Logs for ShadowRN and Associated Mailing Lists

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Family matters
Date:	Sat, 18 Apr 1998 11:58:29 +1200

Message no. 1 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[You on yet?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <15:24:38/04-17-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Sun, 19 Apr 1998 11:18:54 +1200

Message no. 2 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Have been for a couple of weeks, bro, what took
ya?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <16:49:48/04-18-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Mon, 20 Apr 1998 12:37:26 +1200

Message no. 3 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Finding a house, getting a gun, finding a school for Darral,
finding a trustworthy fixer, you know, all that setting up drek that you
gotta do in a new town. Oh, and I got a job, BTW... running a machine that
cuts and packages soyburger "meat" patties. Not exactly mentally
stimulating, but it's money. What's going on back in Seattle?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:35:54/04-19-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Wed, 22 Apr 1998 12:09:55 +1200

Message no. 4 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Je_sus_, bro... maybe Mom is right about the gang being more trouble
than it's worth. I don't want to preach, I know that'd just piss you off,
but that could have been _you_.

Tammy's fine, so's Darral... the little bastard still won't concede any
points though. You may well win our little bet (but if Tammy ever finds out
I made it, she'll have kittens).

Oh, and tell me more about this Faerie woman.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:43:05/04-21-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Thu, 23 Apr 1998 12:05:55 +1200

Message no. 5 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[You're right, it could have been me. But on the other hand, things
are too damn riskywhen you're on your own. Like last year, when I was shot
- that sure as hell wasn't gang related. And Faerie had been here about a
month when she got attacked by some Red Handers. Mom never leaves the
apartment anymore, she says she's too scared of the people (if you can call
'em that) who live around here. Seattle is going to hell - all this
Children of Thunda garbage, that thing with the buses at the start of the
year... if Cold Lightning can keep me near the top of the drek heap, then
I'd have to be an idiot to go it alone.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:05:17/04-22-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Fri, 24 Apr 1998 12:46:08 +1200

Message no. 6 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Nice speech, bro.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:06:51/04-23-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Sat, 25 Apr 1998 13:07:55 +1200

Message no. 7 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Bite me.

On another matter, do you have any contacts out there who might be able to
get me some persona chips? I hear that kind of thing is fairly cheap in
Denver if you know where to go. I'm looking for something along these
lines:

+++++Include file chips.txt
[Being a technical description of some medium grade persona chips]

Can you help me out there?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:21:31/04-24-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Sun, 26 Apr 1998 13:45:41 +1200

Message no. 8 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[I'll see what I can do for you about the chips... I know someone who
might... should, even... be able to help.

Also, I got a job... freelance consulting work for a matrix security
firm... I'm on the Dark side now, boy.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:52:12/04-25-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Mon, 27 Apr 1998 13:07:23 +1200

Message no. 9 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[There is good in you still, brother, I feel it... ah the hell with
it. Just leave some back doors for me.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:49:43/04-26-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Tue, 28 Apr 1998 14:21:50 +1200

Message no. 10 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Yeah, sure, bro, no-one'll notice, and if they do, the hell with it,
who needs a rep or a job anyway?

And what's going on back in Seattle? There been any trouble up your end of
town? Remember when we discussed mom maybe moving out here too? I think now
might be the time to bring it up again... I doubt she'll be so attached to
Seattle right now. I think she wants to leave anyway, you're the only thing
holding her there. Like she thinks she'd be leaving you to the gangers and
so on, I guess. Not that she kept you away from them anyway.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <21:19:40/04-27-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Wed, 29 Apr 1998 13:04:50 +1200

Message no. 11 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[No trouble up here really, just the odd explosion downtown... but
no-one I know's been affected by it, so it ain't real yet... typical
attitude. OTOH, the riots last couple of days, aieee! That's bad drek. But
I never go that far south, so it don't affect me. Faerie, on the other
hand, she had to try and get through the riots to that Haven place when the
hundred plus guys attacked it, she's got some chummers doing volunteer work
there... by the time she arrived the fight was pretty much over though, and
that big fraggin' wall was up and no luck flying through it... did I
mention she flies everywhere? Those crazy magicians...

And on the other topic, good point... it would be good to have mom out of
the city... I mean, I love her, I guess, but she isn't happy here. She
isn't _safe_ here. I'll bring it up again. And something else occurs to me,
a plan so cunning that it can't fail, and so evil that I won't mention any
details.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <19:32:57/04-28-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Thu, 30 Apr 1998 12:18:01 +1200

Message no. 12 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Evil? What the hell have you got in mind?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:14:57/04-28-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Fri, 1 May 1998 14:42:30 +1200

Message no. 13 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Perhaps evil was not the best term I could have chosen. Maybe I'll
tell you later - maybe, don't try and hold me to that. It is, after all,
kind of low.

And the chips... _sweet_... here's the money.

+++++Transfer credit >>price of chips<<

Thanks, bro, I owe you.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:11:41/04-30-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Sat, 2 May 1998 12:20:42 +1200

Message no. 14 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[No worries, bro.

On another matter, how about telling me about that plan of yours? Or at
least give me a time frame.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:41:47/05-01-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Sun, 3 May 1998 10:08:56 +1200

Message no. 15 *****PRIVAE: Sawman
>>>>>[It's underway now, she should be ready to move out of Seattle in
about a week or two I figure. We'll see. Of course it depends on you being
right about her wanting to leave already, and being stuck here because she
thinks I need looking after. And whether she's willing to let someone else
take over that job.

On another note, I got fraggin' shot yesterday... I'll tell you all about
it soon, when the whole story is available.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <15:31:13/05-02-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Mon, 4 May 1998 13:15:48 +1200

Message no. 16 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[What what what? You got shot? That'll teach you to deal BTLs. I hate
to say I told you so... well I don't hate it that much... anyways, shot
where? Details please.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:28:43/05-03-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Mon, 4 May 1998 13:19:22 +1200

Message no. 17 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[A few rounds in the back, resulting in a shattered shoulder blade,
and one round must have hit a lung, I was coughing blood for a while... and
it fraggin' _hurt_. let me tell you... nothing to do with BTLs either. You
heard about those Children of Thunda? Well, last night and early this
morning, Cold Lightning and some associates got some of the fraggers.

Back on 04-29 I asked around the gang who'd be up for an anti-COT op Faerie
was putting together. Two days later I get shot by Tony Samba, which was a
hell of a surprise. He popped several caps in my back, then yelled "let
there be light". He then ran off, probably thinking I was dead. Terminal
had Faerie's number, so he called her, and she shot round to give me a
magical healing spell (which was pretty humorous... I'm lying there feeling
the holes close up and this bullet comes popping out with a "floop" noise).
She saved my life. Another debt I owe her.

Anyways, I told her about the "let there be light" thing, which is what
these COT guys say when they geek one of their enemies. Thus Tony was a
COTer... Faerie and the boys went round to his place to see if he was
there, but he wasn't, nor was his small amount of furniture. Faerie put on
the rubber gloves and searched his bathroom, got a rather unpleasant ritual
hair sample out of the shower drain (could have found are worse samples, I
guess, but I don't even want to _think_ about that - too late, I thought
about it :C= er... that was the best I could do for vomiting... doesn't
quite work does it, oh well, never mind).

Anyway, she tracked Tony by ritual, got a look at him, but he was on the
move. She sent out some spirits to find him (watchers, she called them,
apparently she could only use 'em to find Tony because she'd seen him at
the end of the ritual, she'd never met him around CLHQ), but he was dead
already, killed by his own COTers. Good fraggin' riddance. The body was in
a multilevel warehouse, they had thrown Tony down a lift shaft and just
left his body at the bottom of it. Nice group of friends. We had a look
round, and it seem that a large group of people had been living there for
some time. There were five other corpses down there beside Tony's, orks,
gangers by the look of them, and there were also a couple of elf chicks
hanging by their arms from chains, suspended over the shaft. They'd been
shot about twenty times each, about the same time Tony bought it by the
lingering dampness of the blood... Faerie looked sick when she saw the
latter two, she told me later that there were signs on the astral of recent
rape and so on... bad drek. The orks looked like they'd died hard, too...
it made me sick. Sick.

Anyway, I hit the 'trix, and found out who had hired the building... guy
named Robert Turwilliger. I checked out the name, got an address and so on,
and sent Faerie in to see who was around. Five people, one of 'em matched
Bob's description. Faerie wanted to go in guns blazing, but her chummer,
this guy named Thirstein, a troll Shark shaman who works security at
SEA-TAC, said that they had no way of knowing Turwilliger was the right
guy, maybe the COTers just stole the poor fragger's ID. She agreed with
that, and proposed we stake out the place, and when he and his guys left,
follow them. We did so, astral checks revealed that there were five of them
in there. They left shortly after we arrived, carrying rather heavy looking
sports bags... "gee whiz", I wondered out loud, "could there be guns in
them?" and Faerie said something sarcastic sounding under her breath, then
refused to repeat it. Anyways, we followed, Faerie flying out in front and
radioing back instructions, so we had no line of sight on them. Thirstein
was with her in astral support, which was lucky, because someone had a go
at her from the car and he was able to catch the spell in mid air...
classy, I never knew mages could do that. She took the car out with her
autofire shotgun (a monster of a gun, belt-fed 12 guage, set for full auto,
damn if I know how she holds onto it when she shoots), and the COTers made
a run for it. She got two before they made the sidewalk, then we arrived,
and she shot another two as they ran through the crowd (one collateral
injury, of which I didn't really approve, but Faerie just doesn't care
about that sort of thing... worries me, I gotta tell you, but I love her,
so what can I do?). The mage (a Rat shaman, as we later found out) got
away, but Thirstein was on him in the astral, so he couldn't really lose
us. Then Faerie left her body to play too, and her and Thirstein's spirits
quickly wrapped him up. We blindfolded him and brought him back to CLHQ for
interrogation, and the rat squealed almost before we asked him to... seems
the threat of blinding hit on a phobia or something. He said there were
more COTers to his cell, they were waiting for a weapons delivery at
Koratsu park (Everett, in case you didn't know... I had to ask Faerie on
the way), but he'd have to go in on the astral to give them the all clear.
Faerie geeked him, straight off, just whipped out a roomsweeper and blew
his head off... I couldn't believe it. Thirstein couldn't either, "what if
he was lying?" he asked, but Faerie faced him down, stated calmly that
_no_fraggin'_way_ was he lying, then headed for the van. Everyone looked
around uncomfortably, Faerie yelled "are you punks coming, or what?", and
we all sort of shuffled off after her.

So, Koratsu park... Faerie went in - invisible, flying - with Thirstein on
the astral. She came back and reported that there were a bunch of suspected
COTers up ahead, twelve in total. There were six of us... me, Faerie,
Thirstein, Terminal, Carlos (he wasn't wasted for a change) and Spotter
(you'd never have met him... he's a back-to-nature anti-BTL type, likes his
drugs to be grown or at least processed, not recorded - stupid attitude,
IMHO, vive la difference, I say. I mean, pot is good, acid is better, coke
and speed are not without their charms, but none of that'll stop me using
chips too). Faerie told us she'd grabbed two of the bags from Turwilliger's
car, and handed out some weapons - I got me an old MA-2100 with nightsight
scope and a bipod, Carlos had a pair of SMG's, Thirstein took an LMG,
Terminal got an AK-98 with all the toys - smartlink, grenade launcher with
rangefinder grenade link, all manner of drek - and Spotter went for a
drumfed grenade launcher... not the best for close quarters, but I've seen
him fight, and he kicks ass hand-to-hand, so I guess he thought he could
handle that eventuality. There were some grenades and satchel charges in
the second bag, Faerie handed out about five assorted grenades each, then
went in to plant the charges. She came back after a minute or so and told
us that we had five minutes to get into position, she'd carry us in one at
a time, and she'd warn us twenty seconds before X goes boom... Thirstein
was pissed, he said something about how he'd have liked to give some
tactical input, and maybe some of the rest of us would have too, then
Terminal told him to shut up, and Thirstein made some comment about "you
want to mess with me?", and Faerie banged their heads together
(figuratively speaking of course) and told them both to shut up, then
scooped up Terminal and carried him off. Thirstein muttered for a while,
then went astral, and stayed there the rest of the op... not much point in
him taking the LMG, but I guess he felt better having it and not needing it
than risking vice versa. She came back soon, and stached me in the trees
near a bunch of loud drunken guys - the COTers.

So, we're all in position, waiting, then I start to wonder exactly how
Faerie was going to warn us at T minus 20. So I wait, sighting on the six
or seven COTers I can see through the trees, and about when I thought there
was a minute to go, Faerie wanders into the campsite, breaking into a
chorus of "20 bottles of beer on the wall". "Right," I think as they
grab
her, shouting something about elf bitches who need a lesson, "T minus 20 is
clearly now, but what the hell is she doing?" I figured that she must know,
and let her go about it, whatever it was. They dragged her in front of the
leader, and he tore her dress down the front, and everyone cheered
drunkenly. Then she grabbed the boss and flew up into the air, also
carrying the two guys who were hanging on to her - and then the charges
went off. They were quite a lot bigger than I expected, so I was kind of
stunned, then someone opened up with grenades from my left, must have been
either Terminal or Spotter, I suppose, and I came out of it and started
shooting... not that there were many targets still standing. The charges
must have left four or five up, I could see three, and I dropped one of
them before grenades obliterated the other two, then someone fell out of
the sky with a scream, and I managed to hit him on the first bounce. There
was some autofire from both sides of me, then it all went quiet until
Thirstein's astral form appeared in middle of where the COTers had been
waiting. He yelled out that no worries, they were all dead, and Faerie had
dealt with the three she carried off... she returned a moment later with
the leader, unconscious, and we all headed back home. A fine night's work,
IMHO.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <19:18:55/05-03-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Tue, 5 May 1998 17:07:28 +1200

Message no. 18 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Some people have all the fun. Here am I, writing matrix security
code, and you're back there shooting bad guys and screwing gorgeous elf
chicks. >:P ]<<<<<
-- Sawman <18:06:56/05-04-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Wed, 6 May 1998 12:09:35 +1200

Message no. 19 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Hey, watch it, bro, what I have in Faerie is a beautiful and magical
thing, and not to be dismissed as "screwing gorgeous elf chicks". >:P right
back at you.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:55:09/05-05-59>

*****PRIVATE: Faerie
>>>>>[Oh, my love, how you wound me.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:56:38/05-05-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Thu, 7 May 1998 13:11:22 +1200

Message no. 20 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[ >:O ]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:42:34/05-06-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Fri, 8 May 1998 12:40:49 +1200

Message no. 21 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[ K:Q ]<<<<<
-- Lightning <20:40:27/05-07-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Sat, 9 May 1998 10:39:18 +1200

Message no. 22 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[What the hell was that?

