The Plan After the Plan

## Background

Following brief acquaintance in Das Schachtverschwörungzentrum, Heinrich Schacht contacts Epitaph on an idyllic Saturday for work. Left with the instruction of meeting the businessman at a café, for breakfast and briefings, there's no other choice but to go and follow, to which Epitaph bid goodbye to their home the following morning to go and demonstrate their dog-like obedience. There was that one question that that assistant mentioned, about swimming, which was cause for questioning, but it was quickly compartmentalised for the hope for praise.
Such optimism... did not go to plan. Having been flagged in Königsberg as having a false SIN, and then thusly being arrested for such (rather easily, it wasn't like Epitaph was about to *protest*), breakfast had to be held off for the six hours they were left to dwell in a holding cell. Inwardly debating between using their one phone call for their boyfriend or someone actually productive, the satyr had picked to contact Schacht's assistant again, for a little meek murmuring that they'd be late to breakfast. Such a problem was quickly fixed by the appearance of an elusive *Morgan* (*last name, Vickerson*), and a rocket launcher through a armoured truck to help Epitaph out of prison.

## The Meet

Deposited securely into a safe-house and free from any correctional facility, although robbed of their beloved commlink or bible, Epitaph had only a couple of minutes to try and recover from a flash-bang amongst their escaping efforts before Schacht had finally video-called and the fated meet had finally happened. The satyr wasn't in any position to really decline any work given to them, seeing as Schacht had been so generous in helping them out in the first place, and had easily agreed to work. The brief was to infiltrate onto the *Thomas Mueller*, a Königsberg naval ship, wait for approximately a day before accosting one of the guns, shooting it at the passing *Ślązak*, before promptly escaping, seeing as the two ships would've most likely started exchanging more shots. Such the question of swimming from earlier was answered, a leverage of pay wasn't even considered by an Epitaph who would've gladly been paid in compliments and affirmations, and an agreement was easily reached in time.

## Legwork

Now, without the satyr's usual B&E gear, and taking the following day to both rest up, they had easily reordered what they needed for the job, and done a couple of rudimentary matrix searches on the *Thomas Mueller*, Epitaph soon had clambered into bed for a long-needed sleep, before waking up groggily in the middle of the night. Refreshed, and with a job to do, they had easily slinked out back into the living-room of the safe-house to observe the passing news, there it... stood.
Maybe 250cm tall, a lilting and smoke-like presence in a vague humanoid form, it craned over the trideo set watching in the same curiosity that Epitaph had. It turned to look at the satyr with a blank face, before it had turned off the only light source and had simply disappeared. Terrified, Epitaph flicking on the light back on, they had sighed a short sigh to themself in relief and chalked up such figures to their insomnia medication before getting on with work. They had a ship to infiltrate onto, and had no time for hallucinations, for there was praise and reward at the end of their work.

## Run

The *Thomas Mueller*, full of cargo, was easy to infiltrate in this same fashion. Having found a box full of toothbrushes (and both giving into their instinctual greed to pocket some of these toothbrushes), the little satyr easily had nestled into such a box as their temporary bed for the next day or so. Unbeknownst to anyone else, they were easily carted off into the ship's cargo hold as 100% toothbrushes and 0% hooves or fur. Settled, Epitaph soon had slinked out of the box and the canvas tarp overtop, and had used their preternatural stealth to slink around the ship to both locate these guns. Luckily, the rigger assigned to this gun, had left their sandwich, ripe for the taking.
Aside from the urge to steal, this sandwich had served the purpose of siphoning off all of the fingerprints of the rigger to further use the gun later, a cellular glove molder used in this instance, before it had served easily as Epitaph's dinner. Being rudely awoken later, by a couple of video game-like NPCs talking about something... so easily for the taking... Epitaph simply had to get out of their toothbrush bed to find this elusive ornament. A statue, hidden by the captain, in a little bin of blankets. It was such low-hanging fruit that the satyr easily slinked, located and dug around amongst the blankets to get it. Although, seemingly, someone got there first.
Epitaph was starting to less and less believe their little dismissive notion of the fact that the shadow that had shown up earlier was simply a symptom of medication, seeing as it was... back, looming over the little bin of blankets, parading around the statue like a prize they had found. In two minds between letting the schizophrenia ghost keep the statue, and wanting it for themself, the shadow had easily passed it off to the satyr, and thusly, they had a little souvenir from their time in Königsberg. With a polite little '*thank you...!'* and something representing an amicable goodbye, Epitaph had their escape route to plan out, heavy statue by their side as they did so.
More slinking around was easy, escape plan compartmentalised, the time soon came with the *Ślązak* in sight. They slinked back to the gun they had mentally called dibs on, only to realise the rigger from earlier wasn't aware of such, currently sitting in the seat and doing... what they were actually supposed to do. Such a problem was easily fixed by a hand on the head with a shock glove, and Epitaph had easily slotted into the seat to take control of the gun. It all happened... really fast, to which the satyr could react to the shot easily colliding with the naval ship, and then the subsequent panic from the rest of the crew over what had just happened.
With the loud crash still resonating in their chest, Epitaph hopped out of the rigger's seat, scooped up their beloved statue, and proceeded to bring their little hooves over the escape route and off the side of the ship, with a little life-ring to accompany. Needless to say, Epitaph wasn't really in any fit state to stick around with what they had incited, and had easily swam away, and further away, only getting hit with shrapnel once (to which was ineffective, anyway) as they had floated in the Baltic. Epitaph was soon picked up, and with two ships sunk, there was a *Battleship* joke in there, somewhere, but the satyr had more important concerns, like siphoning praise from Schacht and going back home.

## Aftermath

**Horizon World News** - **Königsberg Cruiser Fires Upon and Sinks Tricity Destroyer, Fears of War Rise**
Two Baltic countries with normally peaceful reputation engaged in a sea battle today. The Königsberg Light Cruiser *Thomas Mueller* reportedly fired upon the *Ślązak*, a Destroyer of the Tricity Navy. Both ships sunk after the combat, leaving much mystery on why combat begun.
The Chairman of the Königsberg Governing Board, Rob Gollwitzer, said about the incident: "*This must have been some horrible accident, as Königsberg has no quarrel with Tricity and both city-states stand to only lose from conflict.*"
The Acting Governor of Tricity, Szczepan Kasczynski, was hardly accepting of Gollwitzer's explanation, demanding to see proof that it was indeed an accident, or else Königsberg would see "*Very Real Military Consequences*" for the incursion. EVO has also stood behind Tricity in this matter, although to what extent is not yet clear.
Lithuania, on the other hand, announced this evening that they would defend the independence and safety of their neighbouring state.

## Rewards

* ¥21, 000 NuYen
* 5 Karma
* 3 CDP
* Heinrich Schacht as a 6/1 Contact
* SINs at a 50% discount following immediately after the run

## Player After-Action Reports

**...epitaph**: i actually don't know what happened in königsberg, and it's quite odd that you would ask! anyway, i had recently travelled there for work and i have thusly managed to find this rather odd ornament, and i do think it to be quite quaint! :pray: