Whiplash

# Summary

The gang is hired to launch from sub-rockets from a sub-orbital flight from Seattle to Neo-Tokyo, pick up a black box from a team of runners, ride the rockets back to the sub-orbital, and jump back in. The other runner team is intercepted by Zurich Orbital Security, who the team fights off.

# Meet

Two days prior, Mr. Tanaka met with the team at a downtown speakeasy, stating that he required a combat capable team to head to space and retrieve a hand-off from another runner team. Century, Nova, Surge, and Chaos would be launched from the sub-orbital flight on industrial rockets normally used to launch payloads into Low Earth Orbit at low cost, rendezvous, then return to the sub-orbital's cargo bay, ditching the rockets in the process. As the sub-orbital would leave and arrive with the same personnel, it would be largely free of suspicion. The pay would be 40,000, held onboard the sub-orbital by the Johnson.

The team accepts and meets at the SeaTac Space Port near the Renraku hangars on Thursday morning.

# Run

Nova and Surge are loaded into one rocket with the mech while Chaos and Century are loaded into the other. The sub-orbital launches without issue, though one the way up Mr. Tanaka contacts them to inform them that they will have one minute to extract the handoff and that there will be unspecified complications on site.

The team arrives in near-atmosphere, finding a large cloud of debris, two Corporate Court Security shuttles, along with one spaced astronaut and a nearly destroyed antique shuttle. Realizing that the hand-off is compromised, Century launches himself from the rocket ferry towards the damaged shuttle in order to retrieve the package before CC Security can do so. Atmospheric heating begins to burn all of the shuttles and combatants.

Chaos, Surge, and Nova provide heavy cover fire, taking sustained laser weapon, gauss rifle, and rocket fire. Century, in a bid to move faster across the gap, begins using the recoil from his weapons for added propulsion. Nova realizes that the spaced runner is actually alive and contacts her, though she refuses to stop playing dead until the CC Security teams are adequately distracted.

CC forces attempt to scuttle the runner shuttle with explosives from the outside, but fail when Nova and Surge destroy the charges from range. While most of the CC Corpsec are killed, one escapes inside to sabotage the runner shuttle using the remaining fuel and oxidizer in the tanks and venting them to the inside, setting a charge.

Century enters, retrieves the package, and survives the resulting explosion by virtue of being dummy thiccc. The team - along with the surviving runner, Vanilla - loads into a singular rocket and launches back to the sub-orbital just before re-entry heating and atmospheric resistance could harm them. They jump from the rocket to the sub-orbital's loading bay and remain inside until landing at Haneda, Neo-Tokyo.

# Aftermath

Mr. Tanaka accepts the package, gives the team their money, and additionally leaves a few armored space suits for those who needed them. He tells Vanilla to count herself lucky and departs.

Nova gives Vanilla a ride back to Seattle on her aircraft.

The news comes out a few days later that the package was most likely the source code to the foundation system.

# Rewards

* 40,000 nuyen
* 10 karma
* One Armadillo Space Suit per person (or half the cost in nuyen)
* 2 CDP
* one night in Neo Tokyo with an sub orbital trip back to Seattle
* one very happy echo station runner (Vanilla)

# Runner Comments

Chaos: "This was all a little advanced for my know how and I still don't understand what everyone is complaining about, but at least I can say I went to space before I die. How many people can say that?"

Surge: "SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE"