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==Renraku's Dunkelzahn Assassination Portfolio (December 17, 2057)==
<pre>Access to this portfolio requires the use of a skilljack with embedded Renraku security credentials.</pre>
<span style="font-size:114%; line-height: 1.35em;">'''Knowsoft Database Outline'''</span>
# Background, Dunkelzahn
# Events of Thursday, 19 July, 2057
## Fourth presidential debate
## Assassination timeline
## Civil unrest and government response
# Consequences
## Election of Kenneth Brackhaven as UCAS president
### UCAS foreign policy consequences
### UCAS domestic policy consequences
### UCAS internal politics consequences
## Emboldening of the human supremacist movement
## Increased rejection of electoral strategies by the non-human caste
## Astral rift formation
## Dunkelzahn's will
### Renraku CEO Inazo Aneki receives the Seal of the Green Gloves
### Miles Lanier, head of Fuchi internal security, joins Renraku corporate board
### Bequest for the investigation of Renraku Arcology, room 1835
# External investigation reports
## Lone Star Security
## Knight Errant
## UCAS Federal Bureau of Investigation
## Tír Tairngire Peace Force
## Japanese Imperial State Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office
# Identified and suspected participants
## Drone control specialist
## Social engineering specialist
## Explosives design specialist
## System access specialist
## Initiators and orchestrators
<span style="font-size:114%; line-height: 1.35em;">'''Section 3.5.1: Renraku CEO Inazo Aneki Receives the Seal of the Green Gloves'''</span>
<blockquote>To Inazo Aneki of Renraku, I leave the Seal of the Green Gloves, which will permit you or your proxy to enter Tibet. Use your time there as you will, but do not abuse the privilege or you will suffer for your misdeeds.</blockquote>
The seals are small metal stamps roughly six centimeters tall, similar to the seals used by monks in ancient Tibet to mark items with their official sigil, traditionally hung at the waist by a loop of dyed silk. The other four seals, identified by the color of the silk, are the Seals of the Red, Blue, Yellow, and White Gloves, matching the symbolic colors of Tibetan Buddhism, but appearing to be from a time that predates Buddhism's foundation. Around the time of the Awakening, four of the five Seals were discovered in a hidden cache believed to have been owned by the 5th Dalai Lama, though they appear to predate his time. While traditional Tibetan seals were made from animal horn, these are made of meteoric iron.
No reason is known for the dragon bequeathing the seal to Chief Executive Inazo nor has he indicated any intended use of it to the company. The seal is currently in high-security storage at the corporate headquarters in Chiba, Japan.
<span style="font-size:114%; line-height: 1.35em;">'''Section 3.5.2: Miles Lanier, Head of Fuchi Internal Security, Joins Renraku Corporate Board'''</span>
<blockquote>To Miles Lanier, head of Fuchi Internal Security, I leave 4 million shares of stock in Renraku Corporation, plus the board seat to which said shares entitle him.</blockquote>
At the time of the bequest, Miles Lanier was not only the head of Fuchi Internal Security, but also a longtime friend of Richard Villiers, one of the heads of the triumvirate of families leading the megacorporation. Having accepted the bequeathment, Miles Lanier has joined the Renraku board and left his former employer.
''Details of Board Member Lanier's actions on behalf of Renraku are not included in this knowsoft.''
<span style="font-size:114%; line-height: 1.35em;">'''Section 3.5.3: Bequest for the Investigation of Renraku Arcology, Room 1835'''</span>
<blockquote>To the first party to determine what lies behind the door of room 1835 in the Renraku Arcology in Seattle and report their findings to the Draco Foundation, I leave 5 million nuyen.</blockquote>
There is no known room 1835 in the Renraku Arcology. Formally, the arcology uses a multi-part naming scheme encoding the floor, corridor, cross-corridor, and door (e.g., 43-W06-N12-11), with the number 1835 not mapping meaningfully to this format. While homes in residential neighborhoods customarily also use colloquial street names in combination with door numbers (e.g., 17 Synergy Lane), no such street in the arcology has the length to require a door number of 1835. More generally, both these schemes map to specific doors on transit corridors, with there being no identifiable formal or informal system for numbering rooms themselves, of which there are commonly multiple behind a particular door.
As such, "room 1835" is likely an internal or third-party designation of some subdivision of the arcology. However, no corresponding schema has so far been found. Investigation into the subject by Renraku intelligence continues.
<span style="font-size:114%; line-height: 1.35em;">'''Section 5.1: Drone Control Specialist'''</span>
In the immediate aftermath of the assassination, Renraku Arcology security apprehended the rigger Emil Hassan—identified as contractor Vanguard / VG162 (profile below)—in a room at the Arcology's Aurora View Hotel. North-facing and on the 201st floor, the room offered line-of-sight to the location of the attack. Technical analysts stressed the skill shown by the rigger's ability to maintain multiple tight-beam connections to drones at that distance, particularly assault drones operating at high speed.
{| border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=10 align=right
|-center
| [[File:EmilHassan.png|thumb|center|Emil Hassan]]
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Contractor VG162 (Deceased)
|-
| Contract Name
| Vanguard
|-
| Birth Name
| Emil Hassan
|-
| Contractor Rating
| A
|-
| External Contract Handler
| August Hjelmeland (Bergen)
|-
| Birthdate
| October 10, 2026
|-
| Deathdate
| July 28, 2057 (Age 30)
|-
| Residence at Death
| Bergen, Norway
|-
| Known Aliases
| Ed Hands<br>Gunnar Os<br>Henrik Eriksen
|-
| National Origin
| Norway
|-
| Gender
| Male
|-
| Metatype
| Human
|-
| Height
| 1.7 m (5'9")
|-
| Weight
| 74 kg (164 lb.)
|-
| Contract Skills
| Aerial Drone Operations<br>Drone Combat<br>Electronic Warfare<br>Explosives
|-
| Known&nbsp;Metatalents
| No Astral Sensitivity
|-
| Known Cyberware
| Replacement Cyberarm (Left)<br>Rigger Implants<br>Wireless Link
|-
| Known Bioware
| None
|-
| Notes
| • Fired in 2048 from his technical specialist position with the Saeder-Krupp naval military services division following an assault on a fellow contractor, a female dwarf<br>• Member of the Odin's Brigade human-supremacist group in Bergen<br>• Depressed, paranoid<br>• Pornography addict
|}
The rigger applied a bypass patch to the local perimeter integrity monitoring node to prevent the detection of the hole he cut in his room's exterior window. It was the failure of this patch that led arcology security to the room and the apprehension of Hassan.
Vanguard was escorted to a secure debriefing suite where his rigger implants facilitated a virtual questioning, during which inquiry the following facts were determined. This interview comprises the primary source of Renraku's proprietary information regarding the assassination in excess of that available to other intelligence services.
* He was recruited by a woman he knew as Eri Latif, now identified as contract agent Vixen / VX572. Vixen approached Vanguard in the guise of a fellow human supremacist, a member of the German anti-metahuman social club Reinheit Bewegung.
* Vixen operated as a go-between with other co-conspirators in the assassination. Fearing that she was sexually involved with other participants in the conspiracy, he repeatedly attempted to follow her, but was unsuccessful in identifying any people of interest.
* Vanguard's reports of the high-quality work of the unknown decker contrasts with the premature failure of the bypass patch. Possessing a paranoid personality, when presented with the idea that the patch had been purposefully faulty, he was distressed that he could not rule out the possibility, increasing his willingness to provide information regarding Vixen.
* While Vanguard was accustomed to working with explosives, due to the demand for both compactness and potency in performing the assault, custom explosives were sourced from an unknown third party by Vixen. Vanguard's attempts to track Vixen were sufficient to determine that the explosives were provided by a Seattle-area contact after their relocation to the SSAR.
* Vixen intimated that the plan for the attack was developed by one of an elite category of human-supremacist leaders, such as the Zealot or the Nazi of Alamos 20,000 or a member of Human Nation, but Vanguard received no meaningful evidence of this.
The debriefing ended prematurely when a system overload killed both Vanguard and the linked interrogator, traced to a failure of the rigger implants to sustain the system load of a full-virtual environment. The tech specialists characterized this failure as a potential, though rare, consequence of the inclusion of physically implausible sensory inputs in the questioning techniques deployed.
<span style="font-size:114%; line-height: 1.35em;">'''Section 5.2: Social Engineering Specialist'''</span>
Identified based on the debriefing of the contractor Vanguard, Vixen is believed to have recruited and acted as the go-between for the members of the conspiracy, but is unlikely to have originated the plan herself. The profile below has been expanded from the standard contractor record based on extensive investigation by Renraku intelligence.
{| border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=10 align=right
|-center
| [[File:ErimLatif.png|thumb|center|Eri Latif]]
|-center
| [[File:ErimMcKenzie.png|thumb|center|Erim McKenzie]]
|-center
| [[File:LaureneCoupart.png|thumb|center|Laura Coupart]]
|-center
| [[File:ChristineNeudorf.png|thumb|center|Christ Neudorf]]
|-center
| [[File:TanjaEgger.png|thumb|center|Tanja Egger]]
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Contractor VX572
|-
| Contract Name
| Vixen
|-
| Birth Name
| Corette Plante
|-
| Contractor Rating
| S
|-
| External Contract Handler
| Parnella Beauchemin (Paris)<br>Jessika Konig (Berlin)
|-
| Birthdate
| April 12, 2023 (Age 34)
|-
| Residence
| N/A
|-
| Known Aliases
| Eri Latif (2057)<br>Erim McKenzie (2057)<br>Erelle Coudert (2057)<br>Lara Laprise (2056)<br>Laura Coupart (2056)<br>Laurene Miron (2055)<br>Christine Jaeger (2055)<br>Christ Neudorf (2055)<br>Christi Traugott (2054)<br>Christa Baer (2054)<br>Tanja Mueller (2053)<br>Tanj Bohm (2052)<br>Tanja Egger (2052)<br>Tanja Foerster (2051)<br>Nicki Langlois (2051)<br>Nic Deniger (2050)<br>Nicki Paquet (2049)<br>Nicole Landry (2049)<br>Nicole Bériault (2048)
|-
| National Origin
| France
|-
| Gender
| Female
|-
| Metatype
| Human
|-
| Height
| 1.7 m (5'7")
|-
| Weight
| 61 kg (134 lb.)
|-
| Contract Skills
| Assassination<br>Confidence<br>Impersonation<br>Manipulation<br>Seduction<br>Surveillance
|-
| Known&nbsp;Metatalents
| No Astral Sensitivity
|-
| Known Cyberware
| None
|-
| Known Bioware
| [[Ware#Biosenses|Bioears]]<br>[[Ware#Biosenses|Bioeyes]]<br>[[Ware#Biosenses|Bionose]]<br>[[Ware#Biosenses|Bioskin]]<br>[[Ware#Biosenses|Biotongue]]<br>[[Ware#Body_Mods|Clean Metabolism]]<br>Cortical Empathic Deadening<br>Custom Hypothalamus<br>[[Ware#Body_Mods|Dietware]]<br>[[Ware#Engineered_Glands|Engineered Scent (Coco Biomod Black)]]<br>Enhanced Articulation<br>[[Ware#Body_Mods|Enhanced Immune System]]<br>Muscle Augmentation<br>[[Ware#Engineered_Glands|Oral Secretion Sack (Saeder-Krupp CLift [intoxicant])]]<br>[[Ware#Engineered_Glands|Oral Secretion Sack (Saeder-Krupp Nshd [cardiotrope])]]<br>[[Ware#Engineered_Glands|Oral Secretion Sack (Saeder-Krupp Nyx [narcoleptic])]]<br>Synaptic Accelerator<br>[[Ware#Engineered_Glands|Tailored Pheromones]]<br>Tuned Vocal Chords
|-
| Notes
| • Former agent for the DGSE (2039-2045)<br>• Former Saeder-Krupp operator (2045-2048)<br>• Frequent cosmetic facial reconstruction<br>• Bioware addiction
|}
The contractor went underground following the assassination. Retrospective data sifting in November 2057 uncovered a failed kidnapping in Berlin on October 28, 2057 financed by unknown parties (see [[Documents#The_Berlin_UltraMedical_Run_Report_.28October_28.2C_2057.29|intercepted run report]]), following which VX572 again disappeared. High probability she has since purchased a new identity and appearance.
<br clear=all>
<span style="font-size:114%; line-height: 1.35em;">'''Section 5.3: Explosives Design Specialist'''</span>
{| border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=10 align=right
|-center
| [[File:RobertRichter.png|thumb|center|Robert Richter]]
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Civilian 15413214 (Deceased)
|-
| Birth Name
| Robert Richter
|-
| Birthdate
| October 10, 2023
|-
| Deathdate
| August 4, 2057 (Age 33)
|-
| Residence at Death
| Puyallup, SSAR
|-
| Known Aliases
| Earthquake<br>Quake<br>EQ
|-
| National Origin
| UCAS
|-
| Gender
| Male
|-
| Metatype
| Elf
|-
| Height
| 1.9 m (6'1")
|-
| Weight
| 73 kg (161 lb.)
|-
| Known&nbsp;Metatalents
| No Astral Sensitivity
|-
| Known Cyberware
| No Known Cyberware
|-
| Known Bioware
| No Known Bioware
|-
| Notes
| • Member of the elf-supremacist gang the Princes<br>• Killed by Lone Star Security during attempted arrest
|}
While the suspect identified by Lone Star, Renraku intelligence analysis places a low probability that Robert Richter provided the explosives used in the attack. He seems to lack the necessary technical skill, his supposed motivation for attacking Dunkelzahn is dubious, and a human social engineering expert is unlikely to target an elf supremacist.
Based on the conclusion that the explosives conspirator is a Seattle local, three known plausible contractors were identified and surveilled, profiled below, in decreasing order of likelihood. It is notable that all three plausible contractors were revealed to have associated with one of Vixen's cover identities, indicating a multi-pronged recruitment effort informed by access to a corporate mercenary contractor information database.
{| border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=10 align=right
|-center
| [[File:CarterEphhauser.png|thumb|center|Carter Ephhauser]]
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Contractor BD573
|-
| Contract Name
| Bulldog
|-
| Birth Name
| Carter Ephhauser
|-
| Contractor Rating
| B
|-
| External Contract Handler
| Mick Flaherty (Seattle)
|-
| Birthdate
| February 12, 2024 (Age 33)
|-
| Residence
| Auburn, SSAR
|-
| Known Aliases
| None
|-
| National Origin
| UCAS
|-
| Gender
| Male
|-
| Metatype
| Human
|-
| Height
| 1.9 m (6'2")
|-
| Weight
| 83 kg (182 lb.)
|-
| Contract Skills
| Explosives<br>Firearms Combat<br>Mass Elimination
|-
| Known&nbsp;Metatalents
| No Astral Sensitivity
|-
| Known Cyberware
| Augmented Cyberarm (Right)<br>Implanted Weapon (12mm Caseless)
|-
| Known Bioware
| None
|-
| Notes
| • Suspected member of the Alamos 20,000 human-supremacy terrorist group<br>• Seen socializing with Erelle Coudert at an Alamos 20,000-associated Auburn bar<br>• Former UCAS Army Ranger (2042-2053)<br>• Suffers from PTSD following deployment to Afghanistan<br>• Shares an Auburn residence with multiple other members of Alamos 20,000
|}
Contractor BD573 is the most likely suspect to have also assumed tactical command of the attack and to be connected to the prime instigator of the assassination, in which case said instigator would most likely be a member of the Alamos 20,000 central executive.
{| border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=10 align=right
|-center
| [[File:KazuakiKohara.png|thumb|center|Kazuaki Kohara]]
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Contractor HK496
|-
| Contract Name
| Hōka
|-
| Birth Name
| Kazuaki Kohara
|-
| Contractor Rating
| B
|-
| External Contract Handler
| Sugako Kikuchi (Seattle) [Former]
|-
| Birthdate
| August 17, 2022 (Age 35)
|-
| Residence
| Downtown, SSAR
|-
| Known Aliases
| None
|-
| National Origin
| Japan
|-
| Gender
| Male
|-
| Metatype
| Human
|-
| Height
| 1.7 m (5'7")
|-
| Weight
| 72 kg (158 lb.)
|-
| Contract Skills
| Driving<br>Explosives<br>VIP Security
|-
| Known&nbsp;Metatalents
| No Astral Sensitivity
|-
| Known Cyberware
| Augmented Cyberleg (Right)<br>Hidden Holster (Right Leg)<br>Rigger Implants
|-
| Known Bioware
| None
|-
| Notes
| • Driver for Hanzo Shotozumi, head of the Shotozumi-gumi Yakuza clan in Seattle<br>• Repeatedly seen with Eri Latif at a Shotozumi-gumi gambling den<br>• Former Japanese Imperial Marine (2042-2050)<br>• Human supremacist<br>• Japan loyalist<br>• Lives alone in a condo in the Yakuza-controlled Green Lake neighborhood of downtown Seattle
|}
No longer taking independent contracts, Hōka's participation would indicate some level of involvement of the Yakuza in the attack, which is otherwise given a low probability.
{| border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=10 align=right
|-center
| [[File:ShadowrunFacelessHumanMaleB.png|thumb|center|Michael Stanwick]]
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Contractor NI285
|-
| Contract Name
| Nine
|-
| Birth Name
| Michael Stanwick
|-
| Contractor Rating
| B
|-
| External Contract Handler
| Janus Koskey (Seattle)
|-
| Birthdate
| May 4, 2031 (Age 26)
|-
| Residence
| Redmond, SSAR
|-
| Known Aliases
| None
|-
| National Origin
| UCAS
|-
| Gender
| Male
|-
| Metatype
| Human
|-
| Height
| TBD
|-
| Weight
| TBD
|-
| Contract Skills
| Civilian Relations<br>Corporate Face<br>Explosives<br>Pharmaceuticals<br>Tactical Combat
|-
| Known&nbsp;Metatalents
| No Astral Sensitivity
|-
| Known Cyberware
| Augmented Cybernose<br>Augmented Cybertongue<br>Augmented Cyberears<br>Augmented Cybereyes
|-
| Known Bioware
| None
|-
| Notes
| • Member of the Green 4800 eco-terrorist group, which Erim McKenzie joined upon reaching Seattle<br>• Estranged member of the Stanwick UCAS political dynasty<br>• Self-medicating chem addict<br>• Operates a drug lab out of a house in the eastern Redmond barrens<br>• Resides with Zach McGee, formerly of the Seattle Screamers Urban Brawl team, now a Redmond-area enforcer
|}
While the most technically adept of the suspects, Nine's psychological profile is inconsistent with assassination and premeditated murder. Further, while Dunkelzahn stood in opposition to Nine's family's politics, his distance from them appears to be genuine and his assumed radicalism is unlikely to have focused on the great dragon.
Renraku intelligence also leaves a meaningful probability that the explosives were sourced from an as-yet unidentified party, with none of the identified explosives experts above involved in the attack.
As it is likely that the explosives specialist was, like the rigger, insulated from those in charge of the operation, Renraku intelligence has declined to detain or question the potential suspects.
<span style="font-size:114%; line-height: 1.35em;">'''Section 5.4: System Access Specialist'''</span>
The inclusion of a Matrix operator can be conclusively inferred from the system support that shielded the physical attack from detection and intercept by automated systems. However, no identifying information for the operator has been found. Analysis of the remains of the Seattle Metro surveillance network, the manipulation of the arcology perimeter integrity monitoring system, and other trace elements did not provide a meaningful decker profile.
As it is likely that the decker would be, like the rigger, insulated from those in charge of the operation, Renraku intelligence has not prioritized tracking this inferred agent.
<span style="font-size:114%; line-height: 1.35em;">'''Section 5.5: Initiators and Orchestrators'''</span>
{| class="wikitable floatright"
!colspan="3"|Potential Orchestrators
|-
|colspan="2"| Human Supremacists
|style="text-align:right;"| 54%
|-
| || Human Nation
|style="text-align:right;"| 38%
|-
| || Alamos 20,000
|style="text-align:right;"| 27%
|-
| || Humanis Policlub
|style="text-align:right;"| 15%
|-
| || Nationale Aktion
|style="text-align:right;"| 16%
|-
| || Siegfriedbund
|style="text-align:right;"| 6%
|-
| || National Front
|style="text-align:right;"| 7%
|-
| || Genealogy Society
|style="text-align:right;"| 5%
|-
|colspan="2"| AAA Megacorporation
|style="text-align:right;"| 28%
|-
| || Aztechnology
|style="text-align:right;"| 21%
|-
| || Saeder-Krupp
|style="text-align:right;"| 3%
|-
|colspan="2"| Major Government
|style="text-align:right;"| 20%
|-
| || Aztlan
|style="text-align:right;"| 19%
|-
|colspan="2"| Rival Great Dragon
|style="text-align:right;"| 6%
|-
| || Lofwyr
|style="text-align:right;"| 3%
|}
No identifying information has been found for any planners or organizers of the attack. These probabilities represent the analysis of Renraku intelligence based on the limited information available, inferring from the consequences of the assassination and the identities of the field operatives known to have been involved.
Note that multiple parties may have been involved in the assassination, such that the various probabilities presented are not exclusive.
Given the known involvement of one or more human-supremacists agents, Dunkelzahn's advocacy for non-human rights, and the actuality of Kenneth Brackhaven becoming UCAS president, Renraku intelligence gives the highest probability to the attack being planned and organized by human supremacists. The biggest limitation of this possibility is the degree of sophistication of the attack, which exceeds that shown by even the most sophisticated anti-metahuman groups as Alamos 20,000. As such, an organization with elite membership—wealthy, politically connected, high corporate placement—such as Human Nation would likely be additionally involved. Such individuals might make use of government or corporate resources without the knowing involvement of said government's or corporation's formal decision-making processes.
The only AAA megacorporation with a high likelihood of involvement is Aztechnology, given the long-standing hostility between it and the great dragon, driven by Dunkelzahn's objection to Aztechnology's use of blood magic and the efforts he undertook to undermine it. In the scenario in which Aztechnology is responsible, at least some portion of the Aztlan political or security leadership is also likely to have been involved.
A small possibility exists that the dragon Lofwyr, with whom Dunkelzahn had a rivalry, was involved. While the use of human agents rather than direct confrontation appears unlikely for a lethal attack given the apparent honor dragons take in their interactions, the involvement of a dragon provides the most direct basis for the knowledge of the forces required to kill a dracoform. Any involvement by Lofwyr would almost certainly imply the additional involvement of Saeder-Krupp assets.
The possibility exists that one or more alternative major powers might have been involved for unanticipated reasons, making the assignment of a meaningful probability impractical. These would include but are not limited to criminal syndicates, free spirits, artificial intelligences, shamanic and hermetic orders, various preexisting conspiratorial associations, and other notable wielders of financial, political, magical, and technological resources.
==The Berlin UltraMedical Run Report (October 28, 2057)==
<pre>Portions of this text have been translated to English using a VI system.</pre>
<blockquote>''So this is how it went down.''<br>— Eternal</blockquote>
<blockquote>''My primary task was supposed to be intrusion of the Berlin UltraMedical record system using the provided access codes to obscure the timing of the extraction. But as the target never reached the facility, this intrusion was never performed. As such, my main contribution was the initial overwatch through preexisting networked camera systems.''<br>— Nanovolt</blockquote>
<blockquote>''We had Nanovolt hidden in the server room of a gaming cafe, Pilgrim and Shadow doing loops, Siren and I on foot, and Vecteur in a roost.''<br>— Eternal</blockquote>
<blockquote>''As soon as I jacked in I found the Matrix unusually viscous, significant viral load on the local nodes, but the deck cut through enough of it to maintain strong access. I had my monitoring routines established and, within the expected time window, GRID traffic monitoring and business security showed clear imagery of the target entering my surveillance area and approaching the hospital. I reported the location and expected route to the extraction team and prepared to degrade any recordings of the grab.''<br>— Nanovolt</blockquote>
<blockquote>''I had Nano identify the lowest-coverage point on the project path and Pilgrim, Siren, and I got into motion.''<br>— Eternal</blockquote>
<blockquote>''I was the distraction and moved into position ahead of our target. I’d draw her attention while Eternal took her down. But we got called off so none of that happened.''<br>— Siren</blockquote>
<blockquote>''I’d lifted the van with the side-door last night, fitted the GRID lockout, had Shadow in back, was ready.''<br>— Pilgrim</blockquote>
<blockquote>''I was set in the van with the prod and bindings. Didn’t even get to see her.''<br>— Shadow</blockquote>
