Corporate Hostilities

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IamLEAM1983
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Re: Corporate Hostilities

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"It could be useful," agreed Three. "What'd you get, the Parasail model or just the tactical webbing?"

Some models of Theriomorph body suits were designed so that the seal-based theriomorph's pelt would be hooked to a support rig as painlessly as possible, making a partially deployed pelt look like a parachute of sorts. The aim was to eliminate the need to stop and stow your pelt, so you could take it out and immediately draw a gun or start using tools. Closed, the rig folded the pelt into a dorsal pouch designed to be tamper-proof. The simpler model, however, only conferred the shapeshifter with the ability to carry tools or small firearms inside the pelt.
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TennyoCeres84
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Re: Corporate Hostilities

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"The Parasail version, of course. It can be used for multiple occasions, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone by purchasing that one," Aislinn answered. "Ciaran and Neasa bought the same type. Ciaran mentioned he's trying to work with it so that he can wear it while invisible. That's certainly more efficient than without worrying about someone kicking your balls while you're holding a pistol," she added with a scoff.

"Be right back. Going to get changed into it," she said, hurrying off to one of the nearby bathrooms.
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Karl the Mad
 

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Re: Corporate Hostilities

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"...roger that," Mary replied after a moment. "See you in a few."

The landing was uneventful, and the razorgirl powered the craft down before jumping out and sliding her blade to its spot on her back. "Where did they say they were?" she asked herself as she strode through the Hall. Then she caught sight of the hulking butler and changed course. "Ah, Bagley, there you are," she remarked. "Be a dear and point me to the others, will you?" No doubt he'd offer to inspect the helicopter while she was around, but she'd have to refuse. Helicopters were like parachutes; you couldn't trust one unless you'd packed it up and checked it over yourself.
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IamLEAM1983
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Re: Corporate Hostilities

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Bagley didn't offer, actually. It wouldn't be proper to rifle through someone else's possessions, for one - and he knew he wasn't affiliated with the FAA in any shape or form. He'd intended to stick to his radio-based warning, and that would be it. What he did offer, however, was the expected directions.

"They've all gathered in the library," he noted. "Shall I ask of mister Gubbin that he bring something from the kitchens for you?"

* * *

"It should work," noted Three, "it's skintight enough. I wouldn't compare that to Nigel, though - Grif's one of the old guard. He tried using a special exosuit designed for invisible supes, once, and pretty much hated it. Said he couldn't dodge hits well enough if he didn't feel all the drafts," he explained, scoffing amusedly.
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TennyoCeres84
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Re: Corporate Hostilities

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"True. I guess it's up to the individual supe to figure out what works for him or her," Aislinn replied, coming out of the bathroom. The bodysuit fit like a glove and showed off her petite and curvy frame. The roane had chosen a pattern that resembled the pattern on her pelt, with the garment being an odd camouflage of gray, silver and black. for now, her pelt was nearly folded to look like some small backpack hanging from her shoulders. It also had a series of pockets for tools, pistols, and other small items of importance on the legs, arms, and torso.
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Karl the Mad
 

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Re: Corporate Hostilities

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"Yes please!" Mary replied eagerly, her stomach growling audibly at the offer. "I haven't eaten in..." She realized she couldn't remember the last time she'd ate, and tried to stifle a brief stab of horror. "...well, I haven't eaten," she finished lamely. "Make it a double, whatever it is, would you kindly? Perhaps a triple!"

If they were in the library, she'd have to sit apart from the others while she ate. That was fine. She proceeded to the specified room, seeing the others clustered about. "Nice look, McConmera," she remarked, giving the roane a brief once-over. "You could almost pass for an operator." Levity aside she took a seat and regarded the others. "So. What do we have so far, if anything?" Even if she was here for help, she still couldn't help thinking of herself as their teacher, and told herself not to be condescending.
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Re: Corporate Hostilities

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Three shrugged. "Beyond what you've heard on the speakerphone, we know this isn't some Transhuman flipping his lid. Even if that were the case, a cyborg wouldn't go about evangelizing the rest of us on the benefits of physical augmentation by taking out the local holdings of a service-provider. It's like if a vegan decided to try and further the movement's case by fire-bombing Old Hope's produce market. Even someone who's far gone wouldn't go for something this insane.
- It feels corporate," summarized Bucky. "Katayama Limited's one of the other aug manufacturers in town and they haven't been touched, but they're reacting like you'd figure they oughta. They've upped security, reviewed production schedules for their local and overseas factories... I figure you could check with your secretary and she could give ya some sort of official communiqué. Under normal circumstances, this isn't the kinda hit that makes folks hunker down and go for an every man for himself approach."

