Raiding Dominoe Records
Leonard
In advance of the heist, Jocasta (and whoever else is on the street team) will do some prep work: if we're going with the FBI assist, she'll call Padden and Hall and see if they can arrange the raid, and she'll let them know the police background on Dominoe, talk about its association with black radicals, and inform them that we (URIEL, but under the guise of ASA) will need to raid the safe for some confidential materials. I think they'll be amenable but if they buck she'll remind them that we gave them all the credit for Frank.
Michael
I was thinking this as well, it's an opportunity for them to snag another great collar. It's almost like Jo's presence as an Army Intel eminence grise is really boosting their careers, and what better way to play a reactionary than to help their personal advancement!
First, Jocasta dangling a racketeering collar in front of Padden and Hall. This will adjust the Frequency of Appearance roll from its usual 9 to a 12: +2 for the "bribe" in the form of the intel for the arrest, and +1 for the agents' past success getting high-profile collars from Jo. Then if that succeeds I'll have you roll their skill to see if they can get a warrant and a strike team together for tonight.
Second, Rob, getting the floor plans will be a Frequency of Appearance roll for SF City Hall which is a 9, and I'm going to give you a +1 because it's a relatively mundane request, so 10 or less to get the plans before the end of business Thursday. The only way you could boost these odds is with some kind of wheel-greasing: bribe, a promised favor to your SF City Hall contacts, etc. I'm picturing Archie's contacts there having been cultivated over the last 3+ years kind of like Kinsolving is starting to be; just common interests, maybe entertainment industry relationships (network TV shows/commercials shooting in San Fran, etc.)
Rob
10 or less is hardly a slam dunk; Archie won't offer cash bribes but he will happily make (and keep) some promises
Michael
Let's go with a +2 and I'll remind you you owe your various glad-handers over there a favor equal to "a week's income" in a future session.
Rob
>>>> SUCCESS by 1
Good thing I made some promises: got an 11 (with modifiers, that's success by 1?)
Michael
Yeah! Just got it. Want to give me a skill roll for the dutiful City Hall workers at a 12?
Rob
>>>> SUCCESS by 2
Got a 10 on that roll
Michael
Bingo. You guys will get blueprints telefaxed over before 6 pm.
Mel
More on the Charley question: I think along the same lines as Rob, that Archie would want to be part of team Dominoe if Charley is involved. And if Archie is going with the group to pick up Moore, Charley will want to go. Right now, she just wouldn't want to be separated, especially if danger is a factor. I think Charley is just as concerned for Archie as he is for her. There is a connection there that she hasn't had since being separated from her Mother. But I should mention, where I do enjoy the mellow drama between these two (it's a lovely sad story), I don't want to take it too far. And to that end I suspect as she becomes more a part of the team, there will be more balance to her story within URIEL. Anyway, I said more than I probably needed.
Leonard
Made my Contacts roll for Padden & Hall by 2 based off that adjustment.
Michael
All right, well, it looks like we're doing Plan A. Padden is indeed motivated to bust Dominoe; he's getting touch with a judge who can get a warrant and with Oakland PD, who have long held suspicions of Dominoe doing loan sharking and money laundering.
>>>> SUCCESS
Yeah. Looks like we have an after-midnight raid scheduled.
So now, Leonard, with map and FBI/LE coordination both secured, it's time for a Tactics roll, and I'm going to give you a +3 to your skill on this to reflect the confusion of the raid and the prep with the Dominoe floor plan. Basically, this roll will represent you and Roger coordinating on how best to hit the vault while the raid is going on. As in the past with Padden during Mission 1, your role as Army Intel will give you latitude on the "actual goal" of the raid: in other words, securing any material that has a "national security" impact and thus needs to be kept under wraps.
Bill
Is it possible to deduce something about the safe type/manufacturer from the floor plans, given the structural nature of a large safe? I'd like Roger to help Jo's tactics with timing estimates using his skill, if that's allowed.
Michael
Yeah! As I mentioned, I have scrawled the map on an index card but I need to make it a bit more legible before sharing it with you all. It's a walk-in vault with cinder block walls (the only internal walls in the building that are the same as the exterior walls of the building itself; the rest appear to be wood-frame sheet rock).