<blockquote>''Surveillance looked good, I had Eternal and Siren moving in, Pilgrim was on track with only a little nudging of GRID. Everything looked go when my tracker VI popped a request. It was managing two routines, one pulling raw camera data from consumer devices and the other geo-tagged images from social media, and a deduplication routine needed me to resolve a situation. What to do if image analysis said two photos are different but the metadata matcher said they’re the same? So I took a look. The social media photo showed the target, while the camera data showed someone else. Similar-looking at a glance, but someone else. Took me a second to realize it was even happening, given the resources it would take for someone to run facial replacement on the whole local grid.''<br>— Nanovolt</blockquote>
<blockquote>''I got the alert from Nano. I considered still grabbing whoever this was to find out what was going on, but then I figured whoever set this up might well have done it to counter-identify the people pulling the job, so I called the ground team off, kept Vecteur on physical surveillance in hope he might see something useful, and ordered Nano to disconnect; too risky for him to stay jacked in if we were up against a top-flight decker''<br>— Eternal</blockquote>
<blockquote>''I maintained eyeball overwatch for the remainder of the day. The decoy target entered the hospital and did not visibly emerge.''<br>— Vecteur</blockquote>
<blockquote>''I called off Vecteur’s watch after eight hours. The actual surgery, if it happened, would have long been over, and the longer he stayed the more risk there was of us being identified, and you through us. We don’t know what went wrong. Hopefully what happened here makes more sense to you. I don’t think we fucked this one up, so I’m not going to apologize, but I appreciate we shouldn't expect the second half of the extraction payment or the money for Shadow’s interrogation.''<br>— Eternal</blockquote>
==The Massive Gains LLC Overview (September 5, 2057)==
[[File:investors_layout.png|thumb|a bunch of rich-ass school friends]]
<blockquote>''Hey, chummers, like I said, it’s 25k to do a deep dive on any of these creeps, but I did a superficial scan gratis. Main takeaway is that they jointly own this investment minicorp, Massive Gains LLC, but they didn’t use it for the businesses you had me check out. They're running below the ice with those.''<br>— RaverD</blockquote>
<br clear=all>
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| A Rosenblaum Walters
|-
| Primary Residence
| Toronto, ON
|-
| Born
| 6/17/2012
|-
| Family
| Married<br>2 Children
|-
| Education
| Imperial Oil K12 (Toronto, ON)<br>B.A., Political Science, Yale University (New Haven, CT)
|-
| Position
| Toronto Mayor
|-
| Prominent Holdings
| ARW Investment (Real Estate Development)
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| Dante K. Bojorquez
|-
| Primary Residence
| Detroit, MI
|-
| Born
| 9/2/2014
|-
| Family
| Single
|-
| Education
| Ford Gifted (Detroit, MI)<br>B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)<br>PhD, Political Science, Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.)
|-
| Prominent Holdings
| Rebirth Health System (Health Centers)<br>Rebirth Family Services (Juvenile Detention, Foster Care, and Adoption Services)<br>DKB Hand Stitching (Clothing Manufacture)
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| David A. Jackson
|-
| Primary Residence
| Cincinnati, OH
|-
| Born
| 11/12/2012
|-
| Family
| Divorced<br>1 Child<br>Remarried<br>2 Children
|-
| Education
| Kasich Elementary (Cincinnati, OH)<br>Yost High (Cincinnati, OH)<br>B.S., Environmental Engineering, Yale University (New Haven, CT)<br>M.S., Environmental Management, Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH)
|-
| Prominent Holdings
| EarthCycle (Waste and Recycling)<br>Jackson Hauling (Waste and Recycling)<br>Rumpke Sanitary Landfill (Waste and Recycling)<br>Gold Star Chili (Regional Restaurant Chain)
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| Elvira A. Perez
|-
| Primary Residence
| Philadelphia, PA
|-
| Born
| 6/25/2014
|-
| Family
| Single
|-
| Education
| Phillips Academy (Andover, MA)<br>B.T., Astral Theory, Carnegie Mellon (Pittsburgh, PA)<br>PhD, Astral Theory, Carnegie Mellon (Pittsburgh, PA)
|-
| Position
| Principle Hermetic, Guin & Vance
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| Evelyn Banks
|-
| Primary Residence
| New York City, NY
|-
| Born
| 8/6/2013
|-
| Family
| Divorced<br>1 Child
|-
| Education
| Choate Rosemary Hall (Wallingford, CT)<br>B.A., Visual Arts, Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT)<br>J.D., Yale Law School (New Haven, CT)
|-
| Position
| Senior Partner, Milbank, Tweed, Maruyama & McCloy
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| Hui Ch'eng
|-
| Primary Residence
| Kansas City, NO
|-
| Born
| 8/23/2012
|-
| Family
| Married<br>3 Children
|-
| Education
| Don Cheadle Elementary (Kansas City, NO)<br>Ares Educational High Kansas City (Kansas City, NO)<br>B.S., Economics, MIT&T (Cambridge, MA)<br>MBA, MIT&T, Sloan School of Management (Cambridge, MA)
|-
| Position
| CEO and Majority Owner, Ch’eng Trucking and Shipping
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| Kevin Stout
|-
| Primary Residence
| Chicago, IL
|-
| Born
| 11/6/2012
|-
| Family
| Married<br>5 Children
|-
| Education
| Knight Academy (Chicago, IL)<br>B.A., Public Policy, Yale University (New Haven, CT)
|-
| Position
| Illinois State Senator
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| Michael L. Marshall
|-
| Primary Residence
| Baltimore, MD
|-
| Born
| 7/2/2013
|-
| Family
| Married<br>2 Children
|-
| Education
| Phillips Academy (Andover, MA)<br>B.A., Statistics, Yale University (New Haven, CT)<br>MBA, MIT&T, Sloan School of Management (Cambridge, MA)
|-
| Position
| CEO and Majority Owner, MMM International Shipping
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| Mitsutaka Mizutani
|-
| Primary Residence
| Bellevue, SSAR
|-
| Born
| 12/11/2012
|-
| Family
| Married<br>2 Children
|-
| Education
| The Northwest School (Seattle, WA)<br>B.S., Business Administration, University of Washington (Seattle, WA)<br>MBA, MIT&T, Sloan School of Management (Cambridge, MA)
|-
| Prominent Holdings
| #1 Renraku (Auto Dealership)<br>Blingee Custom Metalwork (Jewelry Store)<br>Briar Tower (Commercial High-Rise)<br>Daiyamondo (Jewelry Store)<br>Gallery S (Private Art Gallery)<br>Safaia Tower (Luxury Condominium High-Rise)<br>Soygurt Fresh (Regional Casual Fast-Service Restaurant Chain)
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| Paul Vansickle
|-
| Primary Residence
| Columbus, OH
|-
| Born
| 1/18/2011
|-
| Family
| Married
|-
| Education
| NeoNET Advanced Education (Boston, MA)<br>B.S., Finance, Yale University (New Haven, CT)
|-
| Position
| VP of Business Development, First Columbus Bank
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| Perkins E. Michael
|-
| Primary Residence
| Boston, MA
|-
| Born
| 3/16/2013
|-
| Family
| Single
|-
| Education
| Phillips Academy (Andover, MA)<br>B.A., Psychology, Yale University (New Haven, CT)<br>J.D., Yale Law School (New Haven, CT)
|-
| Position
| Senior Partner, Ropes & Gray
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2" style="text-align:left;"| Watson Kim
|-
| Primary Residence
| Washington, FDC
|-
| Born
| 10/29/2012
|-
| Family
| Married<br>1 Child
|-
| Education
| Phillips Academy (Andover, MA)<br>B.A., Political Science, Yale University (New Haven, CT)<br>PhD, Political Science, Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.)
|-
| Position
| Managing Director, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Steptoe & Johnson
|}
==The Chicago 21 Report (September 2, 2057)==
<blockquote>''Find attached the individual data dumps on these folks. Most of the details are pretty boring, but I've captured some correspondances in the last few columns of the table below.''<br>— RaverD</blockquote>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: left;"
|-
! Name  !! Age !! Metatype !! Profession !! Primary Medical !! Professional Companionship !! Food Services
|-
| Anthony Rick || 30 || Human || Highway Patrol Officer || Northway Medical Practice || Corinthian Escorts || N/A
|-
| Artur Dickson || 62 || Dwarf || Industrial Relations Director || Magna PX || N/A || Casey's Chicago Cuisine
|-
| Esumi Rygh || 49 || Human || U.S. Marshall || NUCA Medical Complete || N/A || N/A
|-
| Gabriela Rodrigues || 43 || Human || Family Therapist || MaxiServe Medical || N/A || Casey's Chicago Cuisine
|-
| John A. Martinez || 20 || Human || Maid || N/A || N/A || N/A
|-
| John Pugh || 29 || Human || Computer Control Programmer || Belle Medical Group || Brand Name Beauties || N/A
|-
| John E. Stein || 33 || Elf || Labor Relations Director || Superior Medical || Pixie Personal Services || BambininuOvi Chicago
|-
| Lamont L. Chow || 21 || Human || Massage Therapist || N/A || N/A || N/A
|-
| Loraine J. Thomas || 60 || Human || Heavy Vehicle Engineer || Belle Medical Group || N/A || N/A
|-
| Marnick Kienhuis || 55 || Human || Accounts Clerk || Belle Medical Group || N/A || N/A
|-
| Mathilda Jönsson || 39 || Elf || Aircraft Engineer || RXL Medical || Pixie Personal Services || N/A
|-
| Michael Kamimura || 33 || Human || Apartment Rental Agent || Belle Medical Group || N/A || N/A
|-
| Mulan Hung || 74 || Human || Periodontist || Jennifer Kemble Associates || RoundFound || Casey's Chicago Cuisine
|-
| Orgulas Lightfoot || 50 || Human || Payroll Analyst || RXL Medical || Brown Derby Companions || N/A
|-
| Ravil Repin || 47 || Orc || Collision Repair Technician || Belle Medical Group || N/A || N/A
|-
| Rebecca E. Potter || 57 || Dwarf || Analytical Chemist || Hielturry Med || Pixie Personal Services || Carlo Borro Home Deliver
|-
| Ronnie C. Flynn || 44 || Elf || Sportscaster || Charles, O'Neal, and Bracin LLC || Pixie Personal Services || Wilson's Whole Foods
|-
| Sharon Briggs || 37 || Human || Market Researcher || Belle Medical Group || N/A || Meals by Christopher B. Wheels
|-
| Thomas Borders || 31 || Orc || Video Editor || John Liberty Practices || N/A || Casey's Chicago Cuisine
|-
| Timothy S. Campbell || 76 || Elf || Interior Decorator || Intelli PX || Pixie Personal Services || Jafco
|-
| Uki Kasai || 27 || Orc || EMT || N/A || N/A || N/A
|}
==The Genevieve Wong Report (September 2, 2057)==
[[File:genevieve_wong.png|right]]
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Personal Details
|-
| Full Name
| Genevieve Lynn Wong
|-
| Nickname(s)
| Gene
|-
| SIN
| 28bba5-6312f3-9d6e9a-5dbdeb-83d328-be92ee
|-
| Born
| September 4, 2020 (age 36)<br>Philadelphia, PA
|-
| Spouse(s)
| Catherine L Barnes (married 2050)
|-
| Children
| Robin Barnes Wong (born 2051)
|-
| Parents
| Patrick James Wong II (1968-2049)<br>Robinette Bonenfant (born 1998)
|-
| Education
| Cigna STTEM Manayunk (Philadelphia, PA)<br>B.T. in Summoning, MIT&T (Cambridge, MA)<br>PhD, MIT&T (Cambridge, MA)
|}
<blockquote>''Her wife was out of the city visiting family in Portland when the wall went up, with Genevieve and their daughter caught in the quarantine. They shelled out for genetic combination for the kid, which for some reason is still fragging expensive for elves.''<br>— RaverD</blockquote>
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Physical Characteristics
|-
| Height
| 1.73 m (5’8”)
|-
| Weight
| 54 kg (120 pounds)
|-
| Metahumanity Type
| Elf
|-
| Eye Color
| Purple
|-
| Hair Color
| Black
|-
| Blood Type
| AF+
|}
<blockquote>''Studied ballet up through college. Dropped it to focus on thaumaturgy once it became clear she couldn’t make a career of it.''<br>— RaverD</blockquote>
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Employment
|-
| Employer
| Reyes Pharmaceuticals
|-
| Title
| Associate Research Lead
|-
| Hired
| November 1, 2051
|-
| Salary
| $1,689,000 (~436,000¥)
|}
<blockquote>''Company's dead now, Chicago was their only branch.''<br>— RaverD</blockquote>
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Residence
|-
| Address
| 605N Clark St<br>Chicago, IL 60654
|-
| Geo-coordinates
| 41.892558, -87.630830
|}
<blockquote>''A North Riverside luxury condo, not in the Zone. Her wife still owns it but has moved back to Portland to live with her family.''<br>— RaverD</blockquote>
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Contact Info
|-
| Phone
| 1-872-696-1437
|-
| Email
| gwong@reyespharma.com<br>genevievelwong@rmail.com
|}
<blockquote>''None of these work anymore, of course. The rmail account is some active, but she hasn’t checked it since the quarantine began.''<br>— RaverD</blockquote>
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Financial
|-
| Visa
| 4018 7583 6590 0088<br>CVV4 2277<br>Expires 6/2058
|-
| Chase Ares
| $329,816.63 (~90,000¥)
|}
<blockquote>''Mostly spent it as quickly as they brought it in, though fair to assume Genevieve’s income would only increase. Catherine didn’t work.''<br>— RaverD</blockquote>
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Vehicle
|-
| None
|}
<blockquote>''Had a contract with Knight Private Carriage for local transportation.''<br>— RaverD</blockquote>
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Thesis
|-
| Title
| Adaptation of Pre-Awakening Customs to Hermetic Spirit Binding
|-
| Abstract
| Both the adaptation of Native American traditions to modern shamanic rituals and the re-adaptation of shamanic rituals to hermetic techniques are common practice. Despite the success of this adaptation and re-adaptation process, my research supposes that valuable praxis may be lost in retranslation. This dissertation describes a modified form of the Derived Algonquian Spirit Tasking Symbology (DASTS) informed by pre-awakening Shawnee hunting and gathering rituals integrated without the intermediation of shamanic interpretation. This direct hermetic interpretation (DHI-DASTS) of the original symbology empowers a refined directive instruction set enabling a more precise defining of desired flair and fauna.
|}
<blockquote>''Fuck if I know what this is about, but the full non-redacted private version is attached.''<br>— RaverD</blockquote>
==Advanced Neuro-Logic Enterprises==
Self-appointed investigators amassed in forums across the Matrix with the first bug sighting in Chicago. Their primary product was bad conjecture, but for someone actually taking a trip into the containment zone, the data they collected was a convenience.
Simple enough to consult a business directory and find Advanced Neuro-Logic Enterprises: 5200 S Harper Ave, six blocks from the University of Chicago. Unextraordinary in the public record and on first sight, the second floor of a three-story red brick office building on a tree-lined street, rows of abandoned desks, fashionably utilitarian. A few private offices, an expansive motion-capture lab, all gathering dust.
The team has a rhythm for the search. Urni negotiates with the resident vermin. Nine reviews records. Mac picks the simple locks used on desks and cabinets. Maniac rips them open. Electronics are collected and taken to the roof, solar sheets are unfolded, anything found in the offices or lab given priority for recharging. The software hasn’t been updated in two years, so the cracks are plug-and-play. It doesn’t take more than a few hours for Nine to get an overview.
An ordinary beginning, Neuro-Logic was formed in 2049 to exploit University of Chicago patents by Drs. Taylor and Lovin of the neuro-cybernetics department. The first skillsofts, back in the early 40s, were data repositories bridged to the parahippocampal cortices, factual recall via the semantic memory system. You could load up the full set of SEC regulations, MLB statistics, anything you wanted, but it was just raw data.
Taylor and Lovin played a small part in the second generation, real mental skills, the ability to perform new kinds of tasks. They owned techniques for dampening feedback in procedural memory, keeping the brain from freaking out when its natural reinforcement learning runs into a hard-coded chip. They signed cross-licenses with Mitsuhama and contracts to deliver mental skillsofts that would be developed at their new business, Neuro-Logic.
The investment class became instant experts. Wealthy travelers spoke like natives. Taylor and Lovin had a nice side income. But there was a limit to the market: most jobs that could be done by a person with a mental skillsoft could be done cheaper by a virtual intelligence. The real demand was for the next step: physical skills.
It wouldn’t be easy. Individual variations complicate exact translation of movement between bodies. A longer limb traverses a longer arc with the same rotation. Close enough for waving hello, but not for catching a ball, walking across a room, or assembling a pocket secretary.
It wasn’t clear a small player could compete in this third generation. Taylor and Lovin had been able to experiment with mental skills using a computer console and a comfortable chair, commercially-available factual-recall implants as their base hardware. For physical skills they’d need full-body free-motion rigs. They’d need to rent specialized facilities for physical skill testing. They’d need some megacorp’s still-experimental physical skillsoft implants. They needed someone to see a reason to deal them in.
AZ 22nd Century, an Aztlán VC firm, found one. AZ would invest in Neuro-Logic. Neuro-Logic would buy a new suite of equipment and use it to fulfill a research contract with Solar Cybernetics, an Aztechnology subsidiary in Denver. Solar Cybernetics would provide an active skillsoft framework, and Neuro-Logic would develop prototype physical skills.
As part of the deal, Neuro-Logic hired a new business manager, Teresa Robb, given independent authority to outsource a portion of the Solar Cybernetics contract. The Neuro-Logic staff configured neural recording cybernetics, nerve-pattern learning systems, a full DIY active skillsoft development package. Robb found outside vendors like Smart Systems Limited—themselves funded by AZ—delivered them the packages, and received physical skill performance data in return. Taylor and Lovin found this small independence to be little to ask, given all they received in return. From Nine’s review of their correspondence, they saw little need to discuss their new employee at all.
A pocket tablet from Robb’s office, little more than a desk in a closet, reveals a covert messaging app. The counterparty traces to Solar Cybernetics. Their exact identify is protected, but the local memcache yields the last few messages to extraction tools.
“How’s it going with the basketball team?”
“It’s not. We barely change them and they're completely inept. Can’t shoot. Can barely run. They would be breaking bones if we let them. They can’t adapt at all.”
“Well, I appreciate you sticking with it. The guys in the big offices loves the showy stuff, and they’re going to be writing our bonus checks ;)”
“Yeah. I was going to head over earlier, light a fire under their asses. But had to burn an hour telling the staff that I had ‘done all I could’ to get our contractors to share best practices. Would love to see their faces if I actually showed them. And now the roads are impossible, some Knight Errant thing.”
“Well, just remember, you can’t. And keep your head up. Even if they don’t know it, you’re the only reason that place is still in business.”
“Yeah, thanks. Think I’m going to walk home, deal with this tomorrow morning. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“Please do. And, absolutely, take some time to relax, then get back at it. Talk to you tomorrow :)”
But with Neuro-Logic and Smart Systems Limited out of business, and Taylor, Lovin, and Robb lost or dead in the Zone, this would all be little more than trivia but for an implementation detail of the covert messaging app.
Normally, client apps operating remotely use a messaging-specific bridge between the Matrix and the corp’s internal network. A security VI authenticates and screens each packet, blocking the path to anything but the message queue. But border guards record all sorts of things you’d want no record of if you’re coordinating illegal experiments through layers of duped and dummy corporations. So the covert messaging app on Robb’s tablet instead opens a general-purpose bridge into the internal network, granting the tablet the trusted access that a hardwired on-site computer would have, allowing it to quietly talk to Robb’s contact within Solar Cybernetics.
It’s not an all-access pass to the corp’s data. Anything of value has further security. But as much as Solar Cybernetics might try to limit the risk taken to run off-the-record comms, it’s a foot in the door.
==Erim McKenzie Search (August 10, 2057)==
{| border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=10 align=right
|-center
| [[File:ErimMcKenzie.png|thumb|center|Erim McKenzie]]
|-center
| [[File:ErimLatif.png|thumb|center|Erim Latif]]
|-center
| [[File:LaureneBarteaux.png|thumb|center|Laurene Barteaux]]
|-center
| [[File:LaureneLaprise.png|thumb|center|Laurene Laprise]]
|-center
| [[File:LaureneMiron.png|thumb|center|Laurene Miron]]
|-center
| [[File:ChristineJaeger.png|thumb|center|Christine Jaeger]]
|}
<blockquote>''Hey bro, rough break running into a honey pot, but when you’re a player people are going to try to play you. Happens to the best of us. Did a search in our outside contractor DB based on what you told me and came up with this:''<br>— John Michaels Lyons Jr. </blockquote>
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Contractor BA383A
|-
| Contract Name(s)
| Vixen
|-
| Real Name
| N/A
|-
| Contractor Rating
| [[File:43stars.png|100px]]
|-
| Contract Handler
| [REDACTED]
|-
| Birthdate
| N/A (age range 26-34 [90% confidence])
|-
| Residence
| N/A
|-
| Known Aliases
| Christine Jaeger (2055)<br>Laurene Miron (2055)<br>Laurene Laprise (2056)<br>Laurene Barteaux (2056)<br>Erim Latif (2057)
|-
| Known Associates
| Contractor [Lefty Black]<br>[REDACTED]
|-
| Nationality
| European [88% confidence]<br>French [34% confidence]<br>German [28% confidence]<br>Dutch [19% confidence]
|-
| Gender
| Female
|-
| Metatype
| Human
|-
| Height
| 1.68 m (5'6")
|-
| Weight
| 55 kg (120 lb.)
|-
| Contract Skills
| Assassination<br>Confidence<br>Manipulation<br>Seduction<br>Surveillance
|-
| Known&nbsp;Metatalents
| None
|-
| Known Cyberware
| None
|-
| Known Bioware
| [[Ware#Biosenses|Bioears]]<br>[[Ware#Biosenses|Bioeyes]]<br>[[Ware#Biosenses|Bionose]]<br>[[Ware#Biosenses|Bioskin]]<br>[[Ware#Biosenses|Biotongue]]<br>[[Ware#Body_Mods|Clean Metabolism]]<br>[[Ware#Body_Mods|Dietware]]<br>[[Ware#Engineered_Glands|Engineered Scent (Coco Biomod Black)]]<br>Enhanced Articulation<br>[[Ware#Body_Mods|Enhanced Immune System]]<br>Muscle Augmentation<br>[[Ware#Engineered_Glands|Oral Secretion Sack (Saeder-Krupp CLift [intoxicant])]]<br>[[Ware#Engineered_Glands|Oral Secretion Sack (Saeder-Krupp Nyx [narcoleptic])]]<br>Synaptic Accelerator<br>[[Ware#Engineered_Glands|Tailored Pheromones]]
|-
| Notes
| Frequent cosmetic facial reconstruction<br>Bioware addiction
|}
<blockquote>''If that’s your girl, then the bitch is a real-deal fucking runner. I think you’d catch any pheromone business with that nose of yours, so I assume she used her oral sacks skills on you instead, you dirty dog,.. but that means she knew about your nose going in, so think about that, brother.<br><br>I reached out to her handler—casual, like I was looking to hire her—but he says she isn’t available and to not expect her to be. He was pushing alternatives pretty hard. I pushed back best I could but no go. She’s probably either dead, out of the game, or working for someone better. Can’t give you the handler’s info—wouldn’t sit well with the corp—but can give you some info for a guy she worked with, locked up in Denver. No use to us behind bars, so you feel free to have at him. Just keep me out of it, right?''<br>— JML²</blockquote>
<br clear=all>
{| border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=10 align=right
|-center
| [[File:ClemHettinger.png|thumb|right|Clem Hettinger]]
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Contractor 8E8E45
|-
| Contract Name(s)
| Slim Pick (2052-2055)<br>Lefty Black
|-
| Real Name
| Clem Hettinger
|-
| Contractor Rating
| [[File:28stars.png|100px]]
|-
| Contract Handler
| [REDACTED]
|-
| Birthdate
| March 18, 2019 (age 38)
|-
| Residence
| Sioux Nation Denver Criminal Reformatory
|-
| Known Aliases
| Tom Hooper<br>Charles Cook
|-
| Known Associates
| Contractor [Deckhand]<br>Contractor [Mirrorface]<br>Contractor [Studbot]<br>Contractor [Vixen] (identified alias Erim Latif)<br>[REDACTED]
|-
| Nationality
| American (UCAS)
|-
| Gender
| Male
|-
| Metatype
| Ork
|-
| Height
| 1.85 m (6’1”)
|-
| Weight
| 62 kg (136 lb.)
|-
| Appearance
| Left replacement cyber-forearm and hand, black plastic outer surface
|-
| Contract Skills
| Burglary<br>Thievery
|-
| Known&nbsp;Metatalents
| None
|-
| Known Cyberware
| [[Ware#Cybereyes|Augmentable Cybereye [Right] (Enhanced Vision, Scoped Optics)]]<br>[[Ware#Cyberarms|Replacement Cyberarm [Left]]]
|-
| Known Bioware
| None
|-
| Conviction
| Burglary (5 years)<br>Theft (5 years)<br>Concurrent sentences<br>9 months served
|-
| Notes
| An offer to sell DNA of known associates (e.g., hair samples)—[Deckhand], [Mirrorface], [Studbot], [Vixen]—in return for assistance with the runner’s incarceration was rejected by management.
|}
<blockquote>''He got picked up on a job your girl got away from, so maybe some ill will there you can exploit. But hell if I know. Good luck, though, man. Stay in touch and be careful out there. Some people who come at you might do more than leave you with a bad date.''<br>— JML²</blockquote>
==Dunkelzahn's Six==
==Dunkelzahn's Six==
 
