kin's.[/ooc]

[ic]
That was... quite spectacularly messy. Now, if the sounds of thundering down the hallway didn't herald something large and unfortunate headed in his direction, then this was going to be a walk in the park.

Yet, with Krogan about, he didn't trust his aim well enough to save his own skin-- and hitting a hopped up Volus wasn't exactly a testament to great marksmanship. For anyone except another Volus, maybe.

So Kai did one of the more foolish, if spontaneous things he'd ever considered. He primed the grenade that Lini had passed him, then tossed it right into the Volus' remains-- maybe he'd be lucky enough to cook off the rest of the late Shob's arsenal for whatever was busily investigating the new blood-smear decorating the walls of the hallway.

Then, he did what was fully expected of him. He ran like hell. In the other direction.[/ic]

[ooc]Grenade to wherever Shob's grenade-laden carcass is. W/ V 23 or 24. Preferred is V-24, if that puts the body in the blast radius. Thereabouts, anyway. Then running like hell before it goes off. Moving to W-15.

Attack roll for Grenade Toss-- please advise on Damage or any other effects.

[dice]1d20+3[/dice]
Scatter, if needed: [dice]1d8[/dice][/ooc]

[ooc=To Lini]As you pick up one of the Bandoliers, to relieve its grenades, you find a small hidden compartment filled with an equally small block of C-4. You can create a make-shift Timer with your Omni-Tool. C-4 deals 5d6 damage and is more accurate than a duct taped grenade cluster. :)

To rig everything together, you'll need to spend a your standard and swift actions to make a timer, put a gob of the C-4 on the wall and stuff the timer into said gob (bending the rules slightly since, apparently, it would require 2 Full Rounds to do everything you want to do!).

And yes, the cowboy music is still playing.[/ooc]

[ic=To Kai] [ooc]The Frag Grenade deals 4d6 damage in a 2 square burst. The Volus was in V-23, so you manage to catch the Krogan as well.

[dice]4d6[/dice][/ooc]

Your grenade floats threw the air, gently landing on Shob's neck before exploding in an eruption of bloody goo. The area around the corpse (in a 2 square burst) is filled with smoke and dust. You faintly hear the sound of plastic cracking as you dart off in the opposite direction.

[ooc]The Volus had Smoke grenades on him, which were ignited by Kai's grenade. Smoke provides total concealment for anyone inside the area. [/ooc][/ic]


[ic=Blood Pack]The Korgan, that had been harassing Shob, decides to investigate who shot (and obliterated) his prize. The Merc, being a Krogan, rushes head long into the smoke. A very loud cracking noise echoes out into the hallway, followed by a thud, that's oddly reminiscent of the sound a child makes when belly flopping into a pool.

The Krogan, who was deciding where to go, makes up his mind and charges down into the smoke. This time, all you hear is the thud, followed by a flurry of Krogan curses.

The Vorcha, believing his allies are in danger, also scrambles into the smoke. You once more hear a thud, though far quieter than the last two. The Krogan's cursing soon gives way to the sound of gun fire penetrating soft tissue and the high pitched sequels of a Vorcha begging for his life.

Completely oblivious to his companions' adventures, the Krogan Archimedes shot stares down the hallway. Something shot at him and he didn't like it! The Krogan takes a few deep breaths before sprinting, at full speed, down the hallway. As he nears the end of the corridor, the merc holds his rifle out and fires right into Archimedes.

[ooc]The Krogan uses the running attack feat to hustle down the hall and fire as he does so. Fortunately, he misses Archimdes, unfortunately he used Autofire so...

Archimdes takes 10 damage! :x [/ooc]

The two remaining Vorcha retreat backwards slightly and fire wildly into their Asari targets, taking more pleasure in the sheer frivolity of shooting than pride in their marksmanship.

[ooc]They both roll misses![/ooc] [/ic]

[ic=Eclipse Mercs] Like a well trained military unit, the three Asari exist the stairwell and fan out. Two of them gather the energy necessary to fully harness their biotic potential, while the third draws a rifle and takes aim at one of the Vorcha.

The first Asari lifts one of the Vorcha off the ground and flings him into the ceiling, instantly turning his entire upper torso into goo.

 The second Eclipse merc uses her biotic power to slowly, yet inexorably, drag the unwilling Vorcha over to the third Asari. With the barrel of her rifle squarely pressed against the helpless Blood Pack Merc's skull, she pulls the trigger, annihilating the poor alien and consigning him to a swift yet brutal death. [/ic]


[ooc=The Initiative]
Archimedes
Sal
Lini
Kai
Blood Pack
Eclipse
--- Eot ---
Volus[/ooc]

[ooc=Updated Map][spoiler=The Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/A%20Mass%20Effect%20PbP/tkinsappartment.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ooc]If my calculations are correct my Tech Armour (SR 7) should have been depleted and thus will explode.  How does this interact with my normal Shield?  I still take 3 damage, since they don't stack, right?[/ooc]

[ooc]A few weeks back I adjusted the Tech Armor power to make it better (I posted a notice in the game thread I believe). I had to do this because I realized Shields work slightly differently than I recalled when I wrote the power.

QuoteTech Armor
Using tech, you generate a protective suit of body armor
- Time: 1 Swift Action
- Target: Self
- Effect: Make a Use Tech check. The check determines the strength of the tech armor. The Tech Armor begins at SR 5. The Armor persists until either depleted or the end of the encounter. Tech Armor does not stack with a character's normal Shields. When the Tech Armor is depleted, it violently explodes, staggering nearby enemies. The Use Tech check made to generate the armor is compared to the Reflex Defense of all enemies within 2 squares. All enemies affected by the explosion move -1 down the condition track and take 1d6 damage. The result of your Use Tech check also grants a larger SR and improves the damage dealt by the power when depleted.

DC 10: The Tech Armor grants SR 10 and increases the damage done to 2d6
DC 20: The Tech Armor grants SR 15 and increases the damage done to 3d6
DC 30: The Tech Armor grants SR 20 and increases the damage done to 4d6

[ooc]Ok. Then Lini will go ahead and do that.[/ooc]

[ooc]Lini could do all the prep work last turn and set the timer to go off after she runs out of the room (or at least behind the couch) this turn.[/ooc]

[ooc]Are the doors to various apartments unlocked, or could I unlock them using my Admin clearance (Swift Action?)?

Also, thanks very much for clarification![/ooc]

[ooc]The Admin Key will allow you to open any door you'd like as a Swift action and a DC 10 Use Computer Check. [/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes doesn't flinch as the krogan's shots patter off his Tech Armour in a series of iridescent bursts, the mass effect fields deflecting each bullet.  He retreats back along the hall, squeezing off a second shot from his Judgment pistol as he does so.[/ic][ooc]Move to W-14.

Attack:[dice]1d20+3[/dice]
Damage: [dice]3d6+2[/dice][/ooc]

[ic=To Archimedes] The Krogan was in the middle of a hearty laugh when a bullet punctured his shields, splattering shrapnel across his face. Furious, the Krogan roars, "You insolent whelp! I will eat your heart and feed your carcass to my pet Varrens!!" [/ic]

[ooc]W-14. That's fun. Lini's set the charges and has jumped behind the couch and would be just running out to duck and cover in W-13 as you make your retreat. :( Sad for Lini to be in the path.[/ooc]

[ooc=To Lini] It's C-4, you should be OK as long as you have a wall in between you and the blast.

You can walk through squares occupied by allies :)

[dice]5d6[/dice] that's the damage the C4 deals to the wall. [/ooc]

[ooc]GAH! Terrible rolls!

The Dice roller on this site is SO TERRIBLE some times :( [/ooc]

[ic]The C-4 was applied in fast, so much of its force was diluted. The reverberations from the explosion can be felt well out into the hallway. As the smoke clears, you can spot a 3 foot by 3 foot hole in the wall, which can be easily widened with a little muscle.

[ooc] The hole is considered difficult terrain and so costs you double movement to walk into and out of.[/ooc] [/ic]

[ic]"Kai, Sal, would either of you excellent gentlemen mind assisting me with this unfortunate vulgarian bearing down on me like Neoptolemus on Priam?"[/ic]

Short range, 8 squares, -2, W-23

[ic]
Oh, to hell with this! As Kai hears a sort of organic demolition derby ensue in Shob's unfortunate remains, he hears Archimedes' plea for assistance. Well, if the amount of Krogan diving around this corner was anything to go by, Kai wasn't going to be able to provide all that much assistance at this particular moment in time.

It did, however, lend itself the potential for a very helpful moment. With only a little bit of thinking, he plucked one of the frag grenades from his new bandoleer and hurled it down the hallway towards the plume of smoke and angry Krogan.

[note=Grenade]
Aiming for W-23. It's Short Range, so -2 to the attack.
Attack: [dice]1d20+1[/dice]
Scatter: [dice]1d8[/dice]
Damage: [dice]4d6[/dice]

Note: I noticed that in Saga, Grenades work a little differently than their DnD analogues. I assume Saga rules take priority?

If so, then a hit does full damage, a miss does half, and there is no scatter dice. For Frags, at least.[/note]

With that taken care of, Kai turns and makes for the best piece of cover he can find-- the doorway of the new-found armory. Which now has a great deal of smoke billowing out of it. With all of his own ordnance being thrown, it seems that Kai missed Lini's attempt to breach the apartment. With one explosive already thrown, he slams heavily into the open doorway, deciding that cover against the Krogan in the hallway still trumps whatever else is waiting in the room.

"What the hell was that explosion-- and get into some damn cover, Leo! You're blocking my shot!" Kai begins yelling frantically. While he is still holding together under the stress of combat, there is no doubt that these kinds of encounters and firefights are something that Kai has never expected to find himself a part of.

He was an officer, dammit! This kind of fighting is beneath him![/ic]

[ooc]
Chucking a grenade, then moving into V-13 to take cover from the angry Krogan in the hallway. Will be providing some covering fire next round.[/ooc]

[ooc]Ok all cleaned up :)[/ooc]

[ooc]Sal delays [/ooc]

[ic=Blood Pack]From inside the smoke, you hear muffled yelling, "You slimy little weasel! You trapped me down here and now someone is throwing Grenades at me! You and your little Vorcha buddies are all on the chopping block now! Literally!"

A winy voice replies, "No, no... NO! Don't hurt me! I didn't know!"

You hear two shots, and a grunt of satisfaction.

"Well now that that's taken care of how the hell do I get out of here...?"

Meanwhile, the furious Krogan that was shot by Archimedes, hustles over in front of his enemy (standing roughly a meter and a half away), raises his Rifle to eye height, yells "My Varrens won't mind if you have a few holes in ya!" then shoots his target with deadly aim, followed by a bout of vigorous laughter.

[ooc]He autofires at Archimedes. He misses Archimedes, thus dealing 8 damage! [/ooc][/ic]

[ooc=Archimdes Tech Armor Explodes][dice]2d6[/dice]

The Krogan assumed he was a tactical genius when he didn't get right up in Archimdes' grill - he was wrong. The explosion from the Vorcha's tech armor staggered the massive brute. He looks winded and tired now.[/ooc]

[ic=The Eclipse Mercs]All three Eclipse Mercs run down the same hallway, intent to find their Blood Pack enemies.[/ic]

[ooc=The Initiative]
Sal
--- Eot ---
Volus
Archimedes
Lini
Kai
Blood Pack
Eclipse[/ooc]
[ooc=Updated Map][spoiler=The Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/A%20Mass%20Effect%20PbP/Tkins9.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ooc=Sal]Sal whips around and shoots the Krogan who just assaulted Archimdes. She takes aim at his left eye and fires.

To hit: [dice]1d20+6[/dice]
Damage: [dice]3d8+4[/dice]

With deadly precision, Sal manages to lodge a bullet into the Krogan's eye. He screams in agony but is not killed. He fights through the pain and steels his heart for more battle. [/ooc]

[ic=The Volus] One of the three Volus who scurried away into T'Kin's room when the fighting first began, bursts through the new opening, brandishing pistol and screams I.. I HAVE... A *huuu* GUN! And *huu* Who ever makes a move... *huuu* will uhhh... *huu* uhhh...  die... *huu* painfully...![/ic]

[ooc=The Initiative]
Archimedes
Lini
Kai
Blood Pack
Eclipse
Sal
--- Eot ---
Volus
[/ooc]

[ooc=Updated Map][spoiler=The Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/A%20Mass%20Effect%20PbP/Tkinsa.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes' Tech Armour flickers and dies in a corona of dissipating energy; one of the krogan's bullets tears through the ridge of his upper left brow orifice.  Warm, wet blood begins to trickle down the vorcha's forehead.  As his main kinetic barriers come back online a strange expression steals over the savant's face.  Something primitive enters his eyes, the gleam of cold intellect replaced with a fire of bestial rage, his pupils dilating, capillaries bursting as an apoplectic paroxysm subsumes the veneer of sophistication Cerberus scientists worked so hard to inculcate.  The krogan's bullet tears the mask of poise and refinement violently away, exposing Archimedes' true visage - something furious and cruel, terrifying and animalistic, a beast in a humanoid body.

With a feral hiss the vorcha charges towards the krogan, firing his Carnifex with mad abandon, overcome by ferocious anger, a primal urge not only to kill but to sink his fangs into the creature's flesh, to see the look of fear in his prey's remaining eye as he reaches to pluck it out with his talons.[/ic][ooc]Attack:[dice]1d20+3[/dice]
Damage:[dice]3d8[/dice]

I will spend a force/action point on my roll to-hit: [dice]1d6[/dice]

EDIT: Wow, didn't even need it.

If you allow it, Elf, I'd like to use my critical hit not to simply shoot the krogan dead but to really go Hannibal Lector on his ass.[/ooc]

[ooc]If you'd like, you can describe all the gory details of how you kill this particularly vile Krogan. :) [/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes sets upon the krogan with frenzied abandon. He leaps atop the wounded creature and bears it towards the ground, tearing at its exposed flesh with claws and teeth.  He worries at the creature's throat with his fangs, tearing at the vulnerable blood vessels, while his hands grope at the korgan's keratin brow-armour (pistols discarded), forcibly tearing the creature's face, ripping the thick plating loose to expose soft, raw flesh beneath.  He digs both clawed hands into the krogan's head, savagely mauling and rending, barking like an animal, face and torso spattered with gore, his suit stained with crimson, ragged strips of flesh dangling limply from his teeth.

The krogan thrashes, still alive, trying vainly to bring his rifle to bear.  The vorcha growls and grabs the rifle.  He jams the barrel into the krogan's mouth, deep down into its throat, and pulls the trigger on full autofire.[/ic]

[ooc]Lini & Kai delay [/ooc]

[ic=Blood Pack] From inside the smoke filled area, you hear a muffled voice, complaining about his predicament, "I'm a Chief! How the hell did I wind up down here? May as well try to get out..." The roar of a rocket emanates from the smoke filled area - like an angel, the Krogan slowly rises from the depths and emerges from the smoke, gaining speed as he does. He stares down the barrel of his rifle, lets loose a primal howl and pulls the trigger!

[ooc]The Krogan shoots Sal... And its a Critical! o_O

Damage: [dice]6d8+2[/dice]

The Krogan ends his movement in X-19.

P.S. Sorry Sal, this is going to hurt. :( [/ooc][/ic]

[ic-Eclipse]The Three Eclipse Mercs burst around the corner, cry havoc and let slip their biotic fury.


One Asari uses Pull to drag the Krogan forward while a second casts Lift to thrust him into the ceiling and crack his skull open.

[ooc]Damage: [dice]4d6[/dice]

The Krogan is practically limp, he's hanging on by less than a thread.  [/ooc][/ic]

[ooc=The Initiative]

Sal
Lini
Kai
--- Eot ---
Volus
Archimedes
Blood Pack
Eclipse
[/ooc]

[ooc=Map][spoiler=Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/A%20Mass%20Effect%20PbP/Tkinsb.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ooc]Ow. Lots of criticals[/ooc]

[ic]Lini hears the Volus' threat and lies back against the couch. She notices Kai lumber next to her and she looks at him. "Use that charge I gave you? And why the #*#k aren't you going 'round the corner? Is Sal making a second front by herself? Or #*#k dead?" She starts coughing. Allergen levels rising again...