The vault door is reinforced steel with what is likely a bank-grade dial-combination lock. Medium to high difficulty to crack, likely to be difficult even with San Petro aiding you with his 17 Lockpicking. I'm sure that the warrant that the FBI/LE will allow them to get into the vault by hook or by crook, but if Roger wants to do it first he'll either need to crack it, sledgehammer the surrounding walls, or find the combination somehow. It's not impossible for Papa Legba riding Roger, with the right equipment! Just difficult to do under pressure.
The vault is the size of a medium-size room, about 12' x 12'.
Brant
(Six (?) sessions in, we're finally getting to the map-making-DM-describes-a-dungeon-layout phase of the game. "You enter a 12' by 12' room.")
Leonard
>>>> SUCCESS by 1
With the boost, made the Tactics roll by 1. Whew!
Michael
Yeah, Jo's honest assessment is that URIEL's secret sub-mission is gonna be a tough ask, tactically. Let's say as far as "enemy combatants" there's Josh Williams, a couple to a few Dominoe heavies, at least some dedicated security monitor personnel, and whoever else might be hanging out at a record label/recording studio at 1 am (odds of some unarmed civilian presence there in the form of engineers, recording artists, or other hangers-on are medium-to-high, Jo guesses).
Will they lie down and accept a warrant on the premises? Unknown, but given they'll be outnumbered and outgunned, most likely. The contents of the vault will obviously be of great interest to the FBI/LE once the premises are generally under control. Again, Padden (and Hall) will likely give Jo and Roger exceptional latitude to do the MiB thing while the raid is going on, but Oakland PD will likely ask inconvenient questions if the two mysterious fed hangers-on are sighted very obviously dragging giant tapestries (or master recordings) out of the vault.
So the key is acting quickly and decisively to crack the vault and then getting the shit in question out of there. The good news is that the vault door is off the building's central corridor, which leads directly to the side fire exit. If you were going to park a URIEL unmarked van anywhere, it'd be that side fire door, NOT the loading dock. In fact, even going in via the side door (which will need its own Lockpicking roll) at the beginning of the raid instead of the front or loading dock doors will cut down on the time needed to hit the vault.
(But yes, this series of suggestions above constitutes URIEL's tactical advantage over both Dominoe personnel and the FBI/LE.)
And while I'm thinking raid logistics, the previous FBI surveillance of Moore's apartment revealed that Moore likely lives on the top two floors of a rambling old (1920s) 2-1/2 story structure in West Oakland (surveillance on Tuesday night observed, once Moore entered via the front door, lights on the second floor then in the loft on the third floor). Property records show that the building belonged to Moore's father until 1969, at which time it came into the younger Moore's possession. Moore's parents are both still alive. Do they still live in the building in the ground floor apartment? Unknown, but POSSIBLE. The good news is there's a couple of approaches to the building that don't involve going in the front door on the ground floor: fire escape to a second-floor window, and back door that likely leads to a back stairway that leads up to the second and third floors.
(But yes, this series of suggestions above constitutes URIEL's tactical advantage over both Dominoe personnel and the FBI/LE.)
Bill, give me a Patron roll at 15 or less when you get a chance to see if Roger can get access to cutting-edge safecracking equipment (special sound-amplifying earphones, +4 to lockpicking roll) before the Dominoe raid. And even if you fail, you still can use mundane fine-quality equipment worth a +2 bonus.
>>>> SUCCESS
Hell yes.
I think we've done the best prep for Dominoe we possibly can at this point.
Bill
Oh, I bet Charley will have stuff to add to the van equipment once she sees it.
Michael
That's a good point, Charley has at least a few more hours to add gadgets to our loadout.
Just boils down to what we might need … I was mildly joking about an EMP device to scramble the surveillance cameras if Charley didn't go to the raid personally but that would … actually be pretty easy for her to put together, I think.
Mel
Yep, Charley will develop equipment or do any weapon improvements needed. If you guys aren’t in a hurry, I’ll wait once more of the details of the operations are worked out.
Michael
So basically, Roger's degree of success on the safecracking roll will determine how long it takes. I'll use the "Time Spent" rules from the core book and apply whatever degree of success you get to the reduction of the time needed to open the vault.
Succeed by 10 and you basically pop it open in less than a minute.
Oh, one last thing: did Roger want to Rensh a skill before the evening's festivities? Lockpicking is still an option to boost your skill, as is Beam Weapons (to use an ikoter).
Bill
Would there be any effects on swap-outs for something else before the concert?
Michael
No, all you need is four hours to get the full 4 character points. Obtaining a new skill automatically flushes the old one.