<div id="James Delany"></div>
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"| James Delany
!colspan="2"| James Delany
Line 24: Line 1,199:
|}
|}


<blockquote>''Alright, here's the effortpost I promised on James Delany's sims with Brilliant Genesis.''</blockquote>
<blockquote>'''''Chainsaw Reborn''' is remembered for one thing: Jacqueline Starlight's incredible performance doing emotion capture for the titular reborn Chainsaw. Basic plot summary: Chainsaw, seemingly dead at the end of the first sim, is resurrected as a mind-wiped cyber-zombie, with an upgraded chainsaw hand; the corp uses him to take on street gangs, he eventually stumbles across his former girlfriend, she reminds him who he was, he goes back to the corp and chainsaws his way through security to the executive responsible for wiping his mind. What makes this work is Starlight's ability to take you through Chainsaw whole journey, which ends up being surprisingly poignant. Delaney did the gore-effects on set, and they're good, but nothing that would stand out in the genre.''</blockquote>
<blockquote>''So, I haven't experienced '''The Fifth Caballero''', but apparently neither did anybody else. It's a horribly-reviewed comedy set in Aztlan back when it used to be called Mexico, during the Mexican Revolution, though the revolution in the sim apparently doesn't much match actually history, or apparently what Aztechnology wants remembered of history, leaving it banned in the only market that might care about it. Seems like a complete misfire. That said, I haven't read any complaints about Delany's work on the illusory sets they used to capture this in Chicago.''</blockquote>
<blockquote>''I get that '''Alan Moore's Swamp Thing''' is an obnoxious title given how little similarity it has to the original novel. But I haven't read that so ultimately I'm just judging it as a sim, preconceptions aside. And from that perspective, it's great. You've got Delaney's illusions and Starlight's emotions again, but this time for a body-tripping plant monster that can feel an entire swamp through some kind of plant network instead of just a beefy guy murdering people with a chainsaw. The whole story: his birth, him being hunted by the Floronic fertilizer company, the big fight scene at the end, is all freaky sensations and body horror and it's great. Writer/director Mary McQuillen never recovered from this one, but it's what made Delaney someone to watch.''</blockquote>
<blockquote>'''''Unjustified''' is a neo-western: a NaN peace officer hunts for his son's killer (though, spoiler, not really, he's still alive) in the farmland and wilderness outside the Denver Metroplex. Most of the attention for this went to Caron Brown's performance as Anna, the tracker companion to the main POV character. She's great, and brings the only warmth to what's otherwise a pretty cold sim. But Delaney's work on this sim is incredible, painting vast vistas entirely out of thin air, which didn't get much attention at the time as Brilliant Genesis didn't want to draw attention to the entirely artificial setting of a sim being praised for its realness. Incredible work, though, and what earned him the director's chair for his next sim.''</blockquote>
<blockquote>''So, '''Angels of Saturn’s Rings''' has a bad reputation, but I actually kinda like it. I get that the juxtaposition of the horror stuff with the spiders and the more erotic stuff with the aliens doesn't totally work, but when the execution of both those elements is so strong, I don't really mind the tonal whiplash. And the sci-fi writing for the first contact storyline is surprisingly good. And I think anyone can appreciate the incredible visuals of the nano-replicators building out in Saturn's rings. It's a sim that clearly needed another pass at the scriptwriting stage, but as a freshman effort of James Delaney in the director's chair, as well as doing the illusory setting, I think it shows a lot of promise.''</blockquote>
<blockquote>''But at the end of the day, he's a talented, but not all that accomplished illusionist/director whose career was cut short by the intervention of bugs from another dimension, and it's not clear to me what a great dragon's interest is in that. I guess maybe he's a fan? But at least for me, I hope someone gets him out and he gets back to work. His horror chops could only be improved by being stuck in a city filled with insect monsters, right? :D''<br>— SK</blockquote>