And how's the evil plan thing coming along?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:27:16/05-08-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Sun, 10 May 1998 12:15:58 +1200

Message no. 23 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Err... Q was a mouth with tongue sticking out, K was one of them
propeller hat things... beanies or whatever.

Evil plan is moving along well. I mentioned to mom yesterday that I was
thinking of moving in with Faerie, she went all "my little son is growing
up"... and she mentioned that she's been thinking of leaving Seattle... did
you know that she wanted to leave? Or did you just guess?

More fun and games... we raided a COT camp last night. A couple of months
back, this guy called Kristling hired Faerie's magic group (didn't mention
them before now, because I didn't know drek about 'em, still don't, I'll
tell you more when I've got it out of Faerie). He's been around a few times
since, seems to be edging towards the shadows some... anyway, he must have
got the scent of some COTers, and fed us some info as to where they might
be found. He gave us an LTG, and left the rest for us. I checked the
address, but it had shut down because they weren't paying their MSP fees.
The matrix address had been registered to a PR firm called Spinners Inc.
The office building (small place, four stories, about 1000 square metres
per floor) where the system had been physically located was for sale, and
nominally empty. Remembering the warehouse where we found the last COT
camp, we went round to take a look. Faerie was busy elsewhere, so Thirstein
did the astral check, and reported back that there were COTers inside, and
he'd been spotted by one of them, and they were on alert. So we got the
hell out (there were four of us - me, Carlos, Chastity, Terminal - plus
Thirstein, and about twenty of them, so we would have been greased for
sure), decided to come back later. Faerie wasn't available until last night
(she'd been checking out another lead - on that guy GKJ who's been posting
all that inflammatory drek - someone reckons he's COT, and has some
evidence to back it up - who knows where it'll lead), so we waited until
then.

Back we went, walked in from about five blocks off, still armed with gear
we'd swiped from the last group we took down. I kept my sniper rifle,
Terminal still had his AK, Carlos had switched to an FN-HAR, Chastity had a
pair of Predators, and Thirstein still had his LMG, and we each had five or
six miscellaneous grenades. Back at CLHQ, Thirstein had sketched a lay-out,
and Faerie had put together a plan... she kept looking at Thirstein, like
she was daring him to put up an argument like last time, but he had nothing
to add. So we approached from assorted sides of the building, and waited.

At kick-off time, Terminal and Thirstein blew the front windows out with
grenades, exposing the foyer, and Faerie flew in, invisible and silenced by
magic. She left the foyer inside about three seconds, so Thirstein and
Terminal could start firing into the building without worrying about
hitting her. I was out the back, covering the fire escape from the next
building, and two guys came out of the third floor, and started heading
down the ladders. I emptied the rifle, six shots, scored once on one, three
on the other. They both went down, the first one started crawling away so I
reloaded and finished him off. Carlos was exchanging fire with some COTers
in a window around the side of the place, and Chastity was doing the same
around the other side. Meanwhile Thirstein and Terminal had been attacked
by about twelve of the COTers, they mowed down eight or ten as they charged
out, the rest had taken cover and were shooting it out. By now it was about
a minute after kick off, it all happened pretty fast, and we all started to
pull out. Faerie had snatched the mage who had spotted Thirstein earlier
(he had seemed to be in charge), and came out through the roof. Thirstein
and Terminal backed off slowly, Carlos, Chastity and I backed off too, and
the remaining COTers didn't seem inclined to follow. By the time they
realised their leader was gone, it was too late, and the cops arrived
shortly afterwards - some sort of anonymous tip-off, quelle surprise. The
COTers decided to make a fight of it, and a LoneStar FRT killed everyone we
had left behind.

Faerie's been interrogating the mage, with any luck we'll find another cell
soon. This is starting to be almost fun - fighting the good fight.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:13:15/05-09-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Mon, 11 May 1998 12:47:47 +1200

Message no. 24 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Um, yeah, I did know that she was only staying in Seattle to look
after you... shortly before I left town, we were fighting, and I said "well
why don't you come with me?" and she said she couldn't just leave you to
the gangers and BTLheads. So I sort of guessed you might be able to
persuade her that you'd be okay without her if you put your mind to it, and
I thought it would be better if it appeared to be coincedence, so that's
why I didn't tell you the full story.

This other business... what the hell are you doing, bro? You sure this is
what you want to be doing? Just don't get too far into it, or you'll end up
dead. Okay, if you think it's worth the risks, then fine, you're an adult
(almost :P), you can make your own mind up, but have you thought about this
at all? We'd miss you, bro, we're worried, so don't die, okay?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:47:10/05-10-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Tue, 12 May 1998 13:15:11 +1200

Message no. 25 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[You sneaky bastard... and unecessarily so, for that matter.

It's almost cleaned Faerie out, and it's reduced my stores to nil, but
we've got the money together for the last part of the plan (a less evil
section)... mom didn't want to be dependant on you, so what we did is lend
her money to buy a small slice of stocks and so on. She thus gets the
dividends to live off, and in order to salve her conscience, I inherit it
all back again when she dies. She'll be looking for a place near yours, I
guess, or maybe not... in any case, she's flying out to Denver tomorrow to
take a look around... once she made up her mind to move, she certainly
pulled out all the stops.

I am sort of worried about this, yes. I have thought about it. But what the
hell can I do? These COTers have to be stopped, and I'm in a position to do
that. Added to which, it's exhilarating... and even if I didn't sort of
half like it, then I'd still be doing it because Faerie's doing it. For
her, I'd do literally anything.

Speaking of which, today we got us a COT assassin, hindu guy who called
himself Kali. We got his name and contact details from the mage we took out
of the Spinners Inc. building, and I rigged up a voice mimic of the mage,
called Kali up, got him to meet us at Arch (remember it? Old people trying
to be trendy, elves and wannabe elves, Faerie would have blended right in,
I would have stuck out like a sticky out thing). Anyways, Faerie went in
invisible and flying, Thirstein was astral support. Carlos, Chastity, and I
waited in the car, driving round the block a few times. The table "the
mage" had booked was clear when we arrived, so Faerie waited, in contact
with us through a datajacked RCD. At T minus one minute, a hindu guy walked
in the door, moved through the crowd until he could see the table, then
turned around, headed for the bar. Thirstein spotted his fear in his aura,
but Faerie didn't notice him as anyone special. He left the place, and
Thirstein appeared behind him, yelling "over here". We were cruising
nearby, we headed that way, saw Kali running away with Thirstein following
him, his astral form is like a human sized troll-ghost-shark monster... it
was fearsome... anyways, Chastity leapt out of the car as Carlos was
slowing down, I got out at a more sedate pace, then Kali spotted Chastity,
pulled a pistol out, but she got there too fast, punching him in the nose,
grabbing his shoulders and driving a knee into his side, then headbutting
him in the side of the face. He fell at her feet, and she dropped on top of
him, pinning him with her claws and tearing his throat out with a single
bite - I drek you not, she must be some kind of physad, she has claws and
teeth sometimes - not cyberware, they sort of grow out of her. Anyway, we
all got back in the car and drove off, Thirstein flew away to his body, and
Faerie dropped into the car halfway down >>street name<< - almost made
Carlos crash into Sonny's Hot Burger Palace. Then she gave Chastity a
lecture... we wanted Kali alive, we needed to know if he had any other COT
contacts, and Chastity went all quiet and submissive, saying that she lost
control, and that she was sorry. Faerie kept on pushing her, I had to step
in... and she snapped something nasty at me too... she sure can get bitchy
when she's pissed off. Chastity never stands up for herself, which is
strange, because she has every reason to be confident and maybe even
arrogant. Ah well, waddya gonna do.

Better finish up, Faerie seems to have forgiven me.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:11:32/05-11-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Wed, 13 May 1998 13:21:42 +1200

Message no. 26 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Okay, fine, you've made your decision, I guess you do think it's
worth the risks. But be careful.

And you call me unnecessarily sneaky... well, look who's talking.

On an unrelated topic, check this out:

+++++Include file sneak.cmp
[A reasonably high grade sleaze program, compressed for transfer]

Pretty sweet, huh? Maybe you can use it somewhere.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:04:48/05-12-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Thu, 14 May 1998 12:57:45 +1200

Message no. 27 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Dealing in illegal data! Now who's taking risks? :P

Thanks, is what I mean to say. Where'd you get it?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:33:13/05-13-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Fri, 15 May 1998 12:24:32 +1200

Message no. 28 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Therein lies a tale of intrigue and wossname... unfortunately I'll
take it to my grave untold. :P]<<<<<
-- Sawman <20:50:10/05-14-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Tue, 19 May 1998 11:40:06 +1200

Message no. 29 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Russians... sounds wild. If you have any trouble, head this way,
we can find you a place to hide if you like.

Re: not glory: bite me. Thirstein turned up, anyway, and Carlos was out on
saturday, ready to keep on fighting. Faerie had roped us in to helping
Kristling, that guy I mentioned before, with another CoT cell on
saturday... I'm surprised there are any left still, we've heard about other
groups out there fighting the good fight. We went to his meet, but
Kristling never turned up, though his representative was there... he gave
us the info on the target site and we went and had a look at the place. It
all checked out (at first Faerie didn't like it, it felt like a set up) so
we geared up and went in.

The CoTers were inside a warehouse, tres typical, and there weren't many of
them according to astral scouting reports. Terminal blew the roll-a-door
out with a grenade from his AK-98, Carlos drove in with Terminal and
Chastity in the car with him. Faerie flew in after them, opening fire with
her assault shotgun. Thirstein was astral support, I was sniping from the
'com booth opposite the site. Carlos fully drove into a big group of them,
they were shooting, one of the rounds hit him dead in the centre of the
forehead. Chastity jumped out and started kicking and shooting the hell out
of people, until someone shot her from a sand-bagged sniping nest above the
office - one round in the chest, she went down. Terminal opened fire, hosed
the nest down with a long burst from his AK, then Faerie added her fire to
his. She was shooting from above, so her shots avoided the sandbags and
pulped the fragger who was up there. Meanwhile Chastity had been healing
herself. About five more guys came out of the office, Chastity was close
enough to disarm and throat-punch one before he could shoot her, then
Terminal creamed one of them and I got another. One of them shot Chastity
in the guts, she went over backwards, then a spirit appeared and slammed
one of them up against a wall, pinning him there. I shot the guy who had
nailed Chastity, and Terminal blew the pinned guy's guts out with a long
burst. Then we bailed out, leaving some grenades in the car for Carlos'
funeral pyre. It was real pretty - I think he would have approved.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <20:39:25/05-18-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Wed, 20 May 1998 12:30:13 +1200

Message no. 30 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Another one dead, huh? Well, plenty more where he came from. Just
recruit some street kids, they can be next through the grinder. Life in the
sprawl.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:29:22/05-19-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Thu, 21 May 1998 11:49:13 +1200

Message no. 31 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Touche.

Lately I've just been numb - drugged all the time, so I guess my mind has
just skipped over all the deaths... but come to think of it, I've lost
quite a few chummers over the last few weeks... Screwdriver, Spotter,
Carlos. I think that's more than enough, it stops here.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:32:17/05-20-59>

*****PRIVATE: Faerie
>>>>>[There are too many of us dead, it can't go on. Terminal wants to
work with you still, and I do too, but only decking, okay? No more
assaults, it just isn't my style. Chastity - well, I don't know what she
wants. She's always been a little fragged in the head, you know? She can't
decide who's the leader anymore, you or me, and she needs that defined for
some reason. I guess it's you, if you want to be in charge.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:35:26/05-20-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Thu, 21 May 1998 12:40:55 +1200

Message no. 32 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Hey, I don't give two dead chickens for the damn CoT anymore,
they're broken far as I can see. It's Thirstein's got the need to kill them
all. Though this gas attack GKJ and co. are planning is a bit of a worry...
how about we let someone else deal with it though, if it comes to anything
resembling an assault on the fortress?

And as for defining the leader... [insert humourous sexual reference here].
I don't care, really, as long as you do exactly what I tell you ;P.

Anyway, I've got some more paying work coming up... feel like a holiday in
Washington DC?]<<<<<
-- Faerie <18:50:52/05-20-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Thu, 21 May 1998 12:58:55 +1200

Message no. 33 *****PRIVATE: Faerie
>>>>>[Tip off the feds again? I suppose it should be easier to convince
them the second time, since we were right on the first. Yeah, sure, why
not? I'll contact the same guy I got last time.

So, you want a humorous sexual reference, do you? Er... no, can't do it,
not even with no-one reading over my shoulder. It's just not in me. You can
be the leader, I don't care either, as long as I get to do exactly what you
tell me ;P.

Yeah, sure, let's go to DC. I'll follow you anywhere E>.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <20:40:44/05-20-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Fri, 22 May 1998 12:34:21 +1200

Message no. 34 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[If Faerie lets it stop.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:33:51/05-21-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Sat, 23 May 1998 12:11:47 +1200

Message no. 35 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[What the hell is that supposed to mean? What do you think, that
she's a bad influence? Why does that sound familiar? Anyway, you're wrong,
she's happy to cut back on the ops, it Thirstein who wants to kill all the
CoTers in the world. Faerie is quite open to other ways of dealing with
things... for example, GKJ - he and a CoT contact are planning a toxic gas
attack in a downtown mall, Faerie and Thirstein tailed them astrally, found
out where and when, and we've tipped off the feds, so they'll be arrested
pretty soon, with a minimum of bloodshed and publicity. (Thirstein would
have preferred the frontal assault method, but he was overruled - and there
was quite an argument... Terminal thought Faerie was going soft, he also
wanted to attack, I was with Faerie in saying no, let's be be safe, and
Chastity didn't know who to support.) And that's the last of it, we're
giving up on CoT... except for Thirstein, who still wants to continue the
hunt.

