//File 1.1 - On A Loose Leash//

Feb 16, 2020 9:31 am
"Kid, I didn't realise you're more wired up than Famous Fastjack himself!" The voice inside Hotaru's head was 'Natto' Nasei, the whiz decker of the Neo-Tokyo Metropolitan Police Security Division, whom he met earlier when he was being interrogated. They called him Natto because, like the sticky bean appetiser well-loved by the Japanese, he excelled at snooping and sticking to his target once he found them. The fact that Hotaru was fully rigged up with internal cyberware with a direct neural interface was not lost on the decker. "That's a lot of nuyen worth." What was a relief was that Hotaru's near foolproof fake SIN, Jacques Etienne, had not been compromised.

Hotaru was back where they picked him up last, at the immigration exit of Narita airport. His luggage case with the Hornets was keyed with him, and his Inu walked by his side. His optics were imaged link to whenever Nasei was based, allowing Nasei and his team to be able to see through Hotaru's viewfinders. A 3D AR map of the airport and its surrroudings was uploaded into his rig, courtesy of the police database, allowing Hotaru to see every path and direction he was taking, mapping every shop and stop within, and the roads the buildings when he was outside later. His mission was exactly as he was briefed earlier, to make his way to Tengu Corp and deliver the case to whomever was supposed to receive it. "If they ask you why you were delayed, it's ok to say that you were detained."

Just outside the immgration exit, a prompt from the luggage interface pinged a name and address to Hotaru's commlink. Metou Yagura, Director of Research, Biotech Division. Akihabara Facility, Tengu Corporation.
OOC:
What do you do next?
Feb 17, 2020 3:34 pm
Hotaru checks the Matrix for transportation options to the given address, like taxis, public transportation or even some airport shuttles.
Feb 19, 2020 3:51 am
Within his AR Matrix view, the airport host was abuzz with a multitude of information and instructions. Flight details were prominently indicated on some windows, directions and arrows towards flight gates, check-in counters, entrances and exits were clearly labeled. Signs for food and beverage establishments also blinked on and off. All three of his options were available, and more: a high speed maglev train connected Narita directly into the city centre and Akihabara station was one of the stops. Taxis, a strictly regulated service to prevent overcharging and ensure safety, were in abundant supply. Private car rentals were also possible, as were airport shuttle services to various fixed destinations throughout the greater Tokyo regions.

Again, Hotaru could not help by feel that he was being watched. It was as if he had never been truly left alone this entire trip.
Feb 19, 2020 4:21 am
OOC:
A few questions.
Is the communication with Natto two-sided?
Are there some VR booth in public places like that?
What would be the price of a Taxi ride to the location?
And is one of the airport shuttle closer to the adress than Akihabara station?
Feb 19, 2020 4:57 am
OOC:
Yes, two-way communication, unless Hotaru chooses to terminate the communication link, or mute it on his end.
Hmm, yes I would suppose that an airport has VR Matrix facilities, the futuristic equivalent of today's online gaming or business centres, in the form of some rooms or some booths.
A taxi from Narita airport to the Tengu Corp office should run 60-80nY. A maglev subway train 30nY, an airport shuttle a bit more, 45nY. The shuttle only drops off at selected locations, such as district centres, tourist spots, shopping centres, hotels. Both the train and the shuttle drop off points should be roughly the same distance to the office, which would require another 10 minutes of walking.
Feb 19, 2020 9:16 am
While looking around to get his bearings, both on the AR overlay and meatspace, Hotaru can't shake this feeling of being a mouse in a maze. I wonder if this is what "normal" is supposed to feel like he thought to himself.

Using his neural connection, he mentally create his own voice in his inner speaker so that the decker could hear him (or add text to his AR view if he just sees). That way, he could have a conversation without anybody noticing.
*Red is always Japanese*"Natto was it? Who's Fastjack? Hey, I still feel watched, and I mean, not by you. I have a few ideas on how to get a read on them, but you're the boss. Its just, you know, day's pretty drafty* already and, no offense, but I'd feel safer with a bit of flow* of my own.