She hears more shouting and shooting.

(assuming Kai answers sarcastic or something)

"Well #*ck." Lini activates her Combat Drone. (BOSHTET #*#*ING SH!T is its code name.)

[/ic]

[ooc]She uses her tech power to activate her Combat Drone. If that action was for the past round, then I might need to do a second action.

If I need a new action for the new round, I have a question- the powers in Star Wars Saga don't replenish after a fight like in 4E do they? Does she need to rest 24 hours to get her Tech Armor power back? If not, then she'll activate it now, but I figure it's on the 24 hour rule.

If she can't do her tech armor, she's probably going to see the Eclipse just behind Kai and will draw her blaster and shoot.[/ooc]

[ooc]All powers work like Encounter Powers in 4E, so after an encounter and with a minute of rest, all your powers come back.

It takes a swift action to activate the Combat Drone power, a free action to move the drone and another swift to shoot with the drone.  [/ooc]

[ic=Still Standing]The krogan's bullet strikes Salana in the abdomen. To her, the world becomes all but silent. All the action going on around her seems distant and muted. She stumbles back a few steps and puts her left hand on the wound, her newly acquired rifle remaining in her right. The weapon's barrel droops as the asari is struck by a wave of dizziness. Damnit, she thinks as she removes her hand from the new hole in her body and examines it. It's totally covered in blood, front and back. Damnit.

Sal blinks several times, doing little to clear the fog from her mind. Think. Focus. She shakes her head. Don't let shock set in. Not here. Not now.[ooc]I will use a swift action to trigger a second wind. My constitution score (14) is higher that 1/4th of Sal's HP (8), so Sal recovers 14 HP. Sal is now at 19 HP but still at -1 on the condition track.[/ooc]The sound and color begin to return to the world for Sal. She shakes her head again, hoping to further clear her mind. Regaining her composure, she takes in the scene with a glance and barks out a command, not from a place of authority but from one of experience and habit as a long-time warrior. "Damnit, Arc, now is not the time to lose it! Get to cover, we're outnumbered!" Seeing she has no clear route to the room with the others, herself, Sal presses a button on her omni-tool to activate the medi-gel dispenser. She applies the deployed gel to the wound in her abdomen and raises her rifle with both hands. Carefully, Sal takes aim at the krogan behind Archimedes and fires.[ooc]I'll trade my move action for another swift action so I can use medi-gel. I will use that to move Sal +1 on the condition track.
Attack with Gorgon Assault Rifle: [dice]1d20+6[/dice] Not sure if hit or miss, likely miss. I think I'll use a Force Point to add to that.
Force Point: [dice]1d6[/dice]
Damage: [dice]3d8+4[/dice][/ooc][/ic]

[ooc] The Krogan, whose head had been forcibly pushed through the ceiling by the Asari's Biotic powers, proved easy prey for Sal - even in her condition. Sal's aim was slightly off however, the bullet strayed south and punctured the Krogan's rear end. Less than a second later, the bullet burst through the other side, traveling right through the Krogan's Quad. He screamed like a wounded Pyjak baby, his hands desperately tried to reach his crotch and prevent bleeding. The struggle to maneuver his hands loosened the hole in which his head was lodged, quickly giving way under his immense bulk. The Krogan plummeted ten feet to the ground, his legs catching him for mere moments before slipping backwards and smacking his head against the floor. As his eyes glazed over and death neared, he whispered, "But... I was a Chief..." With that, his head tilted to the right and his body went limp.[/ooc]

[ooc]Okay, then swift activate combat drone. Swift shoot Volus with drone, targeting his gun or his legs--not aiming to kill but to disable.

And next turn Swift activate Tech armor, and I'll deal with the rest when it comes to that.[/ooc]

[ooc=Combat Drone Power]I think Combat Drone has changed since we first started, just in case you missed the updated text, here it is: [spoiler=Description]Combat Drone
Using Tech, you create a small drone to aid you in combat
- Time: 1 Swift action.
- Target: None
- Effect: Make a Use Tech check. The check determines the abilities of the Combat Drone generated. Every Drone has 10 + 1/level hit points. Each Drone has the following abilities: Strength 1, Dexterity 12, and Intelligence 10. Drones do not have a Constitution, Wisdom or Charisma score. Drones utilize their creator's Base Attack Bonus. Every Drone comes equipped with a gun that deals 1d4 damage. You can only have 1 Drone out at a time. You may move the drone as a free action and command it to fire as a swift. The Drone has a Reflex Defense of 10 + 1/2 your level.

DC 10: The Drone gains 5 hit points and deals 1d6 points of damage
DC 15: The Drone gains 10 hit points and deals 1d8 points of damage
DC 20: The Drone gains 15 hit points and deals 1d10 points of damage
DC 25: The Drone gains 20 hit points and deals 1d12 points of damage
DC 30: The Drone gains 25 hit points and deals 2d8 points of damage
DC 35: The Drone gains 30 hit points and deals 2d10 points of damage [/spoiler] [/ooc]

[ooc=To Lini] You forgot to roll your Use Tech check and attack roll. I shall roll them for you, in the interest of speed:

Use Tech: [dice]1d20+10[/dice]
Attack Roll: [dice]1d20+2[/dice]
Damage Roll: [dice]1d12[/dice][/ooc]

[ooc=The shot]The Drone births itself out of Lini's omni-tool. Its camera races back and forth, its limited internal AI taking in its new surroundings. The Red eye spots the Volus and with a verbal command, the Drone twists its gun forward, and belts out a mighty blast. The shot fired true and brutally wrenches the left arm off its target's body. The Volus begins to cough and hack violently, struggling to breath, he screams *huuuu* BUT *huuuuu* Wh- *huuuuuu* -y... *huuuuu*? before toppling over dead. The sound of skin ripping and cracking can be heard for several agonizing seconds after his death. [/ooc]

[ooc=Kai]Now that the Volus has been dispatched, Kai steadies his pistols and readies to shoot any Eclipse merc that tries to enter the apartment. [/ooc]

 [ic=The Volus]The dead Volus' omni-tool wheezes back to life, a holographic image of a handsome Turian female manifests in shimmering blue light. She looks quite distraught, "Dyi. DYI! Husband, why won't you answer? Damn it, you know the holo-vid on my Omni-Tool is on the fritz! I can't see you, so this is a terrible time to give me the silent treatment. Look, I know we had an argument yesterday but... Please don't go on that mission. I know you and the Tsar go way back but... Ever since the Geth appeared, he's been a changed man. You can't trust him. For all you know, he's sending you to your death. What would Gala think? Do you want to tell her what you do for a living? That you steal valuables from other people and pawn them off to would be pirates and collectors? I thought we put this behind us Dyi. I hope you're ok... I don't know what I'd do if you were to die..."

The Holo-Vid cuts, leaving the room in its darkened, dust filled state.   [/ic]



[ooc=The Initiative]
Archimedes
Blood Pack
Eclipse
Sal
Lini
 Kai
--- Eot ---
Volus
[/ooc]

[ooc=Map][spoiler=Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/A%20Mass%20Effect%20PbP/tkinsappartment1.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes looks up from the red ruin of the krogan's head.  Seeing the Eclipse, he wrenches the krogan's rifle from the creature's throat and fires madly, lips pulled back to expose his long teeth, eyes blazing with frenzy.  In stark contrast with his usual precision the vorcha is barely aiming - just filling the corridor with bullets.

The thermal clip hisses and Archimedes throws the rifle down in frustration, picking the Judgment pistol back up from off the ground.[/ic][ooc]I've decided that while in one of his murderous frenzies Archimedes will constantly use his action points to represent his berzerk state.

Attack - autofire on the 2x2 squares the nearest Eclipse occupy: [dice]1d20-7[/dice]
Damage: Not sure, Elf?
Action Point (bonus to attack): [dice]1d6[/dice] - 3 now remaining.[/ooc]

[ooc=Damage][dice]6d4[/dice] Both Eclipse Mercs will take full damage. [/ooc]

[ic]Both of the Eclipse Mercs stare at the blood crazed Vorcha, one of the remarks, "Such a curious species, they always revert to their feral state when in danger."

The other nods in agreement, "Yes, easy to kill too, especially when feral."

"I suggest we kill this specimin in the same fashion we killed the last."

"Agreed."

The First Asari gathers her biotic power and tries to pull Archimedes towards her companion. With one blood-shot-eyed stare, Archimedes wills her power gone. The other fires her rifle, in a blaze of blinding speed Archimdes dodges every bullet.

"But... How...? No one has ever resisted my powers... Unless..."

"No, absolutely not! He is not the Dikoptus! Its supposed to be an Asari damn it, not a Vorcha!"

"He's fulfilled the proph..."

"Shut your mouth! Let's retreat and go see what our boss thinks!"


The three Eclipse mercs run down the hallway, as they round the corner you hear one of them yell, "YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THE LAST OF US, VORCHA!"[/ic]

[ooc=The Initiative]

Sal
Lini
 Kai
--- Eot ---
Volus
Archimedes
Eclipse
[/ooc]

[ooc=Map][spoiler=Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/A%20Mass%20Effect%20PbP/tkinsappartment2.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ic]
It all happened so fast.

First he had yelled Archimedes to clear his line of fire-- then Archimedes obliged by tearing into the Krogan in a truly visceral display of Vorcha ferocity.

Before he could properly respond, Another grenade laden Volus made it's appearance.

As Sal finished off the Krogan-who-would-be-Chief and Archimedes opened fire on the Eclipse, then spat out works of incoherency that Kai did not quite understand. Archimedes would need to be questioned later about their importance.

Regardless of what their words actually meant, the Eclipse were falling back. As far as Kai was concerned, they had neither the time nor the need to pursue them right now. They needed to get into T'Kin's-- probably through the gaping hole in the wall. And maybe even more Volus.

Right around the time Dyi's message played ominously.

And he needed to get that damned statue.

"Bugger this. Into the apartment. Now. Go. And watch out for any more grenade-laden Volus."[/ic]

[ooc]Advancing into T'Kin's Apartment cautiously. Seeking the statue first.[/ooc]

[ic=Reprogramming Needed]"What the #&$*?" Lini watched the Volus' arm get torn from its socket. BOSHTET #*#*ING S*#* shimmered. "Aw, s*$*." Lini realized that it was still programmed and prepared to kill Geth, who wouldn't die when an arm was targeted. And often in fact, the Geth's arms were weapons themselves. A Volus, by contrast, was much more fragile.

"*#$k." Lini kept watching the dead body on the display. Then she heard and watched the holographic recording. What the *#&k was a Turian doing mating with a Volus--must be a really sissy Turian. She'd have to google the physiognomy (Yes, google has become an intergalactic term) because she was certain that shouldn't work.

On the positive side, she figured, the Asari b*3ches or the Boshtet Krogans would probably have killed the #*#*hole anyway, so the drone didn't do anything. And the Volus apparently deserved to die. The drone was just an intervening cause...he'd have died soon enough--#(#*ing would-be-Commando thief.

Lini heard the Eclipses' voices over their comms and she positions her combat drone to buzz closer to the opening in the wall (free action). She also activates her tech armor. (swift action)

Use Tech- [dice]1d20+10[/dice]
[/ic]

[ooc=To Kai] With a double move you are able to get to P-16. The bed room you find yourself in is garishly painted with gold and hot pink in a post-modern "fling the paint on the walls" kind of haphazard manner. The bed is covered with black leather straps and many different latex masks. The ceiling is covered by a mirror, except for a small hole in the center where a large hemp rope is hung, the end of which dangles mere inches from the ground. [/ooc]

[ooc=To Lini] You see the same room as Kai just via your drone's camera.[/ooc]

 

[ic=Culture Shock]"#*37ing whore." Lini never would understand Asari culture. She didn't want to try.[/ic]

[ooc=Sal] Sal double moves to S-17.[/ooc]

[ooc=The Volus]Kai, Lini and Sal can hear muffled voices of 2 or three people trying to find a hiding place. [/ooc]

[ic=The music]The Music stops playing, it takes your ears several seconds to adjust to the lack of blaring noise.[/ic]

[ic=To Kai]A familiar voices assaults your ears, "Have *huuuuu* You gotten *huu* the Statue yet? *huuu* Get it before the Volus fondle it!" [/ic]

[ooc=The Initiative]
Archimedes
Eclipse
Lini
 Kai
 Sal
--- Eot ---
Volus
[/ooc]

[ooc=Map][spoiler=Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/A%20Mass%20Effect%20PbP/Tkinsc.jpg)[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ooc]Lini sends her combat drone into the room, then skims it over to M16. Lini moves to T14 on the far side of the couch.[/ooc]

[ic]Everyone around him having expired or departed, the haze filming Archimedes' eyes red clears, and the vorcha savant blinks slowly, coming abruptly out of his livid state.  He looks around himself, taking in the bullet-scarred walls, the horribly disfigured krogan corpse, his gore-spattered clothes.  He straightens his posture, adjusts his tie, brushes a fragment of brains off his shoulder, and calmly strolls into the nearby apartment to rejoin his companions, blood-soaked and eerily calm.  He dabs gingerly at the wound on his forehead with an embroidered silk handkerchief while cycling through the tower's Video Drone views on his Omni-Tool, on the lookout for any more unpleasant surprises.

"My apologies for that little outburst," he says in his characteristically composed, reserved tones, not looking up from his Omni-Tool.  "It appears our foes here are dead or fled; shall we proceed to search T'Kin's apartment?"[/ic]

[ooc=Description of the living room]
The living room's walls are painted to resemble the landscape of the Swiss Countryside, however the colors used to paint the landscape were all neon-based. The fluffy, neon green carpet is made to resemble a grassy field, or at least as much as carpet can emulate such a feeling. The couch is quite large and encased in a neon pink latex covering, with several long platinum-colored chains strewn across it. The holoscreen is displaying images of T'Kin's masked partners during their... elation.  [/ooc]

[ic=To Lini]You can spot the top of a crouching Volus' head on the far side of the couch.[/ic]

[ic=Eclipse]The Eclipse continue running to the stair well and hustle down stairs. [/ic]

[ooc=The Initiative]
Archimedes
Lini (still has a standard action)
 Kai
 Sal
--- Eot ---
Volus
[/ooc]

[ic]On the Comm channel to Kai "At least one Volus in the room -- far side of the couch. He might (#*ing stand down. Or he might be an #*#hole and shoot."[/ic]

[ooc]Sal moves into the apartment, Kai and Sal sneak behind the couch and each pop a shell into the Volus.

Kai To Hit: [dice]1d20+5[/dice]
Kai Damage: [dice]3d8+1[/dice]

Sal To Hit: [dice]1d20+6[/dice]
Kai Damage: [dice]3d8+4[/dice][/ooc]

[ooc=The Volus]The Volus manages to duck his head just in time to narrowly avoid the spray of bullets.

The same Volus activates a tech power to summon a Combat Drone, which he sends over to N-18 and takes a shot at Sal.

To Hit: [dice]1d20+4[/dice]
Damage: [dice]1d12[/dice]


Sal artfully dodges the Drone's predictable targeting array. [/ooc]

[ooc=The Initiative]
Archimedes
Lini
 Kai
 Sal
--- Eot ---
Volus
[/ooc]

[ic]It appeared that the others' she was with were particularly bloodthirsty. Lini had seen a lot of death during her brief service in the Quarian Anti-Synthetic Teams, but almost all that death was Geth. She didn't know if she would get used to the killing of organics. At least, though, Volii mostly looked and acted like defective synthetics, the Asari were whores, and the Krogan were animals. And the human woman deserved what she got--#(#*ing upstart humans with their #(#(ing Council seat--almost more Fascist than the Armada's governing council. Why the #(#% would humans want to be on the Council other than to rule the other races--Fascists--the lot of them, wanting to force everyone to walk in lock-step on orders, like Synthetics.