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<blockquote>''I don't think there's any question why Dunkelzahn wants this guy out. He's done research on metaplane travel and specifically how metaplane access is affected by a toxic zone. The Draco Foundation is going to take the credit for getting him rescued and then snap up everything he knows about metaplanes in Bug City.''<br>— The Great Ape</blockquote>


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| Matrix Rumors
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<blockquote>''I'd met this guy a few times at The Big Rhino, which, if you don't know, is an "Orkish" bar/restaurant in Puyallup. During the day it's reasonably safe to visit, and you can get an interesting meal that's somewhere between paleolithic and deconstructionist. At night, it gets pretty rough, which is when Armtwister is more prominent. He was clearly skilled at keeping the atmosphere short of homicidal without impairing the energetic crowd the place is known for. Don't know him well enough to know what he was doing in Chicago, though.''<br>— Archangel </blockquote>


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<blockquote>''This guy is known entirely through a handful of Matrix posts offering basic handyman work in association with a barebones Facebook account. He's either a Matrix ghost acting as cover for an operator or an actual boring handyman.''<br>— Greely</blockquote>


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<blockquote>''Some student might seem like a weird choice, but she's done anatomical research on awakened animals, so she's presumably somewhere in Bug City right now chopping up insect spirits. Obvious financial motivation for getting her out and grateful to Draco.''<br>— The Great Ape</blockquote>


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<blockquote>''Sissel's the one person on Dunkelzahn's list where we almost know more about her activity after the wall went up than before. A junior journalist with a periodic byline beforehand, she seems to have forged an impressive career of investigative journalism within the Containment Zone. Her articles form some of the core of what we understand of life behind the wall.''<br>— Wraith II</blockquote>


==The Rochus Braun Report (August 4, 2057)==
==The Rochus Braun Report (August 4, 2057)==

Latest revision as of 08:05, 30 June 2024

Renraku's Dunkelzahn Assassination Portfolio (December 17, 2057)

Access to this portfolio requires the use of a skilljack with embedded Renraku security credentials.