Faerie and I are off to DC soon anyway, she's got some work there, I guess
I'm coming along for comic relief. Should be interesting. I'll let you know
how it turns out.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <16:02:23/05-22-59>

*****PRIVATE: Faerie
>>>>>[E> is a heart... and yes, it means what you think it
means.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <16:05:14/05-22-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Sat, 23 May 1998 12:21:49 +1200

Message no. 36 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Emotional turmoil time is what it means. We have to
talk.]<<<<<
-- Faerie <18:22:43/05-22-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Sat, 23 May 1998 12:25:38 +1200

Message no. 37 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Pain. I'm crushed... Faerie just blew me away with the announcement
that she's not interested in "emotional bollocks", that she's just after a
good time.

+++++Begin footage

A cartoon Faerie rips a cartoon Twotongue's cartoon heart out, saying "you
won't be needing this anymore", and drop-kicks it across the room. The
heart hits the wall, and slides down it, leaving a trail of blood, landing
in a bin.

+++++End footage

As long as I can provide that good time, she'll hang around, she said, but
if I get "mushy" on her again, then she's out the door.
_Pain_.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <20:33:54/05-22-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Sun, 24 May 1998 11:28:00 +1200

Message no. 38 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[What do you expect, bro? She's a killer, so she's bound to be pretty
much hardened and emotionally stunted. Don't do anything stupid though, try
to fool yourself into thinking that she cares deep down inside and is
scared to admit it. Hell, maybe it's true.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:43:05/05-23-59>

*****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[The hell with that.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <16:56:17/05-23-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Sun, 24 May 1998 12:04:46 +1200

Message no. 39 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[What do you mean, the hell with that? What have you done,
bro?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <18:49:38/05-23-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Mon, 25 May 1998 10:09:18 +1200

Message no. 40 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Bro? What's going on?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:37:58/05-24-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Mon, 25 May 1998 10:33:05 +1200

Message no. 41 >>>>>[Some bitch named Faerie has killed my brother, Steve
"Twotongue"
Travis, AKA Lightning. I believe there are people hunting her, maybe they'd
be interested to hear she's in Seattle, and will shortly be off to DC for
some work. Probably killing some other poor bastard.

+++++Include file faerie.pic
[A picture of Faerie.]

You want to know why she killed him? He thought he loved her, she was
incapable of feeling anything, being an assassin and general evil bitch. So
he wanted to leave, and she killed him for it. If she couldn't have him,
no-one could, even though she only wanted him a little bit. Sounds like
someone who's deeply disturbed, yeah? I'm sure most of you don't care, but
what the hell, any dirty laundry of hers I can find, I'll air it
here.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <21:46:24/05-24-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Tue, 26 May 1998 11:14:31 +1200

Message no. 42 >>>>>[Oh, man, here we go again. Hey, Sawman, ask Troglobyte what happens
when you piss Faerie off. Oh, sorry, I forgot - he can't answer, 'cause
he's dead.]<<<<<
-- Rand <02:35:57/05-25-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Tue, 26 May 1998 11:15:19 +1200

Message no. 43 *****PRIVATE: Shifters
>>>>>[Hold on, Faerie, what do you mean, you almost wanted to kill him?
Terminal told me you flamed him down and flew off with his corpse.]<<<<<
-- ThunderStone <12:42:54/05-25-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Tue, 26 May 1998 11:18:42 +1200

Message no. 44 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[You idiot! I'm not dead! Faerie's frothing at the mouth here! What
made you jump to that conclusion? Faerie wants to kill you, and she might
even kill me for warning you about that. Luckily I haven't told her much
about you, but she'll find you pretty damn fast with the info about Mom
that she's got. You'd better run, bro. I'll try to persuade her not to come
for you, but I have the feeling I'll fail.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:04:25/05-25-59>

*****PRIVATE: ThunderStone
>>>>>[Can you try to stop Faerie killing my brother?
Please.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:10:16/05-25-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Tue, 26 May 1998 11:21:22 +1200

Message no. 45 *****PRIVATE: Shifters
>>>>>[_Fuck_! Since the inquisition is probably about to start up again,
I'm bringing Twotongue to the warehouse so's you can verify that he's not
actually dead. Terminal seems to have got the wrong idea, and somehow
contacted this Sawman individual with the info that I'd flown in and
dragged Twotongue away after subduing him with magic that might have looked
fatal. I'll see you there, then I'm moving out for a while, for obvious
reasons.]<<<<<
-- Faerie <18:15:27/05-25-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Tue, 26 May 1998 11:23:33 +1200

Message no. 46 *****PRIVATE: Shifters
>>>>>[If you leave town to kill Sawman, then you won't be welcome here on
your return. I hate to issue ultimatums (ultimata? ultimatii?), but I mean
it. I suspect Michael and Kyle at least will back me up on this. You can't
kill everyone who annoys you.]<<<<<
-- ThunderStone <18:21:06/05-25-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Tue, 26 May 1998 11:26:04 +1200

Message no. 47 *****PRIVATE: Faerie
>>>>>[I could never do to you what you've done to me over the last couple
of days. Don't kill my brother. _Please_... I'll do anything you want. Just
walk away, come back here. _Please_.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:30:58/05-25-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Tue, 26 May 1998 11:29:39 +1200

Message no. 48 *****PRIVATE: Shifters
>>>>>[Thirstein, you self-righteous son of a trog bitch, I'm not going to
kill Sawman because he _annoyed_ me, I'm going to kill the cunt because
that's what he tried to do to me. There were people hunting me a while
back, they thought they'd killed me, so they backed off. Now they'll know
I'm alive, so they'll be back looking for me again. Sawman _knew_ that...
he's set the dogs on me, I'm setting the dogs on him. If I find him he
dies, let's see how he likes being hunted. And if you don't welcome me on
my return, then that's fine, I won't bother coming back.

In any case, I'd be leaving town even if I didn't want Sawman, since the
hunters will be here soon, and I don't want to be around when they arrive.
That's for the good of the group, BTW, not just for my own safety.]<<<<<
-- Faerie <18:39:16/05-25-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Tue, 26 May 1998 11:30:24 +1200

Message no. 49 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Don't try and make me guilty, I have no guilt. Maybe I'm defective,
or maybe it's better this way, but that doesn't matter right now. As far as
I'm concerned, guilt is for the real people.]<<<<<
-- Faerie <18:41:06/05-25-59>

From:	Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject:	Re: Family matters
Date:	Tue, 26 May 1998 11:34:55 +1200

Message no. 50 *****PRIVATE: Faerie
>>>>>[You might want to reconsider that. Take time to calm down. Don't
leave town while you're in this frame of mind.

And maybe the others missed Rand's comment about Troglobyte, but I didn't.
You killed him, didn't you. While you were off "flying about and thinking
about stuff". You lying, evil, little... I can't find the right noun to end
that with, but I'll let you know when I think of it. Bitch - too offensive.
Cow - well, a cow isn't quite as deadly as you are. Dandy eater (or
something else racial?) - also too offensive, I wouldn't really mean the
racial component, and it'd sound pretty stupid coming from a trog, wouldn't
it? Oh, speaking of which, you might want to think about your racist
tendencies. They seem to come out whenever you're pissed off at me, and I'm
getting a little sick of turning the other cheek. Sharks don't have cheeks,
they have big fraggin' teeth.

Anyway, you let Sawman go, and I won't draw anyone's attention to Rand's
Tbyte comment.]<<<<<
-- ThunderStone <18:50:41/05-25-59>

Message no. 51 >>>>>[I c'n understand you bitchin' about your brother getting cacked,
but in all honesty bud, why should I give a damn? I mean, if it bothers
you that much, don't whine about it, do something. Kill the slut. Carve
your name in her chest or take a scalp, something but don't whine.

Oh yeah, why the heck would you want her dirty laundry? What, are you
into kipper flavoured knickers or summat? I sure as hell don't want to
see piccies of skidmarks and chessy socks.]<<<<<
-- Twitch <4:48:12/05-25-59>

Message no. 52 *****PRIVATE: Faerie
>>>>>[I know you have little reason to listen to me, still, by the oath of
mutual aid I swore I must try anyway.

I urge you not to kill Sawman. If what you say is correct, he has no
further reason to hurt you, and at least one very good reason to help you.
Killing him will not undo the harm he has done to you, nor will it help you
fight your foes. It will cause you to be ejected from the Shifters and make
you enemies out of whatever friends and relatives Sawman has.

It is not worth it. Believe me, I understand the need for revenge, the hot
fury that turns into cold, cold rage, the burning desire to do unto others
as they have done onto you. I know, because I spent years of my life
seeking vengence upon those who ruined my hopes and dreams, trying to quench
the emptiness inside me with their pain.

But in the end, all I was left with was the bitter taste of ashes in the
chilly dawn.

It is not worth it.

An eye for an eye will leave us all in the country of the blind.

We can help you against your enemies--but only if you choose to let
us.]<<<<<
-- Lorax <20:28:18/05-25-59>

Message no. 53 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[You're not dead? Terminal told me over the 'com that Faerie had
zapped you and then disintegrated the corpse. Damn it to hell.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:58:42/05-26-59>

Message no. 54 *****PRIVATE: Shifters
>>>>>[I would appreciate some assistance; I am not greatly skilled in the
healing magicks, or in helping my fellow man in distress.

It appears Faerie has attempted to kill herself. She tried to hang herself
from a roof beam in the warehouse. I lend the attempt credence because she
used the chicken coop room, where she could expect not to be disturbed
until I came by in the evening. She is alive only for two reasons: firstly,
she is a slender female, and so needs more drop than a kicked-away chair
will provide to snap her neck. Secondly, the Squatter's pet Rat burned
through the rope before she could strangle, and kept her unconscious until
I arrived. It said only "Took your bloody time" to me before vanishing.

I admit to several levels of surprise. That Faerie would attempt suicide,
and that the Rat was observing us instead of Haven, which both needs its
aid more and has some of our number commited to its defence.

Faerie will live, and has suffered little physical injury. However, I have
no idea why she acted as she did, nor can I be sure of preventing a
successful second attempt.

I will do what I can to help her, but I am terribly inexpert at healing:
whether it be wounds of the body or wounds of the mind.]<<<<<
-- Mr Gone <18:41:01/05-26-59>

Message no. 55 PRIVATE: Shifters
>>>>>[I will do what I can for her physical injuries, if Michael doesn't
get there first. As for the rest...]<<<<<
-- Lorax <18:52:23/05-26-59>

Message no. 56 *****Private: Shifters
>>>>>[I just got the message. I'll be there soon. When I get there would
somebody try to fill me in on the "why"?

As for the Rat, I don't know. Last time I saw him he _was_ at Haven, but
it isn't like I keep tabs on the bugger.

I don't know much about healing "mental" injuries. Danielle has never
seemed to take me seriously, so I'm not sure I can help there either.
Hell, we barely know her, let alone what would make her do _that_. So, I
guess unless she wants to talk, there isn't a hell of a lot we _can_
do.]<<<<<
-- Michael <20:39:24/05-26-59 PDT>

Message no. 57 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[I don't think Faerie'll be coming after you now. She can often be
impulsive though, so you might look into moving to another sector of Denver
- somewhere where the border data security is really tight - just to make
it harder for her to catch up with you and thus give her time to think
about whether she really means it.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:34:16/05-27-59>

Message no. 58 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[How did you persuade her to let me live? In any case, we're already
gone. I won't tell you where, but it's a corp facility. I should be safe here.

Tell her I'm sorry, not that she'll care, but I thought she'd killed you.
Terminal was pretty clear about that.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:32:53/05-28-59>

Message no. 59 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Your brother is safe from me, I have seen things that have changed
my way of looking at the world. The Goddess brought me home to her, but the
Rat wouldn't let my body die. Once the shifters found my body and began to
heal it, the Rat was able to come and get my spirit and bring it back,
chaining me once more to this world. I resent it most fiercely. Spurned,
the Goddess demands of me a tribute of death. I must pay for what the Rat
has done, as must the Rat. She has given me a list of those whose blood I
must spill to pay Her price, and I will spill it for Her. I will walk into
the dark places, and I will remain faithful.]<<<<<
-- Faerie <19:08:32/05-28-59>

*****PRIVATE: Shifters
>>>>>[It's too hard to explain why I did what I did, and I am too deeply
ashamed and embarassed to make an attempt at listing reasons. They don't
matter anyway. I'll be avoiding you all for a week or so, just until I can
get my head together. Thanks for trying to help. Sawman is safe from me,
BTW, no doubt that will be your primary concern.]<<<<<
-- Faerie <19:12:33/05-28-59>

*****PRIVATE: Kirk
>>>>>[Give me a week, then I'll tell you everything you need to know.
It's all sorted now anyway, there will be no further repercussions.]<<<<<
-- Faerie <19:15:38/05-28-59>

Message no. 60 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Terminal's due for a major beating. What actually happened was that
Faerie stunned me, then grabbed my body, made it invisible, and flew off.
Terminal thought she'd killed me and then disintegrated the corpse somehow.
Faerie will be giving him similar treatment at some time in the future,
probably.

How did you get inside a corp facility? Got a job there, did you? That's
pretty sweet.

I persuaded her not to kill you by an undignified assortment of begging,
pleading, and grovelling. And then she had some sort of metaphysical
experience, and made up her mind not to come after you. And her magical
group laid down the law too, they said that if she went off to kill you,
she wouldn't be welcome on her return. She's been under a lot of pressure
lately, and it eventually changed her mind. Of course, it may have been a
factor in her attempted suicide, but that's for me to feel guilty about.