Lini orders her drone to shoot the Volus' drone. "BOSHTET #*#*ing #*#(--blow up that synthetic." She orders it. Lini's head was still spinning from her allergic reaction, but she was able to grin, watching one VI strafe another--it was therapeutic.  [/ic]

attack [dice]1d20+2[/dice]
damage [dice]1d12[/dice]

[ooc]Unfortunately, that is a miss :( [/ooc]

[ic]Now fully recovered from his tempoary lapse of composure, Archimedes hurries towards Sal and Kai and shoots at the Combat Drone with his Judgment Pistol.[/ic][ooc]Attack:[dice]1d20+3[/dice]
Damage: [dice]3d6+2[/dice][/ooc]

[ooc=to Archimedes] Your brutal assault scrapes the top of the drone, its whirling lights flicker red momentarily before the Drone stabilizes itself. [/ooc]

[ooc]woah, a 20 is a miss on the drone too? Out of curiosity, how in the future would I get my modifier on combat drone attack up? I think it's only a +2 right now.[/ooc]

Quote from: Light Dragon[ooc]woah, a 20 is a miss on the drone too? Out of curiosity, how in the future would I get my modifier on combat drone attack up? I think it's only a +2 right now.[/ooc]

[ooc]No the 20 hit! I'm struggling with how to describe the hitting of combat drones, since the ones produced by characters are mostly shimmering balls of light. [/ooc]

[ic]Where were these little miscreant rodents coming from!? They seemed to be everywhere, and, unlike the well trained Eclipse and (arguably) Blood Pack, they seemed beyond any use but target practice-- discounting the dutiful task of chucking grenades at everything moving.

But this was just getting... weird. Who the hell were these Volus in the first place?

Normally, Kai would take this time to try and talk his way out of the situation. However, in light of the clear advantage of numerical superiority and firepower his side has-- and the potential grenades the Volus might have-- Kai is not eager to try to find a diplomatic solution to this problem.

He pops up out of his cover, sighting down along the rifle's sights before taking a shot at the combat drone. Hopefully without that, the Volus will consider other options to not end up a dessicated shell like his compatriots.
[note=Attack]
Standard to Attack. Move to take cover again after.
[dice]1d20+5[/dice]
[dice]3d8+1[/dice][/note][/ic]
[ooc]
About the Drones: It's Reflex Defense should either be 11 + 1/2 level or 10 + 1/2 Level + DEX, since it has a 12 Dexterity, that should give it a better Reflex save, right?

The attack also increases based on your own BAB-- though you could probably also improve it with feats. I'm sure Weapon Focus (Combat Drone) is feasible. Or maybe even work the Activation skill to improve it's base attack. At DC 10 it has a +0 to hit. Every 5/10 DC thereafter, give it a +1 to hit. So, at most, it would be a +5 bonus to-hit at a 35+ Use Tech roll. That seems to off-set the Drone's lower Dexterity.[/ooc]

[ooc=To Kai]The drone descended about a foot moments before you fired, your shot thus narrowly missed. [/ooc]

[ooc=To Coyote]I am going to re-write the Drone power after this combat. Its not quite working out the way I intended it to.

Here's my preliminary rules text: [spoiler]Combat Drone
-   Time: 1 Swift Action
-   Target: None
-   Effect: Make a Use Tech Check. The check determines the abilities of the Combat Drone. Every Drone has 5 + your level hit points. The Drone has a Reflex Defense of 10 + half your character level. Each Drone has the following abilities: Strength 1, Dexterity 12, and Intelligence 10, Drones do not have a Constitution, Wisdom or Charisma score. Drones utilize their creator's Base Attack Bonus. Every Drone comes equipped with a gun that deals 1d4 damage. You can only have 1 Drone out at a time. You may move the drone as a free action and command it to fire as a swift.

DC 10: The Drone gains 3 hit points and deals 1d6 points of damage
DC 15: As DC 10, except the Drone gains 6 Hit Points, +1 to hit and deals 1d8 Points of Damage
DC 20: As DC 10, except the Drone gains 9 Hit Points, +2 to hit and deals 1d10 Points of Damage
DC 25: As DC 10, except the Drone gains 12 Hit Points, +3 to hit and deals 1d12 Points of Damage
DC 30: As DC 10, except the Drone gains 15 Hit Points, +4 to hit and deals 2d8 Points of Damage
DC 35: As DC 10, except the Drone gains 18 Hit Points, +5 to hit and deals 2d10 Points of Damage
[/spoiler][/ooc]

[ooc=Sal] takes a shot at the Combat Drone.

To Hit: [dice]1d20+4)[/dice]
Damage: [dice](1d12)[/dice]

The Drone fizzles and plummets to the ground.
[/ooc]

[ic=The Volus] The Volus Screams, "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE *huuu* ME ALIVE YOU *huuuu* #*#*ing ECLIPSE DOGS! *huuu* I AM GOING TO MUR- *huuu* -DER YOU ALL!"

The Volus pops out of cover and uses the Biotic Power Pull, targeting Sal.

[ooc]To Hit: [dice]1d20+8[/dice]

Sal ducks behind the couch in the nick of time to avoid the power.
[/ooc][/ic]

[ooc=The Initiative]
Archimedes
Lini
 Kai
 Sal
--- Eot ---
Volus
[/ooc]

[ic]Eclipse Dogs... more like B#*ch Cougars, Lini figures. She presses a few buttons on her omnitool and orders her combat drone to smack into the Volus' head to knock him unconscious.[/ic]

Use Tech
[dice]1d20+10[/dice]

Attack
[dice]1d20+2[/dice]

[ooc]Oops, I mixed something up in my head.

No a 12 does not hit because he has soft cover (+5 to Ref). [/ooc]

[ooc]You know, Lini could totally get into the apartment and shoot the Volus herself. [/ooc]

[ic]
Clearly, this is Illium's smartest Volus. Here they are, running around in heavy combat with little more than fancy business attire on, and this damn Volus is thinking they are Eclipse.

Kai stands, aiming now at the Volus-- he grits his teeth in annoyance, but does not pull the trigger. Trying to keep on the Volus alive might be helpful-- if only to figure out just who the hell they represent in this glorious, fething scene of carnage.

He calls out, hopefully before Sal opts to place her gun in the Volus' face and pull the trigger-- or Archimedes decides he needs another snack.

"Shut up, you damn fool! We are not Eclipse! Now, listen to me very closely. Dyi and your other friend are gone-- you don't need to join them. Let the Asari go. Stop shooting, and we will do the same."

He hopes, at least. Part of him wonders what relation this Volus has to the one by the pool-- if there is any at all. He also knows that he may very well need this Volus if his other 'friend' is more keen on feeding him bullshit over answers.

"No one else here needs to die. So let's just calm. The feth. Down! No more shooting! Talking is better."

[note=]Kai is spending two Swift actions to Aim at the Volus, thus denying him any of cover bonus for this shot. He is also readying an action to shoot the Volus if he resorts to further hostile actions.

Persuasion check to convince the Volus that suicide is not the answer: versus Will Defense.
[dice]1d20+9[/dice]

Readied Attack, just in case.
[dice]1d20+5[/dice]
[dice]3d8+1[/dice][/note][/ic]

[ic=The Volus]YOU KILLED DYI!? HE *huuu* HAD A DAUGHTER YOU BASTARD!" The Volus pauses for a moment, "But, she was adopted *huu* after all... *huuu* And his wife is a mean B***h... *huuuu* Hmm, my associates and I *huuu* will make you a deal. We let you live and *huuu* you and I will split the *huu* sale price on the *huuu* Thorstad, say 80/20, *huuu* in our favor. No need to involve *huuu* the Tsar or your Eclipse bosses... Do we *huu* have an accord Mercenary?" [/ic]

Quote from: Elemental_Elf[ooc]You know, Lini could totally get into the apartment and shoot the Volus herself. [/ooc]

Lini doesn't want to. She's annoyed enough that her combat drone was wrongly wired and that the human woman made her take actions that led to the woman's death.

Lini may have killed people, but she does not consider herself a killer of anything other than Synthetics, as evidenced by her speech practices--those deaths were not her fault. With Quarian life being so fragile, all Quarians understand that killing organics is to be avoided. :D

[ooc]Anyone can accept or decline his offer[/ooc]

[ooc]Hello...?[/ooc]

[ooc]What the heck is a Thorstad?  Would I know what one/it is?  Did I miss a reference to it?  Sounds like a ship.[/ooc]

[ooc]The only reference you have to it is at the beginning of this combat when the Blood Pack mercs and the Volus mentioned it.

The Volus behind the couch obviously thinks you are more informed than you really are.  [/ooc]

[ic]
Well, this deal was most likely not going to work. However, it also brought to mind the fact that Kai and the others just stumbled into something else very, very important to someone-- though what it was and why it was valuable currently eluded them.

Without breaking his aim from the Volus in question, Kai tried to raise his other 'friend' on his omni-tool. He spoke quietly, hopefully so as not to tip his hand to his current bartering partner.

"Hey. Is this Volus up here a friend of yours? More importantly, what the hell is the Thorstad he's talking about? It better not be this statue."

With that question asked, he looks back to the rather delusional Volus in front of him.

"In case you didn't notice, your concept of 'we' has very quickly dwindled to just being 'me'.

So, let's start with the pleasantries. I'm George. Pleasure meeting you. Now, who are you, and who's backing you that you're so eager to go up against Eclipse and Blood Pack? Maybe if we can sort out that mess, I won't feel the need to my gun aimed in your general direction. My apologies for Dyi and Shob-- but clearly we can't move past that unfortunate circumstance. Especially with the amount of firepower here. Authorities won't be very long now."

Which reminded him. He addressed the others though his own private comm-- utilizing his pocket scrambler to further protect the security of the link.

"Joan. Leo. Get to work on finding and cracking any electronic data-stores in here. Rip out the physical plant if you need to. And look for that bleeding statue, too."

With little difficulty, he addresses them the same description of the statue that he had received from the Volus.

"And someone should feel free to loot that whole arms locker. It'll be found and confiscated otherwise-- preserving it could earn us some goodwill towards someone in the right places. We should work fast. And if the Volus so much as glances at his omni-tool, frag the little rodent."[/ic]

[ic=Pool Volus]The Thorstad...? No, *huuu* I want the statue! The Statue! Don't *huu* trust anyone else but *huu*  me, they're there to *huu* screw you royally friend! Don't *huuu* barter, don't haggle, *huu* get the statue and get out! [/ic]

[ic=the Couch Volus]] Nice to meet you Georgie-boy, *huuu* my name is None-of-your-business-human. *huuu* Glad we met. I work for the Tsar and *huuu* that's all you need to know. *huuu* Authorities Human? They won't be *huuu* coming anytime soon, your *huuu* Eclipse Bosses saw to that. In *huuu* the interest of a deal, I will deactivate my Drone *huuu*... But the profit *huuu* split will be changed to 85/15, in my favor."
[/ic]

[ic]Lini listens to the Volii ramble on both sides. Kai's deal earlier was about a statue--#*#*ing stupid to get involved with other thieves. She stopped a moment though when the other Volus said something so insulting that it had to be addressed. Lini hissed over the comm-link. "*#&$ing stupid Volus. No one's afraid of your #*$*ing drone, #*$&wit." Lini considers smashing the statue if she recovers it.

She starts zeroing in on the pool Volus' identity on the subnet and running checks on who he might be, what his identity is and more information, false identities, criminal record, known associates, net worth, bank account number, etc.

Use Computer [dice]1d20+10[/dice].

She then sends her drone on a sweep of the room, looking in crevices for any more hidden Volii.

For the moment, she ignores Kai's order--the room must first be secured. And as long as the Volus is in there with who knows how many grenades, it is far too unsafe to enter.[/ic]

[ooc=To Lini] The only information that seems pertinent is an article from Illium News, which states that a Volus has been spotted in and around Illium stealing cheap knockoffs of Statues made in the image of Human Cultural Icons (Deities, Political & historical figures, etc.) from the domiciles of Asari citizens. The only factor linking the victims is the fact that they all work in industries that have daily contact with non-Asari (dock workers, Port Authority Personnel, Merchants, government officials, business operatives, etc.).

As for the room, your drone does not spot any additional Volii. [/ooc]

[ic] Download the info, tie it to the Volus' speech patterns and save all the recorded commlink information... for whatever good that will do.

"Room appears clear. But there are doors." Lini announces to Kai.[/ic]

[ooc]May as well do a galactic lore check on the Tsar

[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 3 + 10, total 13[/blockquote][/ooc]

[ooc]The extranet makes mention of a Tsar ruling a small space port orbiting the first planet in the Lilith system, out in the Attican Traverse.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that one of the 87 contacts you guys pilfered from T'Kin's car was named "The Tsar That Looses Agony".   [/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes taps away at his Omni-Tool, attempting to unlock all apartment doors in this level.[/ic][ooc]Use Computer:[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+13 : 17 + 13, total 30[/blockquote][/ooc]

[ic]All the doors pop open. [/ic]

[ic]"Decent subroutine there." Lini notes, watching Archimedes' keystrokes. He must have prepared a script beforehand. Her own bypass would have required at least six more lines of code. She would have to refine her methods.[/ic]

[ic]The two remaining Volus don't want to die and their hiding place just became quite poor. They both come out of the spare bedroom with their hands raised in a sign of surrender.[/ic]

[ic]Sal, having been silent for a long while, enters the room. He dress is ripped in several places and she is bleeding from each one of them. Most of the wounds are not major, however, and she walks only a little stiffly. The hole in the side of her stomach area, however, would need some real medical attention before long. She holds her rifle in her right hand and the barrel points at the floor.

She releases a heavy breath. "We need to check T'Kin's apartment and get the hell out of here," she says, "someone decide what to do with these runts -- I don't give a damn what it is, you can kill them both or f*** them for all I care -- but we need to get moving." She winces, touching her side. "And I am not doing this undercover garbage again."

[ic]"You there," Archimedes asks the two volus, casually moving his pistols over towards them.  "Do either of you know the location of a statue of Dionysus?"  He smiles wickedly, revealing teeth splattered crimson.[/ic]

[ic]The two Volus look confused. One of them asks, "You killed our *huuu* friends for a statue?" The other gives him a nudge and tentatively says, "Regardless, *huuu* there's a statue of some *huuu* Earth-Clan in the dungeon room." The Volus points to the only remaining room in the apartment. [/ic]

[ic]
Kai grimaces.

"Your friends came charging at us with grenades in hand. That's why they were killed."

It may not be the smartest idea, but he simply obliges by seeking the statue where it was stated to be. The Volus do not seem inclined to fighting anymore, and the search and seizure of any relevant data is now in the hands and claws of the tech specialists. The least he could do is look around a bit for anything else that could be valuable.[/ic]

[ic]Archimedes keeps his weapons trained on the vorcha while looking around the apartment for any consoles, computes, or data storage device that might contain pertinent information.[/ic]

[ic=to Archimedes]There's a small console in the "Dungeon Room"[/ic]

[ic=To Kai] Beyond T'Kin's obviously obscure and... odd, extracurricular activities, there isn't much out of the ordinary. The Holo-Screen has all the standard channels, plus a few dozen that cater to T'Kin's tastes. The kitchen is perfectly ordinary, though the fridge and cabinets are fairly spartan ion terms of food.[/ic]  

[ic=The Dungeon Room] The Dungeon Room is not what you'd expect - a large table sits in the middle of the room, a silken white table cloth is draped over the table. Several different baskets and plates adorn the table. Thirteen mannequins sit on the far side of the table (from the perspective of the door), posed in a manner that is completely obvious to a human - its a recreation ofLeonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper.  

