Session Eight: Running The Tap - kaseido/NeoTokyo GitHub Wiki

304 Bezos 1 Fire -> Water

After everyone’s showered and changed, they gather again in their suite at TreeHouse.

Rina starts a conversation with everyone about Moopsie. She’s in the very largest hoodie the shop would provide her and is curled up on a chair. Rina talked to the Vole: Moopsie’s had a lot of mojitos, but she thinks she meant it when she said she was going to come here and kill Zhukov. They need to make sure she’ll get here safely. And Rina wants her to stop and pick up the other kits in town.

At the top of the hour, they meet with the fixer Umbral, who offers up a lead: Choudhary | Llewellyn Marine Labs, a sinking arcology built around an island chain far out at sea. Apparently Zhukov bought up an old shell company that financed its equipment. And if you’ve got a solid habitat that’s already sinking, well, easy start on an undersea lair.

Lane says they can probably assume Zhukov purchased it and is using it.

Calder recaps that Okushiri Ridge Logistics Hub received several shipments of alloy and power cabling from the contracts they got from Deadman. It was a BADI facility, but supposedly abandoned in the corporate collapse. It’s 100 km off the coast. Flipper went to investigate, and got there around sunrise. He called in to report it’s not completely abandoned: looks like some sea nomads are using it as a chop shop and transit hub of their own. Looks like about 15 people, no heavy weapons. He’s hanging out monitoring the situation. TreeHouse doesn’t have anything armed that could get out there and count on assaulting a fixed position, but they could contract for a ConBrands Hydroponic Farms Quality Assessment Group – an amphibious strike team that takes out bootleg algae farmers – to hit the Hub and clean the nomads out. The Marine Labs is about 1200km out: that’s an overnight trip on a TreeHouse sub, but also no problem. That’s way too far for Flipper to recon, and they don’t have facilities out that far. So they’ll need to send a sub, and you all might as well be aboard for that, as there won’t be any going back and forth to something that far out, especially if it is a hot lead.

Lane likes it and suggests they move forward with the plan. Rina wants to know if they’ll blow it up: Lane says they’ll blow something up eventually, but “we’ll talk about it later!” and not in front of Umbral.

Calder gets Umbral hooked up with Deadman’s data and another analyst next door. The team is clear to have a more private discussion now. Nobody remembers what Rina knew or told the group about Moopsie: there’s been some trauma.

“Moopsie called and they took out the colony, they’re gone. They’re gone. And she was real real mad. And she said she was going to find Zhukov and kill him, and she was coming here to kill him and I told her not to come here because it wasn’t safe, but to go to Ruin Island where it’s safe, which she did. She’s going to come here either way but we want her to be safe and she’s going to stop and get the kits. Moopsie knows where he is and she’s going to go kill him.”

Tiffany calls a press conference, backed with the CEOs of Cheerful Rodent Empire and NyongHyup Financial Group.

She’s radiant, and somewhere between serene and manically gleeful.

This morning, a heavy assault squad wearing Zhukov Amalgamated logos, and admittedly under direct orders of Dekyan Zhukov, staged an unprovoked attack on the Emerald Blossom Resort, a Cheerful Rodent Empire Experience, on the Myatna-Nyseth Drift Arcology. Four employees of the resort and three guests were killed, with one in critical condition. Seven others, including a Senior Vice President of Suisse Minsheng, her Sekushino Meido contract companion, and her six year old daughter, were injured.

_The security agents of my ocean-technologies subsidiary, TreeHouse, were able to contain and overcome Zhukov’s combat assault forces, and rescue all hostages. _

_It was our privilege to come to the assistance of so many. We will be waiving all emergency intervention and hostage-negotiation fees as a sign of solidarity with the Planetary COO’s new order. _

The CEOs here today petitioned the Planetary COO for a revocation of the corporate charter of Zhukov Amalgamated, which she has granted.

_For planetary corporate governance to maintain its legitimacy, however, we must take enforcement into their own hands and not rely on the beneficence of our planetary owners, the Ferengi Alliance. As a result, a Corporate Working Group will now oversee the liquidation or seizure of all Zhukov Amalgamated assets. _

However, as the attack on the Emerald Blossom Resort was ordered by Dekyan Zhukov personally and targeted at my contract employees, the bounty contract for his assassination is exclusive and personal.

