Game 4 Part 1 Occupation

Calendar

The 24 hour curfew has been lifted and there is now an 8 hour curfew between 2000 hours and 0400 hours. After a long, chaotic day, the crew has found themselves sheltered at Hatchet's Motors and Junkyard, owned by the former senior mechanic of McKracken's Salvage, along with his sponsored team of motorbikers.

Since the city is still reeling from the attacks, Hatchet had decided to let everyone stay as long as necessary. Who knows what state anyone's homes or places of business is in now. Though Hatchet can be quiet and often times acts inconvenienced by everyone's presence, he often drifts into states of nostalgia reminiscing his adventures with Dutch. Knowing that his legacy lives on in some capacity through the company's new crew almost makes him feel indebted to help.

The offices and locker rooms turned bedrooms are spartan at best. The bare minimum air circulation along with the near motionless sun has made sleep rough for those who are more accustomed to modern technology.

* Everyone must make a Willpower test (threshold 3) or suffer -1 for the next World Turn.
* Raltor is at -2 Wil because of his insomnia. However, if he passes, he will oversleep due to his heavy sleeper condition, missing the first World Turn unless someone physically wakes him.

Not long after 0400 hours, a news bulletin comes up on everyone's data pad. It is an official message from the Ishtarian government on Aphrodian frequencies.

"The Aphrodian government has given complete control over the city to Ishtarian forces. With the city now under martial law, most normal civilian activity may recommence. However, Ionian police as well as Ishtarian military will be patrolling the city for any insurrectionists who will be arrested or shot. Transit across districts will require proper identification and is not guaranteed. Currently no one is permitted to leave the city gates without proper authorization. General Gerhard Donner will be making a public statement at 1700 hours within the Senate Hall. He will be speaking to the Senate as well the heads of the largest companies in Io to discuss the transition. The press are invited to film the statement and will have a brief opportunity to speak directly to the general afterwards."

* The players may now go about their business. Hatchet has offered them to stay as long as they need.
	+ Moose has an office with a bedroom in East New Town. The office is intact, the bedroom was destroyed.
	+ Florence has been using hotels.
	+ Ace has been using hotels. When Ace travels, if he ever enters a district with Criminal Syndicates, he will be robbed by the Red Nagas of his computer.
	+ Switch has a small apartment in the Industrial District. However, he spends a lot of time also living in his garage at the Stadium.
	+ Raltor usually sleeps wherever he feels comfortable, though he spends a lot of time in the various villages around the city.
	+ Dr. Swayze has his own home/office at Hebron Apartments where he has a lab and keeps his main stash of antidote.
* The players can spend any World Turn using an experience point to advance a skill. If the skill needs more than one experience point to be raised, each XP spent takes a World Turn. The player must have the proper materials available to advance the skill (weapons for weapon training, books for knowledge based skills, etc) and a teacher who possesses at least the same level of skill desired. If they are learning a skill without a teacher, they must make a relevant Stat test (3) in order to advance.

## Shift 1

Tuesday, 8.10.2189

* Miranda is currently planning out her assault on the tank at the Stadium. She has been keeping to herself, mostly sitting outside and staring at the Stadium.
* Casey is still worried about his father. He wonders if he is in custody or whether he will be at the Senate meeting. The team is very nervous about their friends and families, and Casey often has to step in to provide moral support.
* No normal communications can be made to outside the city as the Ishtarian forces have secured all the comm arrays around the city. However, most of the jammer devices seem to be deactivated.
	+ A small, self contained signal array can be made by passing an Electronic Design test (5). The array will extend two Districts away. These signals are not secure and can potentially be found by Ishtar forces.
	+ Any of the city's arrays can be hacked by building a router with an Electronic Warfare test (4) and installing it with a Electronics test (5) to allow a single free channel to be opened. Each success or degree of success open another channel. Care must be taken because these channels can still be picked up by Ishtar forces.
	+ If more than one array has been hacked, a completely private network can be establish.
	+ Contact with Nazareth in any way will confirm that the city is surrounded and still under siege.

### Event: Red Nagas

At around 0900, shouting can be heard coming up the road to the Junkyard. It is coming from a old small motorbike carrying two children on it. They are screaming for help. They quickly slide into the front lot of the office and leap off the bike, running to the first person they can find.

"Please help! They're coming, they're coming"

The two children try to find cover as a dust cloud winds up the road. A buggy and two motorbikes pull up to the office. Riding them is a group of 8 young adults, probably not one over 32 years old (20 Earth Years). They are dressed like a typical biker gang in studded leather jackets, bandanas, and piercings. They all have a distinctive tattoo of a red naga, a snake-like lizard native to Venus. They are all brandishing improvised melee weapons, but they are not acting overtly aggressive. In a cocky swagger, the bikers approach the office and start to call out for the children.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are. We know you came this way, you two. Spanner!! You and your sister need to come back now before Black Eagle finds out what you did."

* The children will try to take refuge around whoever they can find.
* Let the players react. After a short while, the gangers will talk directly to the children and convince them to come back. The gangers will act as if they are the children's only real guardians and that they will be taken care of. They tell the children that Black Eagle is a just mother.
* If the players are adamant that they stay, forcing the children to stay, they will run away during the next curfew while people are sleeping.
* The children have robbed Ace of his neural net computer. Normally it would have alerted him and told him of its current location, but for some reason those features never activated.
	+ The children stole his computer so that they could use in in the mech they are building. They noticed it had a comm link, so they put it in Faraday cloth (special cloth that blocks signals).
	+ On 8/15, the children will open the sack and the computer will immediately alert Ace of its location.

* The Red Nagas are a large gang of children and young adults. They are run by the Twin Cobras as a recruitment gang as well as guinea pigs for Dr. Ventura's experiments.
* The gang's leader (under Rakken) is Black Eagle. She oversees the general management of the gang, and although she is aware of the bio-hacking of her gang members and even sees it as a necessity, though she is unaware that the Twin Cobras are using them as suicide bombers.
* The gang is heavy bio-hacked by Dr. Ventura, making them much more skilled and intelligent than they might appear to be. However, they are also very damage psychologically.
* If Ace is not present for the Red Nagas to show up at the Junkyard, then whenever he enters a district that has Criminal Syndicates in it, he will be robbed by a Red Naga ganger. They will take his computer, which he can track with a locator. If he follows them, he will discover a warren of very young Red Nagas who are impressed by his computer and the fact that he knows how to pilot a mech. They promise to give him back his computer if he promises to fight Ishtarians with it.
* Red Nagas will appear everywhere, but mostly in New Town. They will not fight if they don't have to, preferring to steal and run.