A hidden closet at the far end of the room houses several dresses that appear to have been created to emulate European high fashion in the 1500's.  Most of the dresses appear to be made with very exotic, non-Terran materials. Most likely each of these dresses cost T'Kin a small fortune.

The only discernible technology in the room is a small console inside the closet. Flashing on the console's screen are the words "deleting files, 49% complete." [/ic]

[ic]Archimedes moves hurriedly to the console and attempts not only to cancel the deletion but to reverse the process and undelete the files - given that this seems to be deletion, not erasure or a full-scale data-wipe, restoring the deleted information should't be too problematic...[/ic][ooc][blockquote]Rolled 1d20+13 : 18 + 13, total 31[/blockquote][/ooc]

[ic]With a few key strokes you manage to begin reversing the process. However, it appears there's someone on the other side. The screen blinks a few times and the deletion process stalls. Every subroutine you try is countered, every coy trick blocked. [/ic]

[ooc]You're going to need help if you want to be successful. [/ooc]

Assuming Archimedes asks for help.

[ic]"Patch me into your omnitool." Lini tells him, narrowing her eyes. "I'll grok this out."

(http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+10 : 6 + 10, total 16[/ic] And add her +2 to Archimedes for the Quarian Helpful Spirit feat.

[ic]Together, you're making some headway but its not quite enough to overcome the enemy. [/ic]

Lini would rather try to hack him than to preserve data. She's going to run a line on whoever's doing the crap. She'll try to figure out their location or IP or any identification and she'll just attack him rather than help Archimedes when she notices that she's not being of much help.

[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 5 + 10, total 15[/blockquote]

[ic]As you try to hack the enemy, the enemy tries to hack you. Fortunately, you're able to disconnect before the person transmits a few virus. [/ic]

[ic]Taking his chance while the deletion process is stalled, Archimedes hastily dumps a copy of the remaining data into his Omni-Tool.  While his opponent is trying to hack Lini he forcibly ejects the console's data cache, yanking the hard disk out of the machine with his talons.

"With any luck I can recover the deleted files on this thing later," he says.[/ic][ooc]If necessary, Use Computer: [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+13 : 4 + 13, total 17[/blockquote][/ooc]

[ooc]As you rip the hard disk out of the casing, you are jolted by an electrical current.

Archimedes takes 3 points of damage.[/ooc]

[ic]Real Virus playing havoc with her immune system...Computer Virus threatening to further ***k up her suit's environment control...Real Virus making her feel like a dying Genophaged Krogan Matron..."Fu*k this." Lini segregates files, uploads a bunch to Sal's OmniTool for backup and she logs back on. Her pride demands it.(http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+10 : 13 + 10, total 23 [ooc]For creativity, can I get a bonus if she uses her AI Hacking tech power to marshal the nearest computer jack to increase her CPU power and to create a mini-botnet out of the comps in the building?[/ooc] Under her suit, Lini's face flushed redder as she met the resistance of a very, very good opponent. She didn't care that he was deleting files, she didn't even care about the viruses (yet...if they infected her OmniTool she'd be really pissed); she did care that this b*#*ard was outsmarting her. She respected that he was beating her, but she wasn't in the mood for shop-talk now.[/ic]

[ooc]You successfully re-open the network connection.[/ooc]

[ic]Wincing slightly at the electric shock the console gave him, Archimedes connects to Lini's Omni-Tool and thus the network she's sharing with whoever is meddling with T'Kin's files.  He uploads a worm of his own design - Ligeia - onto the network with a simple payload: install a backdoor that Lini can use to gain full access to their opponent's computer.[/ic][ooc]Use Computer Aid Another: (http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+13 : 4 + 13, total 17[/ooc]

[ic]Caught unaware, the enemy scrambles to block you. Before re-asserting control by quarantining your worm, you gain access to their camera and their location.

Two people are seen on the screen, one is a Salarian male, colored yellow and white. The other is a human female, looks to be in her early-to-mid-thirties. She has swarthy complexion, big brown eyes and short black hair. After a bit of thinking, you recognize her as the famous reporter Khalisah al-Jilani - the one Commander Sheppard punched! She's yelling at the Salarian to fix the problem, as he frantically works at the computer.

She's located on the Citadel, looks like Zakera Ward.

Once the worm is quarantined your video link is abruptly shut off. [/ic]

[ic]Interesting.  A salarian hacker and an infamous reporter on the Citadel attempting to destroy information on the console of a corrupt port authority official in bed with a would-be space pirate... wheels within wheels.

Archimedes dispatches a VI search agent, Rowena, into the extranet to gather information on Khalisah al-Jilani, ideally including extranet contact info.  If they can't get the information they need from T'Kin's console's data cache, perhaps they can find something interesting from al-Jilani.  He sets the VI's metamorphic code to activate itself once it locates the reporter - it'll perform a self-rewrite and become Ligeia, then attempt to infiltrate her computer and give him remote control.[/ic][ooc]Use Computer: (http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+13 : 7 + 13, total 20[/ooc]

[ic]Most of the information gathered by the program are links to Spacetube vids of the infamous punching. It finds a receipt for the following interesting things she's purchased recently: a flight to Illium, coffee at Yama's Cafe, Medi-Gel from a Hospital on Illium, the services of Galo Pidar - Ace Detective.

The worm transforms and again gives you momentary camera control but the Salarian thwarts you once more, this time by disconnecting the computer from its power source. [/ic]

[ic=To Archimedes]Moments later, you receive an email:

Title: Good Job
Sender: You know who I am

Message: [spoiler]Pleasure locking horns with you sir. Hope to do it again some time.

Attachment: A file named  Ligeia[/spoiler][/ic]

[ic]Archimedes boots up T'Kin's Omni-Tool and transfers all files from his old Omni-Tool onto it, including security software and all information they've gathered so far.  He equips T'Kin's Omni-Tool, then wipes his old Omni-Tool completely, erasing all data within it and performing a full reset leaving only his custom diagnostic and security tools.  He then proceeds to quarantine and open the attachment on his old tool, prepared to power-down the tool if it starts doing anything alarming (like heating up or making strange sounds).[/ic]

[ic]The Attachment forces your Video Tool to turn on and display a Salarian moving his finger back-and-forth saying "Ah ah ah, you didn't say the magic word." [/ic]

[ic]Archimedes cocks what would be an eyebrow on a human face and attempts to break any encryption on the file.[/ic][ooc]Use Computer: [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+13 : 19 + 13, total 32[/blockquote][/ooc]

[ic]The encryption is like warm putty in your hands. You break the code with ease.

The video display scrambles for a second then displays a Salarian who says, "Meet me in the C-Sec Brig on Zakera ward in 32 hours. I have information that will help you."  [/ic]

[ic]"Everyone.  I've found something of a lead - unlikely it's a trap, given the rendezvous location.  We need to get to the Citadel; let's get whatever else we need here and take our leave."  He cycles back over to the Administrator's security profile and checks the Maintenance and Security log in one window while simultaneously flipping through Video Drone views on another.[/ic]

[ic]
Kai, given his his rather passing knowledge of codes or computers, is more or less unaware of everything that has proceeded up to this point. His prerogative is the statue, since it is a clear and immediate objective. With that secure, and the others tending to the business of the Volus' whereabouts, or just good old fashioned looting-- Kai wouldn't be able to tell the difference in this place-- he is left with a few options himself.

Loot the place for valuables, or speak with the much more civil-seeming Volus. Then steal all of the guns from the next room over. Better he has it than the authorities-- he might even be able to set-up his own side business with it in the future.

"Good work," he says to Archimedes. "Let me see if I can learn anything about our political landscape right about now.

Statue in hand-- gun in the other-- he approaches the other two Volus. "Listen, please. we are all reasonable people here. I can't guarantee you that we are not also looking for the Thorstad. But I also cannot tell you that we are looking for it, because we don't know what the fething hell it is. Now, before yo answer, let me make this clear: We are not Eclipse. Eclipse do not leave witnesses-- something we are more than glad to do if things progress beneficially for us. So, right now, in polite, civil terms, I would like you to me 1. What is the Thorstad. 2. Who are you working for? 3. Who is this 'Tsar' your uppity friend keeps blathering about?"
[note=Persuasion]
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+9 : 14 + 9, total 23[/blockquote][/note]

[ic]Lini is too caught up with trying to hack their enemy to make the best use of the opening that Archimedes made by uploading his worm. She tries to get into their enemy's fail-safe and input a trojan, but she is blocked. While she is busy and while her quarry is consumed with warding her off, Archimedes manages to get past the quarry's defenses and get a view on him.

Salarian and a human... odd, Lini notes. Noting that she had been bawked* by a Salarian made her feel a little better--Salarians were quick. Most hackers with the greatest kills were Salarians--the ones with the greatest careers were Quarians and Drell though--since Salarians burned out fast. She wondered if he was arrogant like "Yollin" and posted his kills on the Net...If he did, then that could provide insight into his common subroutine codes.

Lini orders her drone to keep its sights trained on the lead Volii. She gets up and takes whatever small ordnance is left in the room, then she runs a sweeping remote scan on the neighboring suite (T'kin's) for any terminals or dataport points, just in case Archimedes misses any.

[/ic]

*blocked.

[ic]The Volus seem convinced by Kai's words.

One of the Volus speaks, "We work for the *huu* Tsar. The Tsar is the duly elected *huu* Autocrat of Romanov, the first *huu* (and only) planet in the Lilith *huu* system. Its home to *huu* brigands, cutthroats, criminals *huu* and the like. Some people *huu* call it 'The Omega of the Attican *huu* Traverse.' No one knows *huu* who the Tsar really is, he always wears a mask..."

The other Volus interrupts, "I think *huu* he is actually a *huu* she! The Tsar is *huu* obviously an Asari! Who *huu* else lives that long?"

The first retorts, "Fool, *huu* Krogan live that long! Noone's *huu* ever seen the Tsar *huu* in person. He always displays *huu* himself via Holo-Projectors, *huu* which could be projecting a fake *huu* image."

"But, I saw her *huu* once and she was quite attractive... Well *huu* her body was. She had nice *huu* rounded hips..." The Volus looks up at Kai, "Hips *huu* are very attractive to a Volus *huu* Earth-Clan."

"Indeed, hips *huu* are nice. But I always *huu* liked a good stocky frame. *huu* Nothing says business-sense like *huu* a short square frame."

"At any rate... She, *huu* meaning the Tsar, has ruled *huu* Romanov for about 200 years. *huu* Before then Lilith was a *huu* system out in the backwoods, few knew (or cared) *huu* of its existence. "

"As for the *huu* Thorstad... You guess is as good as *huu* mine Earth-Clan. We were *huu* merely sent here to retrieve a *huu*  Data chip. Unfortunately, we *huu* think some thug, who plays *huu* obnoxious music, stole the chip before we *huu* arrived." [/ic]

[ic=Bloody and Impatient]"Well?" Sal growls, clearly annoyed. He rifle still aims at the floor on her right, though her left hand rests on the pistol she acquired back when they tried to find T'Kin at her office. That had been just as much of a mess but she hadn't been hurt so much there.

She's been cut before, sure. Both by knives and by bullets grazing her. There was evidence enough of that on her face. An obvious scar across the asari's left eye even came from a vorcha claw, many years before she had even joined T'Parn, back when she was living on Omega. The less-extreme mark across her throat had happened there, too. Someone running from the local "security" had thought she would make a good hostage and put a knife to her throat. He'd picked the wrong asari and died minutes later with that same knife sticking out of his eye. Just in front of her right ear was even a shallow gouge from a bullet. That one had come only a couple of months before. T'Parn had paid to have the ear itself reattached that time, even though she hadn't asked for it. They even had it done the expensive way that didn't leave scars from the stitches. T'Parn was good to their people like that, if those people were good at their job, which Sal was. It just so happened that her job often involved people with knives and guns and they usually aren't friendly. That's what Sal found girls for, anyway.

She begins to sigh heavily but it quickly turns into a wince. It's just one of those days. The events from the hall still fresh in her mind, Sal's eyes come to rest on Archimedes. "The really want us to take you to the citadel?"[/ic]

[ic]"Chan Don was last seen there as well, and this salarian virtuoso seems to have valuable information.  We can clear up any more business here on Illium first, but it'll hardly be a challenge to find vessels heading to the Citadel.  For my part, I suggest we collect our effects and depart expeditiously; we can always return if necessary, and the money I found on T'Kin's Omni-Tool should cover the expenses."  He grins.  "Perhaps in the chaos I forgot to mention that.  It seems T'Kin's vices weren't limited to the venal and the venereal; we can claim her digital stubs."  Archimedes uses T'Kin's Omni-Tool to claim the money, then scrubs any kind of trace that might be run on the transaction.[/ic][ooc]Been meaning to do that, but other stuff kept coming up.

Covering his tracks:

Use Computer: (http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+13 : 15 + 13, total 28[/ooc]

[ic]Sal holds up her left and winces again. "That's nice," she begins, eyes on Archimedes, "but you. You personally. Wanna tell us what the hell went on out there?"

"You still have blood on your teeth," she adds, after a pause.[/ic]

[ic]"Oh you mean my, ahem, little episode.  Once again, my humble apologies.  A side-effect of my education.  Pay it no heed."[/ic]

[ic]
"I'll pay it no heed, so long as you do that to every Krogan intent on killing us," Kai comments blithely, before turning to his communicator.

"I have your statue, and a time limit. Tell me where to drop it off so we can conclude our business."

With that bit done, he turns to the other Volus present. "You have been helpful, I thank you for that. You may leave now, as we will be doing shortly. I suggest you be careful with the stairways, it's hard to tell if there are still Eclipse or Blood Pack still running amok in the area. I suggest you proceed with caution."

This raised an interesting question. What exactly is this Thorstad, and this data chip. And why did every major player seem to know something about it. And why was Eclipse still assaulting the room if the 'musical human' had already gotten the chip? Surely, if they had the prize in hand, they would have fallen back. Unless they were just that damn stupid. Local thugs might be, but it seemed odd for professional mercenaries to make that kind of error in judgment. There was something very wrong here, and it was beginning to bother Kai to no end that he did not understand the source of the problem.

"I assume we will be leaving via T'Kin's car, unless someone has a better option. If possible, I suggest we try to move the armory in the next room to the car with us. Better in our hands than the first responders. We might even be able to set up our own supply cache for the future with those supplies." He grins. "And don't worry about our Vorcha's presence o nthe Citadel. I'm sure I can find a more appropriate skin for him to enter as."[/ic]

[ic]Quietly, Archimedes reactivates his search VI, Rowena.  This time he dispatches her to collect information and flag references on the term "Thorstad."  If she comes across any encrypted or otherwise secure references to "Thorstad," he instructs, she should replicate herself and morph one copy into Ligeia to infiltrate the system the reference originated on.  She should also cross-reference the term with instances of the words "Tsar" and "Eclipse" and prioritize those results.[/ic][ooc]Use Computer: (http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+13 : 13 + 13, total 26[/ooc]

[ooc]Your program worked... Unfortunately it hacked into a Special Tasks Group's computer. Your program was contained, re-programmed and sent back. Your Omni-Tool deactivates[/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes tsks in irritation.  He tinkers with the Omni-Tool, attempting to reactivate it in Safe Mode to ensure everything's intact, running a full diagnostic to be safe...[/ic][ooc]Use Computer: [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+13 : 15 + 13, total 28[/blockquote][/ooc]

[ooc]After a few minutes of fiddling, you're able to re-activate the Omni-Tool. Everything appears to be fine. [/ooc]

[ooc]Kai. Eclipse wasn't allied with the musical human.[/ooc]

[ic]Feeling bitter about her failed hacking, Lini, after hearing the Volii's comments regarding the musical human, hacks into the sound system and plays this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cjEgovupTw&feature=youtu.be She laughs, hoping the Volii wince. (She's still in the adjacent room, just listening in on her droid).[/ic]

[ic]The Volus scream in fear and duck for cover.

"He's coming! *huuu* Watch yourselves! He's coming *huuu* back to slay us all!"