Knowsoft Database Outline

  1. Background, Dunkelzahn
  2. Events of Thursday, 19 July, 2057
    1. Fourth presidential debate
    2. Assassination timeline
    3. Civil unrest and government response
  3. Consequences
    1. Election of Kenneth Brackhaven as UCAS president
      1. UCAS foreign policy consequences
      2. UCAS domestic policy consequences
      3. UCAS internal politics consequences
    2. Emboldening of the human supremacist movement
    3. Increased rejection of electoral strategies by the non-human caste
    4. Astral rift formation
    5. Dunkelzahn's will
      1. Renraku CEO Inazo Aneki receives the Seal of the Green Gloves
      2. Miles Lanier, head of Fuchi internal security, joins Renraku corporate board
      3. Bequest for the investigation of Renraku Arcology, room 1835
  4. External investigation reports
    1. Lone Star Security
    2. Knight Errant
    3. UCAS Federal Bureau of Investigation
    4. Tír Tairngire Peace Force
    5. Japanese Imperial State Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office
  5. Identified and suspected participants
    1. Drone control specialist
    2. Social engineering specialist
    3. Explosives design specialist
    4. System access specialist
    5. Initiators and orchestrators


Section 3.5.1: Renraku CEO Inazo Aneki Receives the Seal of the Green Gloves

To Inazo Aneki of Renraku, I leave the Seal of the Green Gloves, which will permit you or your proxy to enter Tibet. Use your time there as you will, but do not abuse the privilege or you will suffer for your misdeeds.

The seals are small metal stamps roughly six centimeters tall, similar to the seals used by monks in ancient Tibet to mark items with their official sigil, traditionally hung at the waist by a loop of dyed silk. The other four seals, identified by the color of the silk, are the Seals of the Red, Blue, Yellow, and White Gloves, matching the symbolic colors of Tibetan Buddhism, but appearing to be from a time that predates Buddhism's foundation. Around the time of the Awakening, four of the five Seals were discovered in a hidden cache believed to have been owned by the 5th Dalai Lama, though they appear to predate his time. While traditional Tibetan seals were made from animal horn, these are made of meteoric iron.

No reason is known for the dragon bequeathing the seal to Chief Executive Inazo nor has he indicated any intended use of it to the company. The seal is currently in high-security storage at the corporate headquarters in Chiba, Japan.

Section 3.5.2: Miles Lanier, Head of Fuchi Internal Security, Joins Renraku Corporate Board

To Miles Lanier, head of Fuchi Internal Security, I leave 4 million shares of stock in Renraku Corporation, plus the board seat to which said shares entitle him.

At the time of the bequest, Miles Lanier was not only the head of Fuchi Internal Security, but also a longtime friend of Richard Villiers, one of the heads of the triumvirate of families leading the megacorporation. Having accepted the bequeathment, Miles Lanier has joined the Renraku board and left his former employer.

Details of Board Member Lanier's actions on behalf of Renraku are not included in this knowsoft.

Section 3.5.3: Bequest for the Investigation of Renraku Arcology, Room 1835

To the first party to determine what lies behind the door of room 1835 in the Renraku Arcology in Seattle and report their findings to the Draco Foundation, I leave 5 million nuyen.

There is no known room 1835 in the Renraku Arcology. Formally, the arcology uses a multi-part naming scheme encoding the floor, corridor, cross-corridor, and door (e.g., 43-W06-N12-11), with the number 1835 not mapping meaningfully to this format. While homes in residential neighborhoods customarily also use colloquial street names in combination with door numbers (e.g., 17 Synergy Lane), no such street in the arcology has the length to require a door number of 1835. More generally, both these schemes map to specific doors on transit corridors, with there being no identifiable formal or informal system for numbering rooms themselves, of which there are commonly multiple behind a particular door.

As such, "room 1835" is likely an internal or third-party designation of some subdivision of the arcology. However, no corresponding schema has so far been found. Investigation into the subject by Renraku intelligence continues.

Section 5.1: Drone Control Specialist

In the immediate aftermath of the assassination, Renraku Arcology security apprehended the rigger Emil Hassan—identified as contractor Vanguard / VG162 (profile below)—in a room at the Arcology's Aurora View Hotel. North-facing and on the 201st floor, the room offered line-of-sight to the location of the attack. Technical analysts stressed the skill shown by the rigger's ability to maintain multiple tight-beam connections to drones at that distance, particularly assault drones operating at high speed.

Emil Hassan
Contractor VG162 (Deceased)
Contract Name Vanguard
Birth Name Emil Hassan
Contractor Rating A
External Contract Handler August Hjelmeland (Bergen)
Birthdate October 10, 2026
Deathdate July 28, 2057 (Age 30)
Residence at Death Bergen, Norway
Known Aliases Ed Hands
Gunnar Os
Henrik Eriksen
National Origin Norway
Gender Male
Metatype Human
Height 1.7 m (5'9")
Weight 74 kg (164 lb.)
Contract Skills Aerial Drone Operations
Drone Combat
Electronic Warfare
Explosives
Known Metatalents No Astral Sensitivity
Known Cyberware Replacement Cyberarm (Left)
Rigger Implants
Wireless Link
Known Bioware None
Notes • Fired in 2048 from his technical specialist position with the Saeder-Krupp naval military services division following an assault on a fellow contractor, a female dwarf
• Member of the Odin's Brigade human-supremacist group in Bergen
• Depressed, paranoid
• Pornography addict

The rigger applied a bypass patch to the local perimeter integrity monitoring node to prevent the detection of the hole he cut in his room's exterior window. It was the failure of this patch that led arcology security to the room and the apprehension of Hassan.

Vanguard was escorted to a secure debriefing suite where his rigger implants facilitated a virtual questioning, during which inquiry the following facts were determined. This interview comprises the primary source of Renraku's proprietary information regarding the assassination in excess of that available to other intelligence services.

  • He was recruited by a woman he knew as Eri Latif, now identified as contract agent Vixen / VX572. Vixen approached Vanguard in the guise of a fellow human supremacist, a member of the German anti-metahuman social club Reinheit Bewegung.
  • Vixen operated as a go-between with other co-conspirators in the assassination. Fearing that she was sexually involved with other participants in the conspiracy, he repeatedly attempted to follow her, but was unsuccessful in identifying any people of interest.
  • Vanguard's reports of the high-quality work of the unknown decker contrasts with the premature failure of the bypass patch. Possessing a paranoid personality, when presented with the idea that the patch had been purposefully faulty, he was distressed that he could not rule out the possibility, increasing his willingness to provide information regarding Vixen.
  • While Vanguard was accustomed to working with explosives, due to the demand for both compactness and potency in performing the assault, custom explosives were sourced from an unknown third party by Vixen. Vanguard's attempts to track Vixen were sufficient to determine that the explosives were provided by a Seattle-area contact after their relocation to the SSAR.
  • Vixen intimated that the plan for the attack was developed by one of an elite category of human-supremacist leaders, such as the Zealot or the Nazi of Alamos 20,000 or a member of Human Nation, but Vanguard received no meaningful evidence of this.

The debriefing ended prematurely when a system overload killed both Vanguard and the linked interrogator, traced to a failure of the rigger implants to sustain the system load of a full-virtual environment. The tech specialists characterized this failure as a potential, though rare, consequence of the inclusion of physically implausible sensory inputs in the questioning techniques deployed.

Section 5.2: Social Engineering Specialist

Identified based on the debriefing of the contractor Vanguard, Vixen is believed to have recruited and acted as the go-between for the members of the conspiracy, but is unlikely to have originated the plan herself. The profile below has been expanded from the standard contractor record based on extensive investigation by Renraku intelligence.

Eri Latif
Erim McKenzie
Laura Coupart
Christ Neudorf
Tanja Egger
Contractor VX572
Contract Name Vixen
Birth Name Corette Plante
Contractor Rating S
External Contract Handler Parnella Beauchemin (Paris)
Jessika Konig (Berlin)
Birthdate April 12, 2023 (Age 34)
Residence N/A
Known Aliases Eri Latif (2057)
Erim McKenzie (2057)
Erelle Coudert (2057)
Lara Laprise (2056)
Laura Coupart (2056)
Laurene Miron (2055)
Christine Jaeger (2055)
Christ Neudorf (2055)
Christi Traugott (2054)
Christa Baer (2054)
Tanja Mueller (2053)
Tanj Bohm (2052)
Tanja Egger (2052)
Tanja Foerster (2051)
Nicki Langlois (2051)
Nic Deniger (2050)
Nicki Paquet (2049)
Nicole Landry (2049)
Nicole Bériault (2048)
National Origin France
Gender Female
Metatype Human
Height 1.7 m (5'7")
Weight 61 kg (134 lb.)
Contract Skills Assassination
Confidence
Impersonation
Manipulation
Seduction
Surveillance
Known Metatalents No Astral Sensitivity
Known Cyberware None
Known Bioware Bioears
Bioeyes
Bionose
Bioskin
Biotongue
Clean Metabolism
Cortical Empathic Deadening
Custom Hypothalamus
Dietware
Engineered Scent (Coco Biomod Black)
Enhanced Articulation
Enhanced Immune System
Muscle Augmentation
Oral Secretion Sack (Saeder-Krupp CLift [intoxicant])
Oral Secretion Sack (Saeder-Krupp Nshd [cardiotrope])
Oral Secretion Sack (Saeder-Krupp Nyx [narcoleptic])
Synaptic Accelerator
Tailored Pheromones
Tuned Vocal Chords
Notes • Former agent for the DGSE (2039-2045)
• Former Saeder-Krupp operator (2045-2048)
• Frequent cosmetic facial reconstruction
• Bioware addiction

The contractor went underground following the assassination. Retrospective data sifting in November 2057 uncovered a failed kidnapping in Berlin on October 28, 2057 financed by unknown parties (see intercepted run report), following which VX572 again disappeared. High probability she has since purchased a new identity and appearance.

Section 5.3: Explosives Design Specialist

Robert Richter
Civilian 15413214 (Deceased)
Birth Name Robert Richter
Birthdate October 10, 2023
Deathdate August 4, 2057 (Age 33)
Residence at Death Puyallup, SSAR
Known Aliases Earthquake
Quake
EQ
National Origin UCAS
Gender Male
Metatype Elf
Height 1.9 m (6'1")
Weight 73 kg (161 lb.)
Known Metatalents No Astral Sensitivity
Known Cyberware No Known Cyberware
Known Bioware No Known Bioware
Notes • Member of the elf-supremacist gang the Princes
• Killed by Lone Star Security during attempted arrest

While the suspect identified by Lone Star, Renraku intelligence analysis places a low probability that Robert Richter provided the explosives used in the attack. He seems to lack the necessary technical skill, his supposed motivation for attacking Dunkelzahn is dubious, and a human social engineering expert is unlikely to target an elf supremacist.

Based on the conclusion that the explosives conspirator is a Seattle local, three known plausible contractors were identified and surveilled, profiled below, in decreasing order of likelihood. It is notable that all three plausible contractors were revealed to have associated with one of Vixen's cover identities, indicating a multi-pronged recruitment effort informed by access to a corporate mercenary contractor information database.

Carter Ephhauser
Contractor BD573
Contract Name Bulldog
Birth Name Carter Ephhauser
Contractor Rating B
External Contract Handler Mick Flaherty (Seattle)
Birthdate February 12, 2024 (Age 33)
Residence Auburn, SSAR
Known Aliases None
National Origin UCAS
Gender Male
Metatype Human
Height 1.9 m (6'2")
Weight 83 kg (182 lb.)
Contract Skills Explosives
Firearms Combat
Mass Elimination
Known Metatalents No Astral Sensitivity
Known Cyberware Augmented Cyberarm (Right)
Implanted Weapon (12mm Caseless)
Known Bioware None
Notes • Suspected member of the Alamos 20,000 human-supremacy terrorist group
• Seen socializing with Erelle Coudert at an Alamos 20,000-associated Auburn bar
• Former UCAS Army Ranger (2042-2053)
• Suffers from PTSD following deployment to Afghanistan
• Shares an Auburn residence with multiple other members of Alamos 20,000

Contractor BD573 is the most likely suspect to have also assumed tactical command of the attack and to be connected to the prime instigator of the assassination, in which case said instigator would most likely be a member of the Alamos 20,000 central executive.

