Session 5: The Grinch Who Stole Mana
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Shadowrun
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Chapter 2 |
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Chapter 1 |
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F.A.T.E. PCs |
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Briefing
Ever since the Awakening on December 24, 2011, the Golden Gate Bridge has been a mana domain. 61 years to the day, the mana domain has dissipated. This effect is one that Dr. Yau predicted after examining the devices. Some magicians are reporting that there are pockets void of mana on the bridge itself, specifically near the support towers. F.A.T.E. has decided to act before more damage can be done -- the devices at the Golden Gate Bridge must be shut down.
Dr. Yau is working on a method to safely shut down an active device, though he has no way of testing such a method. He fears that damaging or disabling the device with brute force could have dangerous consequences due to the nuclear material used in the energy cells. He will be instructing all F.A.T.E. members on the proper way to disarm the device and it is required that each operative complete a training exercise to disarm it.
There is a lot of discussion among mages on the matrix regarding the Golden Gate situation. Astral "topographers" have compiled some of their findings regarding the location of magical wards and unusual mana ebbs on the bridge itself. There are also reports of guardian spirits keeping nosy mages at bay.
- The black boxes and squares indicate warded areas.
- The dashed lines indicate mana ebbs of rating 1 or greater
- The black box on the left is a (warded) building built under that section of the bridge. It has been the home of bridge maintenance crews and employees.
In what could be a curse or a blessing, the weather forecast for the next few days is heavy rain and thunderstorms.
Dmitri successfully hacked into the Golden Gate Bridge systems and retrieved a cache of data. Some of it is still being decrypted, but some useful information has already been extracted.
- New accounts have been created for several Shiawase and Mitsuhama employees
- There are 3 devices and their locations have been confirmed:
- In a newly constructed basement level in the facility under the south support beams of the bridge
- At the center of the bridge, embedded into the steel supports underneath the highway
- On the second horizontal beam 150 meters above the highway on the north tower
- The batteries were activated shortly before the mana disturbances were being reported. Documents describe this as a "test run" that is supposed to last 30 days
- There is data on security patrols and shift schedules and will be provided as needed. Lone Star is still the primary security presence and their numbers haven't changed recently.
Dmitri embedded user accounts for both himself and the infiltration team. He created a forged keycard (Rating 6) that can be used to open doors or access computer systems in the facility (though forged cards are never 100% effective, it's an Opposed Test). He also created a forged passkey for the account he added - this can only be used once, but it should be guaranteed to work.
Notes
- The Golden Gate Transit Authority is a subsidiary of the Mitsuhama Corporation. Security for the bridge and its facilities is contracted out to Lone Star.
- FATE's team stipend balance: 2,230¥
Session Synopsis
F.A.T.E. divided their agents into three teams, each responsible for disabling one device:
- Anastasia and Wex - north tower
- Oni and Hector - middle of the bridge
- Eric and Doc - south building
Ana and Wex had no problem stealthily climbing 150 meters up the north support tower. They reached the top, found the device, and picked the lock to the steel casing it was housed in. They were attacked by two guardian spirits who were assigned to protect the device. After the spirits materialized, melee combat ensued. Using his katana weapon foci, Wex managed to kill one of the spirits. Ana injured one of the spirits, but also took a few major blows that knocked her off her feet. The guardian spirit used the power of Fear to cause Wex to shut himself in the steel box with the device, leaving the injured Ana at the mercy of the remaining spirit. The spirit nearly killed Ana, but turned his attention to Wex as the fear effect faded. Wex was able to finish off the spirit by stabbing it as it opened the door to the casing. Wex proceeded to disarm the device with no issue.
Seas were rough, but even with heavy rain and 40mph wind, Hector and Oni arrived on the scene via boat. They used a grappling gun to hoist themselves to the underside of the bridge, where the second device lay. They too were attacked by two guardian spirits, but they were no match for Oni, who quickly dispatched both of them. Two additional guardian spirits showed up to defend the device. There was a brief moment of panic for Hector when Oni fell under the effects of the Fear power. Hector was pulled away from his disarm attempt and nearly thrown off the bridge by one of the spirits, but Oni was able to recover from the effect just in time to save Hector.
Doc and Eric had the most difficult job - infiltrate the building's security and disable the third device. They had Dmitri dig up information on all of the newly added user accounts at the facility. They assumed the disguises of two Shiawase scientists who had access to the facility but had never actually been there. They entered the front door during the 5:00pm shift change. They were initially caught offguard by the RFID authentication at the main door. Doc was pulled aside by a Lone Star officer but was cleared after he presented his one-time-use passkey.
They waited for the first two defusion attempts to proceed before they began. They set off an alarm at one maglock door but found another one on the other end of the building. Lone Star was slow to follow up on the initial alarm. They were able to talk their way into the basement area, where they found 4 scientists working on the device. The scientists were suspicious of the new arrivals but Doc was able to convince them that they were the real Shiawase scientists. They reluctantly allowed them access to the device, just as Lone Star was on to their infiltration attempt.
Two guards bust into the room, however Doc and Eric were already in the device's chamber. A gunfight ensued and the use of Eric's stun bolt combined with some convenient critical glitches was very successful. Doc defused the device before reinforcements arrived. A standoff took place between two heavily armed Lone Star officers and the two pinned in the device's room. Eric summoned a fire spirit and eventually they were able to push the guards back and eliminate them.
After defusing their device, Oni and Hector made their way to the building to assist Eric and Doc. They caused plenty of commotion outside the building, detonating grenades and storming the loading docks. They took enough heat off Eric and Doc for them to be able to escape the basement of the facility.
Ana and Wex were able to escape from several Lone Star officers, a scene to be described in more detail later.
Overall, this complex operation was a complete success. Each team overcame significant obstacles and worked exceptionally well together to accomplish their objectives. J.P. Redman is very satisfied with the chemistry his agents have developed; even the newer agents have fit in very well.
Results
Status: Complete
Dates: December 24, 2072
Quote of the night: "I'm afraid my... girth will give away my disguise." - Eric Black
Nuyen: (3 * 2,000¥ devices defused) * 1.5 holiday pay = 9,000¥
Stipend: 2,230¥ remaining
Karma Awarded: 8
Additional Awards:
- Wex receives +1 Street Cred for defusing a device, slaying the guardian spirits, and protecting an injured Anastasia.
- Eric and Doc receive +1 Street Cred for infiltrating the Golden Gate facility and defusing a device.
- Hector and Oni receive +1 Street Cred for working well together, defusing a device, and saving Eric and Doc when they were pinned in the building.