"The last *huuu* time we met him, he said *huuu* he would commit genocide on the *huuu* Volii species and create an *huuu* Ocean of Blood!"

"We have *huuu* angered Typhoon! Cower and hide *huuu* Quarian, he's *huuuuuu* COMING!" [/ic]

[ic]Lini sends a text to Archimedes, Kai, and Sal. "Don't worry, just striking fear into the Volii in case they haven't given all they've got."[/ic]

[ooc]He's not? I'm really confused, in that case. Kai never met him or saw him, however, so it's still very possible that Kai thinks the musical human is with Eclipse, since that's who we were fighting at the time-- unless one of you explicitly said he's not, and I just threw a senior moment at that point in time.[/ooc]

[ic]Kai shakes his head slowly. This is getting pathetic rather quickly. Still, some way to track down this person would be a wonderful option. However, with no way left to try to reach him, and a strict time-limit on reaching the Citadel, that is a task better left to another time.

"Alright, I think it's time we get the hell out of here. Is the elevator we rode in on still working? That may be a good bet. Maybe wipe out any video drones between here and the parking garage, just to be safe-- unless someone else has another way out of here."

Once they are ready to leave, Kai will liberate the remainder of the weapon store and any functioning weapons from slain foes from the impending seizure by either local authorities or anyone curious enough to stumble upon  scene of destruction, carnage, and copious military-grade weapons. And grenades. Because who doesn't like explosions?[/ic]

[ic]Archimedes gives the volus a last unpleasant grin, then follows Kai into the "armoury" and picks up one or two of the remaining weapons or grenade belts.[/ic][ooc]Not sure what's still there.  Preferably I'll snatch a Titan sniper rifle, a Striker pistol, and a bandolier of smoke grenades.  I'll now have four pistols, a rifle, and a grenade bandoleer on my person - I think that's not too unrealistic, so long as Archimedes is reasonably creative as to whee he stows the gear.

What is T'Kin's pistol, btw?[/ooc]

[ooc]I'm pretty sure no one has taken any of the Sniper Rifles.

T'Kin's weapon is a customized Pinnacle Line Pistol that grants the user +1 to hit and +1 damage when you aim. [/ooc]

[ooc]How many grenades did Lini pick up earlier when the others were in the main room. If they are heading out, Lini will pick up a sniper rifle and sling it over her shoulder and maybe another sidearm.[/ooc]

[ic]Lini checks the elevator's vitals. "Seems good."[/ic]

[ooc]Originally there were:

- 4 Bandoliers, each with 5 Frag and 5 Smoke Grenades
- 4 Striker Pistols (treat as Sporting Blaster Pistols with +2 to hit)
- 4 Judgement Pistols (Treat as Blaster Pistols with +2 to damage)
- 2 Terminator Assault Rifles (treat as Blaster Carbine with +2 to hit)
- 2 Gorgon Assault Rifles (treat as Blaster Rifle with +2 to damage)
- 2 Titan Sniper Rifles (Treat as a Sporting Blaster Rifle with an Enhanced Low-Light Scope and +1 Die of Damage when you aim)


Sal took a Gorgon Assault Rifle
Kai took a Terminator Assault Rifle
Lini took a Bandolier and used 3 of its Frag Grenades
Archimedes took... One of the Pistols.

[/ooc]

[ooc] Thank you for the summary. Lini will take a Sniper rifle, a Judgment Pistol, which she'll stuff into an empty grenade holder as a holster; another bandolier; and she'll take two frag grenades from another full bandolier to place in empty spots.

This leaves her with her two pistols+the judgment pistol+Titan sniper rifle+2 bandoliers (one with 2 frag/5 smoke; another 5 frag/5 smoke).[/ooc]

[ic]"Hey! We moving out? Are we blowing the Asari's room before we leave? And are we scrapping the rest of these guns, or leaving them as a motive for the hit?"[/ic]

Nice work with designing and naming the weapon types :)

[ic]
"We're keeping the guns. They're good enough that we could stand to stow them for our own use in future jobs. Having a stash of heavy firepower is always a good back-up plan, as we just learned. If you want to frag the room, feel free to. We have plenty of grenades."

After making sure that nothing valuable is left behind, he pokes at his omni-tool's commlink. "I have your statue, and we're about ready to leave. Where do you want it?"[/ic]

[ooc]
Kai isn't too concerned about "hiding" his armaments. He's simply expecting the techies to take care of any cameras or security-- as a suitable application of threats should be enough to chase off anything but well-armed or stupid security. OR more mercenaries, who may simply attack us on sight anyway.[/ooc]

[ooc]So if I count properly:

- 4 Bandoliers, each with 5 Frag and 5 Smoke Grenades
-----Lini took 2
-----Archimedes took 1
-----1 is left with 3 Frag, 5 Smoke in it.
- 4 Striker Pistols (treat as Sporting Blaster Pistols with +2 to hit)
-----Archimedes took 1
- 4 Judgement Pistols (Treat as Blaster Pistols with +2 to damage)
------Lini took one
- 2 Terminator Assault Rifles (treat as Blaster Carbine with +2 to hit)
------Kai took one
- 2 Gorgon Assault Rifles (treat as Blaster Rifle with +2 to damage)
-------Sal took one
- 2 Titan Sniper Rifles (Treat as a Sporting Blaster Rifle with an Enhanced Low-Light Scope and +1 Die of Damage when you aim)
-------All taken
[/ooc]

Lini's ready to head out.

[ic] Lini heads into the hall and looks down toward the elevator shaft. She then queries the systems to ensure that the other elevator is still locked down in the sub-basement.[/ic]

[ooc] Kai took a bandoleer of grenades initially. He used two frags, including the one Lini gave him earlier, so he'd have 4 frags and 5 smokes. He's also taking everything not bolted down, and he will worry about distribution of it later. Like he said, being able to set up our own private weapon caches in the future seems wise to him.[/ooc]

[ic]"Earth-Clan... *huuuuuu* Eclipse... *huuuuuuu* Help... Downstairs... *huuuu* Lobby..."[/ic]

[ic]Archimedes uses his Administrator profile to access the lobby Video Drones.[/ic]

[ic]It takes you several seconds to access the lobby video drones, in that time the Eclipse have done their business. A Volus body lies in the center of the Lobby, his head missing, his innards spewing out of the hole like a child's baking soda volcano. You access a few other drones in the lobby and you see them - 2 Asari charging out a window, a head in hand. You click over to an exterior drone - they jumped out the window and landed in a waiting hover car. The Asari driver floors it, in mere moments the car disappears from view. [/ic]

[ooc]Wonder what set the eclipse off against him. Guess they're not leaving any witnesses, civilian or not.[/ooc]

[ic]
"Poor bastard." Kai shrugs. Apparently, that is the end of their business. However, the Volus must have wanted the statue for a reason-- it seems most likely that someone else wanted the statue, or it happened to be something valuable in and of itself. Either of which left open possibilities for the scoundrel in his heart.

He glances to the others. "Well, it seems my business is concluded. Whenever you fine gentle-people are ready to go..." He extends one of his arms out, sweeping in a theatrical manner to indicate that should promptly hurry.[/ic]

[ic]

To: Squad 7
Message:
--- CEO Dikos requests an update as to your progress. Please submit all pertinent data ASAP.
-   Secretary Akinna D'Arras

Message Attachment:
--- A one time use only code to access T'Parn's secret satellite

[ic]Lini types to the others. "Let's not update anything over questionably secured networks until we're back at base. I hacked their network. Arc--whatever we're calling him now- hacked them. I bet this Salarian could hack them too.

What a $*$*ing control freak that CEO was.[/ic] She assumes everyone's going back to base before heading off-planet.

[ic]Archimedes hastens to the elevator while discretely wiping all files that would reveal their presence here - video records, complaints, elevator logs, etcetera.  He searches for any lockdown protocols the tower might have, planning on initiating one once they leave the building (he then plans to crash the whole security system).[/ic][ooc]Trusty old Use Computer [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+13 : 6 + 13, total 19[/blockquote][/ooc]

[ooc]The four of you take the elevator down to the garage, get into T'Kin's car and race off into the sky. Archimedes activates the lock down protocol and erases all sensor data of your guy's presence.

You find yourselves above the skies of Illium once more. Now you must decide where to go and what to do.  [/ooc]

[ooc]How long is the average trip from Illium to the Citadel?[/ooc]

[ooc]
Journeys through the Mass Relays themselves are instantaneous.

The Tasale System (where Illium is located) is connected to the Citadel through the Mass Relay in the Imir system. There would be a wait time in the Tasale system since its so populated. There wouldn't be any significant layover in the Imir system considering its most populated planet has been likened to a garbage scow.

All in all, you'd be looking at a few hours.

[spoiler=This is the best image I can find detailing the Mass Relay Network](http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/199/6/e/Mass_Effect_Galaxy_Map_by_DWebArt.png)[/spoiler]

[ic]"Let's go back to our HQ, then we'll follow Archimedes' lead... I need to sleep this off." Lini, once again back in the car, felt the warning signs of her suit that allergens were invading again. She ran a test on the local air. It came up positive. A few moments more and she could identify the source "Something in this #(#dam(n car's making me sick." She snarled. "What the #(#?. Did the Asari invent an airborne STD?" [ooc]Lini has taken about 9 hp of damage, leaving her with about 8 I think? Also... she's allergic to Kai's cologne...she's about to figure out that's what's been going on.[/ooc] [/ic]

[ooc]There is a hotel on the other side of Illium, called T'Lala's Sunset, that is owned by T'Soki-Wilhelm-Merosyndar Holdings Corporation. You can electronically  book four rooms free of charge. [/ooc]

[ic]Sal offers no suggestions or protests, simply tapping her foot impatiently while waiting for the business to be resolved. She grabs a single Judgment pistol before the lot of the weapons are loaded up.[/ic][ooc]On their way to the hotel, Sal sends a message to whoever is actually running the operation back at the company, asking if there is a T'Parn medic in their area. If there isn't, she wants instructions on what she should do for medical treatment. Obviously walking into a public clinic full of bullet holes will get questions asked. Maybe the company knows of an underground clinic nearby or a certain doctor that they keep on a retainer or something to not ask questions or report such things.[/ooc]

[ooc]As this is Illium, wouldn't doctor-patient confidentiality potentially be super, super rigid?  I.e. if a doctor reported something you could probably sue the crap out of them and/or get their license revoked.  This is the same planet where becoming an indentured servant is sometimes necessary to pay off debts - seems like a place where contracts are everything.  I could be off in my conception of Illium, though... I know it's also a planet where "everything is legal."[/ooc]

[ooc]T'parn can send a field medic to heal you. Just email the secretary.[/ooc]

[ic]"Sexual Harassing Car-- stop filling this automobile with aromas- you are making me sick." Lini hisses. Then Lini runs an air sampling test to determine what is making her sick. [ooc]Physical Sciences-- (http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+10 : 15 + 10, total 25 I'll wait in posting for the car's response before posting that Lini clearly (with that 25) recognizes Kai's cologne is the source.[/ooc][/ic]

[ic]Honey, I haven't been spraying perfumes. I can if you want, I have many flavors... My former master was partial to "Hot-n-Sexy Krogan Soldier" but many of her companions found the smell over powering... Hehe, she once filled me waist deep in the liquid perfume and... rolled around with three Krogan... Hehe."[/ic]

[ic]Lini notes the chemical analysis. The source of her perturberance appears to be a 'cologne' of human manufacture. The source also appears to be emanating from the human in the automobile. She looks over at Kai and glares. "You are wearing chemicals to attract the female of your species. They are also killing me. Understand?" She pauses. "I am forwarding you a list of chemicals that are known to cause allergic reactions. You are not an idiot. Let's not have this discussion again." Lini edges to a side of the car and places her face into the corner, shivering with a fever and with rage.[/ic]

[ic=The car]The car pipes in, "Honey, it sounds like you need a nice mud bath. I know a little old place here in Nos Astra where my former master frequented. I'm sure they'd make room for you. hehe." [/ic]

[ic] Kai turns to look at Lini with a mix of confusion and concern. What in the hells is she talking about? Cologne? Please. As if he would use anything but cheap after-shave while pretending to be anyone but himself.

Still, it won't hurt to entertain her ideas. He glances at the chemicals she sends him.

Surprisingly, he finds the chief offender with only a cursory glance. The primary agent is not part of a fragrance, however.

"It's not my deodorant causing your problem. It looks to be the make-up. A few of these chemicals here are quite common in my disguise kits, either in powder form or as filler for the more elaborate garbs. And for making me smell inhuman, too, I guess. Knowing this helps, as there is nothing that I cannot have substituted in my kit. It may take me a few extra hours to restock my supplies based on this, but no long-term difficulty.

He hesitates, then looks to the others. "The car is making a pretty good point here. I mean, with Sal being injured, I'm sure we could file away a few hours at the spa as a 'business expense'."[/ic]

[ic]"I'll get to work drafting a report," Archimedes says while applying medi-gel to his forehead.[/ic][ooc]Treat Injury: [blockquote]Rolled 1d20 : 17, total 17[/blockquote]

I forget how much damage that heals - I believe it's been changed once or twice?[/ooc]

[ic]You guys scurry off to the Hotel. With your security clearance, you are allowed to park in the private parking garage out behind the building. Several employees immediately greet you and shuttle you upstairs to the medbay. Once there, a Salarian doctor looks you over, runs a few tests and applies several doses of antibiotics, vitamins and medi-gel. He tells each of you, with a good night's sleep you should be back to normal.

After a few hours with the good doctor, you take the elevator to your room - each of you were given a private suite on fourth to highest floor. The rooms are identical and contain a large bed, a a holo-screen, a desk, a computer and an en-suit jacuzzi, which can be filled with a variety of substances, both legal and not.

After a night of luxury, you awake in mid morning, just as the doctor ordered. A bell boy comes and serves you a three course breakfast tailor made for your individual biologies. While eating breakfast, you skim the latest news headlines and see you've made the top story on several extra-net websites but, luckily, all of it was blamed on intra-gang violence - no one is the wiser to your presence.

The concierge took the liberty of reserving a state-of-the-art conference room for you, where your allies and yourself can convene and decide where to go from here. [/ic]

[ooc]The Doctor rolled amazing and managed to heal everyone back to full![/ooc]

[ooc]Re: Steerpike and CC- Haha.[/ooc]
[ic] Lini had plans for the night. Much had happened during the day that she needed to follow-up on. And there was also business to do. She did none of it.

Lini looked at the room, head woozy from the medications the Salarian doctor injected her with. It would take her a good nights sleep to fully recover, even with this great medical treatment. The Doctor had access to some of the immuno-suppressants that could only be acquired on Armada ships, but medical technology could only do so much to heal--the body needed to do the rest.

Lini went into the room and sat on the foot of her bed, staring at the dark holo screen. She hung her head, then got up and looked at the jacuzzi--which happened to have a steam-bath and a freeze-bath setting, both of which were very useful for Quarians.

She fiddles with the switches and turns on the freeze bath, making sure to set it for only five minutes before it auto-switches to steam--to decrease the chances that her body would go into cold-shock. The system worked as advertised and she shut her eyes as the steam came on. The system beeped after a further thirty minutes and she got up, then headed to the bed.

A clock by the bed indicated it was several hours after the galactic standard dinner time. She put a hand over her stomach, which indicated no need for nourishment, and she sighed. Then she lay down and slept.

Morning
In the morning, Lini sleeps in until someone comes to get her.

If she does make it to breakfast--she only skims the headlines and goes straight to the extranets and the crimenets to see what the criminals and hackers have to say about what went down yesterday. She also googles any recent news on the Tsar and to see if there is an obituary for the Volus who she shot and for the Volus who Eclipse took out (to double-check that her earlier googling of his identity was correct). Then she looks to see if there is a police report for T'Kin's stolen automobile.[/ic]

[ooc]Use Computer (http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+10 : 4 + 10, total 14 ; Gather info (http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+6 : 13 + 6, total 19 ; Galactic Lore (http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+10 : 2 + 10, total 12[/ooc]

[ic=Medical Treatment]Sal enters the medical center cautiously, well aware that she had been part of a clean up squad in similar locations before. After visually scanning the room for several minutes she relaxes slightly and reluctantly surrenders her weapons.