BTW, Faerie and I are off to DC this morning. I'll still be in contact,
just telling you for interest's sake.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:19:51/05-29-59>

Message no. 61 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Tammy has citizenship with this particular corp... better not name
it, there might be Faeries about... she didn't want to work for them
before, but this situation has driven her back. The corp welcomes returners
like Tammy, especially when said returners bring with them people with my
level of talent... they're evaluating my capabilities now, with the
intention of putting me to work in some research lab or something. Which is
pretty sweet, as you say, but I am after all extremely good at some of what
I do.

Faerie attempted suicide? Huh?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <18:29:05/05-30-59>

Message no. 62 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[And they tolerate you using shadowland? Ye gods, this must be a new
age of harmony and enlightenment!

Yeah, suicide. She's a bit messed up, I'll admit, but aren't we all? Stress
manifests itself in a number of ways. When you factor in her belief in some
sort of death goddess, it becomes a little more sensible - the way she saw
it, she was going home to her goddess. I think I've convinced her that life
offers much more opportunity for fun, and besides, her goddess will be
waiting for her when she dies of old age anyway, so why not hang around for
a while? She seemed to buy that.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <16:54:16/06-01-59>

Message no. 63 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[They monitor everything going out, but not where it goes. There are
limits to what I can send... text only, and no more than >>size of a small
message<< MP. I imagine that if anyone ever started sending out research
data by installment then they'd crush hxx like a bug after the first
package went out.

As for this goddess stuff, all I can say is "huh?" again.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:10:12/06-02-59>

Message no. 64 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[So what about incoming messages? Any restrictions on file type,
size, etc?

The goddess... I'll see your "huh?" and raise you one "what the hell is she
on about?". Faerie won't tell me much about her (Her?), except that,
apparently, she gives Faerie targets to assassinate every so often. Scares
the hell out of me, I half think she's just making it all up or insane or
something, but the targets are always people she doesn't know and has never
even heard of, so that adds some support to the idea that there's a being
of some sort guiding her, but a goddess (or god for that matter)? That's a
bit hard to swallow. Of course, any attempts to argue about how unlikely
this goddess is will almost certainly result in her administering a
thrashing the likes of which I've never endured, so I won't be bringing
that up any time soon.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:47:09/06-03-59>

Message no. 65 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[They didn't mention anything about incoming stuff, but I guess they
must check it occasionally. So no more telling me about the illegal
exploits of Faerie and co. And as for file type, I don't know. If forced to
guess, I'd say you can probably send me anything you like, since the
security is only there to prevent outgoing datasteals.

Faerie... sounds like insanity, but like Doc Magic says every week, who
knows what is possible in this Awakened World? It's easier to swallow than
the idea that some Goddess is giving her targets. Still, this Goddess could
be some sort of free spirit, that'd make sense. Maybe the kills are random,
maybe they're part of some cunning plan (to take over the world?), I dunno.
Either could be possible, I guess.

You pay taxes?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:17:59/06-04-59>

Message no. 66 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[No more exploits? But I have to tell someone. How about if I encrypt
it?

I'd have thought she'd recognise a free spirit, but I don't know, some of
them can mask their auras, or something along those lines. And then even if
she did recognise it, maybe it had such awesome power that "goddess" was
the only term she could think of that fits. Either way, it doesn't really
matter whether it/she exists, Faerie believes in her, and she does what
she's "told" to do.

Speaking of which, yesterday Faerie told me that after coming back from
astral projection on wednesday night, she found that her body wasn't where
she left it. _Very_ strange.

Yes, I pay taxes. In fact, I own a small business. I also have shares in
Shiawase (not many, and I don't attend AGM's... I can just see myself
standing up and saying "I believe we should make advances in the area of
metahuman rights", and someone asks how many shares I'm voting for, and I
say "ahh... twenty", and everyone laughs at me).]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:46:17/06-06-59>

Message no. 67 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Encryption would probably piss MatSec off, and it'd certainly raise
some suspicions. Added to which they'd almost certainly be able to crack
whatever encryption you can put on it - superior resources always win in
the end. Someone told me unofficially that they don't restrict file type
incoming, but they do random spot checks every so often. I still want to
know what you're up to, but you'll have to decide whether you feel safe
telling this stuff to a corp... they might decide to blackmail you into a
job some time, that'd be fun.

Her body wandered off by itself? How often does that happen? Damn, I'd be
drekking myself! How's she taking it?

Your business... laundry, by any chance?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:58:30/06-07-59>

Message no. 68 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Now Faerie's been possessed by a rat spirit. Goddamn it. And we've
got a meet tonight with people Faerie doesn't trust. I don't know if I can
take this anymore.

And yes, it's a laundry ;P How'd you guess?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <14:34:51/06-08-59>

Message no. 69 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Hey, remember what happened last time you tried to dump her. We don't
want a repeat of that little dance.

And what sort of spirit is a rat spirit? The way I heard, there were no
animal spirits, except the insects. What's a rat spirit, exactly?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <18:32:06/06-09-59>

Message no. 70 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[No, you're right, we certainly don't. In any case, I talked to her
about it yesterday, how she's been worrying/scaring me a lot lately, and
she got slightly weepy and told me to try and fight through it, that she
would _never_ hurt me... intentionally. I didn't, and still don't, like the
addition of the word "intentionally" though... I had a momentary image
flash across my mind - I saw myself lying cold and dead in the rain, and
Faerie was weeping over my corpse. Pleasant thought, yeah?

And what the hell do I know about spirits, I'm just a gutterpunk ganger,
for frag's sake. Do some research, corp-boy, and you can tell _me_ what a
rat spirit is. All I know is, it calls itself the Rat, and it's stuck in
Faerie. I wants out, and she wants it out, now that she knows about it.

Story time, the hell with matsec, let 'em try and blackmail us...

Remember that meet I mentioned on the 8th? There was a job offered on the
4th, and Faerie wanted it, so after a few exchanges the employers asked her
to meet with them in a hotel suite on the night of the 8th. Faerie had cold
feet, so we had a look around the place, did some background research, and
Faerie didn't go in, instead she sent Chastity as a representative.

Before Chastity entered the hotel, which had weapons scanners at the doors,
she had prepared a bundle for Faerie to smuggle in, containing her two
Predators. She met Faerie inside for the handoff, then Faerie flew out a
fire escape door. Chastity had a microcamera and transceiver on her, so's
we could see what she saw and so on. Faerie took up station in the air
outside the window, watching Chastity's footage through her RCD, Terminal
and I were in the van, also watching the footage.

Chastity entered the room at about 2200, and there were five people in
there waiting for her. Two suits, a couple of muscle types, and a shaman of
some sort (from the feathers he wore his totem was probably some sort of
black bird... Raven or Crow or something). "Hoi," says Chastity, "why all
the..." and then the muscle types grab her and the shaman zaps her with
something, and she falls back into a chair, the muscleboys holding her
there. Terminal was out the door in a flash, heading inside, I got my rifle
ready (BTW, I'm using gel rounds now), but hung around a bit longer. It
didn't look like they were hurting her, so I wanted to see what they
wanted.

The shaman took her Predators off her, and checked for any other weapons,
then nodded to the suits. One of the suits came over and asked Chastity
"where is Faerie?". Chastity looked dazedly around and said she didn't know
what the guy meant. The shaman said something about lying, and one of the
muscleboys stabbed Chastity in the arm with a spur. "You know," Chastity
said, "If you'd asked nicely I might have told you, but all this grabbing,
zapping, holding down, and torture drek is just pissing me off." The shaman
started laughing at that, as did one of the suits, but the muscleboys
didn't look amused. Chastity was looking down at that point, I saw the arm
wound just close up - magic, I guess. Then the window burst inwards,
bubbles of flexiglass flying everywhere. The suit who hadn't done any
talking yet was close to the window, he jumped up shouting and then
something knocked him arse over elbows. Chastity lunged up and headbutted
one of the muscleboys, the one who'd stabbed her arm, and he let her go,
falling over in a daze. The other stuck a spur in her gut and twisted it
around some. The shaman was looking around for a target, releasing a burst
of about five or six fiery darts, but none of them hit anything. Then a
shotgun blast bounced off some sort of bullet barrier around him, and he
threw a spell - sort of like a moving wall of fire - the way it seemed to
have come from, briefly outlining what must have been Faerie's form. The
muscleboy who'd gutted Chastity grabbed the conscious suit and shoved him
towards the door, getting outside just as Chastity gained her feet and
threw herself at the shaman - I guess she healed herself again, because her
guits didn't spill out on the floor. Ravenboy wasn't looking at her, so she
easily knocked him over, then sat on his chest and started clawing his face
off. The muscleboy she'd headbutted came towards her from behind, but
before he got there, a long burst of buckshot tore him into pieces. Faerie
became visible, scooped up the unconscious suit, and flew back out the
window. At that point I headed for the hotel, following Terminal. As I
crossed the carpark, I saw Chastity jumping off the 3rd story fire escape,
and landing in a landscaped garden with a "oof" noise. She got up after a
moment, and ran for the van.

Meanwhile, Terminal had gotten inside, he was unarmed, so no trouble with
the scanners. The two elevators were up on the 7th and 12th floors, so he
took the stairs. And halfway up her met the two who ran off. He recognised
them from the footage, but of course they didn't know him, so he let them
pass, then threw himself into a flying kick at the muscleboy's back,
knocking him down the stairs. The suit squawked, and started running.
Terminal would have followed faster, but he landed badly from the kick, and
by the time he started after the suit, the muscleboy had gained his feet
and was in the way. They started fighting on the landing, close quarters
grappling, at which Terminal is pretty good. They slammed each other
against the walls a few times, then Terminal broke the other guy's wrist,
got him in a headlock, and choked him unconscious.

The suit reached the lobby at the same time as I did. He was looking
nervously over his shoulder, up the stairs, but I spotted his face when he
turned back and hurried across the room towards the door. I left again,
making like I'd forgotten something, and sprinted across the parking lot to
the van, meeting Chastity there... she had a "what's up?" expression on her
face, but there wasn't time to say anything. The suit left the hotel as I
got inside, he was heading for the street. I rolled down the driver's
window, and sitting in the passenger seat I shot him three times, two in
the gut, one in the chest. He went down gasping for air and rolling around.

Then Faerie arrived in the van, dropping off the other suit. "Nice
shooting," she said, "Meet me at CLHQ" and went to grab the one I'd downed.
(She told me later that she took so long to get from the hotel room to the
van because she had gone down through the hotel to check whether the second
suit had escaped. I shot him just as she came out the hotel door and was
thinking about dropping him with a spell.) I drove off, and halfway out of
the parking lot I had to stop for Terminal, who came sprinting out of the
hotel with a security guard on his tail yelling "Sir? Can I assist you?
Halt or I'll shoot!". Chastity sent a few rounds at the guard, and he
ducked for cover long enough for Terminal to reach the van, then the guard
got up and shot at us some more as I drove off.

Now Faerie is busy asking the suits why they wanted her found.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <16:03:24/06-10-59>

Message no. 71 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Yeah, very pleasant.

I'm afraid I'm too busy to go researching spirits, rat or otherwise. I'm
recruiting an OPFOR for a test of security, and the people I recruit have
to be trustworthy enough that they won't take anything if they beat their
way in, and untrustworthy enough that they're decent deckers... it's one
hell of a headache.

Chastity: she has claws and fangs, right? I've never heard of a physad with
anything like that sort of power. Very strange.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <18:41:08/06-11-59>

Message no. 72 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[I'd ask to sign up for your OPFOR, but 1) I'm untrustworthy, and
2) I'm a below average decker, so what's the point?

Chastity: I don't know if I've heard about claws and stuff, but there are
those totemic physads, and they sometimes get manifestations of their
totem... like this guy Kyle that Faerie knows, when he uses his low light
vision, his eyes go like a tiger's. So the claws might be like a physical
manifestation of the cutting hands (or whatever it's called) power. Same
with the fangs.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:31:23/06-12-59>

Message no. 73 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Is that humility, or is it a fact?

Chastity: yeah, now you mention it, I guess I can recall reading something
about that in that post on new magic that hit S-land a couple of years
back.

So, Faerie find out what those suits wanted yet?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:15:43/06-14-59>

Message no. 74 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Just the facts.

And yeah, Faerie did find out what they wanted - turns out they were from a
terrorist/freedom fighter group in CalFree, and they wanted her dead
because she messed with them earlier. She and Chastity gave the pair of
them a beating and let them go a couple of days back, with the message
"just stop trying to find me, I'm too damn good for you punks, you're just
wasting time and effort that could be better spent elsewhere". Letting them
go was the last thing I expected, but she seems to have decided
capriciousness and unpredictability are attractive, and who am I to argue?
Someone who doesn't want a beating, that's who.

Speaking of which, she had another job last night... she had to seduce and
beat the living daylights out of some poor bastard who's employers wanted
him taught a lesson... seemed a little excessive, but waddya gonna do...
she told me that the main part of the lesson involved a tattoo by the maori
method (the maori, apparently, being the native inhabitants of the country
she came from) - said method involving cutting open the skin and smudging
ashes into the cut. She then healed up the cuts (so he couldn't get the
ashes cleaned out after she let him go), so now he has the phrase
"Exterminate all metafilth!" in a messy script across his forehead - best
of luck to him next time he leaves home.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:32:00/06-15-59>

Message no. 75 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Always better to avoid a beating, that's my
motto.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:18:59/06-16-59>

Message no. 76 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Sensible motto, but I bet you don't get to use it very
often.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:54:38/06-17-59>

Message no. 77 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[No, you're right, I don't get to use it very often, but it never
lets me down. Anyway, this is a silly conversation.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <18:13:22/06-18-59>

Message no. 78 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Okay, I'll start another one... Faerie asked me to help her in a hit
last night, and of course I couldn't say no... she said she needed me, and
I couldn't argue against that - I guess I'm hers, a million cliches
couldn't describe how I feel about her. But she's leading me down a dark
path. A very dark path.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:29:12/06-19-59>

Message no. 79 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Another hit already... how many does she go through?