While chatting, Hotaru sent a order to his anthrodog Max, check for any trace of recorded suspicious olfactory patterns from earlier. He also looked around himself, noting the different signs and facilities in sight and subtly looking at the same time for anything suspicious that could get him a fix on whose keeping tab on him again.
OOC:
[ +- ] **

Rolls

Hotaru Per5+Int8 - (13d6)

(1342111161122) = 26

Max Clearsight9+Sensor2 - (11d6)

(14636266223) = 41

Feb 20, 2020 11:37 pm
"You don't know Fastjack? Legendary decker, up there with Captain Chaos, the Prophet, ShenDianXia and the rest. No one knows who he really is." Natto rattled off some of the most influential names on the Matrix. "I have you tracked virtually, on the Matrix, so you're secure there. I have the feeds from both your own camera and your mutt. You will have physical police surveillance once you exit the airport, as we want to know who, or who else is interested in you. Anything else in your immediate surroundings is your call. Why? You have suggestions?"

Hotaru felt more at ease again with his trusty dog-drone by his side, so that he received input from both his senses as well as the data from the Inu. Of the specific data he had collated at the London airport, he found no new trace of the woman of course, but that was because clearly she didn't enter the airport terminal, and she escaped long since. Of the others, even the dog's acute senses had a range: he didn't detect the dwarf nor his bodyguard, nor the sweaty man who stood behind him, in the near vicinity.
OOC:
Just to detail how I imagine the 'science' works with your gear. I don't think you have an internal speaker, but yes you can certainly still have two-way communication with Natto. Your communication is conducted via your commlink. Because yours is internal, you'll need the information sent to you displayed in some other way (external commlinks can be visually read or aurally heard). That's where your sim module, which is part of your internal control rig, comes in. It converts the information into simsense perceivable information. This appears how you choose it to appear, eg as an AR or VR display, typically via what you 'see' or 'hear'. In return, you interface with that. Because your direct neural interface (DNI) is also internal, you can simply think your thoughts, and they get projected through that sim interface as if it were speech, then the module sends the information through your commlink, then finally out.
Feb 21, 2020 6:58 am
"Yea... I'm not much in the Matrix scene. Well, just having 30 seconds jumped in and you'd be amazed at what I can see in a good day. I spotted an invisible air spirit once. But if you want a more concrete suggestion, Max - Hotaru glance at his anthrodog- has an olfactory scanner. While it's use is limited in a big space like an airport, in an enclosed space like a train, it's another matter. I just need to stop at a few stations and take the next train. If anybody or anything follows, the scanner will pick the scent."
Feb 22, 2020 3:26 pm
"Yes, like I mentioned earlier, we have the feeds from you, your dog, and potentially the Hornets as well, uplinked to our displays here. Proceed to the train station. We don't have anything on our feed at the moment to indicate that you're being followed."
OOC:
Forgot to mention your Perception test earlier was a glitch, although I've noted that your Clearsight roll has 4 successes. That means the data has been collected by you, and also presumably by Natto. But Hotaru overall Perception, even with that roll, fails, and furthermore might have the opposite effect. I'll let you know what opposite effect might happen, soon... :)
Feb 23, 2020 3:38 am
OOC:
Yea, almost a critical glitche with 13 dice... thats a bit weird :X
Hotaru head for the train station.
Feb 23, 2020 11:36 am
Japan's shinkansen, or bullet trains, had always been the fastest trains in the world, and precise to a fault, arriving at stations with an error margin of no more than +/- 5 seconds. Their maglev advancements has made this even more impressive, enabling even regular trains and subways to perform feats of transport, networking all of greater neo-Tokyo and beyond in a web of supertrains that moved billions of passengers every year affordably.

His ticket only cost him 30 nuyen. The airport train, a terminal station, left exactly every ten minutes. It was easy to find his carriage and his berth, but what made him slightly uneasy was the fact that he had to leave his luggage either at the front or back of his carriage, where the luggage berth was. Still, where he sat, he was able to keep a close eye on it at all times as it was within his line of sight. Unlike the plane, the train attendants did not require Hotaru to power down any equipment, but did ask him to keep his anthro-drone heeled next to his seat at all times.

The train left exactly at 2030. His carriage was third last on the train, and from the airport station it was only a-quarter full. Presumably more people would board later. There were altogether 12 stops to Akihabara: the first four were longer stops, covering the farther distance from the airport to the city, the other eight were within greater neo-Tokyo proper. Multiple holo and screen displays in each carriage showed the route, time needed, and also various media, news and advertisements.

Somewhere between the second and third stop, Hotaru had an inkling that something was about to happen. He looked around, trying to see if he could spot anything, and his eyes rested on a holo viewer a passenger was reading. The viewer was tuned to some news story, before an ad segment popped up. The ad said, Too tired from being too wired? Unplug. Turn it all off.
Feb 24, 2020 5:00 am
Hotaru got up to take his baggage and exit at the 3rd stop. There had been ample time for the dog to record olfactory data with the first two long stop. So, they would disembark and take the next train 10 min later and compare the old data with the new. Unless something happens of course.
Feb 24, 2020 2:47 pm
OOC:
Just to clarify further how I understand the olfactory sensor to work, p283. Mechanically, all it does game-wise is give Edge to scent-based Perception tests. It is essentially a Perception test, p97, so like one, what it does is to give a chance to smell anything that's hidden from sight or hearing. It allows you to smell sweat, perfume, ammo, drugs, etc. So when you get your drone to roll a Perception test, what you're really doing is asking the drone to transmit all olfactory sensory data to you for you to figure out if there's anything that smells out of the ordinary, eg that person is carrying a weapon, or this person is sweating profusely because he's nervous, etc. It's like a Perception roll based on sight or hearing, eg that person is looking around suspiciously, this person is trying to hide behind a pillar, etc.
The range of an olfactory sensor is a particular radius (how far can the sensor 'smell'), just like a visual sensor has a radius (as far as eyes, or vision enhancers, can see).
Secondly, when you say you're comparing old recordings to new recordings, I'm not sure what information you want. Using visual recordings as an analogy, if it were visual, I take it to mean that comparing old and new means say, you've recorded half an hour of a visual feed, and you're comparing all the recorded information to see what the differences are in the last half hour, ie. how many people walked past, who spoke to whom, who sat where, etc. If so, then a half hour of olfactory recording means you've recorded how each person smelled for that half hour, whether smells have moved around because a person with perfume walked past, etc. The old and new data you mentioned is not just two pieces of information, but the entire recording's worth of information. (Reviewing long durations of information also takes time, I might require Extended tests).
Or did you simply mean you recorded the dwarf and the bodyguard, the female shadowrunner, etc earlier, and just want to check if you can 'smell' them in the carriage? (It's the same for visual Perception: you saw a man in a black hat earlier, now you want to see if you can spot if he followed you.)
Sorry for the long-winded question, I just wanted to make sure I'm giving you the information you want based on your rolls.
Feb 24, 2020 3:03 pm
OOC:
I simply mean that, if a specific person or smell was detected in the first train is noticed again in the second, it would be a great clue that could lead to find who or what is following him.

Also, with Hotaru's stats and speed, I would expect him to proceed that kind of information much more rapidly that the average person. Especially if he focuses only on the data that is present in both trains only.
Edit: Hotaru will just switch train once and stay alert for anything suspicious while going to the meeting point. Please simply describe what happen till then.
Last edited February 24, 2020 3:47 pm
Feb 24, 2020 3:44 pm
OOC:
Sure thing! If I need an Extended test, your speed will be taken into account to determine the Interval between each test.
The train was not due for its third stop for another two minutes. As Hotaru made his way to retrieve his luggage from the holding rack, a video display next the sliding door exit which served as a scrolling feed of the daily news, alternated with train announcements, seemed to pause on a headline which stated Postal Service Plagued by Theft - Police Clueless.