With a wince, she lifts herself onto a cold metal table so the doctor can commence with the examination and treatment of her nasty, though non-life-threatening injuries. The exam itself takes more time than she would like. "I'm not some doll for your amusement and I ain't a test of your damn skills, either." She snarls, "just patch me up the quickest way you can. I don't care a unit how it looks."[/ic][ic=All The Comforts of Home]That evening, in her private room, Sal amuses herself for a while with the sort of pay-per-view vids that would make some uncomfortable  and others blush, at the loudest volume setting. She lights up a single cigar she had stowed away in her dress and liesurely smokes it while typing out a message on her omni-tool.[/ic][ooc]This is being sent to Nani by Sal but it isn't encryped in any special way so anyone actively monitoring Sal would be able to intercept a copy of it without and problem.[/ooc][ic=Message to Nani]hey babe, I really need my things right away if we're gonna get on with all this. its all stashed at my apartment, under the bed. i know you have the key because i gave it to you but i wouldn't doubt that scales somehow got himself a copy too if you lost urs. have someone bring that to me here by morning and i will be happy. bring your ownself and i will make sure you leave happy too ;) -sal[/ic][ooc]Unless told otherwise, I'm going to assume that Nani doesn't dignify the message with a response but does send someone to do this little errand. It will be good for Sal to have her proper weapon and armor back. She'll still be keeping at least the pistols, though. I'd assume she can only reasonably carry one rifle, right? (I think it's mounted on the back of her custom armor when she isn't carrying it in her hands. Maybe there's room for two? It woukd probably be a hassle, anyway.

The parcel under her bed, which she placed before the mission in case she needed to have her things delivered like this, contains her custom armor and rifle along with the standard thermal clips and a small box of her special cigars.)[/ooc][ic=One of Those Days When You Don't Wanna Wake Up]When Sal's food is brought to her in the morning (along with her requested items, carried by a cute maiden, if Nani was kind) she tells the bell boy to bring her some extra asari-safe nuts "for later". While the others are checking on general headlines and other important things, Sal uses her omni-tool to connect to the extranet and look up any information she can find on less-than-savory clubs on the Citadel, particularly looking at names of employees (especially dancers and heads of security) when they're available. She doesn't expect that she'll find anything but hopes to come across the name of an old girlfriend or a one-time partner or coworker that could be of use for information or at least locating other connections. Recon and intel wasn't her thing but when someone was as old as her, had held as many jobs, and slept around as much, they got to know some interesting people that could turn up just about anywhere.[ooc]I don't expect much will be readily available. The people in these positions, especially the dancers, probably change often enough that even the venues that keep up an extranet site (likely not a lot) and would care to give any of this information (narrows it down more) wouldn't bother.

Use Computer [blockquote]Rolled 1d20 : 4, total 4[/blockquote]
Galactic Lore [blockquote]Rolled 1d20 : 2, total 2[/blockquote][/ooc]

[ooc=To Lini] Your diligence has revealed that an agent of the Special Tasks Group was recently murdered on Romanov and a small space battle was fought between two unknown parties in the planet's orbit. Rumor has it, a Salarian Frigate fought a small contingent of Pirate Vessels. The battle was inconclusive and both sides broke orbit roughly an hour after the fight began. A contact of yours in the Migrant Fleet mentioned the Salarians were probably after information on the Tsar's newest hobby - Pirate Ship construction - and fought the battle in the skies to give a covert-ops team the time to infiltrate the Tsar's palace and retrieve their fallen comrade. You also find out, via your google-foo that the Tsar has made quite the enemy of the Volus by hacking into their vast market data bases and thus becoming wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice. [/ooc]

[ooc=To Sal]Nani sent an Elcor escort to deliver your goods in the middle of the night. He was quite dashing and very romantic... For an Elcor.

You don't find much on the extranet, it seems the bar owners are becoming better at hiding the information. You have been to the Citadel many times before, you remember meeting a Valarie Flora York, who ran a small strip club. She was a proven contact years earlier, probably still reliable now. She hates phone calls and email though, she only talks in person. [/ooc]

[ic=That Night]
Unlike most of the others, Kai had come through the day of fighting with little more than some bumps and bruises-- most of which were probably self-inflicted from his mad dashes to cover. There's one particularly sore bruise on his shoulder from where he slammed into a door frame while fighting in the apartment building. He makes a mental note to keep his armor with him at all times now. Damn the tailored suits-- most of them are going to get ruined in these fire-fights, so who cares how well they fit.

Kai makes full use of the amenities available to him, quite pleased with the results of the day. He has a good, expensive meal, a fine bath, and even a few hours seeing his sore muscles soothed in the hotel's spa. Later into the night, he stays awake, pondering the next courses, the odd statue still with him. He writes out a quick message to Nani using his secured Omni-Tool.

[ooc=Note]
"Nani. We found a small stockpile of military-grade gear. Useful for weapon caches. More than glad to donate it to the cause. Got any caches on the Citadel if we need them? ~Kai[/ooc]

That taken care of, he looks closely at the statue, trying to discern why it is valuable. Specifically, he looks for any hidden catches or containers in it, wondering whether or not it contains something of value, rather than having any value in and of itself. [note]Taking a 20 on Perception, for a 21 to examine the Statue. Also a Gather Information to find out any potential buyers for it. (http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+9 : 14 + 9, total 23[/note]

Failing that, someone wanted it. That means that someone is willing to pay for it, and credits are far more useful to him than this tacky statue is. He does a short bit of extra-net searching and digging-- as well as calling a few contacts-- to see if he can find anyone particularly interested in the statue.

That done, he decides its about time to turn in for the night.[/ic]

[ic=The Morning]
Kai hates mornings. He is forced to endure them often, due to his nature, but he still hates them. When he wakes, he showers and gets some food and tea in him, though he is barely able to form sentences. Coherent words-- short of profanities-- are nearly beyond him. He generally communicates in grunts, growls, and other monosyllabic expressions. Right around the second hour of being awake, his body seems to wake up with the rest of him, and he can present and maintain some form of civility once again.

He'll be the one to take it upon himself to fetch the others-- calling their rooms to ensure they are awake and ready to meet in the conference room to discuss their next steps. He intends to be the first in the room, worrying over a sudoku puzzle while waiting for the rest of the team.[/ic]

[ooc]Nani replies, stating that if you need to resupply or gain access to military-grade equipment, you should talk to Blood Jackal. You have been given a 10,000 credit advance to spend on mission related activities. [/ooc]

[ooc=The Statue]After looking the statue of over several times, you come to realize the head actually screws off! You slowly turn the head, expecting a trap but none is present. As the head comes off, it reveals a tiny compartment, inside of which an even smaller data chip lies. You take the chip and plug it into your omni-tool, curious as to what it contains. Surprisingly, there is only a rudimentary security lock - a 6 digit password. You quickly break through the security measures via a simple algorithm. The data chip is loaded with information and design specs for a new FTL and sub-light engine, which if you're reading the specs correctly, rivals even the best engines the Asari military utilize. Unfortunately, it appears the creator went to great lengths to only include data about the engines, it looks as if this is only a small piece of a much larger whole meant to design a completely new class of ship - a ship that could, potentially, be of great interest to many different concerned parties... [/ooc]

[ic]Once in his room, Archimedes attempts to stave off the incipient anguish of a brutal headache gathering behind his eyes by rebooting the data cache using his Omni-Tool and, if necessary, the hotel computer.  Once he's restored power he attempts once again to undelete the files that were being wiped.  He checks the room service menu for any stimulant dermal patches, nootropics, dopaminergics, or other cognitive enhancers and, using some of T'Kin's winnings, purchases a suitable cocktail, if available.  He's developed a significant resistance to most smart drugs due to his upbringing, but in high enough doses they still aid in concentration.  He'll also add a low elimination half-life sedative to induce a brief, deep sleep when he needs it.  Later he'll be writing up an exhaustive report to T'Parn; he'll likely be staying awake most of the night.

When it is time for him to sleep he doses himself with the sedative, puts on an audio book of Shelley's Prometheus Unbound, and covers his eyes with a sleep mask.[/ic][ooc]Use Computer: (http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+13 : 5 + 13, total 18

Let me know if I have to make any rolls for the drugs, if they're available.[/ooc]

[ooc]It appears with all the different hackers you've encountered, the information has been corrupted :(


As you try and salvaged a few bits of uncorrupted data, you keep finding a single term referenced over and over again - August 21st.  [/ooc]

QuoteA contact of yours in the Migrant Fleet mentioned the Salarians were probably after information on the Tsar's newest hobby - Pirate Ship construction - and fought the battle in the skies to give a covert-ops team the time to infiltrate the Tsar's palace and retrieve their fallen comrade. You also find out, via your google-foo that the Tsar has made quite the enemy of the Volus by hacking into their vast market data bases and thus becoming wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice.

[ic]"YUMI, TNX 4 THE H1NT; LK M3 UP NXT 71M3 U G0 0FF SHP. K33P UP Te GD FGT" Lini types back to her friend in the migrant fleet. Information about the Tsar/Volus rivalry was useful to have. Lini waits for the meeting to start. In the meantime, she starts uploading the list of all the people the Asari bedded to several news tabloids, forums, and gossip columnists. Information like this wanted to be free. She also added a few notations in the Asari's log about the Tsar Who Looses Agony, commenting about how the guy's name likely came from his multiple venereal diseases and linking up a log of his visits to the planet with the times in the log that he visited the Asari as proof. Lini writes and posts from many IPs under about 3 logins, one of which was her usual contact to news reporters of whom she was an infrequent source. She also has a script to write in different styles just to ensure that patterning doesn't track her as the one source.[/IC]

[ic]Once in the meeting room, you are confronted by a hologram of a rather rotund Drell bearing a very stern grimace. He looks at each of you as you take a seat around the V-shaped table then coldly states, "What the hell am I paying you for? Do you know how many police officers and free lance "journalists" I had to pay off to cover your asses!? All this better be worth it..."

The Drell is interrupted by a very cute Asari, dressed in a fairly conservative asari-dress - "What our employer means to say is, we need a full report. Right now."

[ic=A Cranky Boss]
"We stumbled into something more than just a missing Volus who owes you money, sir," Kai begins to explain politely. He glances to the others at the table. He hadn't yet informed them of what he found in the statue itself-- he had been waiting to do that in the meeting here. So it seems the statue itself hadn't been very valuable, as he expected. Unfortunately, the Volus who knew where to find the chip had been summarily removed. He might have been useful in finding the rest of the plans.

Kai brandishes the data chip. "We found plans in T'Kin's apartment. The plans are of a sub-light and FTL capable engine. If the details concerning its abilities are true, then this engine is the most powerful ship engine in all of Citadel space." He pauses, hoping the full impact of his words have been understood to this point. "But the plans are incomplete. They only contain information regarding the engine schematics-- worth plenty on its own, of course-- but this is part of a larger ship design. I have a very bad feeling that these plans may be involved in this so-called "pirate fleet" being constructed. If the rest of these ships have capabilities on par with the capabilities of this engine, then a sufficient number of them in the hands of pirates could cause a great deal of harm. It's hard to say, but I think these plans might even rival or surpass what the Asari currently consider "ships-of-the-line". Ships like the Destiny Ascension, for example. We all know the ship was badly damaged during the Geth attack on the Citadel. These ships could potentially be even worse than the Geth that attacked."

He flips the data chip idly between his fingers. He looks at the others. "And my best guess is that some... Tsar political figure is responsible for a not-insignificant amount of firepower being sent to retrieve this chip. This came from T'Kin's apartment-- our Volus' local contact-- where we encountered Eclipse, Blood Pack, and a group of Tsar-backed Volus. They all were after the 'Thorstad', and I think that this is it. Or part of it, at least."

He looks back to the rotund Drell, locking eyes with the hologram. "My informed opinion is that our Volus plans to make himself very wealthy in the Terminus systems by constructing and either using or selling some of the best ships in known space. I believe the Volus is at the site of where these ships are in production-- assuming he himself is not the Tsar in question. While trying to recover T'kin's data files, our tech specialists butted heads with a skilled hacker, who requested a meeting on the Citadel. We see it as a wise idea, giving us either access to a figure who may know more about our goal, or a figure that could direct us to more of these plans-- which I believe should be quite valuable on any market. In any case, we have a great deal of data on our hands, and we have not yet finished cataloging every stray line of data we recovered. There is still much more information for us to identify-- which we hope to finish on our way to the Citadel in order to meet this new contact. It is very possible that we may find more direct leads from T'Kin's files, but it seems foolish for us to pass up this new lead while we spend time sorting through the Asari's... sporty, social life."

A smile stretches across his face. "That is what you pay us for, sir."[/ic]

[ooc]
Once we're done with the meeting, Kai is going to look into the possibility of patenting these engines. At the very least, he's going to look for an existing patent on them. If one exists, he'd like to try to trace it to someone in particular. If not, he'd be quite glad to patent it for himself... or one of his numerous aliases, at least.[/ooc]

[ic]Lini reports. "T'kin equals dead. Trail leads to the Citadel. We recovered weapons from an illegal stash and recovered T'kin's personal files and automobile. We identified a journalist and hacker who were attempting to access T'kin's files. Additionally, at least four factions were attempting to loot her residence- 4 independent Volus thieves, now three. Eclipse who previously were her bodyguards. A human who employs volii who may also have copied T'kin's files and who was also present at her office attempting to kill her before we arrived. Blood pack mercenaries. And an independent Volus. We would prefer only to discuss issues over secured communications like this. The journalist hacker is good. I and Archimedes can enter your systems; he can as well. Kai will tell the rest." F***ing bureaucratic b(#*shit. Lini goes back to toying with her OmniTool, intending not to speak again.[/ic]

[ic]The Drell's eyes sparkle at the sound of the Thorstad, "The Company could make a fortune selling hundreds of those ships to the Alliance... You have new orders - Find all of the Schematics of the Thorstad. Kill the Vollus if you need to but GET ME THOSE SCHEMATICS!"

The Drell bids you good luck and walks away from the Holo-Recorder. The secretary remains and asks, "Please forward all data you have acquired. As I mentioned in an email, I have given you a 10,000 credit stipend to spend on mission related activities. As you may or may not be aware, our company has many enemies - we request that you book transit on commercial airline TransGalactic, so as to not arose suspicion. We have already will paid off the flight attendants and personnel so we can sneak your weapons and other equipment on board. We've decided to use the label "Scientific Equipment: University of Honolulu" as a front for the boxes containing your gear. Note, each of you will be able to board the flight with only a pistol. We have not reserved a particular flight, allowing you control of when you leave Nos Astra."

She then smiles, giving a wink to Sal before logging off.  

[ic]Archimedes has remained silent throughout the debriefing, occupying himself with a particular intricate game of Zarathustra's Paradox with the Difficulty Setting cranked up to the "Lunatic" setting.

"I suggest we still leave immediately," he says at last.  "Unless anyone has any objections."  He turns to Kai, fixing him with his small, crimson eyes.  "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a look at those schematics," he adds.[/ic][ooc]Archimedes will take his Pinnacle Line Pistol onboard.[/ooc]

[ic]Sal enters the meeting room confidently, once again in her customized armor. Flecks of purple paint can be seen all across the dented and scratched metallic body. In this proper lighting it's apparent that the armor must have been quite impressive when it was new.

The sound of servos can be heard with each heavy step as the mechanized joints move, smoothly and naturally enhancing the asari's natural motion. Two rifles are mounted upon her back, one is the custom weapon she carried when the group met, the other is the more recent acquired Gorgon assault rifle. On each hip is a pistol.

She listens to the exhange with the drell with a cocky smile on her face. The smile fades when booking public transport is mentioned. Then, before the holo projector is deactivated, she lazily gives a salute with two fingers to the secretary.[/ic][ooc]Is the armor going to be allowed on the transport or not? Sal would probably know from past experience.

Armor or no, the Judgment pistol is coming on unless the mod on her rifle would allow Sal to sneak that into a carry-on.[/ooc][ic]"Damned Scales never seems to have all the information anymore," Sal complains. "I'd almost swear the fatter he get, the more his mind goes. Now he changes the mission without even mentioning how that relates to payment." Nani should have known some of this. She normally keeps the informants in line. Either we weren't told all the facts or someone worked very hard to keep their secrets.

The asari warrior shrugs. "It only really matters to you all, I guess. They've had me on retainer for years now." With that, her smile returns.[/ic]

[ic]
Kai doesn't bother replying to the rotund Drell, considering his employer seemed to waddle off in a fit of madness without waiting for one. With a slight grimace, Kai shakes his head slowly. So long as he gets paid well for this trouble, he doesn't really care all that much, truth be told.

When Archimedes asks him for the plans, Kai hesitates for a few long seconds while he considers the idea. Clearly, he is reluctant to relinquish them, but eventually decides that it seems to be a good idea.

He nods. "Sure. I'm only versed in Alliance Military tech," he says, momentarily forgetting that his past is a lesser-known matter. "You might have a better idea of what exactly we are looking at-- or if there is anything else hidden in the files, as well." With only a slight delay, Kai places the chip on the table and slides it over to the Vorcha Encyclopedia. "I'd like it back when you finish with it-- though you may want to make a copy of it now, just in case." He affixes the Vorcha with a beady grin of his own for a moment before turning to Sal.

"If I've learned anything in my time alive, it is that there is no accounting for the stupidity of others. Does that mean our boss knows nothing about what is going on? I'm not sure. But one does not often reach a position of wealth such as his by being a buffoon. In the mean-time, I suggest we finish up any final business before we arrange for travel off-world." Kai grins mischievously to himself. Without any further business, he will excuse himself from the table and begin to gather his things.[/ic]

[ooc]Kai will be taking aboard his concealed hold-out pistol. All of his other gear will be stowed, except for some of the basic tech material, such as the comm scrambler. He will also be packing up the entirety of the liberated weapon stockpile to use for trading purposes. I am assuming this Blood Jackal is on the  Citadel. If he or she is on Illium, then Kai will pack up whatever we aren't using, then have it stowed someplace, and try to make a deal with this figure for the goods in question. Kai will also go ahead and copy the VI from T'Kin's car onto a portable device so that he can take it with him. Why? Heh, maybe we'll find out.[/ooc]

[ic]Prior to departure, Archimedes runs a full diagnostic and analysis of the data chip, looking in particular for hidden data and references to names or locations.[/ic][ooc]Use Computer: [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+14 : 7 + 14, total 21[/blockquote][/ooc]

It appears there is no data con this chip conerning such information. However, you did find a a half-deleted bit of information stating red and black were the intended colors of the ship.

[ooc]How many hours do we have before departure? Heading out in 2 or 12 or next day?[/ooc]

The Secretary felt it was better to give you full control over your departure date, in case you wanted to do more on Illium.

[ooc]I thought we were taking a commercial ship though? I guess they leave every hour on the hour then...[/ooc]

[ooc]
You are. The Secretary bribed all the people necessary for when you do leave.

A flight leaves twice daily.

[/ooc]

[ooc]Yes. Then that is what I was asking. I assume it's 10AM. When do the daily flights leave? If we are taking the first one out then Lini doesn't have time to do anything. If we wait till tomorrow to fly out, then I'll do a writeup for Lini's afternoon of reflection and hacking. Otherwise I am ready to move on and have nothing to add if we are flying out today.[/ooc]

[ooc]Its 10:01 AM and the flight leaves at 1 AM and 1 PM  every day. [/ooc]

[ic]
The four of you return to your rooms for a few more precious moments of peace and quiet before your long journey. A bell boy comes to your room with a large duffel bag, asking for your excess equipment. After a moment of hemming and hawing, you decide which to keep and which to stow away.

The concierge of the Hotel leads you to a shuttle that will transport you to the spaceport. The shuttle is large and room, filled with leather seats, expensive alcohol and a personal VI bartender, who insistently asks if you'd like a refill on your drink every few minutes. Luckily, the journey to your destination is quick, the shuttle driver taking the quickest route possible.

You are greeted at the Spaceport by a stocky, yet sultry, Asari named Fao who allows you to skip the normal security measures while escorting you to your ship. Upon arrival, you see the ship is more of a giant bus - four decks, over a hundred passengers per deck, except the "eco deck" which is only a half deck (the back half being stowage). Seating is cramped; the company obviously added extra seating to accommodate higher than average traffic. Each of you find yourselves on the top deck, though spread out quite a bit.

Sal wound up in first class, next to a beautiful Asari; Kai found himself on the aisle by the exit in a "good or bad seat," which thankfully is good; Archimedes wound up sitting between two Salarian children in average seats; while Lini was given the window seat near the back lavatory in a "below average seat" next to a very smelly Krogan.

After you are seated, a stewardess comes by and gives you a species appropriate snack and tells you take off will begin momentarily. After what must have been a half hour, the ship finally rockets into the sky and breaks into orbit. The ship increases velocity at a surprising rate and jets towards the Mass Relay. You can feel the usual pull and stretching affect generated by the Relay as you are hurdled at super-light speeds.

As you re-appear into normal space in the Eagle nebula, an explosion rocks the ship, which suddenly careens off away from the Mass Relay at dangerous speeds. The Captain calls over the intercom to stay seated, that there was a simple mechanical problem. However, as he finishes speaking, you look out the window; you see a small Geth scout ship fly by, guns at the ready. The passengers begin to panic, one screaming, "THE GETH ARE COMING TO SLAUGHTER US ALL!" while another yells, "THEY'RE GOING TO KILL US FOR HUMANITY'S SINS!" All eyes on the deck slowly shift over to the only human present - Kai. The Krogan sitting next to Lini stands up and calls out, "We should kill him to appease the Geth!" A surprising percentage of others mutter agreement with the Krogan.

The ship then rocks again, it feels as if something is docking with the ship, perhaps on the ventral hull.  [/ic]

[ooc]
[spoiler=Map ](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/A%20Mass%20Effect%20PbP/sHIP.jpg)[/spoiler]

For game purposes, each seat represents a 5 foot square. When stating which square you are in, state the aisle number and seat letter. The letters start at the Left and counts over to the left (i.e. A-B C-D for first class, A-B-C D-E-F for economy and eco classes).
[/ooc]

[ic]Surmising that a vorcha's words are unlikely to sway a shipful of bigots from their prejudices, Archimedes remains silent, slowly moving his hand to the concealed Pinnacle Line Pistol hidden on his person. Could the geth be after our data, or is this just coincidence?  If they reach this level I can probably hack one or two; perhaps even patch into their ship, cause some havoc that way...[/ic][ooc]Archimedes prepares to draw his pistol (move action) and aim (2 swift actions) at anyone threatening Kai with actual physical violence (as opposed to just sinister suggestions).[/ooc]

[ic]
Once all is said and done, Kai grimaces and sharply brings his palm to his face. "F*** my life," he grumbles irritably. He stares at the Krogan with a sadistic smile. "I'll choose to be pleased that you think I am worth killing. More than I could say about you. Fething coward."

He rises from his seat swiftly, quickly activating his comm-link to the others. He speaks into it quietly, trying to keep himself from being overheard by the gathering mob around him. "Looks like we have some problems, ladies and gentlemen. Sounds like they're boarding. Someone get our gear." He turns a snide look to the others who are quite quick to call for his blood. "Shut up, you damned fools. You are forgiven for your ignorance, but in case you have forgotten, the Geth attacked the Citadel, and nearly succeeded in wiping out it, along with the Turian and Asari fleets. You're welcome-- ass-hats." He begins yelling, making sure plenty of people can hear him over the call to lynch him. "This is playing out one of two ways! Either the Geth are going to space us, where we all die, or they are going to board us. Now, in case you haven't noticed, the Geth have a tendency to kill everyone they run across. Yes, that includes you schmucks as well. So either sit down and shut-up, or get ready to repel boarders. And, for f***'s sake, turn off your wireless systems before the Geth control them!" Kai prepares to draw his pistol if needed. He hasn't yet seen any Geth appear, and they may very well simply hole the entire ship with him on it, but he's trusting to hope that this is not a coincidence, which means the Geth want something on this ship. Most likely? His team has what the Geth want, and right now, the last thing he needs to do is draw a weapon on an angry mob. So he simply waits for them to do something terminally stupid before he goes that far.

He glares are the Krogan-- and any other Krogan present, and promptly addresses them in their own language. "You will come with me, and you will show the Geth that you are Krogan! You will fight, and you will show them that you are worth fighting!" Well, that gamble could certainly come back and bit his rear quite soundly. So, either he'd get the Krogan pissed off at the Geth, or he'd just get them pissed off. Either way, he doubted he could get himself into much more trouble. Hell, the Geth still might just decide to vent the whole ship and spare him the bother.[/ic]

[ooc]
I really have no idea what exactly Kai is doing here. It's really more of a "Command" than any kind of real Diplomacy, Bluff, or Intimidate, so I'm going to assume it falls under Persuasion, since rallying via force of personality seems most like what he is doing. And since he IS a former officer, I think it makes sense in this situation.

Persuasion:
[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+14 : 20 + 14, total 34[/blockquote][/ooc]

[ic=Air Rage]

Lini had only recently gotten over being shot, sickened by alien cologne, and smacked around the previous day and she was not looking forward to the plane flight; but, if she wanted to see the job through, then she was going to have to deal with crap like this.

Lini noted she had been given the seat next to the bathrooms. An insult? She wondered. She knew that most species disliked those seats--the cheapest on the plane. Then she noted that a massive Krogan was seated next to her. She turned on her suit's recycling unit. As long as the Krogan wasn't wearing ****ing cologne, she should be okay. Once the Krogan sat down, she closed the window view-port. She would not have him looking over her shoulder. She said no word to the Krogan and decidedly did not look at him.

While she waited on the plane, she reprogrammed her combat drone to only shoot at extremities other than the head for organics, except when a code word was stated. She did not want a repeat of the Volus-situation. The Krogan kept crowding her and she kept shrinking into her corner, emerging from her cramped situation only to reach up to take a Quarian Bouillon Cube of synthesized chemicals and nutrients that the stewardess provided. Lini did not express thanks nor did she look at the stewardess. She analyzed the Cube with her OmniTool, saw that the chemical composition was appropriate, and she inserted it into a synthesis unit of her suit.

"What the Boshtet *#*#" Lini Hisses as the ship rocks. The captain states that the ship has a mechanical problem and Lini sighs, lamenting how the other races know nothing of proper ship maintenance. She considered patching her OmniTool into the ship's mainframe, but before that idea could be fully formed, she heard some fool shouting about Geth.

All in front of her, people were craning their necks, looking out the windows. Lini looked back down at her OmniTool, then the Krogan stood up and started shouting about killing Kai. '#(#(?' Lini foulmouthed, then she looked out the window, and her heart sped-up. "****!" She exclaimed.

Geth. You don't reason with Geth. You don't negotiate with Geth. Krogan #(#*wit.

[/ic]
[ooc]Move action to ready holdout pistol. 2 swift actions to check the ships' status.

[blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 19 + 10, total 29[/blockquote] Use Computer (IF it's mechanics, that'll be a 15).

Nice map.[/ooc]

[/ic]

[ooc]For clarification, she is not saying Krogan #(#(wit aloud... at least not yet.[/ooc]

[ic]The Krogan stares down at Kai, squinting his eyes, as if deciding whether to pat the human on the shoulder or bite his face off - the Krogan smiles then screams, "I AM KROGAN! I WILL KILL MORE GETH THAN YOU HOO-MAN! LET US GO AND SLAY OUR ENEMY AS ALLIES! AS FRIENDS! AND," the Krogan pauses to lick his chops and give Kai a fairly flamboyant wink, "Perhaps has mates... After we deal with the Geth of course." The Krogan then reaches in to his suit-coat and pulls out a very large pistol and motions for Kai to lead the way. [/ic]

[ooc=To Lini]Your check reveals that the engines were blown out due to some kind of explosion, though the computer has not determined if it was caused from external or internal force. The Geth ship has burrowed a hole into the bottom of the ship, in the Eco class seating area. All cameras and sensors on the level are dead. The computer is also being hacked by the Geth, they appear to be downloading crew, passenger and cargo manifests.

[ooc]So... What cargo are we carrying that's at issue? I thought we handed over the T'kin ship designs to our leader? Why are we carrying it still? From what I count, our weapons are in the cargo-hold (except 1 holdout), other than that we don't have much to worry from geth in the cargohold (other than the obvious concerns)[/ooc]

[ooc]
Kai is assuming it has to do with the Thorstad plans. If anything, Kai would have copied the plans to send to our boss, and even when he gave the chip to Archimedes, he asked for it back when Archimedes was done. We might have sent the plans to the Drell, but Kai does not plan on relinquishing the data chip itself, so he ought to still have it, unless someone has a bloody good way of convincing him that he shouldn't keep it on hand.

Also, EE, what about the weapons we took from the apartments? As mentioned Kai would try to sell the spares. Would he have been able to succeed on that in Illium or would have needed to smuggle them aboard on the Citadel? In particular, to whatever dealer it was that the T'Parn secretary mentioned by name. I just didn't know if they were on Illium or the Citadel.[/occ]

[ooc=to Kai]You could have succeeded on Illium but it would have been a black market deal. The merchant on the Citadel is also black market but he is inclined to give you a better deal. [/ooc]

[spoiler=to Lini][ooc]You spot a small fly-like machine buzzing around. As you look at it more closely, you think it might be Geth-made. [/ooc][/spoiler]

[ooc]As an aside... does security exist on these things... not only do we have pistols, the Krogan has one too?

[/ooc]

[ic]Lini gets on her comm and radios to the others. "Geth took out the engines. Can't get away from them." She looks at her pistol and laments that she didn't take her ion cannon. "Let's meet in the aisle." Then she sees the fly. She screams, "EEEEE! Geth!" and blasts the fly out of the sky.[/ic]

[ooc][blockquote]Rolled 1d20+4 : 9 + 4, total 13[/blockquote] Also note that I have these feats: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot. I am unsure how they affect the situation.[/ooc]

[ooc]Point Blank gives you a +1 to hit if the enemy is within the weapon's short range... Basically you always get it unless you're shooting someone fairly far away.

Lini's shot strikes the fly and utterly destroys it. The bullet then continues on and puts a sizable dent in the ceiling. Some of the Asari sitting near Lini scream in horror when the gun is fired.