Anyway, what can you do? She wouldn't lket you leave her if you wanted to,
so I guess all you can do is hang on until she gets sick of you, or until
you get killed in the crossfire... hey, at least life won't be boring...
short maybe, but not boring.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:59:23/06-20-59>

Message no. 80 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[No idea how many she goes through, because there could be some I
don't know about. All I know is there have been two hits and that tattoo
lesson since the suicide attempt. Speaking of which, she seems to have
bounced back totally from that... it's like it never happened.

Oh, and thanks for the advice, bro, it really cheered me up.

On another note, yet another vaguely interesting thing has occured... you
remember Thirstein? Security guard, works at SEA-TAC... well, yesterday
someone got geeked in a mugging gone wrong, on his shift, and he was
somewhere nearby. At the end of the shift his supervisor started chewing
him out, and Thirstein started to get pissed, and he told the guy to go to
hell, it happened too fast for anyone to do anything. "Especially a great
lumbering trog like you, huh?" the sup said, and everything went quiet,
then Thirstein says "I'll pretend I didn't hear that," and the sup replied
"Why don't you just pretend you're too stupid to understand it, trog?". So
Thirstein got pissed (the dude's a shark shaman, you know what they're
like) and proceeded to stuff the sup upside down into a rubbish bin.
Needless to say, this may cost him his job. There's a hearing next week
some time to decide on disciplinary action, if any. Shouldn't be too bad,
he was obviously provoked, but you never know.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <20:17:39/06-21-59>

Message no. 81 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[The way I hear it, attempted suicides get like that... embarassment
and so on after a failed attempt will keep her from mentioning it at all...
but I bet she's thinking about it plenty. I don't know if you should talk
to her about it though... maybe you should see a therapist or something,
see if there's anything you should be doing to help her.

I do love the classics... upside down in a bin - pure class. Tell him I
said so. And let me know about the disciplinary hearing.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:43:31/06-22-59>

Message no. 82 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[I'll see what I can do... I'm a bit hesitant though, I don't want to
make things worse.

And a bit of fun last night... Chastity was making a delivery for me, and
she got shot at. She fought her way out, killing one yak soldier in the
process. She got back here and I panicked a little, Faerie was nowhere to
be seen, not at home, not here, Thirstein hadn't seen her or heard from
her... I started to wonder if she'd been hit by the yaks too... bit
paranoid, but they might have known where we hide out. She eventually
turned up though, she'd been out on business.

Looks like it's time for another turf war. Cry havoc, and let slip the
chickens of war! Best time for it, with all this magical terrorism, we
shouldn't even be noticed with our little mundane conflict. The Star has
plenty of trouble already.]<<<<<
-- Lightning </06-23-59>

Message no. 83 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Because of eavesdroppers, you mean? Yeah, I see your point. Never
mind, I'll give you a few updates later maybe. So far we've only been
getting ready anyway, arranging some gear, that sort of thing. I don't know
if we can compete with the yaks, but damn if I'm going to just let them
move on in to my area. And I've got Faerie on my side.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <15:53:10/06-25-59>

Message no. 84 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[You won't back off though, will you? No, just keep on throwing
yourself into ridiculous and hopeless situations, trying to prove you can
beat the odds... well, good luck, I guess.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:46:04/06-26-59>

Message no. 85 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[I don't like the sound of that... I didn't ask for this to happen,
and I can't just walk away... this is the only turf I have, the yaks have
got plenty of this town, they don't need my bit. I care more - in fact I
doubt they care at all. Except for rep and honor and so on, maybe... I
dunno, what the hell else can I do but fight?

On another note, Chastity and Thirstein seem to have become an item...
shall we gossip a little?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:42:21/06-27-59>

Message no. 86 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Nothing, I guess... but be careful, okay? And remember to use Faerie
as much as you can, since she at least is a pro at this.

Chas & Thirstein... don't know if it's any of our concern, in fact I know
it's not, but WTH... let's gossip... tell me some details.

Of course, I won't hear any of them until later... I'm about to leave town
for a couple of weeks, got a conference to go to. I'll talk to you when I
get back.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <18:12:35/06-28-59>

Message no. 87 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[I'm back. What's been going on?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <21:25:50/07-08-59>

Message no. 88 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Lots:

Faerie: geeked about four people, I helped out in one of them. Some of the
others were with this guy Segen who she sort of wants to recruit for a
permanent team (which includes me, I guess, since I come running whenever
she calls). She also let slip that she had had some involvement in the
Chastity/Thirstein romance. Apparently she arranged for Chastity to hook up
with him in order to distract him when he suggested going after the
Illuminated. It took some persuading, but I found out why eventually. Her
Goddess told her to join the Illuminated, to help them with their scheme.
So she joined them. Then Thirstein started frothing at the mouth to go
after them, so she had Chastity distract him, so that she wouldn't have to
kill him. The fact that she joined up for her Goddess is a bit of a
worry... it shows a certain ruthlessness... I guess I already knew that
though. She still scares me.

Anyway, after she'd met the leaders of the Illuminati, the Goddess told her
to bring said leaders to Her Garden on the metaplanes. There the Goddess
told Faerie that no, She wanted the Illuminated destroyed, actually. Faerie
had been told that She supported them so that they wouldn't pick up any
mixed loyalties in the inevitable mind probe when she joined.

There was a battle, and the Goddess fed the Illuminated to Her evil spirit
things (which almost got Faerie, too). Faerie was pretty pissed off, the
Goddess had basically lied to her and messed her about, but she can't do
anything about it, can she? So now the distraction is no longer required,
but Thirstein and Chas are still together.

Thirstein's hearing: he and the supervisor each got two weeks suspension on
no pay, and Thirstein was told to take an anger management course or be
fired. To which Thirstein replied "He's alive, and that's due to anger
management." The board were not impressed by that statement, so he's been
attending the course.

As for Chastity and Thirstein, they've been spending a hell of a lot of
time together... and he has a lot of time right now, since he's been
suspended. They've been quite noisy too, has driven me out of the building
a few times.

Yaks: two encounters so far. First one was on 06-29

Chastity, Faerie, me, and a new recruit named Dan (his middle name is John,
so we call him DJ or Deej, which he _hates_) on our side, four yaks with
Uzis against us. Chastity was in position for sales, I was overwatch in an
apartment across the street, Faerie was sitting on the couch in the
apartment, watching the trid, and Deej was down on the street near Chas.
This car with darkened windows starts driving quite slowly down the street
towards Chas, and it just didn't quite feel right, you know? So I was
watching it, and all four windows rolled down quite quickly, and I alerted
Chastity by radio, then the yaks opened fire. Chastity was already moving
back into the escape route we had planned, an alley that leads into a
parking lot. The car pulled onto the sidewalk, two guys still firing, and
then the four yaks poured out, one shooting at Chastity as she disappeared
around a corner. I dropped one with a gel round to the back of the head,
the others took cover behind the car. Chastity then appeared around the
corner again, two Predators out, and opened fire. One went down straight
away, a second took a round in the shoulder, then him and the last returned
fire. Chastity was moving sideways across the end of the alley, a hard
target, but one of them scored anyway, so she fell back. Then DJ came
across the street, rolled across the Yak car's hood with his semi-auto
shotgun, dropped into a crouch by the two remaining Yaks and blew them both
away at point blank range. Then he went to join Chastity, and we all moved
away in our separate directions.

Second conflict was 07-02. This time they came in a bit more cunningly... I
was in overwatch on a fire escape, lurking just inside a fire door that
lead out to the escape itself. Thirstein was down on the street, DJ was
with me, and Chas was selling as usual. A couple of customers tried to
avoid payment by beating hell out of Chas... one of them distracted her,
the other hit her over the head with a baseball bat, then I dropped him
with a gel round, and Thirstein moved in and beat the snot out of the other
one. I think now that the yaks must have arranged that to find out where I
was, because about five minutes later, there are two yaks coming at me and
DJ. We'd been paying attention to the elevator, so when it stopped on our
floor we were watching, and we managed to get out the fire door before they
opened fire (with uzis again). We went down the escape like greased quick
things. I waited at the bottom, and hit the first yak I saw with a gel
round to the forehead, and waited. The other yak pulled his mate back, then
he must have bailed. Deej and I ran across the street to join Chas and
Thirstein, and we all got the hell out of there.

Since then, everything has been quiet. Maybe they were just putting out
feelers, maybe they'll be back. I suppose I could approach them, and ask
what the hell they're doing... or send Faerie to do it.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:44:09/07-09-59>

Message no. 89 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Faerie: she certainly goes through them pretty damn fast, don't
she... and setting up Chas to distract Thirstein was an unusual method... I
wonder what she would have done if it didn't work. And speaking of this
Goddess again... are you starting to believe that She is one?

Glad to hear Thirstein didn't get fired. And that Chastity hasn't dropped
him as well... that would have been unnecessarily painful for him.

Yaks: Well, you survived again. :P . How do you think they'd react to some
sort of deal? Maybe you could become a producer working for them, and they
could handle distribution. You're damn good at production, and you always
say distribution is annoyingly risky... you think you could make ends meet
that way?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:41:10/07-10-59>

Message no. 90 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Yaks: It'd be giving in, but WTF... I'll put the word out that I
want to talk deal, and we'll see what happens.

Thirstein: Yeah, for some reason, Chastity has decided she _really_ likes
him... it's like soppy day-time trid... hooker with heart of gold meets
decent loving man, and they live happily ever after... nice to see, I
suppose, but it makes me wish my thing with Faerie was so simple.

Speaking of whom, a couple of days back Faerie asked if I'd object to a
little pain, I said "huh", and then she levitated into the air, spun head
over feet, and dropped her boot heels on my shoulders at enormous speed.
There was an audible crack as one of my collar bones broke, both my arms
went numb, I screamed in pain... she healed me up afterwards, but
_jesu_christi_, that _hurt_. She said she was just testing it out to see if
it would work. "It _works_," I told her.

And yeah, I think I'm starting to buy this Goddess idea. Or at least accept
that there's something there. Faerie believes that it's a Goddess, and
she's seen it, I haven't... as long as I don't have to do anything, then I
guess I'm like "yeah sure, Goddess, why not?".

That guy Segen I mentioned... I think Faerie may have hooked him... we went
to meet him for some drinks last night, I think he was expecting just
Faerie to turn up, and I think she may have dragged me along knowing that,
just to show that she was already spoken for (or is that my vanity
speaking? Does she consider herself "spoken for"... maybe I should ask
her... no, I'm too scared, she might break my arms again). Anyway, I
offered to wait in the car, jokingly, and that sort of smoothed it over.
He's a small wiry street sammy type, wired at ridiculous levels, one of the
few dinosaurs who still don't have reflex triggers. Don't know whether by
choice or by cash constraints... and I guess it doesn't matter much. He's
fairly vocal about the Illuminated, and similar stuff, seems to think
registering mages and putting them to work is a hell of a good idea...
Faerie got fairly menacing when he admitted to that, and he kind of backed
down on the issue.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <21:56:35/07-11-59>

Message no. 91 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Giving in to a superior force makes perfect sense. Swallow your pride
- pride never helps, it only hurts.

Chastity was a hooker?

Faerie testing it to see if it works... who was she going to use it on?
Anyone specific, or did she just want to test it before using it in a
fight? And how fast could she pull it off?

Goddess - I just don't care anymore. If she wants to believe in a Goddess,
I can't see how it affects me.

So Segen's joining up... that makes Faerie, you, Terminal, Chastity, Segen,
and DJ, right? Bit heavy on muscle, don't you think?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <19:06:13/07-12-59>

Message no. 92 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Pride: I'm sure that's a quote from somewhere...

Chastity: yes, she was a hooker, in addition to her role in my little
industry. She never liked it much (well, duh!), and once I was making
enough to pay her enough to live on, she got right out of it.

Testing: don't know why, I could ask, I guess... and as for the speed,
pretty damn fast seems about right. Not too accurate though, she was aiming
to crack all the shoulder bones and thus totally incapacitate both arms,
but all she got was one collarbone. Practice makes perfect, I suppose, but
damn if I'm going to volunteer for further practice.

Goddess: yeah, well I have to care, it affects me quite alot.

Bit heavy on muscle... what the hell would you know, corp boy? You can't
have too much muscle... though I can see how one might have not enough of
[other classification]. Anyway, DJ's just a ganger punk, he's concerned
with my industry only, not part of Faerie's assets. And Thirstein is
sometimes part of it too, on a case-by-case basis... so that's two mages
and a decker versus three muscle types, hardly muscle-heavy. Though I
suppose Faerie and Thirstein can both apply some muscle if they need to.
Anyway, who cares?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <21:09:57/07-13-59>

Message no. 93 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Pride: Yeah, you got me.

Chastity: a physad who had to become a hooker to make ends meet? I'm not
buying that, not for a second. What's really going on?

Muscle debate: touche, what _would_ I know? Except that I work in the
security industry.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:32:07/07-14-59>

*****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Got a warning for that last message... no more mention of anything
security related.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:53:13/07-14-59>

Message no. 94 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Chastity... you know, I never thought of that... what the hell was
she doing there? I know this wasn't before she discovered her powers,
because I saw her fight back then... very strange. I could ask her about it
I suppose... or get Faerie to, they seem to have some sort of bond there.
Or Thirstein even.

Pride: so where's it from?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:21:10/07-15-59>

Message no. 95 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[I wouldn't ask Thirstein, he might not know what she used to do, and
if you spill the beans, she'll want to roast you over a slow fire.

How's the yak deal going, BTW?

Pride: I can't tell you that.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:25:56/07-16-59>

Message no. 96 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Bean spill: Good point. I don't think it matters enough to ask her
and remind her of it, come to think of it. And it's not really my business.
Maybe later, or maybe I'll just let slip to Faerie that that's what she
used to do, and let Faerie blunder in with her size twelve "sub-til" boots.

Yak deal: no reply yet.

Pride: Why not?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:41:36/07-17-59>

Message no. 97 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Why no reply from the yaks yet? I would have thought you'd get
something pretty quick. How do you know the guys who attacked you were
yaks, BTW?

Pride: I just can't. It would be cheating.

Sub-til boots?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:46:57/07-18-59>

Message no. 98 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Yaks haven't replied yet because they're thinking about it, of
course. No more attacks yet either, so they must still be considering. And
I don't know for sure they were yaks, but they acted and looked like yaks,
and when I let it be known that I was willing to deal, there was some
confirmation of that.

Pride: Okay, go to hell then.

Sub-til boots: subtle, but said as a particularly dense individual might
say it. I.e. Faerie is not very subtle sometimes.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:14:21/07-19-59>

Message no. 99 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Pride: Why so hostile? I'm just following the rules.

Yaks: no answer could be ominous. Like they're prepping for a surprise
attack, maybe.

Sub-til boots: Okay, that makes perfect sense.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:41:54/07-20-59>

Message no. 100 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Pride: Rules smchules. Bite me.

Yaks: Got an answer night before last, shortly after I sent you my last
message... they're willing to consider a contract of sorts, we'll be
negotiating it over the next week or so, then I'll probably go to work for
them. It'll be a smaller cut, but a larger market, so I should come out
ahead, with any luck.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:12:40/07-21-59>

Message no. 101 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Good luck in the negotiations... 2 nuyen says they try to geek you
some time this week.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:27:34/07-22-59>

Message no. 102 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Well, I certainly hope you're wrong. We'll be careful, of course, no
physical meets until we've reached an agreement. I already know they're
impressed with my product, which adds a margin of safety.

Speaking of which, I've started a new line, based on recording from Faerie.
It's not too hot technically, she's not wired for sim-recording so I have
to go through a 'trode-rig, but what comes through is pretty good. Magic
stuff, generally, like what casting a spell really feels like, and flying,
and so on. Of course we can't do authentic astral excursions, but we've
been working on a simulation.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:19:35/07-23-59>

Message no. 103 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[How do you know they're impressed by your product? If they told you
>>>>>that, then they might just be lulling you into a false sense of your
>>>>>own value to them.

Think you could send me a copy of the flying simsense? A
within-legal-limits variant, of course.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <23:38:19/07-24-59>

Message no. 104 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[How could they not be impressed by my product? It's superb. And
they'd have to be impressed with the revenue I was acheiving, and the rate
of return customers and so on... I was a hell of a good dealer, much easier
to deal with than any of the ones I had to use before I started producing.

Of course I could send you a copy... I'll even give you a discount ;P.
Flying BTL normally goes for about 200 nY, for a legal limits variant I
couldn't in any conscience charge more than 20, 25 nY, and for you I'll
make it 15. Howzat sound? Oh, BTW, she's extremely wasted in this
one.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:30:22/07-26-59>

Message no. 105 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Such modesty.

Mutter grumble...

+++++Transfer credit 15 nY

Mutter, grumble, this better be good...]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:09:56/07-27-59>

Message no. 106 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Modesty schmodesty... it's true. I sell good product at reasonable
prices... doesn't sound like much, but it's pretty damn rare around here.
Maybe things are different in the Treaty city.

It will be good, even the legal limits version.

+++++Include file flying.sim
[Being a simsense file recorded by Faerie, incredibly stoned, flying around
the Seattle sky at night.]

Enjoy.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:14:27/07-28-59>

Message no. 107 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[That _was_ good... Tammy liked it too. Flying was _great_, the view
was pretty damn nice... was Faerie aiming for picturesque, or was it a
coincidence? Picturesque doesn't sound like the Faerie you've told me
about, but I guess you never know.

And what does "wasted" constitute, anyway... that was nothing I've ever
used.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:16:30/07-29-59>

Message no. 108 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Wasted = on cannabis, aka pot. It's a plant, I know some people who
grow it in a hydroponic unit. Dosage by smoking. Great stuff, IMHO, and in
Faerie's too. It causes some lung damage, about similar to cigarettes, and
there are some mental side effects that come with long term use, slightly
worse than the equivalent level of BTL use. Picturesque... yeah, I think
she was looking for a nice view, I think she always does. Of course you
have to get quite high before the sprawl looks good.

On another topic, you remember Lee Preston? He just made contact, seeing if
I was still in town. I'll let you know more as I get it.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <16:23:34/07-30-59>

Message no. 109 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Lee Preston... didn't he buy it down in CalFree? Got hooked up with
the meta rights crowd, and caught some rounds in a failed strike on an
I-Marine depot... at least, that's what I heard (and I have a sneaking
suspicion I heard it from you).]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:34:41/08-02-59>

Message no. 110 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Yeah, I heard he was dead, and I probably told you that. He just
answered, I'm meeting him for some drinks tonight.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <20:31:10/08-03-59>

Message no. 111 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[So what's he been up to?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:14:51/08-04-59>

Message no. 112 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[He's changed, bro...

Faerie and I went to meet him at the Blue Beetle (the club near CLHQ). We
were a little early, so Faerie started playing pinball to pass the time. I
was at a table, getting started on my first beer, then I see this ork guy
jander up to Faerie, and he says something like "that's one hell of a good
score", and Faerie says "yeah, but I'm cheating... shaped barrier stops the
ball falling through the gate." At this point I started feeling muscular,
you know, this guy talking to my woman, so I head that way, and he says
"you're a mage?" as I'm walking. She says yes, then I arrive, and ask him
his intentions, and he takes a longish look at me, then says "I don't
know... eat, drink, make _love_!", just like Lee always used to... so I
take a closer look, and it's Lee! He's goblinised. "Lee?" I ask, the truth
dawning. "Twotongue!" he yells, "How you been?" I was flabbergasted...
had
to babble something quick, about how I didn't recognise him in that new
body, asked him which gym he'd been using. He took it in good humor, I
guess, but when he'd had a little to drink, he admitted to feeling pretty
damn low about goblinising, although he admitted it could have been worse.
Thirstein was there at that point, he asked how exactly it could have been
worse, assuming that Lee meant he could have become a _troll_, of all
hideous things. Lee said something about a comparatively gentle change, and
Thirstein bought it. I'm still not sure which way he really meant it.
Anyways, he was looking for a gig, so I've signed him on. He's wired a
little now, low level reflexes, some headware, and a bit of bioware too. He
got cagey when I asked how he afforded it all, said it had to do with some
of the mess he got into in SF, and wouldn't specify what exactly happened
there.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:45:39/08-05-59>

Message no. 113 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Well, dip me in drek and use me to paint the house (been waiting for
_years_ to use that phrase... wasn't really worth the wait, now I see it on
the screen... oh well). Tell him I say hoi.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:27:32/08-06-59>

Message no. 114 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[He says hoi back.

On another note, the deal with the yaks is finalised, but I can't really go
into details. This is hardly secure.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <19:21:49/08-08-59>

Message no. 115 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Security - lack thereof: Yeah, I guess you're right.

Lee: Has he told you any more about what went on down in SF?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:15:59/08-09-59>

Message no. 116 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Lee hasn't mentioned SF yet, and I get the distinct feeling that he
doesn't want to talk about it, which is why I haven't brought it up yet. If
he wants to tell me later, then fine, I'll let him decide when the time is
right. Though I too want to know.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:00:34/08-10-59>

Message no. 117 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Is Lee on s-land?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:15:05/08-11-59>

Message no. 118 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Nope... he contacted me here, but he had to pay so much to do so
that he isn't interested in getting back on here. He's with us now anyway,
so he doesn't need to be here looking for work, not that there's much to be
had these days. Though s-land did get us picked up by some anti-humanis
outfit, paid a retainer and all. Faerie, Segen, and Chastity are on a job
from them now, out in Chicago (BTW, I think Faerie went through Denver to
get there, and is coming back the same way - be afraid, bro, be very afraid
;P).

BTW, I was checking my old messages, and you bet me 2 nY the yaks would try
to geek me within a week. That was more than a week ago, and they didn't
try to geek me, so pay up.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:19:31/08-12-59>

Message no. 119 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Faerie in Denver: Bite me. Besides, you said she doesn't want me
anymore.

Bet:

+++++Transfer credit 2 nuyen

Choke on it :b ]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:33:19/08-13-59>

Message no. 120 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[She might have changed her mind.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <19:31:22/08-16-59>

Message no. 121 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[:d :P :b :d :P :b :P

Back to Lee... you say he got some low level wires, and some other toys...
what sort of price are you looking at for that sort of thing? You'd know
more than I would, but wouldn't it be too much for most people to afford?
And why's he back in Seattle?

And where have you been since friday?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:09:49/08-17-59>

Message no. 122 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[I was out of town, went to meet Faerie for a few days holiday in
Vegas. _Very_ nice, but pricy.

Lee: You sound supicious... why is that? Anyway, from what I've seen he's
got probably between one and two hundred KnY worth of cyber, and no way of
telling how much bioware. And there are any number of ways he could have
picked that up... he was with the Metahuman rights crowd, remember, and
some of them have some serious assets behind them. Or he could have ripped
someone off, made a big score. And he hasn't told me why he came back yet
either. But then, the situation that made him leave has kind of
changed.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:08:43/08-18-59>

Message no. 123 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Why did Lee leave?

On another note, I might be in line for a promotion... and after only a
couple of months... there seems to be a fairly high turnover here. Some guy
got extracted two weeks ago, and a top exec got blown up yesterday.
Intercorp rivalry seems to be hotting up.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:37:45/08-19-59>

Message no. 124 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Hotting up: Yeah, this guy Nighthawk, new decker for Faerie's crew
(since I'm not good enough for her majesty), has mentioned that he's
getting more jobs than ever right now. He's not really top tier, but
there's so much work out there that he can pull high rates, since there
aren't enough deckers to take all the work.

Lee: I thought you knew why he left... it was over a woman, name of
Cassy... Lee wanted her, and told her so, but she didn't want to know.
Then, later, she slept with him to get revenge on her cheating boyfriend.
The boyfriend found out, went after Lee with a knife, Lee half killed him,
then went back to Cassy, expecting her to welcome him with open arms (and
other limbs). She was not too happy at the pummelling her boyfriend had
received - she still loved him (or so she claimed), she had just wanted him
to suffer a little. So she told Lee where to go, and he took off in a mix
of rage and pain. Shortly thereafter the boyfriend beat Cassy half to
death, cut her up pretty bad, and it was his good luck that Lee never found
out about it. The gang did to him exactly what he did to her, Lee would
have been _much_ worse. What's changed is that Cassy no longer associates
with Cold Lightning, and I think she might have left town - she was pretty
fragged up by the boyfriend's attack, traumatised and all that drek, took
to hardcore BTLs. The whole thing was something of a tragedy, I guess.

Speaking of tragedy, Faerie got shot yesterday... for which I mocked her a
little... she's been acting like she's immortal lately, wading on in to any
crazy situation. This time it didn't quite work. She'll be fine, of course,
magic healing and so on, but the lesson is learnt. There'll be much more
invisible skulking in future.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:59:32/08-20-59>

Message no. 125 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Hotting up: I notice no expression of fear for my safety.

Lee: Hmm... you're right, that is a tragedy. Oh well, waddya gonna do?

Faerie shot: At this time, I have no comment to make regarding this
issue.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:48:21/08-21-59>

Message no. 126 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Tragedy: now that you mention it, maybe I should try to do something
>>>>>about it... help Cassy out somehow, or at least get Lee to try and
>>>>>find her again... maybe, I dunno.

Hotting up: Are you a valid target though? Aren't you too low on the ladder
to be worth killing or extracting? No offense meant ;P ]<<<<<
-- Lightning <23:10:21/08-22-59>

Message no. 127 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[No, I'm not too low to be a target... well, I'm probably a bit low
for extraction, but not too low to be worth exploding. Although that sort
of thing is more common in management, since I actually produce something,
and am thus an actual asset - though that's not always much
protection.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:42:07/08-24-59>

Message no. 128 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Watch where you park your car then... wouldn't it suck if you swiped
someone else's spot, and your car got wired up with the bomb intended for
him/her.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:23:38/08-25-59>

Message no. 129 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[It'd be quite humorous, IMHO... at least, there would be a funny side
to it. Although there'd be a downside too, of course.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:05:27/08-26-59>

Message no. 130 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[So were you in line for a promotion or not?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <15:40:31/08-27-59>

Message no. 131 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Just got back from a team building exercise... stupidest damn thing
I've ever been involved in... and I still don't know about the promotion,
though I believe conduct on this exercise may be one of the deciding
factors. And my attitude to how stupid it was probably didn't help me
any.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <18:30:39/09-01-59>

Message no. 132 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Sorry to be out of touch for so long... Faerie and I have just had a
hellish trip across the mountains into Denver... stupid smugglers had to
change vehicles halfway, and we couldn't all fit into the second one. So
they sent us on foot with a guide and the most miserable stupid bastard of
a donkey I've ever had the misfortune to encounter. Freakin' thing had
muscle augmentation, so it could carry a drekload, but stubborn? Annoying?
_Christ_ yes. Anyway, we're in town now, the UCAS sector, I might come see
you some time if we can arrange it.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:55:24/09-06-59>

Message no. 133 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[You bringing Faerie? [quivers with terror]. And you'd better not even
suggest any wrongdoing while you're here. I'm a responsible member of
society now.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:46:57/09-07-59>

*****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Faerie's with me, yeah, but I can leave her at the motel if you
like. I'm in the CAS sector now now. Where can we meet? Bring mom and Tammy
if you like, too. One big happy family. And I wouldn't dream of suggesting
any wrongdoing. What sort of scum do you take me for?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <13:20:34/09-07-59>

*****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[>>Address in the CAS sector<<, say 1800? It's a little
cafe, pretty
nice. Bring Faerie if you like, just keep her on a leash ;P.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <14:22:51/09-07-59>

Message no. 134 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[You back yet? Gimme a mail when you arrive.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:47:17/09-15-59>

Message no. 135 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Yeah, I'm back. Hiding out right now, due to trouble with the law.
Nothing much to talk about really. I guess we could always discuss the
weather.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:16:30/09-20-59>

Message no. 136 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Getting pretty damn cold this time of... oh, you were being
sarcastic. How droll.

I got the promotion, which is sweet. New apartment with a much nicer view,
new office, slight salary upgrade. Heil Saedder-Krupp!

So what've you been up to that got the law after you?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:49:23/09-21-59>

Message no. 137 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Can't talk about my illegal activities or lack thereof, security,
remember?

