Session 8: Pandemonium At The Harvest

From The Whereabouts

Shadowrun

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

F.A.T.E. PCs

Briefing

F.A.T.E. intelligence contacts maintained anonymously through J.P. Redman, or perhaps one of the well hidden investors that funds the organization, have uncovered a covert terrorist attack that is taking place tonight. The wheels are already in motion and it's not F.A.T.E.'s job to stop it. Normally J.P. wouldn't stand to let the operation proceed, even if it is to effect mostly megacorp territory, but several factors stand in his way. First, intelligence reports point to the attack being far too large in scale for an organization like F.A.T.E. to bring to a screeching halt without encouraging a major international incident. More importantly, J.P. believes the attack is being carried out by a terrorist cell with little knowledge of the overall organization and believes F.A.T.E. is tasked with handling the larger picture, let the military handle the counter terrorism.

The attack will take place on the tidal power plant and relay station named 'TidalFields Station' aboard the converted deep sea oil platform once known as Platform Harvest. The Station is approximately 15 miles off the coast of CFS territory, just south of Santa Maria, technically residing in CFS territory but remarkably close to recently acquired Pueblo territory. The station is jointly owned by Marine Technologies, who uses the plant to power their Aquafarming operations along the entire coast, and Maritech Enterprises, who mostly uses the station as a refueling point and other undisclosed purposes. Both companies are subsidiarity's of Aztechnology and it's expected the megacorp will act swiftly in conjunction with their closer ally Pueblo, leaving CFS to shoulder the blame with none of the glory. Pueblo has a notable naval presence at nearby Los Angeles, meanwhile the CFS has a comparatively meager coastguard presence in the city of Santa Maria. There's not much F.A.T.E. or the CFS can do about that now, so in order to keep all eyes and ears off the secretive organization F.A.T.E. will not be alerting either government or the target corporations of the impending attack and their actions aboard TidalFields Station will be unsanctioned by the CFS.

Reports indicate that a sizable terrorist force will attack and occupy TidalFields in a single swift strike, using primarily ground forces and infiltration, though some naval support seems like a necessity. The attack will coincide with an attack through the matrix that will prevent the station from signaling for help or reporting the attack, blacking the station out from the matrix completely. This actually work's to F.A.T.E.'s advantage to a certain capacity. Initial procedure for the corporations will be to send a repair crew to the station, not until the repair crew fails to check back with their headquarters will what is really happening be reported back to mainland. This is intended to allow the terrorists a full night aboard the station with minimal interference until the following morning, F.A.T.E. can take advantage of that as well.

The group plans to smuggle a large artifact of unknown origin onto the station, connecting it to the main power grid of the plant an essentially using the entire plants production to power it for the night. Dr. Yau is unsure what exactly would be able to handle that kind of power, let alone what would require it for its operation, but without a doubt this artifact is the secret reason for the attack. Dr. Yau does not believe the artifact to be a bomb, though would not rule out some other sort of high powered weapon, and believes the artifact should be capable of transportation. The terrorists plan to move the artifact onto and off the station during their window of control, it is F.A.T.E.'s mission to steal this artifact but without allowing either CFS, Pueblo, or Aztechnology to learn of it's existence or use aboard the station.

Notes

  • F.A.T.E. has requisitioned a coastguard vessel for use of the mission, F.A.T.E.'s team will fly into Santa Maria tonight and launch aboard that vessel to carry out their mission. Dr. Yau hopes the ship will be capable of hauling, towing, or otherwise transporting the sizable artifact we are to steal.
  • It is difficult to predict the exact state of their security when infiltration will take place, expect a sizable force to be aboard the station but they will have had a major battle in order to overcome the sizable security force aboard the station. Expect the station's heavy warding to still be in place, even after the attack though how the spirits on patrol will react is difficult to predict.
  • Dr. Yau is pretty sure the device we are stealing is not a bomb, however that does not imply that the terrorist group does not intend to blow the station as a part of their attack. In theory they should be unwilling to blow the station with the artifact on board, but counting on that might be a deadly risk.
  • The Station will be completely cut off from the matrix and it is unlikely that Dimitri will be able to infiltrate their system, if he was able it may alert the terrorists that someone is aware of their mission. As a result matrix support aboard the station will almost certainly be limited.
  • In theory the terrorists should not be expecting a small counter attack against the group immediately following their initial attack, as a result a small infiltration group may catch them somewhat off guard.
  • Some maps of the platform can be provided and will be loaded onto each member's comlink, however the corporation is not required to disclose schematics to the government and the maps could be outdated or even blatantly wrong. Dr. Yau has provided the expected location of the device while it is hooked into the power grid, though his limited understanding of Tidal Power Plants and unknown artifacts with unknown purposes far from guarantees it's location.

Session Synopsis

The group departed on their private flight for the docks of Santa Maria, Eric set about summoning four spirits on the plan ride and boat trip to the platform. The group broke up into three groups: Group A (Assault) Oni, Eric, Doc; Group B (Bomb) Hector; Group C (Covert) Ana & Wex. Ana and Wex would sneak aboard the platform during the confusion of the terrorists initial assault on the platform, following that Hector would plant explosives on the boats. Once completed Group A would attack the terrorist boats to give Group C a distraction and eliminate the terrorists escape options. Group C would use the confusion to sneak through the platform, locate the device, and then deliver it load it aboard our ship when Hector returned with it.

Things started off according to plan with Eric's water spirits providing all the groups a safe and easy mode of underwater transportation, Group C waited in the superstructure of the platform while the other groups moved in. Hector planted his explosives before heading back to the ship while Group A moved in. Group A was highly effective at eliminating the terrorists aboard the three ships, clearing all the ships of enemies and sinking the two vessels they don't control. (3 terrorists remaining wounded and swimming in the nearby ocean)

Group C found significantly more trouple, while attempting to sneak onto the surface level of the platform both Ana and Wex were spotted leading to Wex being shot by a sniper. Presumably atop the control tower. Realizing they were spotted they decided to split up, after brief gunfire with a guard on the steps Ana descended into the sublevels of the platform while Wex entered the control tower at the surface level. Wex explored the mostly abandoned offices of the control tower while maintaining invisibility (risking exposure if the mage moved to pursue the two covert ops); meanwhile Ana managed to infiltrate sublevel 1 of the station. She discovered a number of abandoned offices and a security station with 3 dead guards, her maglock passkey moving her through locked door after locked door. Eventually she entered a laboratory and quickly dispatched the guard inside. Through the next door she can see what appears to be the top level of the Power Generation & Transfer Area of the station, metal cat-walks outline the open room. Two guards patrol the cat walks on this level and she has seen no sign of the device, though there are a number of complicated pieces of machinery and electronics within the expansive room.

Results

Status: In Progress
Dates: January 20, 2073
Quote of the night:"Wex, coast is clear." <Gunshot> "Are you okay?" - Ana
Nuyen: N/A
Stipend: 4,990¥
Karma Awarded: 7