### Character: Moose

* Moose has an office in East New Town
	+ The office building was heavily damaged by the attacks. However, the actual office rooms are fairly unscathed. There was a small bedroom that Moose kept near the office, but it was unfortunately destroyed by a shell.
	+ The office is run by a secretary named Taylor Stubenz. He has been unable to make contact with the Nazareth main office since the invasion.
	+ Stubenz does have a message from the Custom's office at the Star Port. Ishtarian forces have taken over the facility. However, one of Moose's contacts has managed to copy an official military shipping paper from an Ishtarian officer. The paper would allow for the shipment of approximately 1 ton on a single load anywhere in the city. Any more weight or more frequent use would raise suspicions.

### Character: Florence

* The Senate meeting is in the Late Shift, 1700 hours, at the Senate Hall in West New Town.

The Senate Hall is an open circular room large enough to seat about 1000 people on the main floor as well as a large gallery around the top. In the center dais with the Ishtarian crest boldly displayed behind him, the stern and regal looking General Gerhard Donner stands, hands stretched out on his podium.

In front of him are the senators of Aphrodia. There are only about two thirds of the total seats filled, and about another third of those who are present are in noticeable duress. They are bandaged and bruised. Whether these injuries are from the initial assault or from being dragged into the Hall is unclear.

* A Notice test (3) will reveal Senator Jared Conway amongst his fellows. Any degrees of success will reveal that he is injured, bandaged around the head, and very agitated looking, both angry and scared.
* If Florence doesn't notice him right away, he will bump into her after the meeting and she will instantly recognize him.

Sitting next to the senators is a collection of odd characters. Some are dressed in high fashion, some in stylish suits, while others are in work uniforms or even overalls. These are the company leaders and other people of interest to the Ishtarian transition.

In the gallery above is the majority of the media. At this point, they are only given a bird's eye view of the scene. General Donner starts to speak with a strong and patronizing tone.

"For far too long the nations of Aphrodia and Ishtar, the two greatest and most important nations of Venus, have bickered and fought each other. All while Earth laughs at our inability to rule ourselves and plots to destroy us from the inside. Though the exact cause of my father's death is still unknown, his unfortunate passing has proven to be the catalyst Venus has needed to move past its old ways."

"The city of Io is now under Ishtarian command, and soon so will all of Aphrodia. Ishtar still believes in the right to some autonomy, and as such it has been decided to allow your police force to operate under the aegis of military command. Likewise, any private security forces that once held contracts with Aphrodia are now under contract with Ishtar. Any security force that wishes to dissolve their contract may do so but must relinquish any weapons they have currently in the city. "

"While the remaining Ishtarian forces are consolidating, the welfare of this city is now again the responsibility of its elected officials. This means that insurrectionists will not be tolerated. The star port has drop ships at the ready and our Octobane super heavy tanks have completely surrounded the city with the means to strike anywhere at a moment's notice. I am not interested in anymore killing, but I will not hesitate to order attacks on any target deemed hostile."

"You will now be individually debriefed by my office. There will be a short press conference in the next 30 minutes."

* If Florence approaches Senator Conway, he will be very skeptical to talk to her.
	+ Mentioning his son will help soften him up.
	+ Mentioning Dutch will make him agitated (he feels very guilty about what happened to Dutch and he doesn't know if he wants to deal with it).
	+ If Florence can convince him to trust her, he will arrange for a meeting with her at a public place next shift at 1800 (3 World Turns). He will suggest a cafe he knows called the Ionic Lounge in Cytherea Markets.

The press conference is clearly more of a press release. The General's secretary approaches the podium and goes over what the general said to the Senate. He spends a good 20 minutes reiterating everything again in slightly more detail. Looking at his watch, he decides to finally start taking questions.

"Yes, from the Ionian Sun?" he asks.

"When will the gates be reopened to the public? And how much autonomy do you expect Io to keep for itself?" the reporter asks.

"Once the General has determined that there is no longer a threat from ASA forces outside the city as well as insurrectionists within, the gates will be reopened. The right to autonomy will follow in the same vein."

The room quickly erupts as reporters vie for a question.

"What is the status of Nazareth? When will we be able to openly communicate outside the city again?"

The Secretary replies "We will be releasing more information on Nazareth shortly. For the time being all communications within and beyond the city of Io are either shut down or monitored. Private communications between individuals on the city's net will be allowed but will also be monitored. The general will lift these restrictions as city officials prove they have maintained security in Io."

* Florence may try to butt in to ask a question

After a few more question, an aide whispers to the secretary. "I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen" the secretary says "But the General is very busy and cannot make any public statements at this time."

* If Florence asked any "hard" questions, she will be approached by two MIBs. They will ask her what newspaper she is working for. Though her papers are in order, they will tell her that her material must be approved through the Ishtarian military before being transmitted out of the city. They tell her that special flights are being arranged to allow any foreigners a chance to get back to Earth. They tell her that she should probably make sure to catch the next flight while she still has a chance.

### Character: Dr Swayze

Hebron Apartments sits on the north east side of New Town, bordered by the barracks of Reznor ASA Base to the south, the East Village to the north, and the hills to the east.

* The doctor has a home/office at Hebron Apartments. Though the building is in good shape, a nearby blast had caused strong tremors, trashing the interior.
* A lot of the doctor's personal work has been damaged, though most of it is replaceable. However, his stash of spare antidote is completely smashed. At the moment, he only has his personal supply for both himself and for Egan. The supply consists of 8 doses, 1 per shift per person. In order to make more doses, the doctor needs to set up another lab and must acquire the ingredients.
* The new lab needs a location and needs equipment by making a Life Sciences test (5). 2 degrees of success or more means the lab is extra efficient and will double its output.
* Most of the ingredients are actually very easy to find within the city. The Bacteria Fields will provide most of the standard ingredients. Though these ingredients are not controlled, there is a military presence at the fields. They will interrogate anyone wishing to do business with the bacteria companies.
* Any of the Villages or the Market will have sources for the rarer ingredients, all except for Noxiprim.
* Noxiprim is a mild toxin created by early stage water treatment bacteria that are only found within the city at the Conversion Pond. Its reactive enough that it can be used as an explosive, though it is not very efficient or powerful. Only small quantities of Noxiprim are produced and are usually considered a waste chemical. It is only sometimes sought after by biological engineers who sometimes use it experiments.
	+ Normally, getting Noxiprim is easy since it is not very useful. However, any attempts to get some from the Conversion Pond will be turned away. An official from the Aphrodian government with orders from Ishtar came in during last shift's curfew and ordered all Noxiprim to be sent directly to a laboratory located in the Vulcan Towers. What Ishtar needs with Noxiprim is unknown.
	+ This laboratory is owned by a company called Sigil. If Dr. Swayze makes *any attempt to contact the company*, he will get a call from a man calling himself Dr. Bryce Ventura asking him to meet him 2 shifts (8/12) at 1000 hours (Early Shift) at a bar near the biochemical plant located in the Industrial District. He is told to come alone.

## Shift 2

Wednesday, 8.11.2189 0400 (Mid Morning, sky is clear, hot)

In the middle late shift while most people are sleeping, explosions sound off within the city. Smoke clouds can be seen billowing from the west from Cyprus Towers. The affluent neighborhood houses many of Io's richest citizens as well as most of its more prominent politicians.

Not long afterwards, an alert comes up on everyone's data pads.

"Rebel forces have attempted to rob an Ishtarian convoy traveling though the city which has resulted in a currently unknown number of civilian deaths. All known rebel fighters have been caught or killed though some still may be at large. To maintain order, Ionian police forces have been doubled around the district. It is advised that citizens living in or around Cyprus Towers remain indoors until the area has been deemed thoroughly secured."

* Traveling through Cyprus or any of its radials raises the Detection threshold by 1 for the remainder of the Shift (West Village, South Village, Industrial District, Lower New Town, West New Town, Cytherea Markets, and the Space Port). Cyprus will have only Ishtarian Military present for the rest of the shift.
* After the players have some time to figure things out, Miranda will approach Switch and ask him if he knows much about working on mechs:

### Character: Switch

Miranda has been mostly to herself as she has been mulling over ideas of how to destroy the tank on top of her stadium. After some time alone, she approaches Switch.

"Look, I really don't know what your stake is in any of this. You don't owe me anything. But if you want to do something other than stand by and watch Ishtar walk all over us, I could use your help. I'm not an idiot. I get that a bunch of bikers with machines guns and a couple rocket launchers haven't got a chance against that thing. I still don't know exactly how to kill it, but I do know that we need better firepower and we need it to be quick enough to not be blasted away by that monster. That means we need some mobile armor. I've been around the stadium enough to know who you are. I've seen you fight with scratch built mechs. Do you think you got the spare time to help me put something together to kill this fucker?"

* Switch has the option to spend 2 XP to gain Mechanical Design (Kno) level 1 at this point.
	+ After a year of working on his mechs and motorbikes in the arenas, Switch has honed his skills in building mechanical devices from scratch.
* If Switch does not choose to take this skill, it is assumed that he was more skilled in the arenas than he was working on his machines, still needing the assistance of other mechanics to help him tune his machines. Regardless, he is familiar with the craft.
* Most of the bikers and mechanics at the junkyard are more skilled in bikes and traditional vehicles. Hatchet was always the go to guy for mech work, but he doesn't want to be a part of this mission. He thinks he is too old and these bikers are too young to be getting themselves caught up in fighting.
* Since the Ishtarians have occupied the city, all combat mechs have been commandeered, so one will have to be made from scratch in order to not raise any suspicions.

* If Switch is willing to help, he can spend any number of World Turns working on Miranda's mech idea. She knows it going to need to be fast since the firepower of the tank is too much to take head on. It will also need some kind of weapon powerful enough to punch through the tank's heavy armor. Even if it does not kill the tank outright, well placed shots might render some of its subsystems useless.
* Every World Turn spent on working in the shop on the mech takes a Mechanic Design test (4). A success means that the right parts have been found to build the mech in the junkyard, while each success gives a bonus point to the build. In order to avoid suspicion, Miranda shows Switch a secret shop room built into an old oil tank out near one of the fuel stations. The trap door is seamless with the floor paneling.
* The mech needs 4 "parts" to be finished. The cockpit, the head, the arms, and the legs. These parts can be relatively easy to assemble from what is in the junkyard, though more sophisticated equipment and upgrades will have to be found elsewhere, such as salvaged from wrecks or bought on the Black Market.
	+ Aside from getting leads from the other players, anyone can do some parts hunting by visiting The Valley, a large mechanic's shop district just south of the Junkyard. The player can use the remainder of his World Turn in The Valley looking for leads.
	+ Though he can look for anything he wants, he knows that he is looking for some kind of powerful weapon, more than light/medium mech would normally carry, and a fast secondary movement system (SMS) needed to stay ahead of the tank's more powerful weapons. Armor, sensors, weapons, and other subsystems are all possible search items. (SEE: Vehicle Perks pg. 188/250PDF in HG rulebook).
	+ A successful Streetwise test (3+Rarity) will reveal the location of the rare part.

\*If Switch decides to look for the Rail gun, he will be told to meet a contact at Greenwall Bar at 1200 in 4 Shifts (8/15). If nobody looks for the gun by this time, the tip will show up that day in the morning.

### Character: Ace

Ace receives a message from his handler, Cece, that he is to meet with the rest of the team from Agrona Arms at the North Village in Old Town. The major security firms that had contracts with Aphrodia are meeting to discuss whether to accept Ishtar's new offer, led by the Mercenary's Union.

### Scene: Mercenary's Union Hall

Old Town is of a design much different from the rest of the city. Large buildings dating back to the first colonists of Venus still maintained. The structures contain many number of scientific experiments, including those on the technology of the buildings themselves. In stark contrast, a large Aenean village has developed around it. Like the other suburban villages, housing is cheap, the culture is more rural, and the law is much less present. The village benefits directly from the traffic coming from the north into Io as well as having an good relationship with the local intelligentsia and scientists.

Standing above the entire district is the Biohab Tower. This is the nexus for Old Town's affairs as well as a self contained oasis. Much of the habitats are open to the public, though traffic is carefully monitored and many areas are still off limits to most.

In a large building built like a fortress near the Biohab Tower is the Mercenary's Union Hall. Since the Aphrodian government depends so largely on private security, all military firms that wish to operate in Aphrodia must register with the Merc Union. This helps limit conflicts of interest between the various companies.

Inside, the great hall is bold and spartan. The main chamber almost looks medieval, but instead of stone, it is made of stark black slabs of marble. At the far end is the union board table. The board of directors has five elected members, all powerful and respected leaders of Io's best security companies. The current head is Miguel Banderas. Mr. Banderas is the president of Midas Military; not the largest of Io's private firms, but perhaps its most honorable.

The room is swirling with voices. This many mercs from so many different companies in one room has not been seen in Io before. By nature, many of these fighters come from all over the globe and off world. There is a lot of energy in the room. Some worry switching sides, especially by those who have lived or even grew up in the city, whiles others believe its their jobs as private security to go where the contracts are.

Mr. Banderas calls order in the room.

"It is the opinion of the board of directors that the Mercenary Union will not interfere with their demands. As of right now, you each must decided if you are willing to keep your jobs in the city by contracting to the Ishtarians. For most of you, this will also depend on what you current employer decides as well. I can't tell any of you what to do, but I can try to lead by example. So I am declaring that Midas Military is laying down its arms. We will not fight for Ishtar. Until Ishtar establishes a new contract, or Aphrodia takes back Io, this Union is officially disbanded."

The room quickly gets loud again as everyone scrambles to think of how they will proceed. Already large groups of powerful soldiers are collecting into groups to discuss things.

* Pause.

Ace finds Cece in the crowd. She tells him that the owner of Agrona Arms has decided to take the Ishtarian's contract. Ace's team, Cece, Rory, and Jim, are all natives of Io, and they have decided that they will leave Agrona Arms and try to make it on their own. Since the Ishtarians are making security groups give up their arms if they decide to leave, they won't have any of their weapons or mechs anymore.

* Pause

Ace bumps into a familiar face. A Tyrian mech pilot named Clint Ford and his team approach Ace. Though they don't know each other very well, they have met before on a number of occasions. As fellow agents of Tyrus, they have many of the same social circles. Ford is a very large and impressive man and has a reputation for his blunt fighting style.

"Well, if it isn't Ace Bannon. So it seems its over for Aphrodia, or at least this city as far as we're concerned. I've seen your work before. You're a good pilot. I don't know what you are planning to do about this situation, but I can tell you that Ishtar treats Tyrian's well. They envy our tech. It would also be nice to have some more of our own kinds around together. It would be easier for us to be represented if we work for Ishtar."

* If Ace refuses, Ford will tell him to think about it.

 End Session.

## Shift 3

### Scene: Junkyard

Thursday, 8.12.2189 0800 (Late Morning, sky is clear, hot, cool winds)

Partway through Early Shift, a small convoy of vehicles pulls into the Junkyard consisting of Ishtarian military and Ionian police. Two heavily armored military jeeps, two police cars, and a police wagon pull up to the office building.

* Pause

Out of one of the jeeps steps an Ishtarian officer along with his aid, closely followed by an Aphrodian agent from one of the police cars. The rest of the forces cautiously approach the building, though they are not acting aggressive. Out from the second jeep comes two more individuals, however they are not soldiers. One a young woman and the other an infamous face. Rakken saunters up to the clean cut Ishtarian officer, standing out in his handmade wastelander's outfit. The officer appears uncomfortable standing next to the raider.

Rakken's companion is young and attractive, though she looks like she has the wild in her eyes. Like Rakken, she is also dressed in more rugged apparel. Her necklace embodies her whole image: a series of razor-like teeth from a wild predator, probably from a Hexasaur (a large six legged lizard), with one of the largest canine's cracked in half.

* She has the Red Naga tattoo, but it is obscured by her clothes.
* Pause
* If Raltor is present, he will instantly recognize that necklace as the one he gave his sister when he killed a Hexasaur that threatened his village. It has been 16 years since his village was wiped out and he last saw his sister (**Note**). The girl, named Black Eagle, is not his sister, but was given the necklace by her for saving her life. However, the girl is disturbed in many ways and secretive, so getting reliable information from her will be difficult. She is also the leader of the Red Nagas.
* Assuming the players do not attack:

The officer and Rakken speak to each other briefly before they approach.

* They will try to speak to the owner of the Junkyard and would prefer to speak to him more than anyone else. The officer's name is Sergeant Kurt Sutherland.
* They have come to inspect the premises to make sure that they are not harboring any rebel soldiers or contraband. Assuming that the players have hidden any contraband, the soldiers will find nothing.
* If the players do not made contact with Rakken or Black Eagle during the investigation, Rakken will notice recognize Ace, Switch, and/or Dr. Swayze if they are around.
	+ If he sees Ace or Switch, he will tell them that he remembers their fight and he had a great time. He congratulates them on their victory.
	+ If he sees Dr. Swayze, he will try to approach him when he is alone. If he gets the chance, he will ask him if he has spoken to Dr. Ventura. He will say that things have been very difficult since Dr. Kerstein met his unfortunate end. He sincerely jokes that the last time he tried to get a hold of Dr. Swayze, his man was found dead from a mysterious arena accident. He adds that he is looking forward to working with him. (**NOTE**)
		- *Remind Tim who Dr. Kerstein is.*
	+ If anyone tries to harm Rakken, both Ishtarian soldiers and Ionian police will be nearby to intercede. Rakken will act indignant if anyone tries to harass him. If they ask him about his crimes as a raider, he will say that he has always operated under the authority of the law (which is kinda true). He says he is working as a consultant for the Ishtarian government, which is currently in control of the city.
* Black Eagle is very quite, but has a bold an intentful look in her eyes. If anyone tries to speak to her, she will try to ignore them at first. If Black Eagle is pressed hard to explain herself, she will get angry and say that she works for the Ishtarians.
	+ Black Eagle is looking for traces of the two children that escaped. They have not been seen since they ran away. They actually did steal some mech manuals from her personal library. One of the books has a special micro chip hidden inside of it (determine use later...)
	+ If Raltor tries to talk to Black Eagle, she will be very standoffish. She won't recognize him (because she's never met him before). She won't tell him her name and she won't talk about the necklace.
		- If Raltor presses her, she will agree to talk to him if he agrees to help her find something she lost. She won't tell him unless he agrees. If he does agree, she will tell him to meet her Late Shift at Juno Station near the statue of the Goddess. (Will be under fire during rocket attack)
	+ If Rakken is around, he will say that they call her Black Eagle because about a 10 years ago, he found her barely alive eating a dead black eagle (a very rare bird). She had the necklace when he found her. Ever since, he has raised her as his own daughter.
* Assuming the players have not started a fire fight, the officer will tell Hatchet that his operation seems to be clean, but that they will return in 7 shifts (8/19) for another more thorough investigation.

### Character: Dr. Swayze

1000 hours (Early Shift)

The Industrial District is a clogged and congested corner of the city just north of the Stadium. The largest and most productive factories operate in this region, as well as a massive biochemical plant at its eastern edge. This enormous plant uses the products of the Bacteria Fields that are not meant for human consumption and refines them into the basic materials used for manufacturing. The district took very little damage during the invasion, despite the proximity of the Octobane tank on the hill above. The Ishtarian military has granted the Ionian police responsibility of the area.

Dr. Swayze's directions are for him to meet Dr. Ventura at a local bar near the plant. The bar is a dark and shadowy joint. It is in a perpetual shadow of the massive plant. Inside, there are only three people and the bartender, who looks very timid. As soon as Dr. Swayze enters, the bold and enigmatic Dr. Ventura turns to greet him as if he where a friend.

* The other two patrons are actually Red Nagas who are Ventura's personal bodyguards.

"Well if isn't Dr. Mordechai de Atacama Swayze himself, as I live and breath. I'm glad to finally meet the man who synthesized Doxichrome. I would never be able to modify my neural implants so efficiently if it wasn't for your genius. I'm sure your not use to hearing such praise anymore, what with your current situation."

* Give Dr. Swayze a chance to talk
* Dr. Ventura will deny any knowledge about why the military has subverted the Noxiprim supply, but he knew as soon as he heard it that he would be able to find Dr. Swayze.

Dr. Ventura will explain to Dr. Swayze that his friend, Dr. Kerstein, became a victim of his own master work. Ventura is not willing to discuss too many specifics about it, but Kerstein had been employed by Ventura's company, Sigil, to develop new biotech. At the moment, all of Kerstein's work is buried in a backwoods town in the middle of the wasteland (Catalhoyuk). Though Ventura is determined to get the data back when possible, he has had difficulties keeping his research going with out the help in the mean time.

Dr. Ventura is willing to hire Dr. Swayze and provide him with an alternative source of Noxiprim. If he accepts, the job is to take what notes Dr. Kerstein left behind and figure out where he left off.

* If Swayze accepts, the terms are completely off the books. Dr. Kerstein was working on a special biotech designed to control a matrix of biological nano-machines. The research is highly sensitive and many forms of biotech legally ambiguous, so Ventura would prefer that things be done in secret.
	+ Dr. Ventura's first job is for Dr. Swayze to look at Kerstein's old notes.
	+ For his service, Ventura will hand him a small box with enough Noxiprim to last his for weeks and tells hims that he can always find more.
	+ Swayze can spend any number of World Turns deciphering the notes. Each turn, he must pass a Life Science test (7) to make sense of them. Each success reveals a key element. The notes make no mention of the actual workings of his experiment.
		1. The potential for contamination of wild life is assumed to be very high. Quarantine is paramount.
		2. A highly specialized monitoring device would be needed to maintain matrix cohesion.
		3. Each node in the matrix can replicate itself when provided with sufficient material to break down and convert.
		4. Nodes will not replicate until they have reached maximum data storage.
		5. Programming a model takes careful observation by the original matrix before it can convert matter.
		6. Nodes consume energy while active. The more nodes that are activated, the more energy the matrix consumes. Temporarily deactivating nodes conserves energy.
		7. The matrix can split its processing load between as many sub matrices as there are nodes. However, the smaller the matrix, the less processing power it has.
	+ If Dr. Swayze refuses to work with Ventura, he will tell him that he will give him all the time he wants to think it over. He gives Swayze a very small portion of Noxiprim, enough for a single shift's dosage. Ventura tells him to meet him at Sigil's office in the Vulcan Towers when he changes his mind.

### Event: Cannon Fire

1900 Hours, Late Shift

* Allows players to make their first moves.

Air raid sirens start to go off around the city. Shortly there after, the screaming wails of incoming rockets tear across the sky. They are taking a huge arc stretching all the way outside the city from the hills to the north. The sounds of their impacts rocks everything around.

* The rocket strikes land on a number of Ishtar posts located all across New Town. If any of the players are currently dealing with any Ishtarian patrols in New Town, they will be in the fire zone.
	+ Players take a Notice test (5) to see and generally avoid the rocket strike. Passing means they take an indirect blast (D6x15 damage vs Dodge). The player avoids all damage with any degrees of success. Failure means being very close to the blast (D6x20 damage vs Dodge).
* Any other players that are in any of the four districts of New Town will be in the crossfire.
	+ Same as before, but the Notice test is (3).

In reply, a number of Octobane tanks fire from their elevated positions, perhaps shaking the city even worse than the attack. A few more rockets return, and again the super heavy tanks fire back. This time there is no return fire. There is a great buzz as military and police vehicles race to investigate the damage and confront the attackers beyond the city. Helicopters and drones circles the skies.

* The remaining shift and the coming curfew (8/13) will have elevated occupation levels and higher threat risks. All districts are at +1 Occupation (except for the junkyard), and all detection tests are +1 harder for the curfew.

### Character: Raltor

Late Shift during rocket attacks, Juno Station

The tone of the station is much different from the last time (Raltor, other players) were here. There are no sounds from the rail cars moving and there are almost no crowds whatsoever. However, a village of small tents has grown immensely around the statue of the goddess Juno. With most of the power in the station turned down, an eerie glow emanates from the base of the statue, illuminating her like a beacon in the cavernous halls of the terminal.

The tent village is mostly populated with the throngs of the religious adherents, proselytizers, and prophets. Aside from these masses of fanatics, there is no real order and no presence of the Ishtarians or the local police. In fact, an Ishtarian outpost has been set up at the far other end of the station to secure the rails but its guards have done little to concern themselves with the strange followers.

Approaching the village is met with the dirty begging hands of those who wish to seek salvation through asceticism. Rejecting most wordy possessions, they depend on hand outs to feed themselves. The deeper one walks towards the statue at the center of the village, the wailing turns to preaching. At the goddess's base are the loudest and most extreme of the bunch, pointing and flailing in grand gestures detailing the end of the world, or the beginning of a brand new one.

Standing snugly amongst the fanatical prophets is (Black Eagle).

## Shift 4

Friday, 8.13.2189 (Late Morning, sky is clear, very hot)

### Event: Military Response

0600 Hours

The rocket attacks the shift before had stirred up the Ishtarian forces all though the sleeping hours. Now Early Shift, the surge has subsided. However, a number of Ishtarian soldiers have taken up vandalous behavior, bored from the easy victory and antagonized by the rebel response. Many of the patrols have become less concerned with security and have turned flagrant harassment.

* For the remainder of the shift, if a player gets stopped by the Ishtarian Military, they will waste their time and harass them. If the players try to argue or put up a fight, the soldiers will become instantly hostile.

### Scene: The Junkyard

Although the city is abuzz with activity from the attacks, the attention of the Ishtarian forces has been drastically re-positioned to the perimeter of the city, namely to the north where the rocket attacks originated, and to the south where the rest of the weakened but unopposed Aphrodian nation lays in wait.

With his foot propped up on the railing of his office balcony, Hatchet stares towards the horizon in the north. Loud explosions in the distance start to thunder across the city as Ishtarian forces and Ionian freedom fighters begin to clash in the hills. The Octobanes had been silent since last shifts attacks, but suddenly, the beast dwelling in the stadium blasts a heavy round straight across the entire metropolis, thudding in the distance, likely annihilating its target. Hatchet takes a sip off his coffee and smiles.

