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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject: HC run
Date: Fri, 2 May 1997 09:33:43 +1200
*****PRIVATE: RJohnson
>>>>>[What a disaster that was. Has Lorus told you what happened yet?
I'll add my footage to whatever she gave you anyway...

+++++Include file hcrun.ftg

I'll be coming in tonight as usual, watch this before then so we can
discuss it when I arrive.]<<<<<
-- Ronin <15:32:22/05-01-58>


*****PRIVATE: RDecker
>>>>>[Send RJohnson your transcript of the radio traffic. I've already
given her the footage from my micro-camcorder.]<<<<<
-- Ronin <15:34:57/05-01-58>
Message no. 2
From: Jaimie Nicholson <jaimie.nicholson@********.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject: Re: HC run
Date: Fri, 2 May 1997 10:18:49 +1200
*****PRIVATE: RJohnson
>>>>>[As Ronin requested, I recorded all our radio traffic during the
run on Hard Corps. The quality was a bit sketchy in some places, they were
running some fairly good ECM in there, so I've given you a transcript
instaed of the original file. I believe Ronin gave you the camera footage
from the distraction team. With this added, there should be plenty
available for tactical analysis. I think though, that it's fairly obvious
what went wrong. The run was a setup from both ends.

Dramatis Personae:

Ir: Irish, samurai
Ma: Mani, samurai
Nu: Nuts, mage
Nw: Nightwolf, B&E
Rd: Me
Ro: Ronin
Sl: SIR team leader
Wt: Wildthing, combat decker

Due to the com-gear we were using, Ronin could hear and talk to whoever he
wanted to, as could I and the leader of the SIR team, but that the other
members of the distraction team could talk only to each other. Also, due to
the fact that the comms were using an ASIST effect to turn thoughts to
radio signals and back again, there's no background noise (neither
confusing nor informative, so you won't hear the grenades going off or
anything). Also, you won't get any of the communication between Nightwolf
and Sunday, the rigger who was waiting outside with a truck for
transporting the cyborg and emergency artillery as and when needed.

I've started the transcript as the distraction team enters the secondary
target. Our astral cover had already stripped away all the magical defences
and left the resident wage-mage as a steaming heap of ash.

Transcript begins:

Rd: Time is 03:34:02. Doors opening in three... two... one... go!

Ro: Mani left, Irish right.

Ma: Clear.

Ir: Clear.

Ro: Get that door, RD.

Rd: It's on an isolated system.

Wt: I can get that.

Ro: How long?

Wt: Soon.

Nu: I'll take a look behind the door.

[12 seconds pass.]

Sl: We're in.

[13 seconds pass.]

Wt: Opening in ten seconds.

Nu: There are two guys behind it. One on the left, close, another three or
four metres back, looking the other way.

Ro: Mani, the one at the back. I'll take the close guy.

[5 seconds pass.]

Ro: Drop him!

Ma: No clear shot yet, angle opening... He's down.

Ro: Irish, take point.

Rd: Go east, three doors, then into the fire escape stairwell... I'm
opening it now.

Ro: You got that camera RD?

Rd: Yeah... okay, two levels up...

[20 seconds pass.]

Rd: okay, there's a security desk up here, I'm going to cause the lights to
short-out in the corridor to the west, that'll distract them, and I'll open
the door at the same time.

Ir: How many?

Rd: Four.

Ro: Irish takes the guy on the left, Mani next one in, I'll take the third,
Nightwolf gets the guy on the right.

Rd: Okay, wait at the door. On three..two... one... go!

[5 seconds pass.]

Ma: Target down.

Ir: He's down.

Nw: Cleared.

Ro: Frosty. Any alarms yet? WT, check the desk computer.

Rd: I've got nothing here.

Wt: Clear here.

Ma: These four are confirmed down.

Ro: Where now RD?

Rd: West corridor, third door.

Sl to Rd and Ro only: Point one. There are a few cameras around though...
can you take care of that RD?

Rd to Sl and Ro only: I got no cameras on this host, and I've checked for
VM's and other tricks... Okay, distraction time. I'll bring the backup
guards here, that should get you past the cameras. Get ready to move fast.

Rd: Frag it, alarm!

Ro: What's coming down on us?

Rd: There's a squad of troopers on the fifth floor, they're starting to
move. Another on the second, blocking downwards routes...

Ro: How heavily armed?

Rd: AR's with UB grenade launchers and heavy security armour...one per
squad has got a fraggin' vindicator...

Ro: Where are the top squad coming from?

Rd: Three coming down the stairs, the Vindicator and three more in the
lift, another couple coming down the outer fire escape.

Ro: Drop the lift into the basement, and we'll ambush the stair group.
Mani, get behind that...

Rd: Can't do the lift, Ronin, it's not on...