_In the meantime, however, I guarantee the upcoming match between the Dome Demons and the Haiphong Howitzers will be the most one-sided and bloody in franchise history. At the top of the hour, I’ll be opening a poll for Haiphong residents on who should be recruited to their successor team: I’ll spare no cost in getting the city of Haiphong the best players on the planet. _

_Death to Dekyan Zhukov, order and prosperity to NeoTokyo and the Ferengi Alliance. _

The broadcast closes with a bouncy, jingly commercial for the Bank of Ferenginar.

“Oh I did tell Eloise to pull the legs of Zhukov’s companies.” Rina is very pleased and grooms her ears a little bit. Rook says that’s a mixed blessing: now Zhukov knows they’re coming for him. Rina says he can’t hide, he’ll have to show up and fight. Lane notes he’s likely to retaliate. Rina plans on pulling off his legs.

Lane says they need to get Moopsie to them safely, and check out their sea leads. Maybe they could call on Eloise to get Moopsie to them safely. Rook says maybe a nice armored car?

Lane calls Eloise and briefs her: can they get her from Ruin Island to TreeHouse?

Of course Eloise can get Moopsie secure door to door service to wherever. She points out that they do own the Horizon Group, which employs the best synth psychologists on the planet: sounds like Moopsie could use one – and for a 10% clawback of their stock deal, they’ll overlook her surgeon’s voiding of Flamingo Grievous’s body warranty with an unauthorized brain transplant, and provide full coverage.

Lane says Moopsie can’t murder Zhukov on her own, and they’re prepared to finish the contract, but 10% seems a bit steep… The cost of a full body replacement is 5 million. 10% of their 25% cut is way out of line. 2% is still way more than 5 million, they’ll still come out way ahead. Eloise caves.

Oh, and Miss Nguyen was listening in: you’ll have her occasional bodyguard, Kiril Markov, manager of the Dome Demons, and his personal psychiatrist. Dr. Butina. Markov and the psychiatrist will go pick up Moopsie and get her on a corporate jet out to TreeHouse.

Rina calls Vole with the news. “Tiffany’s sending a man and maybe another man? A therapist for Moopsie, and they’re going to bring her here. It’s ok.” Vole asks for details, Rina pulls Lane into the call. She sends over ID info. Vole does not want just anyone coming in and taking his Moopsie! But Markov! A real celebrity! In his bar!

Vole wants to see if Markov will autograph the bar top. He wonders if he should get someone from Big Al’s over to sober Moopsie up first. Rook thinks she might be a little easier to handle if she’s “a little woo-woo.” Lane says just keep her happy in the meantime. Vole is off to dust!

Markov and two women walk in, one who looks like a psychiatrist and one who looks like a mixed martial arts fighter. Butina encourages Markov to give a warm welcome to the Vole and even sign the bar. Vole produces a sparkle engraver, and Markov engraves a big signature on the bar. Vole chats about the bar, and says that Markov’s got fans among the Gorn crowd. Markov asks if it’s a bar-fight kind of place or more chill, if they want to have a little tussle with the Gorn. Vole explains that the Gorn come for karaoke and cosplay, but something might be worked out…

Turns out since Moopsie’s organic body weight is about 4 pounds, she can get hammered pretty easily, despite her tech-liver. She’s been practicing her target shooting in the garage. Mostly, she’s been successful at hitting the garage. They walk in to a spray of gunfire. Everybody ducks but Dr. Kniffin, who drops with a shot to the knee.

Vole calls Big Al’s while trying to talk Moopsie down. Butina tries to get her to hand over the gun: “We’ve practiced enough today, we’ll practice more later, just hand me the gun now” Moopsie does. Butina hands the gun to the Vole for safekeeping.

Big Al herself comes over on rocket skates. “Well shit that looks like a party and none of you invited me? And that’s one big scary pink robot you got there!”

“I am not a robot, I’m a doctor!”

Al just pulls out the bullet and sutures Kniffin quickly. Zuri asks Big Al to get Moospie sobered up, but Kniffin steps in and at least gets Moopsie cleaned up and functional. In return, Sober Moopsie cleans up Kniffin’s patch-up heal, getting her entirely back to normal.

Moopsie is unclear why her murder squad is mostly doctors. Vole says to trust Rina. Moopsie wants her gun back, but Butina says they’ll store it for now. She wants to shoot his ass, though, not medical him to death! Butina reassures her they’ll be shooting when the time comes. She wants to take the mojito machine, but Vole says it’s bolted down, but pours her an extra large to-go cup.

Butina takes Vole aside: “DO NOT offer Markov a to-go cup, okay? I’m his personal psychiatrist, trust me.”

“It’s been an honor, Ma’am, and good luck with Moopsie.”

“What night did you say the Gorn hang out? See you later!”

Vole gets some selfies with Markov, and Big Al leaves with the group, skating along beside Markov, still desperately flirting.

Moopsie calls Rina from the car: “A bunch of people say they’re taking me to you?”

“Yeah, we’re taking you here to kill Zhukov!”

“But he’ll be in Port Romanov!”

“Riiiiight. Yeah, you totally told me about that! You went to the Barker!!! And you found out where Zhukov is going to be!”

Rina pulls Lane into the call: “Moopsie says Zhukov’s going to be at a coming out party but not like a normal coming out party, for a princess, but not like a media princess…”

“I can’t believe you went to the Shadow Barker!”

“They killed everybody! I had to do something!”

Lane infodumps on Port Romanov and the Crown-In-Exile. But local Imperial Rus’ media isn’t on the feed – you’d need some sort of tap into their local media and archives.

Rina: “These people seem really weird.” Rook: “Rich people are weird, it’s their thing.” “But they seem extra weird.”

Calder takes Rina over to the Security Command Center to get into the Imperial Rus’ net. The rest of the team decides to stick together and goes with.

“How do we get invited to a birthday party? I’ve never been to a birthday party!” Rook suggests maybe they go in as help, not guests. Lane says, information first, then figure out how to get in.

Rina pokes around. “Nobody’s got inside, it’s walled off, we’re going to have to be there, like on the ground.”

But Calder has another idea: “It’s not talked about much for obvious reasons, but TreeHouse does lay and maintain undersea cable. You want a tap? That can happen. It’s just got to be obvious to everyone – the other corporate security teams monitoring the backbone – that the target is Imperial Rus’, not a corpo. Or bad shit will happen, and Miss Nguyen will be sad to lose her new alliance.” They’ll just need to build an undersea drone capable of tapping the cable at the right spot: Madison and the team can totally do that.

Lane volunteers to stay closely with Dr Madison, right by her side, to help her. Rina says, “No distracting her! And you smell like fish!”

Rook and Madison head over to one of their fabrication workshop. Their skills are totally complementary, Rook’s in drone building and Madison’s in underwater exotic-materials fabrication. They get a great housing.

Rina builds the hardware and software. They now have one tap drone. The tap needs to be manually deployed, powered up, tested, and engaged. Dr. Madison can do the deployment, but at least one of the team will have to come with to test the system. Probably two: one to run a hardware test and one to run a software test. Rina is very unhappy with this realization, but volunteers, as does Rook.

Lane needs to go too, to stay close to Dr Madison - “and to make sure Rina and Rook are okay.” Nerd babble is Madison’s default, and it’s engaged, with her focused on Lane. Rina’s eyes narrow, and she swats Lane with her tail.” “Fissssh!” “It’ll be okay”

Calder drives the team to the TreeHouse dock in a golf cart. At the dock they’re joined by Quanh, who isn’t going to let them dive alone, or trust their security to one of his employees. He’s hands-on so long as the team is in his town.

There’s a boathouse for changing into diving gear – particularly since the boat’s built for amphibious crew and is more or less a hip deep wading pool. Calder kind of puts on a show of changing, but nobody wants to watch.

Dr Madison is already on board the boat, along with a ton of specialist gear. She’s actually wearing the top half of a wetsuit, though it’s definitely not zipped up very far at the moment. and she’s totally not locked in on Lane, arching her back a lot as she puts stuff on shelves. “Pay attention to what you need to be doing, there’ll be plenty of time to be together later.” She pouts a bit and nods, and Lane pats her little mermaid rump.

Rina throws a cornnut at her head, bouncing it off Lane’s eyebrow.

They dive in. Rook is showing off for Calder and doing a great job. Rina swims like a cat, but not like one of those cats who likes to swim. She flails, with epic yowling. Madison picks her up and hands her back to Lane in the boat. “My family is dead! Eat his face off! Steal his eyeballs!” She cries a lot, having a little kitty breakdown. Lane wraps strong arms around her and just lets her cry.

She’s going to go back and do it, though! This time, she’s in, even if she swims like she’s trying to fight the water.

Rook and Madison get the tap drone installed, and run a successful diagnostic. But Rina’s flailing through her diagnostic! She takes a moment to calm herself and runs it again. It looks okay.

Back on the surface, radar pings! Multiple pings coming in fast, breaking to surround the boat!