"Now that's what I've been waiting for. Some real action."

* Switch has been working with Miranda diligently putting together the base structure of their scratch build mech. Despite the interruption from the Ishtarian inspection, they have finally accumulated all the necessary parts to make a functioning suit. Now is the time to put the real hardware into the machine.
	+ The mech has its skeleton and its power source, which will allow the mech to be operated but has not much else to offer.
	+ The mech will need weapons, armor, and a combat computer in order to be effective in battle. Some of its basic components can also be replaced, namely the engine.
	+ Though the occupation has put a ban on military grade equipment as well as most firearms and explosives, the Valley is a great gateway into the black market of Io.
	+ Miranda knows of mech parts dealer who also has connections to black market weapons and equipment. Finding him will be easy, but convincing him that dealing with them is safe will be another matter.
* Ace receives a message from his new employer, Clint Ford. He is told that the Ishtarians have given his unit orders to protect a convoy entering into the city next shift on Saturday. There are not many details about what they are protecting, mainly because the Ishtarians are still vetting the mercenaries that have agreed to join them. Clint tells Ace that the Ishtarians have impounded his mech inside the Stadium, and that he can pick it up for his mission.
	+ Soon after talking to Clint, Ace gets a sudden notice on his data pad. Its a distress signal from his neural net computer. It has finally reacquired a signal and is now broadcasting from somewhere in the Valley, though the signal is weak and hard to pinpoint.
* Moose gets a few messages on his data pad from his secretary Taylor Stubenz.
	+ Taylor has been working to hire more employees here in Io. One of the first hires is a man named Jones who has worked as an independent contractor for the company before. He has offered to work as Moose's driver.
	+ Contact has again been lost with Nazareth. The last messages received were that the siege by Ishtarian forces has descended into an all out urban combat zone. The salvage company has secured itself at the dry docks to the east, away from the worst fighting near the western lakeside.
	+ Dr. Ventura has sent a private message saying that his superiors have agreed to work with McKracken Salvage. Though the work that Dr. Swayze is doing on Dr. Kerstein's notes is completely off the books, there will be a legitimate contract with the salvage company to do a haul at Kerstein's last known location: a small wasteland town known as Catalhoyuk. He has set up a lab more than a year ago and hasn't been seen since and is presumed dead.
	+ Miguel Banderas, the former head of the Mercenary's Union, has left a few names for Moose, who had asked for mercenary contacts that were loyal to Aphrodia. The list includes three small companies that have agreed to work with the Ishtarians, but have had quite a lot of dissent due to their large numbers of native employees. Miguel says he cannot make any promises that they will work for Moose, but he might find a way to convince them. One of the companies, Sickle and Hammer, run by Blake Hammer, is stationed in the Valley and is currently running security for Ishtar in the area. The other two companies, Warbanner and Harrier Security, are currently running patrol outside the city limits.
	+ A letter from Sgt. Kurt Sutherland, the Ishtarian soldier who lead the investigation of the Junkyard, says that the government has accepted Moose's offer to clean and salvage parts of Io that are still littered from the invasion. This is still a probationary contract and his operations will be supervised by a security team both to ensure the safety of the operation and to ensure that the salvage company is legit. The first job will be to start cleaning the main arena at the Stadium in order for Ishtar to set of a more permanent base of operations on the southern side of town. All salvage must be tagged and processed through a military officer in order to separate weapons and military tech from regular scrap.
	+ A short message from a person identifying himself as Luciano Gugliani says that the Malkovich's are happy with the present they received. Moose's services will be noted.
	+ Another short message came from a dead street raptor nailed to the office door with a note pinned to it. The note reads: You're Dead -Nolte's Boys.
* Jones arrives at the junkyard in what looks to be a very old but well maintained car. The classic model is known for both its power and bulk. (allow Jones to introduce himself)
* Dr. Swayze finally has access to his lifesaving antidote and is now able to administer it to him and to Egan. Egan, however, has had a horrible mental shock caused Dr. Swayze's medical experiments with the strange cranial device he found.
	+ Egan has become much more manageable and does not seem to be argumentative anymore. The experience he went through has left him dazed and copacetic as well as shy and nervous. It is hard to tell if the changes were caused by neurological from the device or psychological damage from the torture, but in either case he is much more subdued.
	+ Swayze can continue to investigate Dr. Kerstein's notes.
* Raltor has spoken to Black Eagle about working together. Although she is very skeptical of almost everybody, she has made a small exception for Raltor in exchange for his help looking for her lost children, Spanner and Sprocket. She has asked him meet her at the Valley to find a man who might know where they may be. She has admitted that the children stole a technical manual from her on mechs that is very valuable to her.

### Scene: The Stadium

In many ways, the Apollon Stadium has changed very little since the invasion. After the spectators left, the Ishtarian forces situated themselves deep into the facility, mainly focused on the Octobane tank sitting atop the main arena. The open space is completely littered with the burnt out wrecks of mostly Aphrodian vehicles. Any corpses that were in the open have been removed, but little to no attention has been paid to the vehicles or whoever is still inside of them.

There are a few other salvage teams in the area, though they all seem to be small operations. Most of the major salvage companies are stationed in Nazareth, which is currently in an embedded battle. Though there is plenty of activity on the field, there does not seem to be any notice of the massive weapons cache just feet below the arena.

* Both Ace's and Switch's mechs are still on the field in fairly good condition.
* The current operation is limited to the main arena. Trying to move into the facility will be met with plenty of armed guards.
* Though the weapons cache is still undiscovered by the Ishtarians, the rear entrance is located deep in the facility which is full of troops.

There is a large pile of fuel drums that had been blown over during the invasion. Though they did not explode, they are extremely hazardous and some are spilling onto the ground. One of the other salvage teams is currently working on cleaning it up, but its clear that their work is being hampered by Ishtarian soldiers who seem more interested in hassling the workers than letting them do their jobs. The harassment suddenly turns to violence as one of the workers tries to defend himself. An Ishtarian soldier grabs the worker and punches him hard in the face, knocking him directly into a pool of fuel.

* If the players decided to intervene, the Ishtarian soldier will tell them that this worker used to be an Aphrodian soldier but abandoned his post as soon as the fighting started. The Ishtarian says that cowards like that don't deserve to live as an Aphrodian or an Ishtarian. If he is not stopped, the soldier will kick the worker back into the pool as he tries to get out and will toss a road flare to him, immolating the man instantly. The soldier will laugh it off and tell the others to get back to work, then turning to his fellow soldiers and asking them if they would like to take a lunch break.
	+ If the players wish to exact revenge, the soldier will be eating lunch with four other soldiers in the nearby locker rooms.