The train finally pulled to a stop and the doors opened. Not many passengers alighted at this stop, it was still on the outskirts of greater Tokyo. Why have you alighted? This isn't your stop yet. Natto's voice spoke inside Hotaru's sim interface. At the same time, Hotaru noted that the olfactory feed from his dog showed something other than people smells, but he didn't understand what the data meant.
Feb 24, 2020 4:45 pm
Hotaru was confused and distracted by Natto's comment, the weird publicity behavior and the new influx of data. "What do you mean? I told you the plan to use the train to spot a tail and you told me to go. If you want me to go directly I'll take a taxi. I don't enjoy being a bait like this you know."
Feb 25, 2020 1:39 pm
Chill rigger, that Psyche in your veins should've worn off by now surely. Natto realised how on edge Hotaru was, to have snapped back at him, and took a lighter tone. I'm not stick-in-the-mud Hakata, breathing down your neck. Hakata was probably monitoring the conversation as well. I just need to know what you spotted. I have nothing on my feed. Twenty-six people got off the train, two from your carriage. All of them were from the airport station, as that was the terminal station. The sensor feed from your dog shows data from the two from your carriage, nothing unusual. Something 'smells' different at this station, but that could simply be the station itself. Natto rattled off his analysis from Hotaru's image links and sensors, but it was clear he did not see the strange messages, only Hotaru did, nor did he draw any conclusion off the new smell.

Spirit Mints - A Breath of Fresh Air Fills Your Day! One of the billboards in the station blared a bright and cheery ad poster.
Feb 26, 2020 4:50 am
Hotaru sighs. I do not know yet what I spotted, sometimes, when you sense so much, it takes times for the details to catch up.

Hotaru look around for a quiet spot to sit alone while waiting for the next train (maybe the equivalent of a phone booth if there is something similar).

He check the time of the next train, set a timer in is commlink for 1 min before the train arrive. Warn me if anybody get close relaying that command to both the drone and the decker in his head. He set up confortably, set the suitcase in his lap and close his eyes.He then concentrate his considerable mental power to discerning the patterns he is missing.
OOC:
Rolling the pattern recognition part of the perception skill, possibly as an extended test

Rolls

Per 5+Logic 6 - (11d6)

(24562536356) = 47

Feb 26, 2020 1:23 pm
After the passengers had alighted and departed, the underground station platform became quiet. There were no new passengers waiting for the train. Hotaru had already deduced that the stop was more for airport arrivals to get to the outlying areas outside of neo-Tokyo, as it was still kilometers away from the city proper.

The station was pristine clean, liquid crystal light casting an almost bluish glow on its white and metallic surroundings. It was now so quiet Hotaru could hear his own footsteps as he walked towards a bench to sit down. The only other sounds were the electronic whirrs of his faithful anthrodrone. Hotaru tried to piece together his observations so far. Firstly, the strings of advertisments and media headlines were too suggestive to be mere coincidence. If they weren't coincidence, it must mean that it was a message from someone. But from whom? And what did it mean? Taken together it literally suggested that Hotaru should unplug and turn everything off, that the police were of no help in the theft, and that spirits will fill the air.
OOC:
I see 6 successes on the Perception test. This means Hotaru can figure out a number of things. The above is literally what he pieces together. I'll give you a chance to decide if you want to do anything in response to it before I proceed further.
Feb 27, 2020 5:35 pm
@Natto Ok I got it. There is a fourth party that is trying to contact me discreetly about the theft, using modified publicity from multiple sources. Unless you have a current epidemics of postal theft and that spirit mints is a things, that is the only explanation. They say they have information that you don't and ask that I turn off my commlink to make contact with spirits. So, if you want more accurate info, I need your permission to do that."
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