[ic]Lini stared at the charge's remnant in the shuttle's ceiling, then she spoke into her OmniTool for her allies' benefit. "They have drones. Fly drones."[/ic]

[ic]The doors to the rear lavatories burst open and two Geth soldiers walk out. They take up positions on each side of the hallway and lob two grenades into the crowd of seated passengers.
[/ic]

[ooc]
The two grenades explode in a large burst of lightning. Everyone in seats A, B and C in rows 22, 23 and 24 are knocked unconscious.
[/ooc]

[ooc=Initiative:]
Kai
Sal
Archimedes
Lini
--- End of Turn ---
Geth

[/ooc]

[ooc]
[spoiler=Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/A%20Mass%20Effect%20PbP/sHIP1.jpg)[/spoiler]

[/ooc]

[ic]One Geth takes aim near where Archimedes is seated, launching another electrical grenade, while the other Geth lays down covering fire.
[/ic]
[ooc]
attack roll: (http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+4 : 10 + 4, total 14
damage roll: (http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 2d8 : 6, 1, total 7

Note Archimedes gets a +2 bonus to his Ref defense because of the seats. However it is an area attack, so he still takes 1/2 damage on a miss. [/ooc]


[ooc=Initiative: Round 2]
Kai
Sal
Archimedes
Lini
--- End of Turn ---
Geth

[/ooc]

[ooc]
[spoiler=Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/A%20Mass%20Effect%20PbP/sHIP1.jpg)[/spoiler]

[/ooc]

[ic]For round 1, Lini will shoot the nearest Geth; on Round two if she hasn't been shot at, she'll keep shooting- if she's been shot at, she'll cover and summon her combat drone.[/ic]

[ooc][blockquote]Rolled 1d20+5 : 11 + 5, total 16[/blockquote] to shoot and damage: [blockquote]Rolled 3d4 : 2, 2, 2, total 6[/blockquote]

If necessary use tech for drone: [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 15 + 10, total 25[/blockquote][/ooc]

[ic]Sal was just getting the asari beside her to loosen up and start talking when the geth showed up and everything went south. Damn my luck. For a moment she found herself hoping that no one had seen her board with the human, then decided that it didn't matter. She couldn't just ignore the trouble brewing because she didn't want to continue the mission without a support team -- even if that team was an improper bunch of misfits.[/ic][ooc]I'm sure there is more that could have been done here but I missed the chance. Anyway, on I go...[/ooc][ic]As soon as Sal hears the geth in the back, she gets to her feet. "Sorry, babe, gotta clock in," she says, stepping past the asari and drawing her pistol.

She head toward the back of the ship, not sure exactly what to expect.[/ic][ooc]I'm going to assume I can't make it all the way back to the geth in one turn. I'll have Sal go as far as she can.[/ooc]

[ooc]I beleive if you run, you get to move 3x your speed. So the best you could do would be to get to aisle 24.

[ooc]Ooops, sorry I forgot to respond to Lini's post.

A 16 is a miss.  but your drone is now active.

[ooc]Two questions:

1) Do we have our shields?

2) Am I within 6 squares of the geth, or could I get within 6 squares of them this round?[/ooc]

[ooc] You do have shields.

You are 10 squares away from the Geth.

[ic]Archimedes forces the salarian children to either side down, letting his shields absorb the electrical grenade's discharge.  Hastily he leaps into the aisle and scuttles into hacking-range of the geth, talons skittering across his Omni-Tool.[/ic][ooc]Use Tech (AI Hacking): [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+12 : 15 + 12, total 27[/blockquote][/ooc]

[ooc]Success, your check exceeded the Geth's will defense by 10 points. You can control the Geth for 3 turns. He has a movement of 6 squares, a [Blaster Rifle] and three frag grenades.

[ooc]As written, there are no stipulations about what I can make the geth do.  Can I issue self-destructive commands, i.e. "shoot yourself in the face"?[/ooc]

[ooc]As it is written right now, yes you could do that. He still has to make an attack roll and damage roll.

[ooc]In that case I'll send thee following series of instructions:

Round 1 - Shoot the other geth.

Round 2 - Shoot the other geth.

Round 3 - Shoot yourself.[/ooc]

[ooc]He will do as you command on his turn

[ooc]Move Combat drone to flank if possible. Then have it shoot

[blockquote]Rolled 1d20 : 3, total 3[/blockquote] (Unsure as to modifier)[/ooc]

[ooc][spoiler=Combat Drone]
Using Tech, you create a small drone to aid you in combat
- Time: 1 Swift action.
- Target: None
- Effect: Make a Use Tech check. The check determines the abilities of the Combat Drone generated. Every Drone has 10 + 1/level hit points. Each Drone has the following abilities: Strength 1, Dexterity 12, and Intelligence 10. Drones do not have a Constitution, Wisdom or Charisma score. Drones utilize their creator's Base Attack Bonus. Every Drone comes equipped with a gun that deals 1d4 damage. You can only have 1 Drone out at a time. You may move the drone as a free action and command it to fire as a swift. The Drone has a Reflex Defense of 10 + 1/2 your level.

DC 10: The Drone gains 5 hit points and deals 1d6 points of damage
DC 15: The Drone gains 10 hit points and deals 1d8 points of damage
DC 20: The Drone gains 15 hit points and deals 1d10 points of damage
DC 25: The Drone gains 20 hit points and deals 1d12 points of damage
DC 30: The Drone gains 25 hit points and deals 2d8 points of damage
DC 35: The Drone gains 30 hit points and deals 2d10 points of damage[/spoiler]

So your drone has a +3 (2 for your BAB (IIRC) and 1 for its DEX).

Sadly, a 6 misses but you can easily position the drone into flanking position. [/ooc]

[ic]You hear a loud BOOM then the ship careens off course, as if blown away by an explosion. A woman screams as she peers out a window. A Turian yells, "What in the name of the Citadel is that!?"  Curiosity grabs hold of you and you find your eyes darting towards a window - a hulking behemoth of a ship races around the airliner, its cylindrical shape belies its maneuverability and power. The ship blasts mighty bolts fire-colored energy at the Geth, easily destroying all of their attack craft. The passengers let out a sigh of relief - they were saved - only to see this relief turn into horror as the leviathan of a ship slowly turns around and shoots thick bio-mechanical whips that latch onto the airliner and slowly drag the craft into a docking bay. People scream and panic, no one knows what is going on. However, before they can blame the Human for their misfortune, a veritable horde of small bugs swarm the cabin and quickly paralyze everyone.

You do not know how much time has passed since you were knocked out but it feels like it was a long time. The air around you is stale and has a slight musky aroma. The cavern in which you were dumped appears to be made out of rock. There is a single metal door on each side of the cave. A buzzing noise booms into the cavern at intermittent intervals, its meaning unknown.  As you look around, you spot a dead Turian lying on his stomach, decked out in some of the nicest equipment the Citadel markets have to offer. You flip the body over and check his Omni-Tool to see if he has any identification. The information on the Omni-Tool seems to be mostly deleted  but you manage to find his name was Kragus Zakara, it seems he was a Specter on assignment to investigate sightings of unknown crafts in the Terminus Systems, what he's doing on the other side of the galaxy is anyone's guess. There's also a log entry, highly damaged, that merely has the voice of the Turian, he sound as if he's been running for a long time, whispering, as best he can, "They're after me. I... I can't survive... Must contact Coun... *screech*. The log ends there. [/ic]

[ooc]The Turian has the standard assortment of 4 guns - Pistol, Shotgun, Rifle, Sniper Rifle - all of which are completely unmarked and painted black. Each gives you +2 to hit. The Turian's armor is painted completely black and appears to be cutting edge technology (the equivalent of Storm Trooper Armor). The Turian has 2 high energy grenades (counts as Thermal Detonators). [/ooc]

[ooc=Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/A%20Mass%20Effect%20PbP/MAPME.jpg)[/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes sniffs the air.  His lips draw back in a rictus of animal displeasure and his hackles rise.

"This is an unexpected turn.  Well then.  If the straight foreward pathway be lost, into the forest dark we must needs venture..."

He moves towards the metal door to the left and listens carefully.[/ic][ooc][blockquote]Rolled 1d20+7 : 12 + 7, total 19[/blockquote][/ooc]

[ooc]Archimedes hears buzzing, like a swarm of insects is racing by on the other side of the door.

[ooc]Collectors :([/ooc]

[ooc]Lady Luck is not with you today.

[ic]"What the Boshtet *#&k?" Lini scans the room with her OmniTool, trying to deliberate if there is a thinner area of the wall in a particular section. If she locates one, then she will hiss, pick up one of the high energy grenades, insert it into a hole and set it to trigger. Then she will go back and pick up a sniper rifle, unless someone else has taken one. "*#($ing Nazi doesn't even have a #*((ing assault gun. She comments as she picks up the sniper rifle. "Obvious why the *#(#ing bugs ganked him." Then as the countdown for her grenade to blow nearly hits zero, she stands with her hands on her hips and snarls at a door. "F*#&*ing Geth-hating bugs, eat your *#($ing electronics and leave us organics $($%ing be." [/ic]

[ooc]Physical Sciences Roll for what killed the Turian [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 8 + 10, total 18[/blockquote]
Galactic Lore Roll for what the ****ing bugs are and their weaknesses [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 5 + 10, total 15[/blockquote] Also for the ship...who owns it and their plans. [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 3 + 10, total 13[/blockquote]. And to see if I came across any juicy tidbits about this Spectre when I was hacking into Citadel comps. [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 16 + 10, total 26[/blockquote]

Perception roll to scan the room [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+7 : 11 + 7, total 18[/blockquote]
[/ooc]

[ooc]It appears a slow acting poison killed the Turian.

You have no idea who the bugs are but you think bullets are a likely weakness :P

The ship is completely unknown but you have heard tales of cylindrical ships from pirates and explorers but before now, you assumed they were myths.

The Specter's Omni Tool seems to have been purposefully wiped then half deleted. He seems to have been exploring the Terminous systems and visited planets you've never even heard of.

You spot a small hole in the ceiling, it seems to be a passage way made for small creatures. There's also one near the southern door. Perhaps there is a network of small tunnels for the bugs to fly through.

[ic] Lini points out the hole in the ceiling and the one near the southern door to Sal and Kai. "Here. And Here." She says. "We have two grenades. Bugs fly in these. We can't easily get out. Where do we place the charges? Also," she huffs. "Can archimedes hack into any systems or send his combat drone done a tunnel to see if it widens? Finally," she notes. "A poison killed this Turian-slow acting. It is possible we are poisoned by those bugs. Or will be interrogated and killed. %(#(ing monsters kill $(#(ing Geth, but also other sentients. Unsure why Archimedes is still with us." She frowns at him. "It implies they do not realize he is a synthetic."
[/ic]
[ooc]Lini hacks to see if there are any open network ports she can hack into; if there are, she attempts penetration. [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 3 + 10, total 13[/blockquote] Use Computer;
and if necessary a tech roll [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+10 : 16 + 10, total 26[/blockquote][/ooc]

[ic]Archimedes chuckles.

"Lini, your supposition, while understandable, is inaccurate.  I am not a VI, however strange that may seem to you.  I also do not possess a drone.  I will, however, attempt to find out what I can of their systems.  First, though, I suggest we get our bearings.  I hear more of those insects over here - let's not risk being paralyzed again."

Archimedes moves to check the other door.[/ic][ooc](http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+7 : 3 + 7, total 10[/ooc]

[ooc]You don't hear anything out beyond the hum of the ship.

[ooc]Alright, knowing that Sal has her armor, she would be able to run as far as row 17 during the first round. The armor makes her move slower. That doesn't seem to matter, anymore, though. What an interesting place we find ourselves in now...[/ooc][ic=A Different Kind of Hangover]Sal shakes her head, trying to clear the fog of whatever the hell just took them. If I'm going to feel like this, I should at least get to have a drink first, she thinks to herself, groggily. Actually, a few to feel quite like this. She gets up to her feet, paying little attention to how the others are dealing with the situation. "You know," the asari complains, "before I hooked up with you lot, my jobs could have been called easy."

Spotting the body, Sal perks up and checks out the turian's loadout. She picks up the rifle and examines it closely. "It's not mine but it's not bad. His loss, huh?"[/ic][ooc]Sal is specialized with rifles so it'll probably be more efficient for her to take that one.[/ooc][ic]"No one knows where we are, then?" She looks, hoping someone will correct her. When no one does, she says, "well, damnit, if I'm going to die from some damned poison, I'm going to have a smoke and shoot something first." She takes a lighter out of a compartment and holds it in the hand the holds the rifle. That would be tricky for some but Sal is clearly well practiced at the maneuver. Then she takes a cigar -- half smoked previously, by the look of it -- from another compartment, lights it, then replaces the lighter.

Seeming to relax a little, she takes a long drag and blows it out at Lini'Leera.[/ic]

[ic]Pistol at the ready, Archimedes tries to open the metal door, ignoring Sal's braggadocio.[/ic][ooc]If there's anything hostile-looking on the other side Archimedes is ready to fire unless it demonstrates its peaceability.[/ooc]

[ooc]Which door did you open? North or South?

[OOC]Just FYI, I talked with CC and he may not be able to post for a while.[/ooc]

[ooc]North.[/ooc]

[IC]Archimedes kicks open the door and is presented with a series of four foot high, rocky walls. On the far side of the room are three humanoids with Cobra-like heads and four glowing, yellow orbs that you presume are eyes. Startled by your sudden appearance, they hesitate, as if waiting for orders. [/ic]

[ooc] 3 Enemy Collectors, Archimedes cannot see C-4 from his vantage point but I included him for completeness. The Orange lines are the rock walls mentioned in the IC. The walls grant Soft Cover if you are in the square they pass through. You can climb over the wall but they count as difficult terrain.

You guys get a surprise round. [/ooc]

[ooc]The enemy's vitals:

Collectors:
Ref: 16
Fort: 17
Will: 13

C1: 44 HP
C2: 44 HP
C3: 44 HP
C4: 44 HP [/ooc]

[ooc=The Map](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v614/RHO1/A%20Mass%20Effect%20PbP/cloolectorship1.jpg)[/ooc]

[ic]Lini hears Archimedes words and she narrows her eyes. Her voice draws level. "Sure you're not a VI." Of course it was programmed to deny accusations. Best to not argue with it in this situation.[/ic]

The following actions are assuming that someone else leaves the room to shoot. If no one leaves the room to shoot, then Lini will move to cover slightly to the right side of the door. She's not going to be the first to open fire.

Lini to G12 and throw grenade at D 15--if not injuring them it may at least blow a hole.

(http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+9 : 10 + 9, total 19 Initiative

(http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+4 : 4 + 4, total 8 I think this is the proper mod for throw (BAB+DEX).

[ic]Lini follows ___ out of the doorway, tosses a grenade and tucks and ducks behind a wall.[/ic]

[ooc]Sorry LD, I forgot to mention that you do not find any electronic devices to hack into :( [/ooc]

[ooc]Lini throws a High Energy Grenade at the Collectors and is completely shocked to see how devastating they can be.

(http://www.thecbg.org/Themes/SilverPluss1/images/dice_warn.gif) This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 8d6+1 : 2, 1, 4, 6, 5, 1, 4, 1 + 1, total 25 -- All Collectors in a 4 Square burst will take 1/2 damage. Enemies take 12 damage.  [/ooc]

[ooc]The enemy's vitals:

Collectors:
Ref: 16
Fort: 17
Will: 13

C1: 32 HP
C2: 32 HP
C3: 32 HP
C4: 44 HP [/ooc]

[ic]"Why the ***k didn't the Turian use these Boshtet things?" Lini watches the insectile creatures cower in the wake of her assault.[/ic]

Also keep in mind my comments above- Lini isn't going to throw that unless someone else shoots first.

[ic]Archimedes takes a moment to line up a shot and then fires his weapon at the Collector directly in front of him.[/ic][ooc]Initiative: [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+13 : 10 + 13, total 23[/blockquote]
Attack: [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+5 : 1 + 5, total 6[/blockquote]
Damage: [blockquote]Rolled 3d6+1 : 6, 2, 2 + 1, total 11[/blockquote]
I think the Pinnacle Line Pistol is a regular Blaster rather than a Heavy Blaster?[/ooc]

[ic]Strange alien ship and he just walks off on his own, Sal thinks. And he's supposed to be the genius. "Whaddaya see, Arc?"[/ic][ooc]With Lini's actions, I'm going to just assume that he told us what was in the next room in a professional Cerberus-programmed way.

...And I just realized that I don't have my character sheet on this computer. I'll have to finish this later.[/ooc]

[ooc]Ninja- your sheet is also in the first post of the thread; that's what I've been using. I think EE updated them when we sent the updtaes.

Also, Re: "I'm going to just assume that he told us what was in the next room in a professional Cerberus-programmed way. "... haha.[/ooc]

[ooc]I didn't update them when you guys leveled up.