### Scene: The Valley

Location: The Valley, 0800 (Mid Shift)

The mechanics valley seems extremely congested, especially after the recent rocket attacks. The crowds are frequently interjected by military and police patrols screaming down the main street toward the Southern Village. The Ishtarian forces are dead set on bolstering security of the southern entrance, but the Ionian police are much more interested in the populace. Pressured from their Ishtarian commanders, they are hassling anyone who looks suspicious, which in a place like this, could be almost anyone.

* Let the players attempt to look for their contacts but quickly interrupt them with Ionian police hassling them. The cops will be very nervous but will also try their best to question anyone who looks out of place, namely Moose, Dr. Swayze, and Florence. They will insinuate that this is a dirty place filled with low-lifes, not the kind of place you normally see people in "clean" clothes.
	+ The police will actually be very quick to drop the issue. However, some other locals will notice the encounter and start to harass the police, asking how they can work for the Ishtarians and calling them traitors. The police will attempt to explain themselves, but someone in the crowd will throw a bottle at them, hitting one in the face and taking him down. His partner will pull out a gun and try to ward off the crow, but the crowd will only grow more angry.
	+ If the players decide to step in, they will be able to hold off the crowd long enough for the police to escape. However, the crowd will become very angry at whoever defended the cops and will start to throw food and small stones at them, forcing the players to leave the immediate area or face violence.
* Both Miranda and Black Eagle are looking for a parts dealer named Red. It will take a Streetwise test of 4 to find him. Unless the players have coordinated their efforts and shared information, they will need to look for him separately.
	+ Red runs a small parts shop in a quiet corner of the Valley. His shop is so small and bare, in fact, its hard to imagine it being a legitimate business, especially in an area with so much competition. Red himself is a short and scrawny man covered in mechanical baubles.
	+ As soon as he is approached, he is dismissive of the players, telling them that they won't find anything they are looking for here. It will take a lot for him to open up since he is naturally entrusting and security tight. However, anyone offering him 200 or more marks will immediately get his attention.
	+ Red says that there is a secret black market auction going down late in two shifts (Sunday), around 1400 hours. Some of the cities biggest criminal entities will be there to get their hands on a horde stockpiled by one of the most notorious dealers in the underworld, Grit Harper. The only way to get in is with a ticket, which Red can sell for 1000 marks. The ticket will get one dealer and a crew of no more than 6 people into the event. Ticket holders will meet behind Red's shop to be taken to the deal.
	+ Red dealt with the children Black Eagle is looking for. The last he saw them, they has paid him for a ticket to attend the deal. He was surprised they had the money but sold it to them anyways (he actually tried to scam them, but they were too smart and made him look like a fool).
* Switch can continue to look for parts with Miranda. Miranda will keep trying to find some kind of weapon that could actually do something to a super heavy tank. Red will try to ask for more money in exchange for some special information. If he is given 100 marks or more, he will reveal that the main event for the action is a salvaged railgun stripped from a destroyed Ishtarian tank. Red can speak to whether it would be able to destroy an Octobane, is he certainly sure that if anything is going to put a hole in it, it would be a military railgun.
	+ In the meantime, he can offer some other equipment for their mech. See Parts chart from earlier to see what he has available.
* Moose will easily find Sickle and Hammer operating in the Valley. Unlike the military or the police, the security company seems much less interested in overt enforcement, and instead is doing hands on investigations in the area. The populace seems to be much more willing to deal with them instead of the cops or the soldiers.
	+ The security company has been specifically assigned to find and route out some of the criminal activity in the area. Though the Valley thrives on the black market, most of these dealings are civil. Some more violent organizations, however, have taken advantage of the occupation to physically force good and services from and onto the others. Sickle and Hammer are trying to figure out which gangs are specifically responsible for the rash of violence.
	+ The main culprits are Nolte's Boys. Though not the most organized gang, Nolte's Boys have grown in numbers from the chaos of the occupation. Roving bands molest small shops, stealing their money and products to horde away and resell at grossly inflated prices. Those who try to oppose them end up beaten or dead.
	+ Though Sickle and Hammer are well aware of their target, they are getting mixed help from the populace. One one hand, the security team has a good reputation and their targets are despised by most. On the other hand, many people are hesitant to snitch. Also, the company is technically working for Ishtar, so many people are not sure where their actual loyalty lies.
	+ Blake Hammer, the leader of the security team, is very receptive to the idea of working with Moose in general, as he is willing to take on jobs that are less politically sensitive. However, he cannot take on a new mission at the moment because the Ishtarians have ranked combating the gangs in the area as a top priority. If his team can make a significant dent in the gang operations, it would give him the opportunity to vie for a new mission.
	+ Blake has set up a sting involving a fake delivery entering the Valley. His teams are stretched thin at the moment, so if Moose can assist him in the sting, he would be willing to try to work out a business deal. If he agrees, he will refer him to an independent contractor named Jones who has offered his services as the driver.

### Event: Convoy Sting

Blake Hammer lays out the plan for the fake delivery. Normally he would have his own teams do the work but this particular mission has had them on edge. Every major load that has been sent to this warehouse owned by a well known parts business run by the more congenial Malkovich gang, has been hijacked, usually with the drivers and crew murdered. After the recent rocket attacks, Sickle and Hammer have been fighting a series of violent outbreaks in the area, forcing Black to employ more private entities for this specific mission.

There will be two delivery trucks. They will leave the Industrial District in about an hour and will reach their destination at the warehouse on the southeast end of the Valley. The trucks are not actually carrying any products or parts. Instead, each truck will have a mech hidden in a break away trailer. The plan is to lure their ambushers, tricking them into thinking the convoy is unprotected, and then making a swift attack. Though Blake has no problem with taking out as many of the gangers as they can, he is actually mostly interested in taking some of them prisoners to be interrogated.

* The players have an hour to get ready for the delivery. Blake will provide two mechs if necessary, but the players can use their own if they wish.
* The players manage to make most of the drive without any incident. As the players get close to their destination, thinking that nothing will happen, the delivery trucks are stopped by an Ionian police vehicle. The officers ask for the delivery manifest to make sure everything is legit.
	+ The officers are actually Nolte's Boys who have murdered and stolen police equipment. A Notice test of a 4 will reveal that their uniforms are somewhat tattered and damaged, while any degrees of success will reveal a large number of inconsistencies, like not having all their proper equipment, not having the proper badges, and making a number of errors while trying to talk about the paperwork.
	+ While they distract the driver and keep him at bay, a bunch of other gangers will try to slip underneath the trucks to disable the engines. They can be spotted with a Notice test of 6.
	+ If the players do not notice anything or do not react to the checkpoint, the officers will tell them everything is in order. This will instantly alert Jones who knows that the manifest includes a code on it that would tell any police or military that this is a fake delivery operated by a security team.
	+ If the players still do not react, the officers will get into their car and leave. Proceed to the ambush:
* As soon as the players confront the officers, two medium mechs armed with shield arms, one in front of the trucks and one in behind, will turn around the corner and box the trucks in. The buildings on each side of the street were harboring Nolte's Boys gangers (3xPlayers+NPCs) who now descend on the trucks.
* Let the players fight the gangers. Once half the gangers are taken out, they will bottle out and run. Blake wanted at least one ganger captured for interrogation.