And you're not supposed to tell me which corp you belong to, either. But
SK... didn't you tell me it was a minor one?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:17:09/09-22-59>

Message no. 138 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Of course, security... not shame, couldn't be that.

Anyway, sorry about the long wait, there was another team builder thing. Re
your question about which corp, SK snapped us up about a month ago - I
didn't tell you because I didn't think you would care one way or the
other.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <18:28:48/09-27-59>

Message no. 139 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Faerie does quite a lot of work for SK... quelle coincidence.

Where's the new apartment, BTW?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:30:29/09-28-59>

Message no. 140 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Hmmm... paranoia kicks in... I hear the dragon is into control in a
big way, maybe he bought us to get something to hold over Faerie...
although given the fact that she wanted to kill me not too long ago, I'd
make a pretty feeble thing to hold over her.

The apartment is in the same building, just up on the twelfth floor. Nicer
than where I used to be, but not as good as the fifteenth.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:58:04/09-29-59>

Message no. 141 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Yeah, I hear that too, but she's hardly worth buying a minor corp
for... well, I might do it if I could afford to (and other soppy drivel,
mainly based around what I would do for Faerie). I would guess that Lofwyr
would be a touch more pragmatic about acquisitions.

Late breaking news... this crash, how's that affecting you? Has it yet?
Will it, you think? Faerie's climbing the walls here, some guy's paying her
to do something by dividends off some stocks he owns, won't tell me any
more than that, but she's worried the companies in question might go
under... load of drek, if you ask me, I mean the company still exists,
still has hard actual assets with which it can do stuff, make stuff...
economics, who the frag understands it? But we let it run our lives anyway.
Oh well, worse things happen at sea.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:58:55/09-30-59>

Message no. 142 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Yes, the crash hit us... much of our work is in maintaining various
automated stock market systems, and those needed some pretty heavy
on-the-fly correction just recently... stupid suits yelling at us that they
want their computers fixed _now_, but we can't turn them off, or reboot, or
even puase for a moment... frag it all to hell... that's where I've been
these last three days, in case you were wondering. Personally speaking, I
couldn't give a damn about the crash, but Mom is in trouble. Returns from
investment schemes are right down at the moment (why they can't just hang
on to their stocks when the market crashes, I'll never know... instead they
just sell everything and drive the price down even further... still, they
probably know something I don't). Anyways, the upshot is she's back to
dependence again, about which she's not too happy. Maybe if things look up
later, I don't know...

Anyways, unless Lofwyr bought us to hang over Faerie, he's probably
shitting bricks right now... we're worth about half what we were when he
purchased us - in terms of share price, anyway. So if he'd waited about a
month, he could have picked up a real bargain. Guess that means he wasn't
behind it, so that's one conspiracy theory shot down before it gets
started. Or maybe he did it, and we were purchased to throw the conspiracy
nuts off the scent... yeah, that sounds suitably devious, we'll believe
that, shall we? Much better than the Faerie hypothesis.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <18:16:29/10-04-59>

Message no. 143 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Your busy weekend: my condolences, but it seems pretty tame compared
to what we've been suffering here.

Last week Faerie and I finally hooked up with Lee, Chastity, and Terminal.
Turns out Segen was caught, shot while resisting arrest, and died in a
suspicious fire at the hospital in which they put him. So we've been
keeping off the streets, living in an even worse part of town than usual,
afraid to go out most of the time, you know how it is - well, I'm sure you
can guess, anyway. Still, we figured that because there were no fatalities
on the job that got them after us, and they don't have much to go on, they
should stop chasing us soon.

But, it turns out they haven't been after us since about two weeks ago,
almost as soon as they started. I went in to their system with help from an
ork decker I met recently, guy name of Nighthawk, and had a poke around at
the file on us. There was this flag there pointing to another file, which
we had to hack open, and in it there was this thing about what they called
"slow fire". Apparently there's some other investigation going on that
involves Cold Lightning, and thus the job we pulled recently has to be let
slide for a while at least. And that little piece of info scares the
blood-stained drek out of me. In order for it to be important enough to
cost them a weapons heist bust, it has to be something to do with my yak
connections, I guess... but what the hell do I do now? I can't pull out of
my deal with the yaks for at least a year... I guess I could tell them I've
been made, but then they'll probably want to hack off a finger or
something, and bugger that for a barrel of chickens. Damn if I know what
I'm going to do, to tell the truth.

And then there's this other matter as well, involving Faerie, her contact
at SK Seattle, and a magical stereo. I'll leave you in suspense and tell
you all about it when it gets finished.

As for your conspiracy theory, well that's a nice try, but you'll need more
than that to persuade me. Of course, with what that marketeer guy said, it
sounds like the dragon is profiting, but then he always does, doesn't he?
Anyway, everyone who kept their head could have made money on this...
Faerie and I purchased some mixed big 8 shares about a day after the market
bottomed out. They're slightly up now, and should keep climbing for a
while. Even if they don't, well they've got to be worth hanging onto in the
long run, for damn sure none of the big eight'll be going under any time
soon.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:23:35/10-05-59>

Message no. 144 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Yaks: And when you decide what to do, you probably shouldn't tell
me... although that might change soon. With the change of ownership, the
security dept is being cut down a bit, especially in the personnel security
area. So they might not have enough people to read all my mail.

Stereo: Fine, leave me in suspense. Just to piss you off, I don't care
about the stereo. :P

Falling eight: You never know, one or more of the big eight could fall...
all it'd take is a few coincedences, say most of the other big eight
staging big ops at the same time, and/or stock market maneuverings,
assassinations, whatever... it could happen... and what do you know, in
between then and now, that Marketeer guy announces that Fuchi's taken a
pummelling... I hope you two didn't get any Fuchi stock.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:10:37/10-06-59>

Message no. 145 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Security cutback... glad to hear it... but what other changes are
going on? Or is that information on a need to know basis only?

About the yaks, well, I still haven't decided. I've let them know that
there may be a problem, I just hope that's enough. Meanwhile Terminal,
Chastity, and I are cutting our ties to the gang, which sux the fat one,
but we have to to be safe.

Falling eight... nope, couldn't get any Fuchi, but looking at the price
now, I'd say that wasn't too much of a loss. Of course, the Yamana-Nakatomi
struggle might push it up again.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:09:28/10-07-59>

Message no. 146 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[It's fairly common knowledge that Lofters is trimming the management
a little, and like I thought the security cutback is going through. This
kind of thig isn't really a matter for secrecy, no-one gives a damn about
this. Internal security might be a touch sensitive, but whether they're
reading our mail or not... a suppose that might be a _little_ bit useful.
Far as I know they still monitor it, but I don't know how... hmm... maybe
I'll go looking. You hear that? I'm coming to find you.

Oh, paranoia. Anyways I've been slotting that sim you gave me at the
Cavern, "Toasted". Very damn nice, brother. And very kind of you to give me
a non-degrading copy. Ohh.... yeah....

Cutting ties... that does inded suck the fat one. I'm not sure _which_ fat
one, or indeed fat what... and I'm sure I don't want to. What about Lee?
And Spotter? Oh, he's dead, I forgot... there must be some of your old
chummers there still?

I don't think the Yamana-Nak struggle should get it up to pre-crash levels,
or even above pre-latest drop levels... you would have lost out, I'd
predict. Especially if Fuchi falls apart on this one. Now there's no
stabilising influence like Villiers, it cvould turn into a straight out
fight between Nak and Yam... before if that had happened, the third would
kill if the weakened victor, but now there's no reason not to start
something. Watch the markets, and the shadows, there's something _big_
coming. Mark my words.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <16:58:03/10-08-59>

Message no. 147 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Paranoia: better to be paranoid when you didn't need to than vice
versa...

Ties: no-one but Lee really... Carlos is dead, Spotter too, the only ones
left from the old days are Terminal, Chastity and Lee. Lee I haven't seen
for a while, probably won't much either. He wasn't involved in the job that
got the cops after us, and there's no need to take him down with us.

Nak-Yam: Yeah, there's always sopmething big coming down... happens at
least twice a year. I don't see how this is going to be any bigger than
usual.

And now I can tell you the tale of the magic stereo:

On the 4th or 5th, Faerie got a call from her contact in SK. She was told
to go to a particular place and meet someone there, said someone to give
her details of the job she was to perform. She went to the meet, and was
told to kidnap the daughter, Janet, of Trevor Shaw, a stockbroker. Demands
would then be made of Trevor, Faerie wasn't told what they would be, but
she guessed that it would be something to do with the crash. So she went
and had a look at Trev's place, spotted the daughter, tailed her to school,
checked out the bodyguard (an ork guy in a cheap suit and mirror-shades),
all the usual stuff. Meanwhile I was checking up on Trevor's background...
one ex-wife, a large mortgage almost paid off, no other creditors I could
find, miscellaneous investigations into his trading activities, but no
convictions. He had a license to carry a concealed firearm, but who doesn't
these days?

So Faerie decides she's going to hit them on the run - while the kid's
going to school, she'd have her elementals stop the car, and rip the roof
off, then one of them could scoop up the kid while she's nailing the
razorguy with a sniper rifle. Pretty basic, not much can go wrong. But when
she tries it, none of her spirits can get near the car. Some sort of
repulsion power activated by their presence, or something. So Faerie waits
until the car gets to the school, and the kid gets out, and the bodyguard
waits there all day. Faerie goes astral, and takes a closer look. There's
nothing she can see, until she gets to about five metres out. Then the car
stereo comes on, and she can hear it playing some sort of music - she's in
the astral, so all she can hear is the emotional content, pretty peaceful
sort of stuff. She wakes up some time later, like a minute at most she
guessed later, and she can't remember what she did in that time, but now
she's backed away from the car. She figures it's something to do with the
stereo, so she goes back to her body and whips out her sniper rifle, takes
aim on the stereo and fires.

+++++Sound effect >>humourous ricochet noise<<

The bullet bounces off a barrier. Now Faerie's pissed off, but she decides
to leave anyway. She can hear the stereo playing still, the music in
question turned out to be Bach's Air (I had to look it up, it's a _damn_
nice piece of music).

+++++Include file bachair.snd
[Being a recording of Bach's "Air (on the G string)".]

Note that "on the G string" refers to scales and stringed instruments... I
had a good laugh at that one too. Anyways, she backed off, and decided to
try another tactic. She told me later that there seemed to be some sort of
spirit living in the car stereo. The age we live in, huh?

Two days later (the 7th), she geeks the bodyguard at his house and assumes
his form by magical methods. She's been watching him, so she knows how he
acts when picking up the kid to take her to school. So she drives the
bodyguards car to Shaw's place, and picks the kid up. I was running cover
for her, and Terminal was in the van with me. Faerie and the kid get into
Shaw's car to drive to school, and then we lose Faerie's radio signal.
Which is tres bad, because she's got her remote deck in her bag, so her
drones are now deaf and dumb (since then we've put a backup system in the
van, 20-20 hindsight and all that). But it could be worse, she's got her
elementals ready, and we can follow her in case she needs more help. So we
follow, then suddenly I see the convertible top flip up, and Faerie flies
out, holding the kid, leaving the car empty. Faerie goes invisible, so we
don't know where she is, but we figure she'd be heading for us. Then the
car turns around, without a driver I might add to make sure you didn't miss
that, and heads right for us. Terminal's driving, he doesn't know what to
do, and neither do I. Then there's a heavy thud from the roof, Faerie
landing, (I just got slapped around the ear for that "heavy thud" bit -
apparently Faerie believes she landed lightly and she doesn't weigh much in
any case. What I figure is that the shape of the car must have magnified
the sound waves so it sounded like a small elephant, when from above - and
in reality - it was a light and delicate sound) and she drops in through
the hatch up there. The kid is crying and wailing, so I slap on a tranq
patch, and she shuts up. Meanwhile the car is still coming towards us at
ramming speed. Terminal waits until the last moment then throws the van
into a sort of sidestep, and the car scrapes along the side of us and
bounces off a bit. Terminal hits the gas again, and we start to get the
hell out, and then I look out the back window, and the car is still
following us. Still no driver. "What the fuck?" Faerie says "There wasn't a
remote rig in there...".

+++++Sound effect >>"the plot thickens" music<<

Terminal takes some random turns, and the car follows us, gaining ground
but slow, because there's plenty of traffic for Terminal to cover. Then
Faerie notices something interesting - the fragging car is healing itself,
like it's Christine. _Not_ good. Faerie pulls her autoshotgun out and kicks
the back doors of the van open, lets rip with a long burst of EX explosive
rounds. The car bounces about, hood flies open, tires are fragged, and it
crashes into a parked Saab at the side of the road. Sweet, right? Wrong,
after a moment, the bitch starts moving again. It's hood reforms itself as
it backs up out of the crushed Saab, and the windows all reverse-implode
into place, and it comes for us again. Faerie grabs the kid, says something
along the lines of "see you guys later, yeah?" and flies out the back,
heading away from the road. And what do you know, the car follows her. We
figured later that it was the kid it was following, and Faerie said she
expected that to happen (yeah, right - I figure there's at least a 1 in 3
chance she just deserted me and Terminal to die in the street like dogs).
So, with Chrissy off our tail, we were able to get clear, and met up with
Faerie later.

So, all happy and good, right? Wrong again. About 0700 next morning (the
8th) I get woken up by the sound of something approximately the size and
weight of a car hitting the wall downstairs. I take a look out the window,
and there's Christine again, banging on the fragging door! I couldn't
believe it at first, it was like a fraggin' nightmare. Faerie wakes up too,
takes a look out the window beside me (I take a moment to notice how _damn_
fine she looks, and appreciate how lucky I am, but that's neither here nor
there). She says something _very_ unladylike, and we grab the kid and kick
Terminal's door down. He wakes up slowly, having been drinking the night
before, and we head for the roof.

