EP 23 – The Makings of a Plan

The crew continue their discussion about the Raffen Shiv and how to deal with the Oildale Gangers, including Rayze, their leader. Gunhead proposes that there might be a way to remove both parties in one move, to the delight of Fennec who has a long-running history with the Raffen Shiv group. Gunhead confirms that the Raffen Shiv appear to have set up bombs in at least seven locations throughout the city, and Fennec proposes giving them a taste of their own medicine by setting up a bomb in the bar the Raffen Shiv are occuping. They recall that they recently deactivated the explosive on-top of the old corpo building, which could be used, if they can find somewhere inside to plant it.

Gunhead wanders back to the outside of the bar and begins wandering around it, using his cyberdeck to scan the internal network for an entry point. He finds multiple small IoT devices, until eventually finding a Point-of-Sale terminal that he believes he could send a message to. In the message, he indicates that the crew have a bomb they can use, which can blow the Raffen Shiv up. Following a prompt to briefly turn off the outdoor lighting, Rez heads inside and straight to the bar. Ordering a drink, she pays for it and receives a bottle along with a folded napkin. She walks outside, opening it and seeing a hastily written message. The message indicates several locations a bomb could be placed, including a bathroom toward the back of the bar, or the cigarette machine near the table Solomon is sitting at. Meanwhile, Rama contacts Kobeck and Lyon, his MAXTAC colleagues, who pick him up in their AV-4, and travel directly to the old corpo building to collect the decommissioned bomb.

Gunhead works on the cigarette machine while Fennec creates a distraction

As the crew regroup, they discuss how to get the bomb reprogrammed, placed inside, and installed without being noticed. Gunhead accepts the task of setting up an electronic trigger for the explosive to activate on-demand, and sets a unique address on the CitiNET that needs to be reached in order for it to activate remotely. They walk back into the occupied bar, where Solomon welcomes them. The crew approach with Gunhead walking directly to the cigarette machine. Everyone else follows, and Fennec starts a disagreement, flipping over the table Solomon was sitting at. Seizing the opportunity, Gunhead cracks open the corner of the cigarette machine, and slides the explosive inside. As the situation gets tense, Rez tries to calm the room to avoid further escalation, with the Raffen Shiv members being left confused. Fennec swears, but says they will agree to the deal. As they leave, Rama tries to persuade one of the gangers to walk away from the Raffen Shiv.

The crew sneak in from the Northwest.

Preparing to travel to Oildale, the crew discuss how to utilise Trent and the remainder of the milita forces. H.U.G.O. provides an old architectural diagram he pulled from an archive, which helps them establish a plan on how to get into the refinery. Gunhead updates Trent on the situation, and asks for him to use the acquired forces to draw the ganger’s attention while the crew utilise a stealthier approach. The crew then depart for the refinery, travelling by air to scout from above. They see that the gangers have locked down the refinery tightly, with numerous guards maintaining a tight perimeter. Towards the front gate, they spot a few gangers in heated discussion with Raffen Shiv members. As the militia approaches from the city, they part their aircraft in a clearing to the south. Fennec asks Trent to lead the militia to make some noise towards the south and draw their fire, while the crew prepare to loop around to the north and sneak in.

As they progress through back alleys and streets, the cloned-agent in Gunhead’s possession chimes off with a cryptic message from Solomon. Moments later, the Raffen Shiv member shoot multiple Oildale gangers and drive away. Trent takes advantage of the chaos and begins the diversion to give the crew a chance to sneak in. They notice a variety of maintenance drones that patrol the perimeter, and consider hacking one to use the visual optics to search the refinery for Rayze. Fennec cuts open a whole in the perimeter fence, and everyone continues through, approaching the administration building. The crew jump up into the administration building to investigate what is inside…