Ro: Frag it... anyone got some grenades?

Ma: Take these.

Ro: Okay, Irish and Nuts take the lift, WT and I will set up at the stairs,
Mani watch for the two on the fire escape.

Rd: The lift is arriving, and the guys are at the door from the stairs.

Ro: Keep them out there...

[5 seconds pass.]

Rd: The stair guys have dumped some grenades, back the frag off!

[5 seconds pass.]

Rd: Mani's down! The window!

Ir: On it!

Nu: He's not dead!

Ma: Damn right I'm not.

Nu: If we can find the time I can heal him...

Ma: No time now. Give me my rifle and help me walk.

[10 seconds pass.]

Sl to Rd and Ro only: We're taking heavy fire here... opfor is three guys,
humanoid, but they don't move right, or bleed for that matter... I think
the cyborgs are operational.

Ro to Sl and Rd only: Better pull out then... cameras we can't reach,
operational cyborgs... smells like a setup, don't it? RD, scare us away.

Rd: There are reinforcements coming in from the neighbouring buildings...
retreat, down the west corridor. I'll cover you with the fire extinguisher
gas system...

[11 seconds pass.]

Ro: Sound off!

Wt: Wildthing.

Ma: Mani.

Ir: Irish.

Nu: Nuts

Nw: Nightwolf.

Rd: Turn left, cross that bridge.

Ro: Damn!

Ir: I'm hit!

Nw: This side's clear.

Rd: Those are the fraggin' cyborgs! They're operational!

Ro: Go!

Nu: Irish, wait a minute.

Rd: No time! More guards on the way. Get a patch on it, and run for the
stairs. Basement 2, there are three guys working on a Citymaster... grab
one and get the hell out.

Nw: What about the cyborg?

Ro: Frag it, we'll never get one now, and the Johnson probably set us up anyway.

Nw: I'll tell Sunday to pull out.

[I believe that NW called up his rigger at this point. The instruction
given was probably something along the lines of "get the hell out of here".
Of course, as I said before, I couldn't monitor this transmission.]

[37 seconds pass.]

Ro: We're in the garage... three guys you said. Where?

Rd: The bay on the left, third from the far wall. They're unarmed.

Ro: I can't hear you, they're gunning the Citymaster motor, and the real
sound is messing up the ASIST... it's gone quiet again... tell us when they
move away from the vehicle for a moment... Irish, you take the one on the
left, Nightwolf middle, I'll do the right guy.

Ir: Finally found the right guy, huh?

Ro: Someone shoot him.

Ir: Someone already has.

Rd: One of them's coming out...

Ro: Drek, drop him!

Ma: I got him, but the others...

Nu: They're down...

Rd: Okay, get in the damn 'master... it's listed as operable, they were
just tuning it or something...

Ro: Can anyone drive one of these fraggers?

Nw: Bastard of an antitheft on this...

Wt: I can access it through the autopilot... shouldn't take long...

Rd: I'm holding a back-up squad on the third floor... better hurry WT.

[16 seconds pass.]

Wt: Now we're cooking!

Ro: RD, sitrep.

Rd: The grounds are clear...

Rd to Rd and Ro only: My team is out of the R&D building.

[5 seconds pass.]

Ro: Damnit, I thought you said the grounds were clear!

Rd: He was invisible... I'm calling for astral support.

Wt: Got the fragger!

Ro: Forget it RD, WT splashed him with the water cannon...

Wt: Yeah, I figured it would be a bullet barrier spell, he could touch stuff...

Rd: Alright, head west, between the tower and the furnace housing... clear
from there.

Ro: Watch out for that fraggin' wall!

Wt: No prob, it's only corrugated plastic.

[I think they hit something here... the video Ronin is carrying should show
it if they did.]

Ir: Damn it! Drive more carefully!

Wt: Bite me, halfer!

Sl to Rd and Ro only: We're clear. Heavy casualties though.

Rd: Turn left!

Ir: Frag me to death!

Wt: Not my fault this time. Why the late course change, RD?

Rd: Only just spotted it. Sorry. Okay, right, and there's a gate. It should
be opening soon.

Wt: Umm... opening? Damn it!

[I couldn't get it open in time.]

Ir: Goddamnit, stop dumping me on my bullet wounds you bastards!

Ro: How's Mani?

Nu: He'll live. I can heal him if we get a chance to stop for a while.

Ro: Do what you can for now, so he can walk, we have to get rid of this
thing fast.

Ma: I can walk. Do not ask me to dance.

Transcript ends.

Get rid of the 'master they did, and they got away from a somewhat belated
LoneStar response (what, one of our brothers in the security business is
having some trouble? Well, we'd like to help, but... we're not going
to).]<<<<<
-- RDecker <16:17:43/05-01-58>

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about HC run, you may also be interested in:

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These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

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