Chapter 2: Regrouping After Meeting with Dashiell

[shaidar]

{Revs}

Revs looks at Baby Blue, expressionless, for a few seconds then bursts into laughter.

"I'm sorry Baby Blue, I'm not laughing at you, but this" he waves his hands around "It's a really good idea, you and Skye should get together and work on the Houston end."

[archolewa]

Baby Blue

Baby Blue cocks her head and frowns at Rev's laughter. "Uhh. Ok. Pandora, you think you can pull me up some street maps of Houston? Maybe even see if you can pry out some local gossip on neighborhoods and the like? Not really anything detailed, we might need that once we have more details on the job, but general knowledge things like which neighborhoods have really bad or ritzy reputations. But not tonight. We still haven't taken the job yet, and if we do, we'll have a few days. Tomorrow will be time enough for that."

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

Pandora remains silent as Headstone, Revs, and Skye squabble. Done my part, she thinks. Now it’s up to the team. She waits until Headstone starts for the door for a second time.

“Chocolate is candy, Boss,” Pandora says with a laugh, knowing she’s being overly pedantic. Just a little snipe to defuse a more serious situation. “But, yeah, please. Chocolate… caramel… licorice… other candy, in roughly that order of preference. Failing that, cookies, cupcakes, donuts, something like that will do. Just sugar, for the love of Ghost. Something to help fuel the energy for the adrenaline rush my caffeine buzz has started. Thanks.”

The decker sits sipping at her Fizzy Goo Ultra Umph filled Stuffer Shack Extreme Cup until Headstone returns with the goodies. Once he does, Pandora says, “I told you transportation had to be the J’s. Hades, Revs’s rigger’s not charging much more than a legit airline would to charter a private jet for 8 people. 3-5k for each passenger seems about right each way, from the twenty or so seconds I devoted to that task since I was focused on Simpleton like you asked.” She shrugs. “Only real rich corpers rent a charter, neh? The really big players own their own jets.”

Turning to face Skye, Pandora nods. “Yeah, I am kind of the double-redundancy’s never enough sort of slitch when it comes to intel myself. So, here’s what I dug up on Simpleton’s team – or rather Thrasher’s team. Like I said, Simpleton’s not the leader. That distinction falls to Thrasher, a former Sioux Wildcat, turned mercenary, turned runner. His number two, for as much as any shadow team can be said to have structure, is Stalker. Stalker’s a combat decker, and I mean that in both senses. His ’Trix profile is almost all attack proggies; he’s aggressive as Hades; besides that, he relies on his pistols nearly as much as his deck. He’s not one to stay home and do overwatch. He always goes in with the team and decks from inside the target location, by-passing the thickest IC.” The corners of Pandora’s lips pull down, and her left nostril raises and flairs, wrinkling her nose. She takes a swig of her Fizzy Goo to wash away the bad taste.

“Next on the team is Dez. I think you’ve met her. From your description of the meet, she’s that Amazon woman. In combat, she’s brutal. Rumor has it her preferred weapon is an Ares HV MP-LMG. Yeah, the slitch carries a tripod mounted weapon as a sidearm. And she’s supposed to be equally deadly with an Ares Monosword. Marki’s their rigger; he followed Thrasher out of the Wildcats. He’s mostly a wheelman, but rumored to be drekking good with anything in a turret. If there’s a weak link in the team, it’s Dark Eyes. She’s a female dog shaman who, reportedly, has no sense of tactics or teamwork. She’s good in combat, but only when she remembers the plan. That might be why they’ve brought in that new kid, Spiff. I think he’s the second one you talked about being with Simpleton at the meat. Sorry, Boss, I couldn’t find much about him. He’s new to the team and to the shadows. He’s a slinger; hermetic mage by the sound of it. More than that, I don’t know. As for Simpleton’s role on the team, They appreciate his weapons and his tactics, but they value his intel more. Simpleton does their legwork and acts as their face.”

Shifting her attention to Baby Blue, the decker says, “Street maps are nothing. Already done, along with broader roadmaps for Pueblo Corporate Council, the CAS, Sioux Nation, the western part of the continental UCAS, and Aztlan. All the broad maps Revs might need if you decided to go ground.” She shrugs. “That's not work. Any of you could have pulled them from the Public Data Net; well, any of you except the Boss, here. He's hopeless.” She grins.

“I can see what I can find. I don’t know too many people in Houston, but I can see what’s common gossip in Shadowland and the like, take a look at the news and area crime statistics and so on. Just let me fuel my sugar rush and tell me how much time you want me to skate for it. I don’t need to crash yet. I slept yesterday, I think? Maybe the day before? Something like that. It doesn’t feel like I’ve hit the three to four day mark, yet.”

Focusing back on Headstone, Pandora says, “Look, Boss, like I said earlier, I’m sure Simpleton expects the team to negotiate. And I told you the transport would cost at least as much as he’d already offered. That’s why I said the bill for transport has to be his.”

“You want me to go over my rundown on what I think you should ask for, so we can finalize numbers before I print that bill you wanted?”

[archolewa]

Shifting her attention to Baby Blue, the decker says, “Street maps are nothing. Already done, along with broader roadmaps for Pueblo Corporate Council, the CAS, Sioux Nation, the western part of the continental UCAS, and Aztlan. All the broad maps Revs might need if you decided to go ground.” She shrugs. “That's not work. Any of you could have pulled them from the Public Data Net; well, any of you except the Boss, here. He's hopeless.” She grins.

"Ahh, but Pandora you are nothing if not thorough. I go hunting for maps, I'll find myself some maps. You go hunting for maps, and you'll pull up official maps, accurate maps, gang movements, astral lines, and probably the daily route of the local ice cream trucks," says Baby Blue with a smile. "And nothing makes me crave ice cream like jobs of dubious morality."

[Charybdis Richelle]

Shifting her attention to Baby Blue, the decker says, “Street maps are nothing. Already done, along with broader roadmaps for Pueblo Corporate Council, the CAS, Sioux Nation, the western part of the continental UCAS, and Aztlan. All the broad maps Revs might need if you decided to go ground.” She shrugs. “That's not work. Any of you could have pulled them from the Public Data Net; well, any of you except the Boss, here. He's hopeless.” She grins.

"Ahh, but Pandora you are nothing if not thorough. I go hunting for maps, I'll find myself some maps. You go hunting for maps, and you'll pull up official maps, accurate maps, gang movements, astral lines, and probably the daily route of the local ice cream trucks," says Baby Blue with a smile. "And nothing makes me crave ice cream like jobs of dubious morality."

{GM}

Pandora chuckles. “Gotcha. I will be sure to add ice cream parlors and ice cream truck routes to the list of essential items marked on the maps.” Laughing again, she adds, “And here I had only thought it critical to mark every coffee shop in the city.” Then she sobers and gets back to business.

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

Pandora remains silent as Headstone, Revs, and Skye squabble. Done my part, she thinks. Now it’s up to the team. She waits until Headstone starts for the door for a second time.

“Chocolate is candy, Boss,” Pandora says with a laugh, knowing she’s being overly pedantic. Just a little snipe to defuse a more serious situation. “But, yeah, please. Chocolate… caramel… licorice… other candy, in roughly that order of preference. Failing that, cookies, cupcakes, donuts, something like that will do. Just sugar, for the love of Ghost. Something to help fuel the energy for the adrenaline rush my caffeine buzz has started. Thanks.”

The decker sits sipping at her Fizzy Goo Ultra Umph filled Stuffer Shack Extreme Cup until Headstone returns with the goodies. Once he does, Pandora says, “I told you transportation had to be the J’s. Hades, Revs’s rigger’s not charging much more than a legit airline would to charter a private jet for 8 people. 3-5k for each passenger seems about right each way, from the twenty or so seconds I devoted to that task since I was focused on Simpleton like you asked.” She shrugs. “Only real rich corpers rent a charter, neh? The really big players own their own jets.”

Turning to face Skye, Pandora nods. “Yeah, I am kind of the double-redundancy’s never enough sort of slitch when it comes to intel myself. So, here’s what I dug up on Simpleton’s team – or rather Thrasher’s team. Like I said, Simpleton’s not the leader. That distinction falls to Thrasher, a former Sioux Wildcat, turned mercenary, turned runner. His number two, for as much as any shadow team can be said to have structure, is Stalker. Stalker’s a combat decker, and I mean that in both senses. His ’Trix profile is almost all attack proggies; he’s aggressive as Hades; besides that, he relies on his pistols nearly as much as his deck. He’s not one to stay home and do overwatch. He always goes in with the team and decks from inside the target location, by-passing the thickest IC.” The corners of Pandora’s lips pull down, and her left nostril raises and flairs, wrinkling her nose. She takes a swig of her Fizzy Goo to wash away the bad taste.