Kazuaki Kohara
Contractor HK496
Contract Name Hōka
Birth Name Kazuaki Kohara
Contractor Rating B
External Contract Handler Sugako Kikuchi (Seattle) [Former]
Birthdate August 17, 2022 (Age 35)
Residence Downtown, SSAR
Known Aliases None
National Origin Japan
Gender Male
Metatype Human
Height 1.7 m (5'7")
Weight 72 kg (158 lb.)
Contract Skills Driving
Explosives
VIP Security
Known Metatalents No Astral Sensitivity
Known Cyberware Augmented Cyberleg (Right)
Hidden Holster (Right Leg)
Rigger Implants
Known Bioware None
Notes • Driver for Hanzo Shotozumi, head of the Shotozumi-gumi Yakuza clan in Seattle
• Repeatedly seen with Eri Latif at a Shotozumi-gumi gambling den
• Former Japanese Imperial Marine (2042-2050)
• Human supremacist
• Japan loyalist
• Lives alone in a condo in the Yakuza-controlled Green Lake neighborhood of downtown Seattle

No longer taking independent contracts, Hōka's participation would indicate some level of involvement of the Yakuza in the attack, which is otherwise given a low probability.

Michael Stanwick
Contractor NI285
Contract Name Nine
Birth Name Michael Stanwick
Contractor Rating B
External Contract Handler Janus Koskey (Seattle)
Birthdate May 4, 2031 (Age 26)
Residence Redmond, SSAR
Known Aliases None
National Origin UCAS
Gender Male
Metatype Human
Height TBD
Weight TBD
Contract Skills Civilian Relations
Corporate Face
Explosives
Pharmaceuticals
Tactical Combat
Known Metatalents No Astral Sensitivity
Known Cyberware Augmented Cybernose
Augmented Cybertongue
Augmented Cyberears
Augmented Cybereyes
Known Bioware None
Notes • Member of the Green 4800 eco-terrorist group, which Erim McKenzie joined upon reaching Seattle
• Estranged member of the Stanwick UCAS political dynasty
• Self-medicating chem addict
• Operates a drug lab out of a house in the eastern Redmond barrens
• Resides with Zach McGee, formerly of the Seattle Screamers Urban Brawl team, now a Redmond-area enforcer

While the most technically adept of the suspects, Nine's psychological profile is inconsistent with assassination and premeditated murder. Further, while Dunkelzahn stood in opposition to Nine's family's politics, his distance from them appears to be genuine and his assumed radicalism is unlikely to have focused on the great dragon.

Renraku intelligence also leaves a meaningful probability that the explosives were sourced from an as-yet unidentified party, with none of the identified explosives experts above involved in the attack.

As it is likely that the explosives specialist was, like the rigger, insulated from those in charge of the operation, Renraku intelligence has declined to detain or question the potential suspects.

Section 5.4: System Access Specialist

The inclusion of a Matrix operator can be conclusively inferred from the system support that shielded the physical attack from detection and intercept by automated systems. However, no identifying information for the operator has been found. Analysis of the remains of the Seattle Metro surveillance network, the manipulation of the arcology perimeter integrity monitoring system, and other trace elements did not provide a meaningful decker profile.

As it is likely that the decker would be, like the rigger, insulated from those in charge of the operation, Renraku intelligence has not prioritized tracking this inferred agent.

Section 5.5: Initiators and Orchestrators

Potential Orchestrators
Human Supremacists 54%
Human Nation 38%
Alamos 20,000 27%
Humanis Policlub 15%
Nationale Aktion 16%
Siegfriedbund 6%
National Front 7%
Genealogy Society 5%
AAA Megacorporation 28%
Aztechnology 21%
Saeder-Krupp 3%
Major Government 20%
Aztlan 19%
Rival Great Dragon 6%
Lofwyr 3%

No identifying information has been found for any planners or organizers of the attack. These probabilities represent the analysis of Renraku intelligence based on the limited information available, inferring from the consequences of the assassination and the identities of the field operatives known to have been involved.

Note that multiple parties may have been involved in the assassination, such that the various probabilities presented are not exclusive.

Given the known involvement of one or more human-supremacists agents, Dunkelzahn's advocacy for non-human rights, and the actuality of Kenneth Brackhaven becoming UCAS president, Renraku intelligence gives the highest probability to the attack being planned and organized by human supremacists. The biggest limitation of this possibility is the degree of sophistication of the attack, which exceeds that shown by even the most sophisticated anti-metahuman groups as Alamos 20,000. As such, an organization with elite membership—wealthy, politically connected, high corporate placement—such as Human Nation would likely be additionally involved. Such individuals might make use of government or corporate resources without the knowing involvement of said government's or corporation's formal decision-making processes.

The only AAA megacorporation with a high likelihood of involvement is Aztechnology, given the long-standing hostility between it and the great dragon, driven by Dunkelzahn's objection to Aztechnology's use of blood magic and the efforts he undertook to undermine it. In the scenario in which Aztechnology is responsible, at least some portion of the Aztlan political or security leadership is also likely to have been involved.

A small possibility exists that the dragon Lofwyr, with whom Dunkelzahn had a rivalry, was involved. While the use of human agents rather than direct confrontation appears unlikely for a lethal attack given the apparent honor dragons take in their interactions, the involvement of a dragon provides the most direct basis for the knowledge of the forces required to kill a dracoform. Any involvement by Lofwyr would almost certainly imply the additional involvement of Saeder-Krupp assets.

The possibility exists that one or more alternative major powers might have been involved for unanticipated reasons, making the assignment of a meaningful probability impractical. These would include but are not limited to criminal syndicates, free spirits, artificial intelligences, shamanic and hermetic orders, various preexisting conspiratorial associations, and other notable wielders of financial, political, magical, and technological resources.

The Berlin UltraMedical Run Report (October 28, 2057)

Portions of this text have been translated to English using a VI system.

So this is how it went down.
— Eternal

My primary task was supposed to be intrusion of the Berlin UltraMedical record system using the provided access codes to obscure the timing of the extraction. But as the target never reached the facility, this intrusion was never performed. As such, my main contribution was the initial overwatch through preexisting networked camera systems.
— Nanovolt

We had Nanovolt hidden in the server room of a gaming cafe, Pilgrim and Shadow doing loops, Siren and I on foot, and Vecteur in a roost.
— Eternal

As soon as I jacked in I found the Matrix unusually viscous, significant viral load on the local nodes, but the deck cut through enough of it to maintain strong access. I had my monitoring routines established and, within the expected time window, GRID traffic monitoring and business security showed clear imagery of the target entering my surveillance area and approaching the hospital. I reported the location and expected route to the extraction team and prepared to degrade any recordings of the grab.
— Nanovolt

I had Nano identify the lowest-coverage point on the project path and Pilgrim, Siren, and I got into motion.
— Eternal

I was the distraction and moved into position ahead of our target. I’d draw her attention while Eternal took her down. But we got called off so none of that happened.
— Siren

I’d lifted the van with the side-door last night, fitted the GRID lockout, had Shadow in back, was ready.
— Pilgrim

I was set in the van with the prod and bindings. Didn’t even get to see her.
— Shadow

Surveillance looked good, I had Eternal and Siren moving in, Pilgrim was on track with only a little nudging of GRID. Everything looked go when my tracker VI popped a request. It was managing two routines, one pulling raw camera data from consumer devices and the other geo-tagged images from social media, and a deduplication routine needed me to resolve a situation. What to do if image analysis said two photos are different but the metadata matcher said they’re the same? So I took a look. The social media photo showed the target, while the camera data showed someone else. Similar-looking at a glance, but someone else. Took me a second to realize it was even happening, given the resources it would take for someone to run facial replacement on the whole local grid.
— Nanovolt

I got the alert from Nano. I considered still grabbing whoever this was to find out what was going on, but then I figured whoever set this up might well have done it to counter-identify the people pulling the job, so I called the ground team off, kept Vecteur on physical surveillance in hope he might see something useful, and ordered Nano to disconnect; too risky for him to stay jacked in if we were up against a top-flight decker
— Eternal

I maintained eyeball overwatch for the remainder of the day. The decoy target entered the hospital and did not visibly emerge.
— Vecteur

I called off Vecteur’s watch after eight hours. The actual surgery, if it happened, would have long been over, and the longer he stayed the more risk there was of us being identified, and you through us. We don’t know what went wrong. Hopefully what happened here makes more sense to you. I don’t think we fucked this one up, so I’m not going to apologize, but I appreciate we shouldn't expect the second half of the extraction payment or the money for Shadow’s interrogation.
— Eternal

The Massive Gains LLC Overview (September 5, 2057)

a bunch of rich-ass school friends

Hey, chummers, like I said, it’s 25k to do a deep dive on any of these creeps, but I did a superficial scan gratis. Main takeaway is that they jointly own this investment minicorp, Massive Gains LLC, but they didn’t use it for the businesses you had me check out. They're running below the ice with those.
— RaverD


A Rosenblaum Walters
Primary Residence Toronto, ON
Born 6/17/2012
Family Married
2 Children
Education Imperial Oil K12 (Toronto, ON)
B.A., Political Science, Yale University (New Haven, CT)
Position Toronto Mayor
Prominent Holdings ARW Investment (Real Estate Development)
Dante K. Bojorquez
Primary Residence Detroit, MI
Born 9/2/2014
Family Single
Education Ford Gifted (Detroit, MI)
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
PhD, Political Science, Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.)
Prominent Holdings Rebirth Health System (Health Centers)
Rebirth Family Services (Juvenile Detention, Foster Care, and Adoption Services)
DKB Hand Stitching (Clothing Manufacture)
David A. Jackson
Primary Residence Cincinnati, OH
Born 11/12/2012
Family Divorced
1 Child
Remarried
2 Children
Education Kasich Elementary (Cincinnati, OH)
Yost High (Cincinnati, OH)
B.S., Environmental Engineering, Yale University (New Haven, CT)
M.S., Environmental Management, Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH)
Prominent Holdings EarthCycle (Waste and Recycling)
Jackson Hauling (Waste and Recycling)
Rumpke Sanitary Landfill (Waste and Recycling)
Gold Star Chili (Regional Restaurant Chain)
Elvira A. Perez
Primary Residence Philadelphia, PA
Born 6/25/2014
Family Single
Education Phillips Academy (Andover, MA)
B.T., Astral Theory, Carnegie Mellon (Pittsburgh, PA)
PhD, Astral Theory, Carnegie Mellon (Pittsburgh, PA)
Position Principle Hermetic, Guin & Vance
Evelyn Banks
Primary Residence New York City, NY
Born 8/6/2013
Family Divorced
1 Child
Education Choate Rosemary Hall (Wallingford, CT)
B.A., Visual Arts, Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT)
J.D., Yale Law School (New Haven, CT)
Position Senior Partner, Milbank, Tweed, Maruyama & McCloy
Hui Ch'eng
Primary Residence Kansas City, NO
Born 8/23/2012
Family Married
3 Children
Education Don Cheadle Elementary (Kansas City, NO)
Ares Educational High Kansas City (Kansas City, NO)
B.S., Economics, MIT&T (Cambridge, MA)
MBA, MIT&T, Sloan School of Management (Cambridge, MA)
Position CEO and Majority Owner, Ch’eng Trucking and Shipping
Kevin Stout
Primary Residence Chicago, IL
Born 11/6/2012
Family Married
5 Children
Education Knight Academy (Chicago, IL)
B.A., Public Policy, Yale University (New Haven, CT)
Position Illinois State Senator
Michael L. Marshall
Primary Residence Baltimore, MD
Born 7/2/2013
Family Married
2 Children
Education Phillips Academy (Andover, MA)
B.A., Statistics, Yale University (New Haven, CT)
MBA, MIT&T, Sloan School of Management (Cambridge, MA)
Position CEO and Majority Owner, MMM International Shipping
Mitsutaka Mizutani
Primary Residence Bellevue, SSAR
Born 12/11/2012
Family Married
2 Children
Education The Northwest School (Seattle, WA)
B.S., Business Administration, University of Washington (Seattle, WA)
MBA, MIT&T, Sloan School of Management (Cambridge, MA)
Prominent Holdings #1 Renraku (Auto Dealership)
Blingee Custom Metalwork (Jewelry Store)
Briar Tower (Commercial High-Rise)
Daiyamondo (Jewelry Store)
Gallery S (Private Art Gallery)
Safaia Tower (Luxury Condominium High-Rise)
Soygurt Fresh (Regional Casual Fast-Service Restaurant Chain)
Paul Vansickle
Primary Residence Columbus, OH
Born 1/18/2011
Family Married
Education NeoNET Advanced Education (Boston, MA)
B.S., Finance, Yale University (New Haven, CT)
Position VP of Business Development, First Columbus Bank
Perkins E. Michael
Primary Residence Boston, MA
Born 3/16/2013
Family Single
Education Phillips Academy (Andover, MA)
B.A., Psychology, Yale University (New Haven, CT)
J.D., Yale Law School (New Haven, CT)
Position Senior Partner, Ropes & Gray
Watson Kim
Primary Residence Washington, FDC
Born 10/29/2012
Family Married
1 Child
Education Phillips Academy (Andover, MA)
B.A., Political Science, Yale University (New Haven, CT)
PhD, Political Science, Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.)
Position Managing Director, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Steptoe & Johnson

The Chicago 21 Report (September 2, 2057)

Find attached the individual data dumps on these folks. Most of the details are pretty boring, but I've captured some correspondances in the last few columns of the table below.
— RaverD

