Session 15: Reactor No. 1

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

The Situation

Suggested music: Mako Reactor - Black Materia: Final Fantasy VII - Random and Lost Perception

This mission introduction is different from the others, since the bulk of the planning will be done by the agents themselves. This is a hodgepodge of information available to the agents as well as ideas or thoughts as the group brainstorms.

Drakes Bay Nuclear Power Plant

The nuclear power plant is built on the California coast line on Drakes Bay. It has three separate reactors, each with its own containment dome and steam stack. There is a large building in front of the reactors, spanning the length of all three. This building is largely industrial, used for electrical transmission equipment, storage, and maintenance purposes. There is a smaller office building detached from the main complex but within walking distance. All of the structures were built to withstand earthquakes of 8.0 magnitude.

Nuclear Inspections

The California Nuclear Regulatory Commission (CNRC) is tasked with bi-annual inspections of all nuclear facilities on CFS soil. These inspections are, in practice, symbolic. Corporations in 2073 have the government in their pocket, and rarely does the commission report any violations. Drakes Bay's next inspection is scheduled for Monday, March 20, 2073.

J.P. Redman has suggested that the inspections could be used to our advantage, either to get an agent in (perhaps Dr. Yau) or as a distraction while the agents do their work. J.P. has connections within the CNRC and will have no problem embedding an agent or two in their team of inspectors.

Connection to Mana Bombs

Dr. Yau has developed another theory during his reverse engineering of the mana bomb devices. He believes that the material used in the battery cells of the device is a byproduct of a special nuclear reaction where the nuclear fuel is combined with a rare awakened fungus. His theory is supported by some of the documents obtained by Dmitri. These documents reference the extraction of biological material from the nearby San Andreas fault. There are many documents that indicate that Reactor No. 1 is being used to generate this special byproduct. Production was apparently halted after the devices were stolen, but the latest documents suggest that production will resume soon, possibly after the March 20 inspections.

Mission Objectives

The primary mission objective is to disable nuclear operations at the power plant. It must not look like sabotage, it must be disguised as much as possible as a true nuclear accident. The containment domes are designed to trap radiation in the event of a meltdown; as long as they are not damaged there is little risk to the general population if a traditional meltdown were to occur.

The easiest way to trigger a meltdown would be to disable the cooling systems. The facility pumps seawater through the reactors to cool them. It's possible it can be done by hacking the power plant's systems, but Dr. Yau doesn't think it will be that easy. There would most likely be a safety system in place to cool the reactors in the event of a system malfunction, which may require a manual physical override.

Though California Intelligence has a detailed map of the facility, the matrix systems are largely an unknown. Dr. Yau and Dmitri will be essential to figuring out how the system works.

A secondary objective is to obtain a sample of the awakened fungus used in the reaction process. Dr. Yau fears that if a meltdown were to occur with this fungus present in the reactor, it could trigger a detonation similar to the one the devices are intended to create. It could wreak untold havoc on the astral space in the region, and should be avoided.

Operational Logistics

Dmitri's trove of documents contains a complete employee list, but not security personnel. Some documents suggest that security personnel are Shiawase employed and security is not contracted out. You can expect high security, to be sure.

Possible points of entry into the property/facility:

  • Climbing the fence from the surrounding wilderness areas. These are no doubt heavily secured and this is likely one of the most difficult methods of entry.
  • Water intake system from the bay. Schematics suggest it may be possible to enter through the underwater piping that feeds the cooling systems. Sounds dangerous, doesn't it?
  • As CNRC inspectors. A relatively safe, but heavily monitored, method of entry. Only Dr. Yau would have the knowledge to play a convincing nuclear inspector, but someone else could squeak by if they stayed quiet.
  • Dr. Hideki Tonogawa owes F.A.T.E. a favor.

Notes

  • This will in all likelihood be a multi-session mission.
  • 5,800¥ remaining on the team stipend.
  • All vehicles are fully repaired and available for use. Yes, this includes the helicopter.

Session Synopsis

Dr. Yau negotiated with Dr. Hideki Tonogawa and was able to convince him to secure 5 full-access employee security badges and to meet them at the Waffle House at Point Reyes, the small company town just outside the nuclear facility's borders.

F.A.T.E. split into separate teams:

  • Eric and Dr. Yau were to go in as CNRC inspectors. They were to check Reactor 2 for the fungus rods during their lunch break. Eric would summon a spirit with the Quake power once the rods were located.
  • Hector will travel to Drakes Bay by boat and swim to the water intake pipes. He was tasked with welding the emergency intake pipes shut and releasing carcerand acid molecules into the primary water intake. This would theoretically damage the water filtration system.
  • Ana and Wex were to enter the facility as employees and plant flash paper and a detonator cap at each reactor's backup power generator fuel tanks.
  • Doc was to enter the facility as an employee as well. He was tasked with checking Reactor 3 for the fungus rods and to eliminate Dr. Hideki Tonogawa.
  • Oni and J.P. Redman were on standby with the helicopter just off the coast.
  • Dmitri was tasked with hacking the California power grid and cutting off primary power to the facility.

work in progress...

Aftermath

Stipend expenditures:

  • Camera Neutralizer: 1,500¥
  • Diving Activesoft (Rating 1): 1,500¥
  • Acid raw materials: ?¥
  • Carcerand molecules: ?¥

Results

Status: Complete
Dates: March 18-20, 2073
Quote of the night:

After Ana and Eric switch seats so Ana can drive, after Eric failed to drive through a fence.
Anastasia: Gotta let the women do this.
Wex: Women are better at hitting things with a car.

Nuyen: 10,000¥ mission award
Stipend: TBD
Karma Awarded: 11
Additional Awards:

  • Eric, Doc, Anastasia, Hector, and Wex receive +1 Street Cred for taking down a nuclear power plant.
  • Doc receives +1 Notoriety for killing Dr. Hideki Tonogawa
  • The group loses Dr. Hideki Tonogawa as a contact
  • Eric Black's Loyalty rating for contact Manami Coltrane decreases to 0.