“Next on the team is Dez. I think you’ve met her. From your description of the meet, she’s that Amazon woman. In combat, she’s brutal. Rumor has it her preferred weapon is an Ares HV MP-LMG. Yeah, the slitch carries a tripod mounted weapon as a sidearm. And she’s supposed to be equally deadly with an Ares Monosword. Marki’s their rigger; he followed Thrasher out of the Wildcats. He’s mostly a wheelman, but rumored to be drekking good with anything in a turret. If there’s a weak link in the team, it’s Dark Eyes. She’s a female dog shaman who, reportedly, has no sense of tactics or teamwork. She’s good in combat, but only when she remembers the plan. That might be why they’ve brought in that new kid, Spiff. I think he’s the second one you talked about being with Simpleton at the meet. Sorry, Boss, I couldn’t find much about him. He’s new to the team and to the shadows. He’s a slinger; hermetic mage by the sound of it. More than that, I don’t know. As for Simpleton’s role on the team, They appreciate his weapons and his tactics, but they value his intel more. Simpleton does their legwork and acts as their face.”

Shifting her attention to Baby Blue, the decker says, “Street maps are nothing. Already done, along with broader roadmaps for Pueblo Corporate Council, the CAS, Sioux Nation, the western part of the continental UCAS, and Aztlan. All the broad maps Revs might need if you decided to go ground.” She shrugs. “That's not work. Any of you could have pulled them from the Public Data Net; well, any of you except the Boss, here. He's hopeless.” She grins.

“I can see what I can find. I don’t know too many people in Houston, but I can see what’s common gossip in Shadowland and the like, take a look at the news and area crime statistics and so on. Just let me fuel my sugar rush and tell me how much time you want me to skate for it. I don’t need to crash yet. I slept yesterday, I think? Maybe the day before? Something like that. It doesn’t feel like I’ve hit the three to four day mark, yet.”

Focusing back on Headstone, Pandora says, “Look, Boss, like I said earlier, I’m sure Simpleton expects the team to negotiate. And I told you the transport would cost at least as much as he’d already offered. That’s why I said the bill for transport has to be his.”

“You want me to go over my rundown on what I think you should ask for, so we can finalize numbers before I print that bill you wanted?”

[Gremlin]

Skye

"So what are we going to say to Simpleton at this meeting?" Skye prompts, breaking the lull in the conversation. "Once everyone is at the meet he'll ask if we've come to a decision, so we should work out what we're going to say now instead of just winging it."

The shaman finishes her can of mugicha before continuing. "One of you can handle the money haggling, though the client paying for the transportation costs and other incidentals is non-negotiable and our individual fees need to be increased by a lot. I think someone was going to reveal that we know he's Simpleton, right? But I'm going to ask him a few pointed questions about why he zeroed in on our group. Even if he's evasive I still want to hear what he has to say about that."

[Juramenta]

{Headstone}

The loud noises from the kitchen echo through the room as pots clash, cupboard doors slam with Headstone’s frustrated muttering heard even over the other loud noises.
“Why won’t that drekkin secretary go online!” Headstone's voice carries through the open doorway.

More crashing continues, followed by what sounds like someone arguing with themselves.
“Count to ten before you speak? This is advise? What makes ten such a magic number? You go count it!” Headstone grumbles, his voice rising in agitation.
After a brief pause, the frustrated voice returns.
“Change what you can, accept what you cannot? That’s not even an option! That’s drekkin life!” he yells, obviously not thrilled with whatever he seems to be reading.
Another few seconds pass.
“Alcohol doesn’t solve any problems… but then again, neither does milk.” he mutters and suddenly there is silence.
Silence until the noise of pouring liquid becomes audible and a big gulp is heard before the pouring of liquid resumes a second time.

Moments later, Headstone reappears from the kitchen, calm and composed, carrying a glass of whiskey in one hand and a bowl filled with an assortment of candy in the other. Without a word, he places the bowl in front of Pandora and takes his seat.
’’So, where were we?’’ he calmly says as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

[shaidar]

{Revs}

"I think Pandora was going to run us through the numbers. Then we can discuss strategy."

[Juramenta]

{Headstone}

Headstone looks up.
''Alright sounds good. with a appreciative nod to Revs.
''Oh and Pandora, I got you a little something of everything. So dig in'' he adds before taking a little sip and giving Pandora room to continue.

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

“Thanks, Boss,” Pandora says, reaching into the bowl, letting her nose and her fingers find the chocolate first. She unwraps and eats several pieces before going on.