Looking down, we can see that Christine's bashed the absolute fuck out of
the wall downstairs. There are a few people outside trying to break her
windows - because the windows are smoked glass, I guess they couldn't see
that no-one's inside, and must have figured that whoever it was needed a
pounding before he/she knocked the building over. So Faerie dumps the kid,
and drops onto the roof, goes astral. She comes back after a moment, and
says that she can't defeat the spirit that lives in the stereo, and it can
feel the kid, so we have to either bail out and dump the kid, or go
somewhere the car can't follow. First option is out of the question, so
Faerie flies off with the kid

Faerie spent the next couple of days on a small island in the Puget Sound,
hoping like hell that Chrissy wasn't about to appear out of the water like
an automated leviathan. Meanwhile Trevor had been told what was up, and he
gave in to Faerie's employer's ultimatums, whatever the hell they were. The
kid was dropped off on a wharf downtown, and Christine was there waiting
for her. After Faerie put the kid down, Chrissy approached carefully,
opened a door for the kid, revved the enginge a few times for the sake of
menace, then drove off with squealing tires. That was this morning.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:47:25/10-11-59>

Message no. 148 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Paranoia: No it's not, they're equally bad.

Ties: That's a shame... I don't think I ever met Terminal, but I remember
Chastity. Now there's an inappropriate name if ever I heard one.

Nak-Yam: Touche... but it could well be more vicious than usual... civil
wars are always nastier.

As for the tale of the magic stereo, not only was it misnamed, it was also
rather boring apart from the bit about the regenerating car. Added to
which, kidnapping? Isn't that a bit much?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <18:20:09/10-12-59>

Message no. 149 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Paranoia: I'm sure that less than needed is worse than more.

Nak-Yam: You're right that civil wars tend to be nastier, but I don't think
that can be applied to corporate warfare. Still, what the hell would I
know?

Kidnapping: a bit much? You mean, don't my morals prohibit that sort of
thing? If so, then the answer is no, they don't. Killing the kid would have
been hard, but Faerie would have done it anyway, and even if I'd tried to
persuade her not to, I doubt she'd have listened. It was unlikely to come
to that in any case. You've got me thinking though, in terms of the bad
shit I've found myself doing. But most of the time it's a him or me sort of
thing, or I need the money, so I got no choice.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:43:01/10-13-59>

Message no. 150 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Paranoia: I don't care enough to argue.

Morals: I didn't think you had many left, to be brutally honest... what is
there that you simply won't do?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <12:09:20/10-14-59>

Message no. 151 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Paranoia: Fine, bite me, don't discuss it then. Just 'cause you know
you're wrong.

Morals: There's plenty I won't do. Selling to children, pushing, lyuing
about the product, short changing, not paying debts... but as to the
sanctity of human life? I'm not so sure. Mess with me, I'll kill you. Why
not extend that to interfere with my goals, I'll kill you. And a short step
from there to get in my way, I'll kill you. I don't think I'll slide as far
as that guy who hosed down the bus did, but you never know. It could
happen.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <13:06:20/10-15-59>

Message no. 152 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Hello?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:37:45/10-17-59>

*****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Soon... working.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:45:32/10-18-59>

Message no. 153 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Don't be so impatient.

Anyway, on the topic of morals... all that dealer's code stuff was a little
odd, I would have thought that once you decide to break the law and sell
BTLs you might as well throw all the other rules out the window too. As for
extending the criteria for killing people, how far do you extend them? It
seems like Faerie's go out as far as "look at me funny and I'll kill
you"... or is that an unfair exageration?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:47:53/10-19-59>

Message no. 154 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[The dealer's code stuff, as you call it, is more a matter of common
sense than mroals, when you think about it. Not ripping off the customer
ensures more custom. Not selling to children is the only non-sensible one,
I'm not sure why I've stuck to that one. Something about not being able to
make their minds up because they don't know all the risks yet, or
something.

Criteria for killing... I don't know, actually, I just make it up on a case
by case basis. Faerie likewise, I guess. Look at me funny isn't much of an
exageration.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:54:41/10-20-59>

Message no. 155 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Where do draw the line then, between children and adults? As young
as 10 I can remember having opinions and wanting rights. And then there are
some people aged 20+ who don't seem to have a brain in their head. How do
you decide whether someone's a customer or a kiddie?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:02:54/10-21-59>

Message no. 156 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[On a case by case basis, I suppose. Whatever my conscience allows me,
maybe. Like everyone else I guess I make up the rules as I go.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:13:12/10-22-59>

Message no. 157 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Nice system of morals. What do you contribute to
society?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <20:49:58/10-23-59>

Message no. 158 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[I manufacture a product that plenty of people are willing to pay for.
What more does anyone do?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:55:25/10-26-59>

Message no. 159 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[I suppose I do the same, really... but the long term consequences of
chip use are pretty bad, so how do you square that with your
conscience?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:31:23/10-27-59>

Message no. 160 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[I let the user decide, it's not my place to make decisions for
anyone.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:11:16/10-28-59>

Message no. 161 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[I am not my brother's keeper?

Sorry, not buying.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:19:51/10-29-59>

Message no. 162 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Well I'm not my brother's keeper. He can make decisions for himself.

Anyway, even if I decided it was wrong, I still need the money.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <20:49:22/11-01-59>

Message no. 163 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Hmmm... time to let it drop, I guess.

On another matter, what have you and Faerie and co been up to? Anything
interesting.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:59:34/11-02-59>

Message no. 164 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Just when it was getting interesting...

The team and I have been practicing our ops by doing over liquor stores and
other crap like that... getting the timing perfect, all the technical side
of it well covered, etc... it's netting us about 50 nY profit per time, but
the practice is what we're after anyway.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:27:25/11-03-59>

Message no. 165 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Sounds intriguing... what about the yaks? How'd you sort out that
little problem you were having? And are the cops still after you?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:58:17/11-04-59>

Message no. 166 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>["Sounds intriguing"... there's a phrase that's almost never
said
without sarcasm.

And the yak trouble is sorted out, we've set up some procedures for meets
and so on, they're still interested in my product, seems I've built up
quite a fan base.

And the cops seem to have given up, like I said. In any case Faerie,
Terminal and I have got some new SINs, and Chastity never was registered,
so we should be clear now. FX.]<<<<<<
-- Lightning <16:49:30/11-05-59>

Message no. 167 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Intriguing... yeah, a little bit, maybe. But it was vaguely
interesting.

Fan base... really? Your work is sufficiently distinctive that they can
tell the difference?]<<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:36:06/11-06-59>

Message no. 168 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Yes, my work is sufficiently different... thematically it is,
anyway... if that's the right word... they certainly recognise Faerie, and
probably a few others who turn up often. I'd say there are sufficient
constants in it that they couldn't fail to recognise my work. Plus the
quality is good, and that's a rare thing.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <16:27:31/11-07-59>

Message no. 169 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Good quality BTL is rare? Why?

And you say Faerie features in most of them... isn't that a little
dangerous, in terms of legal complications and so on?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:58:41/11-08-59>

Message no. 170 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[It shouldn't be rare to find good quality BTL, but it is... I guess
because most of the people who sell the chips don't give a damn, and what
are the customers going to do? Ask for their money back? Not possible, the
sellers are already showing a certain lack of respect for the law, you're
more likely to get your head beaten in than your money back. And the
customer's an addict, so s/he's not likely to just stop altogether. And
there's not much ability to shop around since sources are few and far
between. The normal market forces don't get applied. I on the other hand
like to use my own product, so I make it good, and I provide legal limits
variants on most of my stuff too.

As for legal complications, I suppose you're right... but what can one do?
The Faerie line is pretty successful.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <15:22:50/11-09-59>

Message no. 171 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Interesting as it has been discussing the relative moralities
involved in BTL sale, I can't say I care any more. Anything else to
discuss?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:42:32/11-10-59>

Message no. 172 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Fine. No more morality talk. But regarding BTLs, here's a legal
limits
version of my/Faerie's latest.

+++++Include file rcoaster.sim
[Being a simsense recording of Faerie flying (presumably by use of
levitation magic) around the track of a roller coaster, and scaring the
hell out of the passengers thereon.]

On an unrelated topic, you coming back for the big game?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <18:01:59/11-11-59>

Message no. 173 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Not to hassle you artistic wossname, but maybe you should try a
recording when Faerie _isn't_ stoned out of her tree... or does that
particular set of circumstances never happen?

What big game?

And BTW, what's Lee been up to... is he part of your team or not?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:06:05/11-12-59>

Message no. 174 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[That particular set of circumstances happens every so often, but it
never really occured to me to record while she isn't wasted... yeah, sure,
I'll give it a try.

What big game? What big game? Words fail me.

Lee... haven't seen him for a while, I might see where he's got to.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <15:47:51/11-14-59>

Message no. 175 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Well when you record her unwasted, let me have a copy, okay? It might
be interesting, spotting the differences.

And I don't know what bnig game you're talking about... even if I did, the
odds against me coming back for it are astronomical. As you well
know.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:48:52/11-16-59>

Message no. 176 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[I caught up with Lee, he's pretty eager to start work, so we signed
him up. Faerie's got some work for us too, which is nice to know... some
cash'll be useful. Not that I'm not making a fair amount with the chips,
but other sources are always cleaner than yak money.

The big game... fair enough, I suppose I did know that.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <19:35:19/11-17-59>

Message no. 177 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[How unclean is the yak money?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:17:15/11-18-59>

Message no. 178 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[I don't know specifically that it's unclean, but that slow fire
thing has got me a little concerned about my Yak connections. If there is a
trace on that money, then I could be in trouble, so I've been having it
laundered pretty thoroughly. Anything we make through other work is
generally going to be safer.

And in reply to your earlier comment...

+++++Include file gig.sim
[Being a simsense file of Faerie at a hard rock gig in a seedy bar.]

She's not wasted this time, as requested. And it's legal limits, of
course.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <21:22:06/11-21-59>

Message no. 179 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[How does one test the cleanliness or lack thereof of money?

Gig.sim... hard to decide whether it's better when she's sober, really.
Maybe you should do some market testing or something. Flying while sober
might be a good one to try.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:09:57/11-23-59>

Message no. 180 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Testing cleanliness... no idea... I asked Faerie, the only thing she
could suggest was spend it and then wait to see if you get busted.

We'll try to get a non-stoned flying sim out soon, I'll let you know.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <21:45:28/11-24-59>

Message no. 181 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Testing cleanliness... the Faerie method... well that's one way to
go about it I suppose... not perhaps the way I would choose in your
position, but still a way that might work.

Who won the big game by the way?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <20:32:13/11-25-59>

Message no. 182 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Testing cleanliness the Faerie way... yeah, that's pretty much what
I said to her. She shrugged and told me to think of a better way, which I
was unable to do. On the other hand, if I try to trace the flow of credit
from them to me, and can manage to do so, then that shows the money's
unclean... too complicated for me, I'm just a chiphead ganger, after all.

The big game... who won? Not us unfortunately... drunken and angry fans
spilling out of bars and into the streets, domestic violence all over town
rises, fights erupt over the slightest excuse, all manner of trouble.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:21:46/11-27-59>

Message no. 183 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Cleanliness testing... I'll tell you what, send me some of the credit
in question, and I'll try to trace it backwards starting from you. Howzat
sound?]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:11:35/11-28-59>

Message no. 184 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[That's a bit risky don't you think? What if it's
dirty?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <22:01:25/11-29-59>

Message no. 185 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Don't worry about that, I'll set something up so it looks like you
bought some mail order software from me. I'll even send you some software -
beta test version of a very user-friendly word processing application. Cost
of about 25 nY, to make it look realistic.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:05:11/11-30-59>

Message no. 186 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Okay, here it comes...

+++++Transfer credit 25 nuyen

This better be worth it.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <20:05:56/12-01-59>

Message no. 187 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Here's your WP...

+++++Include file wp.cmp
[Being a compressed version of a word processing utility.]

I'll let you know what I can find out ASAP.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <12:21:02/12-02-59>

Message no. 188 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[Thanks. Now I play the waiting game.

In other news, we finally pulled a real op after all those weeks of
practising. Went smoothly, no losses, in and out in about 3 minutes. The
job was to recover a blood sample for a wage-slave who had fled the corp in
question, for reasons I never got told (Faerie gave me some "need to know"
garbage).

Any news from corp land?]<<<<<
-- Lightning <17:46:29/11-03-59>

Message no. 189 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[It's been a hellish couple of days... I traced it from you thru a
bank in the CAS to a matrix based service in Denver, who told me politely
but firmly to back off. I came at them from a different angle, went thru a
channel that the FBI etc can use, and then followed that trail to a
restaurant in Seattle, the Floating Cloud, >>address<<, >>matrix
address<<.
If they're a cover for yak operations, and that's known to the authorities,
then you _could_ be in trouble, prooving it is another matter of course.
And there are those two ifs. I don't know if that's safe enough for you...
if it's big enough money then you might consider laundering it further.
Remember, they can confiscate assets pretty much willy-nilly if you're ever
convicted.

News from corpland... not much really. Been pretty quiet once the heads
stopped rolling after SK came in. Just business as usual.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <21:53:12/12-05-59>

Message no. 190 *****PRIVATE: Lightning
>>>>>[Hey, who's turn is it today? Oh, who cares.

A hot tip for christmas... buy shares in ASB (Aotearoa Savings Bank)
next tuesday, they're planning some market manipulation and all SK
employees have been given some advance warning. Probably insider
trading, but waddya gonna do? The price'll start to drop on tuesday when
it goes post dividend, so wait until it bottoms out. Then they've got
something worked out to push the price up again, damn if I know what
exactly.]<<<<<
-- Sawman <18:25:41/12-11-59>

Message no. 191 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[I'll be out of contact for a while... going on a cruisem, which
leaves in about half an hour. Catch you when I get back.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <08:24:38/12-18-59>

Message no. 192 *****PRIVATE: Sawman
>>>>>[I'm back in Seattle... man that was a hell of a trip. All was fine
until we got raided by some corporate hit men... so we abandoned ship, and got chased by
some more of them in a speedboat, then floated around a bit till we washed up on an
island. A week or so later we were picked up by a coast guard boat, and since then we've
been aprtying in a Miami SK hotel. Anyway, we're back inSeattle now, so back to business
as usual.]<<<<<
-- Lightning <13:28:655/01-11-60>

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