Archie shrugged lightly. "Enzo Katayama is as American as can be, being the grandson of Japanese-American internment camp veterans. An MIT graduate with several credits coming from a Stanford stint in Business.. None of our local power-players would have cause to sponsor this attack."

Tom shrugged. "So foreign involvement is to be expected. I'm obviously more versed in matters supernatural rather than commercial or technological, but a few providers have received slaps on the wrist from the Better Business Bureau, a few years back. Daigong Robotics, for one, with its cheap labor plants on American soil and prejudiciable work schedules, along with Laredo's rather thoughtless hiring of career criminals in low-level positions... Janitorial work, mostly. All of them have tried to set foot in Hope at one time or another."

This left Amazo, who sighed. "We're stuck digging. The local fronts are clean and we couldn't accuse the CEOs of anything concrete. Even if we could, they're all glorified accountants with golf vacations; hardly the mercenary type to go about destroying a competitor's holdings. We have to assume that one of the locals has someone on the inside who's been acting against company policy. We've even dug out some of Ruthven's old papers and found nothing that sticks. Once old Vlad Tepes went on a downward slope after the Battle of Hope, the company stock plunged and never really came back. The company's floundering in the Small Arms department, after managing to buy Colt's assets. Whatever ability they had that would've allowed them to make a dent in the Transhumanism department, they've lost it decades ago."
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Karl the Mad
 

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Re: Corporate Hostilities

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"You're right, this isn't just one person acting out," Mary agreed. "Some of the attacks hit two shops simultaneously. Impossible for a single operator." They went down the list, and Mary frowned in thought. They were all customers of H&J, directly or otherwise. Even the unscrupulous ones. Amazo mentioned Ruthven, and she snorted. "Ruthven Corp is one I keep tabs on personally, I know they're impotent in this regard."

She looked across at Three. "What about Hauser Cooling & Conditioning? They might be expanding, since it's out of family control what with Preston's circumstances. And they're not really involved in transhumanism apart from sponsoring grant programs and research drives." If it was them, no doubt Preston would want to be involved.

...but if it was them, wouldn't he already have figured it out? "Have you checked off-world? Some new Drifter front trying to muscle in or something?"
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Re: Corporate Hostilities

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Aislinn raised a brow at this. "Good question," she said, looking to Three and Archie. "Our interactions with local Drifters have been rather limited, I think. Who do we know that could get us that type of info?"
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Re: Corporate Hostilities

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Three looked away in thought. "We used to have Tam Zainall as a contact, but she's distanced herself a fair bit. We could still ask her first boss in town, though. Frank Brenner."

He looked back to Mary. "Chances are you've heard some local cyborgs or aliens mention his store a few times already. It's technically a pawn shop with the expected licenses, but everyone and their mother knows he's an entry point to the local Aug scene. He'd know if off-worlders were scheming something, but that's all he'd tell us. Giving anyone anything isn't in Brenner's habits - he'd make us barter for info."

Tom stroked his chin. "Any chance of Brenner leading us to organized Paradise expatriates? Private militias, maybe?
- Entreprising gangs, maybe," corrected Drake, "but the word militia is pretty much a slur in some off-worlder sectors around town. Paradise's never needed order in the sense we'd recognize it in, they'd scoff at the idea of some sort of Yakuza-fied space thugs taking out a service provider. Less order means more flexibility and more flexibility means more credits, but H&J and its associates don't manufacture anything they can't reproduce on the cheap back home. Unless money's involved, they wouldn't have any cause to take orders from anyone."

Archie grunted in thought. "How about a naturalized Drifter, then? Someone who would find some use for our systems of entreprise without developing the expected moral fiber?"

Bucky nodded in the negative. "Doubt it - Drifters are classic cons. Smart and mousey - they stick to what they know. You stop by their Sandhill strip-mall markets for homebrew software and alien porn - not for hired guns looking to make a dent in the native economy. It's not like the dollar has any real value for these folks, anyway. Give 'em greenbacks and they'll just threaten to shoot ya. It's credits they want."
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