Dartz and me managed to write down the first parts of the followup story of "Shadowrunning"...
Quote:Operations Status Report
Operation Maulwurf: 12/02/15.
Posted by Jet Jaguar.
It has been two weeks since my last report. Since that time, we have continued to monitor communications between Roland and his handler. So far, there has been no indication that either Roland or his handler are aware their communications are being monitored.
First of all, it’s clear that Roland is little more than a useful idiot. It seems he inserted the security breach on his own, with the intention of fixing them when no-one else could. He was paid by his contact to keep them in the system, and add more system vulnerabilities.
Second. Now that we have records on where and how these vulnerabilities were inserted, fixing them should be no problemo. Still, for the time being, all Panzer Kunst are operating using external comms only. The SSC module is to be kept offline until we’re certain all the bugs have been swatted.
Third. It our intention was to find a link to his handler, their location and or identity if we were lucky. Cortana was able to get us a location for Rolands handler. A number of messages seemed to either be sent to, or received from 2462 Nehallennia, which is a minor Senshi outpost.
Our collected data is attached to this posting. In it, the hack as referred to as the ‘VSW project’. The meaning of VSW, I don’t know.
A second stroke of luck strengthens the link to Nehallenia. The Space Patrol is currently searching for two suspects whom they believe may have been involved. Ford Sierra was able to use her position as a Bounty Hunter to get information from the local patrol office. Both suspects were from Nehallennia.
While strongly suggestive of a link, it’s not a confirmation. Once is happenstance, two is coincidence, I decided to go looking for my third confirmation.
I made my way to Nehallennia and landed covertly on the asteroid’s surface under my own power, placing a small camera and radio receiver/recorder on the asteroid’s surface to record traffic coming in and out of the main landing bay. It’s something I did a number of times during the war. I retrieved it after letting it record for a week.
Analysis of the recordings confirm that Nehallenia is a Zwilnik waystation. At least three known zwilnik ships were recorded either arriving or departing. Also, several unencrypted radio transmissions seem to suggest Naoko Sato is present on the station. This is too interesting to be left unconfirmed.
While this is enough cause to order a full Great Justice strike, I would prefer to hold off at this stage. Firstly, we have only a strong suspicion that the robbery was ordered from Nehallennia. We don’t have any information as to whether the ghost hacking techniques originated from there also, or were developed elsewhere.
Our objective is to locate whoever developed this ghost hacking, and retrieve them and their research. Attacking Nehallennia too soon may spook the developer. We’d lose any links to them.
My Primary objectives at this point are:
* Confirm that Nehallenia is the location Roland is being controlled from.
* Recover information on who developed Ghost hacking
* Determine if it was developed at Nehallenia, or elsewhere.
* Find how far information on these Ghost hacking techniques have spread.
* If the hack was developed there, get the data. If not, find where and move on. Leave
* Preferably capture the Mad responsible alive.
As a Secondary objective
* Confirm Naoko Sato's presence.
* Find out what, if anything Naoko knows about this.
* If Naoko Sato is present, capture.
Tertiary objective
* Thionite runners handled by regular OGJ forces. Need a strikeforce on standby close enough to hit quickly...
We have come to the decision that the best way to achieve this would be to first infiltrate Nehallennia undercover to investigate. We can also attempt to gain access to Nehallenia’s computers. We can choose our next course of action depending on what the results of this mission are.
If we find that Nehallenia is the source of the hack, then myself and the Engel Gruppe will lead a raid against the base, preferable backed up by a more conventional force to handle thionite runners and prisoners.
If not, We’ll have to hold off taking down Nehallenia until after we’ve followed the trail to the end. We can’t risk spooking whoever was responsible. Getting Naoko Sato must take a back seat to getting a hold of this ghost hacking.
Ford Sierra and Cathy (SSAM 343-GS) have volunteered for the mission.
-Jet
Cathy wore a satisfied smirk as she placed the device on the table. A silver ring, large enough to go around a neck, with a single hinge, opposed by an adjustable locking latch.
“This is how we get information in an out!”
Jet inspected it.
“Cat collar?”
Cathy nodded, “The Boskonians used ones just like it to train catgirls, before they perfected their memory wipe,”
Ford looked at her a little bewildered. Why would she be so proud of having something like that? “So?” she said.
“Well,” Cathys chest inflated with pride, “it’s not just a collar anymore. It’s got a low powered radio transmitter, capable of sending text messages and regular data. It’s got a mapping device and a low powered onboard computer. It even has the original shock function... but at a much lower power.”
Jet smiled. “Sounds perfect.”
“And it’s got a valid reason to be emitting encrypted radio signals. It comes with biomonitor sensors, which constantly transmit back to the control unit,”
The original designers intention was that it’d give the catgirls owner a fair warning the they were in danger of killing their pets, rather than just ‘punishing’ them. Cathy used the biomonitor transmitters to transmit more data than the basic vitals. She modified the receiver array to act as a simple passive radar, feeding data to a small onboard computer, which slowly mapped out the base in concert with the controller.
Jet held it in her hand, inspecting with with almost giddy interest while she read through the specs Cathy’d given her.. “Now that’s just fucking cool,” she said.
“Don’t break it,” Said Ford.
“It’s nearly unbreakable,” Cathy assured.
“If you’re not able to lift a car,” Ford said, sardonically. “I’m still looking at Sato. Did you see the bounty the Senshi put on her?” She had a capitalist gleam in her eye. ”I heard whoever brings her in, automatic named sailor.”
Jet chuckled. “Sailor Bebop,”
“Beats Sailor Smash, Jet,” Sierra snarked back.
“It is just a rumour,” Cathy said, throwing cold water on the joke. “But they are really willing to pay a lot of money for getting her.”
“Well since I’m not getting paid for this, it’d be rude not to collect on it myself,” Ford said.
Cathy scowled amused, “But you two live together. Isn’t that a little.... improper?”
Jet shrugged, “It’s legal.”
It was a lot more complicated than she cared to get into really.
Cathy nodded. “Yes, I know... its funny to do the right things just because they are right... until the point where you suddenly cannot pay your bills anymore.”
Ford wore a mercenary grin. “If they’re willing to pay, I’m willing to be paid,”
Cathy took the collar from Jet. “I’ll still have to get used to wearing it,” She didn’t appear to be too thrilled at the prospect. “But once we’re in, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Ford sighed, and sat back in her couch. “You make it sound like getting in is the easy part.”
“Well, they are accepting landings,” Cathy replied.
Ford shook her head. “The thing with criminals.... the thing with organisations like this. You don’t just show up at the door... that just screams ‘cop’. You need an ‘in’... you need someone inside to vouch for you and say you’re cool. Understand?”
Cathy nodded.
“If we don’t have that, it’s going to be so much harder to get what we want. We need a little bit of trust on our side.”
Cathy nodded again.
“I was thinking”, she pulled Naoko Satos file out from under the gathering pile on the coffee table, “Sato used to be a major Sammie... that’s why they’re so pissed off at her. According to her bio, she still has that Sammie mentality. We might be able to use that. If she is there, we might be able to use her...”
Ford began to detail her plan.