“Alright, Boss, as your accountant, what I can say is this. Like I said before, you need to start by asking for triple. Simpleton offered 5K each. Ask for at least 15. He’s not going to give you that. I don’t expect you to get it. 10k would be about right for a team with experience and rep. You could settle for 7500 each and not look like saps. If you want to start with a lump sum, rather than a per individual fee, then start by asking for 135k, aim for 90k, and don’t settle for less than sixty-seven five. Don’t mention that Angel has family issues. She’s still part of the team.” She takes a deep chug of her Fizzy Goo and picks out two more chocolates. The decker unwraps them, chews, and swallows, and then goes on.

“Actually given what you and Revs said about how busy the shadows are, how hard it was for Revs to find a pilot who’s not already engaged, and what Skye just said about weather in the Gulf, you can probably open with 20k each, 180k for the team… and hold the line at 100k. If Simpleton can’t easily hire someone else, that gives you an edge.” She takes another pull from her Extreme Cup.

“The sticking point is going to be expenses. Revs just said that the airfare is 110k, including finder’s fee. I wouldn’t be surprised if his pilot upped that by another 10 to 20k for hazard pay if that storm does solidify into something named. Ground transport probably won’t be that much for a day on either side, but I’d budget 5 to 10K on either side, just to be safe. Simpleton may balk at paying all of that up front, and he’d be right to. But don’t settle for less than the 120k for airfare as part of your up front fee. Graciously allow Simpleton to refund the rest when you get back.” Pandora snags another piece of candy.

“Speaking of your retainer, the other tough one is likely going to be upfront payment. You said Simpleton offered, what? 10%? With his original offer, 10% of 5k is only 500¥ each. Pooled all together, that’s not even going to cover most incidentals. I’d say ask for 30% of whatever fee you finally settle on plus the 120 for airfare. Settle for 20% plus the same.” She picks up her Fizzy Goo, sips, and grabs another candy.

“Bottom line, all totalled up, the least you should shake on is 210k plus other expenses. That’s the 90 bare minimum plus airfare. And the least you should accept credstick in hand is 138k, that’s 20% of 90k plus airfare… The remainder and other expenses on completion. Emphasize the difficulty in getting talent right now and the potential risk of the storm, and I think you have a good chance of walking out with at least 250k if you don’t let him stare you down too hard.”

For a moment, it looks as though Pandora might add something else, but she gives a slight shake of her head and takes another handful of candy, chowing down while she waits for questions or comments.

[Juramenta]

{Headstone}

Headstone stares at Pandora as he takes a slow sip of his whiskey.
"Whenever I suggest holding back, you end up spilling it later anyway. So don’t worry,go ahead, it's fine. I can see you’re itching to add more. Lay it all out for us." he says in a more encouraging tone completely devoid of his earlier emotional state. It appears the whiskey did him good and he is back on track focusing on the task at hand.

[Ozgood13]

{Bone Biter}

Bone walks over to Headstone with his glass of water and says., "I may be able to get on the horn with an old contact. She was a second-story burglar, and her partner was not all that bright as he was a walking wall. I think they could be from the Htown Metro. I am waiting on a bit of info."

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

“Sorry, Boss,” Pandora says, a trickle of flamingo working its way up her neck into her cheeks. She shakes her head. “I wasn’t trying to hide anything - nothing like that. I actually mentioned it earlier. I was just trying to avoid overloading you with my info dump. Figured I’d let you decide what numbers you wanted me to put in the bill as an opening bid before I brought up the other…” She snatches another candy and then washes it down with more Fizzy Goo.

“I know I have a bad habit of throwing everything out at once… And I can’t see when everyone’s eyes glaze over,” she gives a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m trying to be more mindful of it...”

The decker shrugs. “But, since you asked, here’s one last thing, Boss.” Pandora pulls on her straw before going on. “I’m not drekking around about the death benefit clause I talked about earlier. Runners never want to hear that, but it’s important. The J’s answer to that is always telling. If he doesn’t balk, frag, I’d start by asking for twice the fee you agree on. Then when he refuses, haggle down to equal to the fee… At the very least, demand half. Don’t go lower than that. Dying means final expenses, and it means whoever depends on you is out forever.” She swivels to face each team member briefly. A wry smile ghosts across her lips. “And I’d bet a kilo of Apocalypse coffee and a box of petit fours that most of you don’t have life insurance.” Despite her smile, Pandora’s eyes well with a haunted pain.

[Juramenta]

{Headstone}

Headstone gives Bone Biter an acknowledging nod, but remains silent, not wanting to interrupt Pandora or those planning to respond to her.