Name Age Metatype Profession Primary Medical Professional Companionship Food Services
Anthony Rick 30 Human Highway Patrol Officer Northway Medical Practice Corinthian Escorts N/A
Artur Dickson 62 Dwarf Industrial Relations Director Magna PX N/A Casey's Chicago Cuisine
Esumi Rygh 49 Human U.S. Marshall NUCA Medical Complete N/A N/A
Gabriela Rodrigues 43 Human Family Therapist MaxiServe Medical N/A Casey's Chicago Cuisine
John A. Martinez 20 Human Maid N/A N/A N/A
John Pugh 29 Human Computer Control Programmer Belle Medical Group Brand Name Beauties N/A
John E. Stein 33 Elf Labor Relations Director Superior Medical Pixie Personal Services BambininuOvi Chicago
Lamont L. Chow 21 Human Massage Therapist N/A N/A N/A
Loraine J. Thomas 60 Human Heavy Vehicle Engineer Belle Medical Group N/A N/A
Marnick Kienhuis 55 Human Accounts Clerk Belle Medical Group N/A N/A
Mathilda Jönsson 39 Elf Aircraft Engineer RXL Medical Pixie Personal Services N/A
Michael Kamimura 33 Human Apartment Rental Agent Belle Medical Group N/A N/A
Mulan Hung 74 Human Periodontist Jennifer Kemble Associates RoundFound Casey's Chicago Cuisine
Orgulas Lightfoot 50 Human Payroll Analyst RXL Medical Brown Derby Companions N/A
Ravil Repin 47 Orc Collision Repair Technician Belle Medical Group N/A N/A
Rebecca E. Potter 57 Dwarf Analytical Chemist Hielturry Med Pixie Personal Services Carlo Borro Home Deliver
Ronnie C. Flynn 44 Elf Sportscaster Charles, O'Neal, and Bracin LLC Pixie Personal Services Wilson's Whole Foods
Sharon Briggs 37 Human Market Researcher Belle Medical Group N/A Meals by Christopher B. Wheels
Thomas Borders 31 Orc Video Editor John Liberty Practices N/A Casey's Chicago Cuisine
Timothy S. Campbell 76 Elf Interior Decorator Intelli PX Pixie Personal Services Jafco
Uki Kasai 27 Orc EMT N/A N/A N/A

The Genevieve Wong Report (September 2, 2057)

Genevieve wong.png
Personal Details
Full Name Genevieve Lynn Wong
Nickname(s) Gene
SIN 28bba5-6312f3-9d6e9a-5dbdeb-83d328-be92ee
Born September 4, 2020 (age 36)
Philadelphia, PA
Spouse(s) Catherine L Barnes (married 2050)
Children Robin Barnes Wong (born 2051)
Parents Patrick James Wong II (1968-2049)
Robinette Bonenfant (born 1998)
Education Cigna STTEM Manayunk (Philadelphia, PA)
B.T. in Summoning, MIT&T (Cambridge, MA)
PhD, MIT&T (Cambridge, MA)

Her wife was out of the city visiting family in Portland when the wall went up, with Genevieve and their daughter caught in the quarantine. They shelled out for genetic combination for the kid, which for some reason is still fragging expensive for elves.
— RaverD

Physical Characteristics
Height 1.73 m (5’8”)
Weight 54 kg (120 pounds)
Metahumanity Type Elf
Eye Color Purple
Hair Color Black
Blood Type AF+

Studied ballet up through college. Dropped it to focus on thaumaturgy once it became clear she couldn’t make a career of it.
— RaverD

Employment
Employer Reyes Pharmaceuticals
Title Associate Research Lead
Hired November 1, 2051
Salary $1,689,000 (~436,000¥)

Company's dead now, Chicago was their only branch.
— RaverD

Residence
Address 605N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60654
Geo-coordinates 41.892558, -87.630830

A North Riverside luxury condo, not in the Zone. Her wife still owns it but has moved back to Portland to live with her family.
— RaverD

Contact Info
Phone 1-872-696-1437
Email gwong@reyespharma.com
genevievelwong@rmail.com

None of these work anymore, of course. The rmail account is some active, but she hasn’t checked it since the quarantine began.
— RaverD

Financial
Visa 4018 7583 6590 0088
CVV4 2277
Expires 6/2058
Chase Ares $329,816.63 (~90,000¥)

Mostly spent it as quickly as they brought it in, though fair to assume Genevieve’s income would only increase. Catherine didn’t work.
— RaverD

Vehicle
None

Had a contract with Knight Private Carriage for local transportation.
— RaverD

Thesis
Title Adaptation of Pre-Awakening Customs to Hermetic Spirit Binding
Abstract Both the adaptation of Native American traditions to modern shamanic rituals and the re-adaptation of shamanic rituals to hermetic techniques are common practice. Despite the success of this adaptation and re-adaptation process, my research supposes that valuable praxis may be lost in retranslation. This dissertation describes a modified form of the Derived Algonquian Spirit Tasking Symbology (DASTS) informed by pre-awakening Shawnee hunting and gathering rituals integrated without the intermediation of shamanic interpretation. This direct hermetic interpretation (DHI-DASTS) of the original symbology empowers a refined directive instruction set enabling a more precise defining of desired flair and fauna.

Fuck if I know what this is about, but the full non-redacted private version is attached.
— RaverD

Advanced Neuro-Logic Enterprises

Self-appointed investigators amassed in forums across the Matrix with the first bug sighting in Chicago. Their primary product was bad conjecture, but for someone actually taking a trip into the containment zone, the data they collected was a convenience.

Simple enough to consult a business directory and find Advanced Neuro-Logic Enterprises: 5200 S Harper Ave, six blocks from the University of Chicago. Unextraordinary in the public record and on first sight, the second floor of a three-story red brick office building on a tree-lined street, rows of abandoned desks, fashionably utilitarian. A few private offices, an expansive motion-capture lab, all gathering dust.

The team has a rhythm for the search. Urni negotiates with the resident vermin. Nine reviews records. Mac picks the simple locks used on desks and cabinets. Maniac rips them open. Electronics are collected and taken to the roof, solar sheets are unfolded, anything found in the offices or lab given priority for recharging. The software hasn’t been updated in two years, so the cracks are plug-and-play. It doesn’t take more than a few hours for Nine to get an overview.

An ordinary beginning, Neuro-Logic was formed in 2049 to exploit University of Chicago patents by Drs. Taylor and Lovin of the neuro-cybernetics department. The first skillsofts, back in the early 40s, were data repositories bridged to the parahippocampal cortices, factual recall via the semantic memory system. You could load up the full set of SEC regulations, MLB statistics, anything you wanted, but it was just raw data.

Taylor and Lovin played a small part in the second generation, real mental skills, the ability to perform new kinds of tasks. They owned techniques for dampening feedback in procedural memory, keeping the brain from freaking out when its natural reinforcement learning runs into a hard-coded chip. They signed cross-licenses with Mitsuhama and contracts to deliver mental skillsofts that would be developed at their new business, Neuro-Logic.

The investment class became instant experts. Wealthy travelers spoke like natives. Taylor and Lovin had a nice side income. But there was a limit to the market: most jobs that could be done by a person with a mental skillsoft could be done cheaper by a virtual intelligence. The real demand was for the next step: physical skills.

It wouldn’t be easy. Individual variations complicate exact translation of movement between bodies. A longer limb traverses a longer arc with the same rotation. Close enough for waving hello, but not for catching a ball, walking across a room, or assembling a pocket secretary.

It wasn’t clear a small player could compete in this third generation. Taylor and Lovin had been able to experiment with mental skills using a computer console and a comfortable chair, commercially-available factual-recall implants as their base hardware. For physical skills they’d need full-body free-motion rigs. They’d need to rent specialized facilities for physical skill testing. They’d need some megacorp’s still-experimental physical skillsoft implants. They needed someone to see a reason to deal them in.

AZ 22nd Century, an Aztlán VC firm, found one. AZ would invest in Neuro-Logic. Neuro-Logic would buy a new suite of equipment and use it to fulfill a research contract with Solar Cybernetics, an Aztechnology subsidiary in Denver. Solar Cybernetics would provide an active skillsoft framework, and Neuro-Logic would develop prototype physical skills.

As part of the deal, Neuro-Logic hired a new business manager, Teresa Robb, given independent authority to outsource a portion of the Solar Cybernetics contract. The Neuro-Logic staff configured neural recording cybernetics, nerve-pattern learning systems, a full DIY active skillsoft development package. Robb found outside vendors like Smart Systems Limited—themselves funded by AZ—delivered them the packages, and received physical skill performance data in return. Taylor and Lovin found this small independence to be little to ask, given all they received in return. From Nine’s review of their correspondence, they saw little need to discuss their new employee at all.

A pocket tablet from Robb’s office, little more than a desk in a closet, reveals a covert messaging app. The counterparty traces to Solar Cybernetics. Their exact identify is protected, but the local memcache yields the last few messages to extraction tools.

“How’s it going with the basketball team?”

“It’s not. We barely change them and they're completely inept. Can’t shoot. Can barely run. They would be breaking bones if we let them. They can’t adapt at all.”

“Well, I appreciate you sticking with it. The guys in the big offices loves the showy stuff, and they’re going to be writing our bonus checks ;)”

“Yeah. I was going to head over earlier, light a fire under their asses. But had to burn an hour telling the staff that I had ‘done all I could’ to get our contractors to share best practices. Would love to see their faces if I actually showed them. And now the roads are impossible, some Knight Errant thing.”

“Well, just remember, you can’t. And keep your head up. Even if they don’t know it, you’re the only reason that place is still in business.”

“Yeah, thanks. Think I’m going to walk home, deal with this tomorrow morning. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Please do. And, absolutely, take some time to relax, then get back at it. Talk to you tomorrow :)”

But with Neuro-Logic and Smart Systems Limited out of business, and Taylor, Lovin, and Robb lost or dead in the Zone, this would all be little more than trivia but for an implementation detail of the covert messaging app.

Normally, client apps operating remotely use a messaging-specific bridge between the Matrix and the corp’s internal network. A security VI authenticates and screens each packet, blocking the path to anything but the message queue. But border guards record all sorts of things you’d want no record of if you’re coordinating illegal experiments through layers of duped and dummy corporations. So the covert messaging app on Robb’s tablet instead opens a general-purpose bridge into the internal network, granting the tablet the trusted access that a hardwired on-site computer would have, allowing it to quietly talk to Robb’s contact within Solar Cybernetics.

It’s not an all-access pass to the corp’s data. Anything of value has further security. But as much as Solar Cybernetics might try to limit the risk taken to run off-the-record comms, it’s a foot in the door.

Erim McKenzie Search (August 10, 2057)

Erim McKenzie
Erim Latif
Laurene Barteaux
Laurene Laprise
Laurene Miron
Christine Jaeger

Hey bro, rough break running into a honey pot, but when you’re a player people are going to try to play you. Happens to the best of us. Did a search in our outside contractor DB based on what you told me and came up with this:
— John Michaels Lyons Jr.

Contractor BA383A
Contract Name(s) Vixen
Real Name N/A
Contractor Rating 43stars.png
Contract Handler [REDACTED]
Birthdate N/A (age range 26-34 [90% confidence])
Residence N/A
Known Aliases Christine Jaeger (2055)
Laurene Miron (2055)
Laurene Laprise (2056)
Laurene Barteaux (2056)
Erim Latif (2057)
Known Associates Contractor [Lefty Black]
[REDACTED]
Nationality European [88% confidence]
French [34% confidence]
German [28% confidence]
Dutch [19% confidence]
Gender Female
Metatype Human
Height 1.68 m (5'6")
Weight 55 kg (120 lb.)
Contract Skills Assassination
Confidence
Manipulation
Seduction
Surveillance
Known Metatalents None
Known Cyberware None
Known Bioware Bioears
Bioeyes
Bionose
Bioskin
Biotongue
Clean Metabolism
Dietware
Engineered Scent (Coco Biomod Black)
Enhanced Articulation
Enhanced Immune System
Muscle Augmentation
Oral Secretion Sack (Saeder-Krupp CLift [intoxicant])
Oral Secretion Sack (Saeder-Krupp Nyx [narcoleptic])
Synaptic Accelerator
Tailored Pheromones
Notes Frequent cosmetic facial reconstruction
Bioware addiction

If that’s your girl, then the bitch is a real-deal fucking runner. I think you’d catch any pheromone business with that nose of yours, so I assume she used her oral sacks skills on you instead, you dirty dog,.. but that means she knew about your nose going in, so think about that, brother.

I reached out to her handler—casual, like I was looking to hire her—but he says she isn’t available and to not expect her to be. He was pushing alternatives pretty hard. I pushed back best I could but no go. She’s probably either dead, out of the game, or working for someone better. Can’t give you the handler’s info—wouldn’t sit well with the corp—but can give you some info for a guy she worked with, locked up in Denver. No use to us behind bars, so you feel free to have at him. Just keep me out of it, right?

— JML²


Clem Hettinger
Contractor 8E8E45
Contract Name(s) Slim Pick (2052-2055)
Lefty Black
Real Name Clem Hettinger
Contractor Rating 28stars.png
Contract Handler [REDACTED]
Birthdate March 18, 2019 (age 38)
Residence Sioux Nation Denver Criminal Reformatory
Known Aliases Tom Hooper
Charles Cook
Known Associates Contractor [Deckhand]
Contractor [Mirrorface]
Contractor [Studbot]
Contractor [Vixen] (identified alias Erim Latif)
[REDACTED]
Nationality American (UCAS)
Gender Male
Metatype Ork
Height 1.85 m (6’1”)
Weight 62 kg (136 lb.)
Appearance Left replacement cyber-forearm and hand, black plastic outer surface
Contract Skills Burglary
Thievery
Known Metatalents None
Known Cyberware Augmentable Cybereye [Right] (Enhanced Vision, Scoped Optics)
Replacement Cyberarm [Left]
Known Bioware None
Conviction Burglary (5 years)
Theft (5 years)
Concurrent sentences
9 months served
Notes An offer to sell DNA of known associates (e.g., hair samples)—[Deckhand], [Mirrorface], [Studbot], [Vixen]—in return for assistance with the runner’s incarceration was rejected by management.