With the attack thwarted, the trucks are brought into the warehouse where Blake Hammer has just arrived. He is very angry, complaining that while the fake delivery was going down, a homemade bomb was set off in front one of his security stations. Though nobody from his team was seriously hurt, the bomb did manage to kill and maim a number of civilians on the streets nearby. And just as he had arrived at the warehouse, there was a dead raptor nailed to the door with a threatening letter aimed at him personally. Blake shows little fear from the message, but its clear that the civilian lives lost in the bombing have affected him.

* If the players succeeded in taking a captive, Blake will be especially happy. He will show great enmity towards the ganger and will insinuate how much he will have to hurt him to get answers.
* Regardless if they took a captive or not, Blake will tell Moose that he would be happy to work with him again. Though at the moment Blake is still tied up with dealing with the Nolte Boys, he is very interested in figuring out what should be done with the current occupation. He offers to return Moose the favor if he ever needs some extra muscle.

### Character: Florence

1800 (Late Shift)

The Cytherea Markets are a cultural and economic hub in both Io and Aphrodia as a whole. The area draws some of the greatest artists of the nation and vendors trade in high quality, specialty products. It is an affluent district, located between the starport and Cyprus Towers, home to the city's elite. There is also plenty of cuisine, and the various open air restaurants are known for their eclectic styles. Because the area holds little strategic importance, the Ishtarian military has put Ionian police in charge of district.

The Ionic Lounge is a small and cozy restaurant with an outdoor cafe. It is a popular location for many of Io's politicians and business owners. Though much of the city has scars from the recent battle, the markets are fairly unscathed. The mood in the area is strangely cheery compared to the struggles going on around.

As Florence approaches the Lounge, she sees Senator Conway sitting at a table outside. He is still bandaged up, and he looks very cautious. As soon as he catches her eye, Conway quickly waves for her to sit, glancing all around as he does so.

* The senator is very nervous, and if Florence has brought any obvious companions, he will get agitated and start to say he doesn't think the meeting is safe. If someone doesn't do something to convince him to stay, proceed to the Terrorist Attack.

A waitress comes up and asks for her order. The senator asks for another glass of Stygian beer (a very strong drink) and a shot of whisky.

* If any of the players present have already dealt with the Red Nagas, they will notice the gang tattoo on her neck. The waitress doesn't seem to be acting strange. She is taking care of other customers normally and doesn't appear to be armed.
* Its apparent that the Senator has been drinking for some time. He is actually an alcoholic. Though he always drinks, he has been drinking much more the last few days.

Conway asks Florence how she knows about Dutch.

* If she speaks well of him, Conway will become more open. He will admit that he had dealings with Dutch in the past. He made some mistakes that he regrets, but he is hoping that he might be able to do something to make up for it. Conway hands Florence a small envelope.
	+ The envelope contains a note with the name on it, Steve Nicholson (**Note**). If she can pass a Bureaucracy Test (4), she will remember that the Nicholson's are a rich family that frequently takes part in politics, though she doesn't recall a Steve specifically.
	+ Conway tells her he worked with Dutch on a number of ventures, mostly charitable aids and social programs for wastelanders and homesteaders who had been failed by other government agencies. After Dutch was discharged from the military, he was much more antagonistic towards the government. He frequently accused Conway of standing idly by while corruption spread. Dutch seemed to be getting out of touch as his accusations grew worse. When Dutch approached Conway about a project called Moksha involving the scientific experimentation on condemned criminals, Conway had had enough and told Dutch to not involve him anymore. Not long after, Dutch disappeared. Conway had chalked it up to him wandering off, but a few days later he noticed that a bill he had voted yes on included a rider that allowed a number of government agencies property rights over the corpses of condemned criminals. Dutch had mentioned the name on the note many times before while talking about this legislation, though Conway had been so dismissive of it, he barely noticed.
		- After Conway has had a chance to talk, proceed to Terrorist Attack.
* If she speaks ill of Dutch, Conway become suspicious. He start to ask her more about how she knows him and will try to pick holes in her story. Even if she can explain herself, he will start to worry that he isn't safe. He will get up and start to try to leave. Proceed to Terrorist Attack.

### Event: Terrorist Attack

* If any of the characters were on guard, they can take a Notice test (4) to notice the approaching gunman.

As the Senator speaks to Florence, a large man in a black trench coat walks up to the open cafe. His features are completely obscured by his coat and large brimmed hat. Most of the patrons are too busy trying to forget the war to notice him. Startling them out of their seats, the man begins to yell:

"Ishtar is the devil and you are the pathetic ticks that will survive off of her bloated corpse. You will all pay for what you have done. You will all see the might of Goddess when she drops her mirror and picks up a sword."

The cloaked man throws open his coat and points machine pistols towards those sitting in the cafe. Without further monologue, he open fires. The first few rounds quickly find their marks, slaughtering unarmed civilians left and right.

* Roll for Combat Sense.
* If anyone tries to escape the cafe away from the gunman, they will be met with by the waitress. She throws her hat and apron off. From inside her boot she pulls out a long blade and holds it in a combat stance. Pointing her hand at a patron, her wrist opens up and folds away to reveal a cybernetic pistol. She also starts to fire into the civilians.
* After about 5 rounds or so, the waitress will pull out a remote trigger. When she pushes it, the gunman starts to yell in a psychotic rage. He will charge the closest, largest group of civilians and detonate, killing or maiming anyone near by.
	+ If a player is very close to the gunman when he explodes, the blast will cause an automatic D6x15 Damage. If a player is further away but close enough to be hit, they will take D3x15 Damage.
	+ Conway will be near the blast unless the character intervene. He will take serious damage and will die on the scene unless he has first aid (5).
* The waitress will immediacy fall back as soon as the gunman is dead.

The blast from the attack has created a thick cloud of dust from the demolished cafe. People are running and screaming in all directions while many others lie dead or dying in the rubble. The gunman is little more than a grease stain while is accomplice is nowhere to be seen.