[shaidar]

{Revs}

Revs is quiet as Pandora speaks. When she finishes he nods.

"OK, that sounds simple enough. We just need to be sure we understand the starting points and stop points for each part of the negotiation. I like the idea of having a team price rather than a per person price. We are a team after all." he looks around the room " Although I'm not sure if doing that will complicate the death benefits discussion."

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

Pandora grins. “No, it won’t, Revs. Give me a few nanos, and I’ll show you.”

She turns to face roughly in Bone Biter’s direction. “Sorry, Bone Biter,” the decker says. “I didn’t mean to run over you like that. Sometimes, when I’m in the zone, I miss subtle social cues… like someone else talking… or even telling me to shut the frag up. If you wanna get a word in edgewise, you gotta be a bit more assertive.” She shrugs apologetically.

“Any intel you could get out of Houston would be greatly appreciated,” Pandora says. “Gathering social stuff is not really decking, and my network is thin in the Houston sprawl - even in the 'Trix.”

The decker pops a few more candies into her mouth, takes another swig from her Extreme Cup, and then with precise, gentle motions, removes the jackstopper from her datajack. She snicks the datacord from her deck into the jack on her left temp, leans back, and smiles.

The main viewscreen in the conference room flairs to life, revealing what looks – at first glance – like a contract to book a gig with Gumberloo. After all sorts of legalese that basically says the band will perform at a specified venue in Houston from a date range starting today through the next 10 days, a fee schedule appears along with a note that this is an estimate and that real expenses may vary.

*Performance Fee: 180,000¥

**Cancellation Fees:

***Within 3 days: 45,000¥

***Within 5 days: 27,000¥

***Within 7 days: 9,000¥[

*Expected Expenses: 153,000¥

**Transportation: 150,000¥

***Loading and transporting sound gear and instruments: 10,000¥

***Airfare by private jet: 110,000¥

***Hazard Pay: 20,000¥

***Unloading and transporting sound gear and instruments: 10,000¥

**Per diem: 1000¥ X3 = 3000¥

***Hotel: 450¥

***Food: 500¥

***Incidentals: 50¥

*Accidental Death and Dismemberment Coverage:

**Medical Expenses: 50% of actual cost

**Death Benefits: 40,000¥/occurrence

*Reservation Fee: 184,000¥

**Performance Advance: 54,000¥

**Performance Transportation: 130,000¥

“I think you can start there as an opening bid. I can drop the advance a little if you want. 30% up front really is a bit much. The rest, I would leave as is. You can, as I said before, settle for as low as sixty-seven thousand, five hundred, plus expenses and an advance of 13,500¥, plus 120,000¥ towards transport, so 133,500¥ up front at rock bottom without looking like chumps, but give as little as you can. Focusing on the scarcity of talent and the threat of the storm, I don’t think you should have to walk out of there with less than a promise of 100,000¥, plus expenses, demanding 140,000 on the credstick to walk out the door on Simpleton’s business.”

“As far as medical and death benefits, don’t go below a quarter of medical and 10,000¥ for funeral expenses. The per diem is actually as low as you should go. That’s roughly the price of three hotel rooms and 55¥/day each; that’s about the going corporate rate, and it includes food for the target. I could actually reasonably up those a little for our base offer.”

“Just let me know if you want me to adjust anything before I print this, Boss.” Pandora takes a few more chocolates and washes them down with more Fizzy Goo as she waits for feedback.

[shaidar]

{Revs}

Revs grins when he sees slide.

"I like it! I agree 100k should be our minimum for this. As for asking 30% up front, I don't see why we don't ask knowing we likely won't get it. Unless anyone thinks it might sour Simpleton for the negotiation?"

He looks around the room.

[archolewa]

{Revs}

Revs grins when he sees slide.

"I like it! I agree 100k should be our minimum for this. As for asking 30% up front, I don't see why we don't ask knowing we likely won't get it. Unless anyone thinks it might sour Simpleton for the negotiation?"

He looks around the room.

"Highly unlikely," says Baby Blue. "If he weren't willing to negotiate, he wouldn't have asked for a second meeting."

[Charybdis Richelle]

{GM}

Pandora laughs. “Yeah, Revs. I’m with BB. I was more thinking I should up our demand for the per diem, myself. Give Simpleton a chance to knock it down without actually hurting what you actually want for it.” Having run out of chocolate, she starts rooting around by touch and smell, trying to find caramel.