Bill
Four hours seems a bit tight before tonight, what with the talking with Archie, maybe Marshall, the abduction...
Michael
Yeah, true. We need to leave for Moore around 8 pm. You could get 1 or 2 points in before leaving, though!
Enough to help with the egregious Default skill penalties.
Bill
On Lockpicking? Roger's got 4 points in it, himself, already. If it's just adding character points, I don't think 1-2 points will help. Beam Weapon, sure.
Michael
Yeah, with a 1-2 hour session, Beam Weapon makes the most sense. Let's put you down for 2, and I'll do some quick calculations.
Bill
Yeah, OK: Beam Weapon. Interesting thing to explain to the other FBI agents if they see it. Not really a hold-out weapon.
We're gonna need a duffle bag.
Michael
Well, do you want to equip the Pistol size one or the Rifle size one? Remember, this is likely primarily for the Moore raid, where there'll be no witnesses (other than Moore, I guess).
Bill
Rifle made the most sense, given a second floor.
Michael
Cool, okay. Roger has Beam Weapons (Projector) at a 13 now.
All I need to do now before Jo, Roger, and Mitch go to Moore's apartment is do the scene in Archie’s office regarding memes and esmology, and see if Charley wants to try to quickly develop anything to help with the Dominoe raid.
Was the decision made for certain to make Mitch the guy who takes Moore back to Livermore, given that Jo and Roger need to stay in Oakland for the Dominoe raid?
Bill
Not sure, but I was joking about Jo's car. We'd take nondescript vans to both.
Michael
All right. The raid is happening after midnight: a very late night for everyone. (My vision of the logistics on this is that Archie's cover story with Charley meant that she would not be coming back to the Ransom household until after the mission is over, so Archie came home as normal, and then late at night had to go to his "home office" to do some work after Melanie and the kids went to bed, then snuck out to Oakland. Roger and Jo can drive Charley into Oakland.)
Anyway, FBI and Oakland PD are set up in a staging area at, you guessed it, the giant parking lot at the USPS depot on Seventh. I'm going to say that Jocasta and Roger will check in with Padden and Hall there, dropping hints that they're after something with "national security" implications and will effect a separate entry. Padden, Hall, and their FBI team are giving Oakland PD and Alameda County Sheriff personnel (the famed "Blue Meanies" of the Berkeley protest movement) the full explainer on RICO charges against Dominoe: loansharking, racketeering, extortion, and so on. Charley waits in the back of the URIEL van throughout all this, listening in on this briefing using the van's surveillance equipment, occasionally peeping out through the one-way porthole (I'm embellishing details we can use to flesh out our trusty field vehicle here). Meanwhile, Archie in his STEALTH MODE navy blue cardigan, waits in his Dodge a block or so down from Dominoe to get picked up by the team. (I noticed that Archie does have Driving, so I'm going to make him the wheel man for this caper, given Jo and Roger will be dragging out the tapestry and masters and Charley's feet can't reach the pedals in any case
Briefing and squad meeting over, Jo and Roger drive down Seventh, pick up Archie, and glide into place at the side of the building. So, our first set of rolls are the following:
Mel: Charley needs to give me two: a Stealth roll at a +3 to your skill due to the darkness around the building and an equipment bonus for dark clothes (that would be an 18), and a then a Climbing roll to get up the telephone pole (with ample handholds and equipment, and a penalty due to darkness, your Climbing skill will be at a +3 as well, so you're rolling against a 19.)
Bill: Your first Lockpicking roll will be against the fire door. I'm going to have you roll it now before the lights go out. I'm assuming you will be drinking some rum and inviting Papa Legba the Opener of the Ways to ride you, so if that's the case, Lockpicking at 17, +4 for the special high-tech listening equipment you've gotten from SANDMAN, means you're rolling against a 21. Speed of lockpicking and safecracking will, as I mentioned before, be reflected in your degree of success.
Leonard and Rob, finally, Jo and Archie can act as lookouts right now, covering the street, watching the fed sleds start to move in and the Oakland PD come in with the battering ram, and watching the two normal points of egress from the building for any movement. Jocasta can give me an Observation roll at a 14 (darkness penalties removed because of night-vision goggles) and Archie can give me an off-Default Observation roll at an 8 (Perception-5, minus an additional 2 for the darkness).
(For those of you with target numbers at 17 or above, a reminder: you only fail at 18, but you critically fail at 18. You critically succeed on any roll between 3 and 6. Degree of success is important because of speed!)
Leonard
>>>> SUCCESS by 8
Made the Observation roll by 8 (rolled a 6, is that a crit?)
Michael
Not at an effective 14, sadly. But Jo has eyes on the street and the rear parking lot and doesn't see anything suspicious or unusual.
Bill
>>>> SUCCESS by 7
Lockpicking made it by 7. Speaking of speed, we need to remember Papa Legba is lame in one leg. He’s gonna old-man-shuffle his way around. My original thought was not to pull him out until inside and by the safe, but messing around with ritual in the dark doesn’t appeal either.
Michael
Yeah, that is an important tactical reality.
Once Charley does her rolls we'll move things forward to the B&E.
It's going to take Roger/Legba 25 seconds to crack the side door by the GURPS rules. Not a second more, not a second less.
Mel
>>>> SUCCESS by 5
>>>> SUCCESS by 15
Stealth she made it by 5. And climbing made it by 15.
Michael
So obviously Archie's role here primarily is to keep an eye on Agent HELIX on her first field mission (well, second if you count Altamont). And as he warily keeps an eye on her, she slips into the darkness to the point where Archie, squinting through his specs, can't even see her for a moment! But in less than a half a minute, she's on top of the telephone pole, near the junction power for the power to Dominoe, lit faintly by one of the weak yellow streetlights. How did she get up there so fast? Archie asks himself, as Roger/Legba, finishing his lockpicking, readies to shoulder open the door just as soon as the power goes out to the building. Next roll for Charley is the important one; it's her Remote Control roll to switch off the binary off/on switch to Dominoe's connection to the power grid. Luckily, her critical success on the Climbing roll gives her the luxury of extra time to concentrate on her ergokinetic powers. So normal Remote Control roll is a 12. I'm going to say that the extra time she's gotten from climbing so quickly gives her the maximum "extra time" modifier of +5. So she can concentrate for up to 30 seconds to really plumb the connections and power lines up there, and she can roll at a skill of 17. Which, again, ensures her success on anything but an 18. (No need to take any Corruption … this time.)
Rob
Archie fumbles ineptly with some night-vision goggles.
Mel
>>>> SUCCESS by 2
The extra time helped! Success by 2.
Michael
Eep, yeah! Very lucky Charley went up that pole like a spider monkey
The lights shut off with a "chunk," and Papa Legba opens the way. The Dominoe vault is right where they said it would be; on the left wall of the corridor about five feet down from the fire exit. Jo takes point and pops on her night vision goggles; a single red EXIT sign is the only illumination in the hallway as Jo hears various voices, elsewhere in the large Dominoe complex, saying, "What the fuck?" Almost immediately, a loud battering is heard from the direction of the front door. Jo keeps her eyes down the hallway to see if anyone tries to come down towards the vault. Now it's time for Roger to open the vault. This is another Lockpicking roll with an effective skill level of 21. If you succeed by 10 or more, Papa Legba's preternatural power pops the vault on first attempt. Anything less than that … well, it'll take a little longer than "immediately."
Bill
Legba lays his hands on the safe, and whispers to it.
>>>> CRITICAL SUCCESS
Michael
Mmmmmm. That is … that is fucking RIGHTEOUS.
Bill
"I am the Opener of the Way"
Michael
On his first try, Roger/Legba intuits the combination on the dial lock (with more than a little help from the SANDMAN amplifying headphones, it appears) and the feel of the click on each of the FIVE numbers of the combination happens like second nature, the infinitesimal clicks and bumps in the dial and mechanism reverberating back up Roger's arm. He pushes the door open and the night-vision goggles reveal a vault chock full of audio tapes, acetates, FAT STACKS OF CASH on wall-mounted shelves, and an ominous metal locker that Roger just bets has heavy ordnance in it. Oh, and on a pallet, a stack of twelve 5' x 5' fabric panels laced and bound together with rope.
So to try and find the Ikenga master recording and/or the "special" album from his vision will require a Search check for Roger … I had mentioned perhaps swapping out Beam Weapons for Search as his Renshaw skill, @Bill B, you okay with that? Jo continues to see nothing down the hallway, but people are starting to move around down by the recording studio/reception end of the building by the sound of it.
>>>> SUCCESS
With the Renshaw skill, that is a success. Roger/Legba shuffles over to the racks of master acetates and goes to work; luckily, both acetate (and audio tape) masters are filed correctly right in with the rest of Mansa's catalogue, so Roger can easily scoop up both of them. Are we exfiltrating at this point?
Bill
"I am the Finder of Lost Things."
The metal locker — wouldn't want those to come out and ruin our night. Can I jam the lock with Lockpicking?
Michael
Oooh, sure, why not! Only at a 17, though; the headphones won't do a lot to help sabotage.
>>>> SUCCESS
Not a crit but good enough to gum up the works after you two make your exit.
This has, seriously taken only like a minute or two, you're well ahead of schedule.
Any more funny business you two want to get up to or are you set to get the hell out of here and back to Livermore.
Bill
Roger will thank Papa Legba, then let him go, so as to better deal with carrying out the panels.
Michael
Yeah, given the speed you did all this, you have the luxury to thank and cease being ridden by Papa Legba at this point.
Bill
On Jo to wave the way is clear.
Michael
So as Jo and Roger drag the Good Stuff out of the fire door, they see the fuzz and the feds starting to roust everyone from the building and frisk and cuff them. There's Josh Williams, seen in the flesh for the first time: he's a BIG dude, about 6'4", 300 pounds, bald, pushing 60, breathing heavy with a mean scowl on his face as his hands are laced up on his head. He's screaming at the feds, but very controlled, asking "What are the charges," as Agent Hall shoves the warrant in his face. Three or four very hard-looking brothers are also on the pavement getting their rights read to them. There's also some incidental staff and musicians on the pavement as well (no one from Mansa that anyone can recognize); one of them is even still wearing a harmonica rig on his face! Apparently there were some late-night recording sessions happening here. As Charley sees the rest of the team taking the tapestry out of the side door, she scampers down the telephone pole just as deftly as she ascended it, dashing under cover of shadow to the van. Archie straightens up and starts the engine. However, before we very slyly try to leave the scene, I need everyone in the raid team to give me a Vision check at a -2 to your skill (found at the top left of your character sheet). And we'll pick up after I get that roll from all four of you.
(Fucking TEXTBOOK, kids.)
Bill
Vision-10.
>>>> FAILURE
Rob
Vision-13
>>>> SUCCESS
Leonard
>>>> SUCCESS
Rolled a 10 on Vision.
Michael
You passed.
Mel
>>>> CRITICAL SUCCESS
I spy with my little eye.
Michael
Another crit!
Okay, as the four team members drive away from the scene of the raid, Archie, Jo, and especially Charley see someone amongst the people being rousted who sticks out like a sore thumb. A long-haired, Coke-bottle-bespectacled, gangly-looking white kid, probably in his early 20s, remonstrating with the cops, gesticulating and speaking quite insistently as he's being cuffed, desperately trying to hold on to a large weatherbeaten leather attache case. Very odd. (I have something I want to pass along to Charley to represent her crit but I need to think about it/research it for a bit.)
Mystery roll.
>>>> 3d6 … 8
Cool.
Mel
Charley presses her face against the van window and shouts. “Oh! Hey! I know that man! He’s Johann Xanter a German record producer! What is he doing here??”
Leonard
Hmm, this sounds intriguing. Do y’all need help with the tapestry or should Jocasta see about snatching this guy up?
Bill
Now that it's in the van, we're probably good. We got two vans: we can transfer everything to one and let you head back. You probably need to help the agents with their bust to make it look good.
Although those piles of cash in the open safe were probably reward enough …
Leonard
What the hell. Jocasta, LEO identification at the ready, will wander over to the guy and officiously ask the officers if he's giving them any trouble.
Michael
I want to start with a snap Reaction roll for the local PD officers. You were part of the briefing of course, and Padden and Hall vouched for you and your ASA credentials (+3 for Legal Enforcement Powers), and of course these two sheriff's deputies will react to Jocasta's Appearance (+1), but they're a little suspicious that a suspect might be taken out from under them... by a woman (-1). 3d6+3, roll high.
(And I am fine with the triumphant remainder of the team heading back to Livermore with the swag. But Jo can be in contact with the rest of you via the two-way if anything happens with this mysterious German record producer.)
Leonard
>>>> 3d6+3 … 12
(Bah, not great. Rolled a 12 with the +3. Damn you, institutional sexism and interdepartmental jurisdictional conflict!)
Michael
12's not bad, really! The high end of neutral will suffice here.
The young bespectacled man stops gesticulating and protesting as volubly when Jo comes near. In fact, he gets damn near tight-lipped. The sheriff's deputy says, "He doesn't speak much English, this one." At that, Xanten (if this is indeed him) says in heavily-accented English, "I am a citizen of the Federal Republic of Germany with legal-work-visa to work in the arts."
The other deputy says, "He's been saying that a lot."
Leonard
(Hmmm. Not sure how to play this one, as I don't speak German and I don't wanna compromise URIEL by driving this guy, fully conscious, to Livermore, but I feel like he might be of use. Assuming the rest of the extraction crew has gone back, I'll ask the officers if they can have him cool his heels in a holding cell for a bit and call in to see what Archie/Sophie/Marshall want to do with him; if they have nothing to hold him on, I'll see if they can cut him loose but put a tail on him.)
Michael
Give me a Law check at a +3 to your skill.
Leonard
>>>> SUCCESS by 5
(Made it by 5 with the boost.)
Michael
Yeah, they could hold him as a material witness/"for his own protection" overnight most likely, but he's going to demand a phone call when they get to the precinct and that phone call will probably be to the West German consulate. I think the fact that Jocasta is not certain how to play this one is accurate and in-character, but before we move on, I think it's time to use your Sensitive psi Advantage, as you've had an opportunity to observe this guy's body language and attempts to communicate. 14 or less!
(And remember, you can take Corruption to boost this )
Leonard
>>>> SUCCESS by 7
Michael
(Realize I should've rolled it but that's fine, Jo's instinct is strong here and she trusts it.) Jocasta's psychic ability to take stock of a person upon first meeting them activates without her even thinking about it, and the connections that her subconscious makes — West German music producer, Sebastian Keiner, avant-garde artists, student radicals/the Red Army Faction/Stasi — makes her almost 100% sure this guy — young and somewhat out of his depth — is hiding something about his presence here. Not once did this guy pop up in any of the Mansa/Dominoe research we did, but given his being here late at night, working on a record, Jo has a weird feeling he's involved with the Keiner side of things somehow and that he can't be allowed to slip through SANDMAN's fingers.
Leonard
Hmm. Okay, here's what Jocasta's gonna do: She'll make some very perfunctory comments to Xanten--nothing deep or personal, just officious "Let me see your papers, how long have you been in this country" stuff. She'll then speak to Padden and Hall and say this guy was on our radar as a possible military intelligence target, but we didn't realize he would be here, can they hold on to him briefly while we call a team? Then she'll call into Livermore, tell them what's up, say we shouldn't let this guy get away, and sorry for the late night but send another van to reunite this guy with Keiner, pop a mod if you have to (which she will).
Michael
All right, sounds good. First things first, before we get to Padden and Hall or radioing Roger in the van or calling Marshall at Livermore, as Xanten fumbles for his papers in his case, I need you to give me an Observation check.
Leonard
>>>> SUCCESS by 5
Michael
Jocasta peeks into Xanten's large leather bag—plain sight rule—and sees among papers, his passport and visa, and other rummagey odds and ends, an unmarked 12" vinyl disc with a white label inside a paper sleeve, hand-marked in black pen with a single caret (^). IT MATCHES THE DESCRIPTION OF THE LP THAT ROGER SAW IN HIS VISION BEING PLAYED AT THE CONCERT.
(And since you used Observation, it appears Xanten did not notice you noticing said LP.)
Finally, give me an Intelligence Analysis roll to analyze Xanten's documents.
Leonard
>>>> SUCCESS by 3
(Made it by 3. My nerves!)
Michael
The FRG passport and visa look authentic. The work visa, granted back in January, is an arts visa for six months (much like Keiner's, actually). His employer is listed as Dominoe Records, and covers Xanten's skills in "record production and post-production" as part of a contract with Dominoe/Warner Bros. Records. Xanten's passport shows previous admittance to the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands over the past three years. It's well-worn. Xanten is 24 years old, born in Cologne in January 1949.
The timeline seems to fit well the possibility of Xanten working on "post-production" on Mansa's record.
He wasn't credited on the jacket of the release version of the LP we got from Warner earlier in the week, though.
Leonard
Okay, then, I’ll very quietly inform P&H that this looks like our boy, tell them that they can snag the cred for this bust if they just sit on him for a bit, and then call in to Livermore immediately.
Michael
Okay, great. Sophie can pick up that call.
Okay, so just as the extraction team is about to speed back off on the freeway back to Livermore, Sophie raises them on the two-way radio. "Roger, Jocasta has a suspect in custody, a West German national she believes is related to Keiner, and she wants you to come back and rendezvous with her. I'll be in touch if I hear from her again, but you should meet her at [location]."
(Is Jocasta's plan to bundle Xanten into the van and then have someone ikoter him?)
Leonard
(Yes, but — and team, please tell me if this is too big a pain in the ass — I was thinking that to reduce risk, they should drop off and secure the mural and then come help me get Xanten. That way, and I know this is Jocasta [ha ha, yes, not me, but Jocasta] being paranoid, but that way if anything happens we don't lose both on the way back. Of course it'll take extra time, but it might be worth it to reduce risk. Still, I'm not the one doing all the driving, so I'll let that be y'all's call.)
Michael
(Archie could drive Charley and the swag back to Livermore in his Dodge, and Roger could use the van to pick up Jocasta. The only possible problem is that neither Jocasta nor Roger has Beam Weapons but since you're essentially going to be ikoter'ing a handcuffed and (relatively) compliant suspect, I would imagine you'd have a large bonus to zap him. You could then make a Hypnotism check to keep him under until you get him to the black site.)
(Hypnotic trances last 1d HOURS (!!!) so that's more than enough time to keep him quiet and sedated until we get him to the Barn.)
(I think after this mission it would behoove everyone to have at least a point in both Beam Weapons (Projector) and Hypnotism.)
Leonard
(suits me)
Michael
Leonard, thought you might enjoy this little prophetic bit from our last interrogation at the Barn:
"I'm all right. This one's a real piece of shit, he's getting off on the power trip — but he also doesn't know as much as he's letting on. He's protecting someone, keeping someone out of the picture, and that someone has as much or more to do with this as he does."
Leonard
(Jocasta, Lady Detective strikes again!)
Michae
As Jocasta and those deputies escort Xanten to the unmarked white van driven by Roger, there is a general sense of increased commotion, especially as Jocasta confiscates Xanten's bag. "Wer bist du? Wo bringst du mich hin? Ich fordere einen Anruf beim Konsulat!" Xanten cries out as he's bundled into the van.
Mel
(Aww poor buddy)
Michael
Jo frog-marches Xanten in, and picks up the ikoter from where it's hanging on the "tool wall" of the van. Jo, want to give me a DX roll?
(I just figured I'd have Jo do it, since Bill hasn't been logged in very much today and Roger's at the wheel.)
Leonard
>>>> SUCCESS
(Made it by 1, whew. If he grouses any further I'll just point a gun at him.)
Michael
Okay, he's been successfully dazed. Now, to keep him "asleep" until we get him to the Barn, you'll need to make a Hypnotism roll. He resists at at -2. If you fail this, it's the old-fashioned gag and pillowcase.
(The language barrier likely won't be too big a problem, given you'll be using simple words like 'sleep' and 'rest' and 'relax' that he'll know.)
Hell, play him "Good Night" off the White Album on the van's 8-track
Actually, Leonard, given you've got him stunned, you can "spend time" on the Hypnotism roll and get up to a +5 to your skill on this roll.
He'll be dazed by the ikoter for a few minutes and that's more than enough time to get the full +5.
Leonard
If this van is rockin', don't bother knockin', we're just in here using experimental weaponry on East German communist cult recording engineers
>>> SUCCESS
(Made the roll exactly, so with taking the time to focus on it, it could be a success by as much as +5? Is that right?)
Michael
That is correct
He's out like a light.
You and Roger can talk freely, use the two-way, etc.
(He's showed no signs of being in any way more resistant to SANDMAN shenanigans than the average human, for the record.)
Want to roll a d6 to see how long he's out?
Leonard
>>>> 1d6 …4
Sure, got a 4. Sleep well, Fritz!
I'm vaguely considering doing Psychometry on the test pressing, but I'll wait to see what Archie and the gang say.
Michael
If Jo shows it to Roger, he'll likely shudder and recognize it as the one from his vision, 100% certain.
So I think we'll reconvene at the Barn at around 5 am on Friday morning if people want to get a quick round of shut-eye.
I'll restate the current state of things on meta-discussions this evening and everyone can decide what they want to do on Friday morning.
Bill
(All the above looks good to me re: Roger — nice collar, Jo!)
Leonard
(Nice grab, partner!)