He got picked up on a job your girl got away from, so maybe some ill will there you can exploit. But hell if I know. Good luck, though, man. Stay in touch and be careful out there. Some people who come at you might do more than leave you with a bad date.
— JML²

Dunkelzahn's Six

James Delany
Born June 9, 2028 (age 29)
Spouse Jeane Olson
Children Robert Delany
Metahumanity Type Dwarf
Employment Illusionist
Brilliant Genesis Studios
Chicago, IL
Recent Productions

Angels of Saturn’s Rings (2055)
Unjustified (2054)
Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing (2054)
Corporate SIN: Indivisible (2054)
The Fifth Caballero (2053)
Chainsaw Reborn (2053)

Alright, here's the effortpost I promised on James Delany's sims with Brilliant Genesis.

Chainsaw Reborn is remembered for one thing: Jacqueline Starlight's incredible performance doing emotion capture for the titular reborn Chainsaw. Basic plot summary: Chainsaw, seemingly dead at the end of the first sim, is resurrected as a mind-wiped cyber-zombie, with an upgraded chainsaw hand; the corp uses him to take on street gangs, he eventually stumbles across his former girlfriend, she reminds him who he was, he goes back to the corp and chainsaws his way through security to the executive responsible for wiping his mind. What makes this work is Starlight's ability to take you through Chainsaw whole journey, which ends up being surprisingly poignant. Delaney did the gore-effects on set, and they're good, but nothing that would stand out in the genre.

So, I haven't experienced The Fifth Caballero, but apparently neither did anybody else. It's a horribly-reviewed comedy set in Aztlan back when it used to be called Mexico, during the Mexican Revolution, though the revolution in the sim apparently doesn't much match actually history, or apparently what Aztechnology wants remembered of history, leaving it banned in the only market that might care about it. Seems like a complete misfire. That said, I haven't read any complaints about Delany's work on the illusory sets they used to capture this in Chicago.

I get that Alan Moore's Swamp Thing is an obnoxious title given how little similarity it has to the original novel. But I haven't read that so ultimately I'm just judging it as a sim, preconceptions aside. And from that perspective, it's great. You've got Delaney's illusions and Starlight's emotions again, but this time for a body-tripping plant monster that can feel an entire swamp through some kind of plant network instead of just a beefy guy murdering people with a chainsaw. The whole story: his birth, him being hunted by the Floronic fertilizer company, the big fight scene at the end, is all freaky sensations and body horror and it's great. Writer/director Mary McQuillen never recovered from this one, but it's what made Delaney someone to watch.

Unjustified is a neo-western: a NaN peace officer hunts for his son's killer (though, spoiler, not really, he's still alive) in the farmland and wilderness outside the Denver Metroplex. Most of the attention for this went to Caron Brown's performance as Anna, the tracker companion to the main POV character. She's great, and brings the only warmth to what's otherwise a pretty cold sim. But Delaney's work on this sim is incredible, painting vast vistas entirely out of thin air, which didn't get much attention at the time as Brilliant Genesis didn't want to draw attention to the entirely artificial setting of a sim being praised for its realness. Incredible work, though, and what earned him the director's chair for his next sim.

So, Angels of Saturn’s Rings has a bad reputation, but I actually kinda like it. I get that the juxtaposition of the horror stuff with the spiders and the more erotic stuff with the aliens doesn't totally work, but when the execution of both those elements is so strong, I don't really mind the tonal whiplash. And the sci-fi writing for the first contact storyline is surprisingly good. And I think anyone can appreciate the incredible visuals of the nano-replicators building out in Saturn's rings. It's a sim that clearly needed another pass at the scriptwriting stage, but as a freshman effort of James Delaney in the director's chair, as well as doing the illusory setting, I think it shows a lot of promise.

But at the end of the day, he's a talented, but not all that accomplished illusionist/director whose career was cut short by the intervention of bugs from another dimension, and it's not clear to me what a great dragon's interest is in that. I guess maybe he's a fan? But at least for me, I hope someone gets him out and he gets back to work. His horror chops could only be improved by being stuck in a city filled with insect monsters, right? :D
— SK

Dr. Edward Fenwick Oden
Born February 2, 2010 (age 47)
Spouse Dr. Gilbert I. Williams
Children none
Metahumanity Type Human
Employment Full Professor
Department of Thaumaturgy
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Recent Published Works A Meta-analysis of Spirit-Based Far-Metaplane Exploration (2055)
An Alternative Runic System for Astral Projection Monitoring Circles (2054)
Metaplane Permeability in the Saar-Lorraine-Luxembourg Special Administrative Zone (2053)

I don't think there's any question why Dunkelzahn wants this guy out. He's done research on metaplane travel and specifically how metaplane access is affected by a toxic zone. The Draco Foundation is going to take the credit for getting him rescued and then snap up everything he knows about metaplanes in Bug City.
— The Great Ape

Gregory Armtwister
Born September 13, 2028 (age 28)
Spouse none
Children none
Metahumanity Type Ork
Employment Security
The Big Rhino
Puyallup, SSAR
Matrix Rumors 1) He’s a major player in the Ork underground. Dunkelzahn wants him brought out to get back to that.
2) He’s a Shadowrunner who Dunkelzahn sent into the CZ but couldn’t get out, and he’s got something Dunkelzahn wants for his foundation.
3) He’s a high-level off-books Renraku operator who was sent into Chicago within an hour of the outbreak, before the wall went up. Dunkelzahn wants his foundation to find out why.

I'd met this guy a few times at The Big Rhino, which, if you don't know, is an "Orkish" bar/restaurant in Puyallup. During the day it's reasonably safe to visit, and you can get an interesting meal that's somewhere between paleolithic and deconstructionist. At night, it gets pretty rough, which is when Armtwister is more prominent. He was clearly skilled at keeping the atmosphere short of homicidal without impairing the energetic crowd the place is known for. Don't know him well enough to know what he was doing in Chicago, though.
— Archangel

Protacio Corcoran
Born September 13, 2023 (age 33)
Spouse none
Children none
Metahumanity Type Human
Employment Handyman
Chicago, IL
Matrix Rumors 1) He’s a Sky Shaman who possesses the Seal of the Blue Gloves, which the Dunkelzahn Foundation will need after giving away the green ones.
2) He’s secretly Basilisk, a Chicago-area holo-vandal of whom Dunkelzahn was a fan.
3) He’s a high-level off-books Ares operator who was activated within an hour of the outbreak, before the wall went up. Dunkelzahn wants his foundation to find out why.

This guy is known entirely through a handful of Matrix posts offering basic handyman work in association with a barebones Facebook account. He's either a Matrix ghost acting as cover for an operator or an actual boring handyman.
— Greely

Katherine Sitsu
Born March 5, 2033 (age 24)
Spouse none
Children none
Metahumanity Type Elf
Employment PhD Student
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
Published Works Brain Abnormalities in Procyon Latri (Bandit Raccoons)

Some student might seem like a weird choice, but she's done anatomical research on awakened animals, so she's presumably somewhere in Bug City right now chopping up insect spirits. Obvious financial motivation for getting her out and grateful to Draco.
— The Great Ape

Sissel McCarthy
Born December 2, 2021 (age 35)
Spouse John Robles
Children Daisy McCarthy
Dianne Robles
Metahumanity Type Human
Employment Journalist
Chicago NewsNet-Sun-Tribune
Chicago, IL
CZ BBS Bulk Download Articles Bugs on Buses: Transportation in Crisis
A Fragile Peace in the Ghoul Enclave
Fast-Flesh Infested: Super Soldier Insects?
Last Month Was the Deadliest Yet from Faulty BTLs
Beside the Wall: Life on the Fringes

Sissel's the one person on Dunkelzahn's list where we almost know more about her activity after the wall went up than before. A junior journalist with a periodic byline beforehand, she seems to have forged an impressive career of investigative journalism within the Containment Zone. Her articles form some of the core of what we understand of life behind the wall.
— Wraith II

The Rochus Braun Report (August 4, 2057)

Rochus braun.png
Personal Details
Full Name Rochus Orwell Braun III
Nickname(s) none
SIN 000001-38bf44-fb5087-eb6086-6b5ac7-9318b2
Born March 6, 2012 (age 45)
Renton, SSAR
Spouse(s) Margaret Alanis Rosaire (married 2038)
Children Rochus Orwell Braun IV (born 2040)
John Francis Braun (born 2042)
Mary Margaret Braun (born 2044)
Parents Rochus Orwell Braun II (born 1991)
Maggie Noelle McKenzie (born 1992)
Education Renraku Educational Primary (Renton, SSAR)
Renraku Educational Secondary (Renton, SSAR)
B.A. in Management, Northwest University (Bellevue, SSAR)
Lone Star Academy (Austin, TX)

Parents both come from serious money. Their personal matrix chat with the other kids, all mid-level Renraku execs, is brutal. Roch is just some bigot cop to them. They’ve got no serious contact, they say he’s all in on Lone Star and his church.
— RaverD

Physical Characteristics
Height 1.65 m (5’5”)
Weight 86 kg (190 pounds)
Metahumanity Type Human
Eye Color Hazel
Hair Color Dark Brown
Blood Type AB-

Lone Star physical requirements aren’t much at his rank, and he takes advantage of it.
— RaverD

Employment
Employer Lone Star Security Services
Title Captain, Crime Suppression Division
Hired June 03, 2037
Salary $337,000 (~87,000¥)
60,000 LSS (~8,000¥)

He’s got a clean record, though he might have come in with enough profile to keep it that way no matter what. Lone Star knows their system leaks.
— RaverD

Residence
Address 1015 North 31st St
Renton, SSAR 98056
Geo-coordinates 47.519031, -122.204926

This is a two-story house in a low-crime middle-class neighborhood. Looks like he mostly walks places, except to work, and church once a week in Bellevue.
— RaverD

Contact Info
Phone 1-206-727-2143
Email robraun@lonestar.ucas

Again, no access to internal Lone Star communications.
— RaverD

Financial
Visa 4018 1694 4999 4528
CVV4 5726
Expires 4/2060
Chase Ares $502,450.08 (~135,000¥)
Lone Star Scrip ~45,908 (~6,000¥)

I think he’s got another ~200,000¥ hidden in the CAS, but haven’t been able to confirm. I can take another run at that for another 1k¥.
— RaverD

Rochus braun buick park avenue.jpg
Vehicle
Make & Model Buick Park Avenue
Year 2054
Color Pearl White
Registration SSAR
Plate 1738 SGJD

Rarely uses this, GRID only when he does.
— RaverD

The Bull Report (July 6, 2057)

Irene turnbull.png
Personal Details
Full Name Irene Allen Turnbull
Nickname(s) The Bull
SIN 4174fa-9d3571-c51d5a-fd8b9f-1e4f97
Born December 6, 2022 (age 34)
Puyallup, SSAR
Spouse(s) Daniel Y. Vanmeter (2046-2048)
Children None
Parents George Turnbull (2001-2039)
Terry Allen (2004-2039)
Education McAlister Elementary (Puyallup, SSAR)
Knight High (Puyallup, SSAR)
Lone Star Academy (Austin, TX)

Her parents both died the Night of Rage during one of the riots. Couldn't find anything on just how they were involved, bystanders, instigators, or what. The ex works at Sea-Tac, ground crew.
— RaverD

Physical Characteristics
Height 1.73 m (5'8")
Weight 84.1 kg (185.5 pounds)
Metahumanity Type Human
Eye Color Dark Brown
Hair Color Dark Brown
Blood Type A+

She's a seven-day-a-week weightlifter, either a facility in the basement of her apartment building, or Lone Star's staff gym.
— RaverD

Employment
Employer Lone Star Security Services
Title Lieutenant, Crime Suppression Division
Hired June 5, 2041
Salary $232,000 (~60,000¥)
37,500 LSS (~5,000¥)

She spent five years patrolling Puyallup. A few citizen complaints, excessive violence, but nothing that stuck. Then a few of years in anti-terrorism before being recruited into CSD as a lieutenant, where she's been for the last seven.
— RaverD

Residence
Address 938 110th Ave NE Apt. 312
Bellevue, SSAR 98004
Geo-coordinates 47.618867, -122.193417

Buncha other Star in this building. Looks like the owner discounts their rent.
— RaverD

Contact Info
Phone 1-296-772-5542
Email iturnbull@lonestar.ucas

She's gonna also have internal corp text/voice/video comms, but you'd need to break heavy ice to use them anyways.
— RaverD

Financial
Visa 4929 3458 0114 2984
CVV4 0118
Expires 6/2059
Chase Ares $30,447.04 (~7,600¥)
Lone Star Scrip ~4,174 (~550¥)

Up-to-date scrip amounts are tough to pull from corp servers. And I think I would have found any covert accounts, but you can never be sure.
— RaverD

Irene turnbull land rover.jpg
Vehicle
Make & Model Land Rover Model 2067
Year 2056
Color Midnight Black
Registration SSAR
Plate 7798 ADRX

Her car's got a bit of custom up-armoring she bought with Star scrip. Shouldn't be any mounted weapons, though.
— RaverD

Lone Star Application Psych Summary May 14, 2041
A tendency to binary social identification – leading to openness to in-groups and distrust of out-groups – may make for an excellent recruit if loyalties can be directed to Lone Star and against extra-agency threats. Skill with rapid situational assessment and quick decision-making should prove valuable both in field work and in potential direct-command roles. However, an inherent impulsiveness limits aptitude with long-term planning, such that any rank advancement should retain subordination beneath a more strategic leader to set goals.

Proud of this pull. Found a leak of these from the early 40s on ShadowNet.
— RaverD