Shadowrun_5E_Battle_of_Manhattan_(Boardroom_Backstabs_3).pdf

(24435 KB) Pobierz
S H A D O W RUN
BATTLE OF
MANHATTAN
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 5
SCENE ONE: LOCAL FLAVOR ............................................................ 8
SCENE TWO: TEST OF LOYALTY.................................................... 11
SCENE THREE: THE QUIET JOB..................................................... 18
SCENE FOUR: THE PLANE JOB...................................................... 24
SCENE FIVE: THE BOAT JOB .......................................................... 32
SCENE SIX: KINGS SHALL NOT KILL (AND GET CAUGHT)..... 35
AFTERMATH ....................................................................................... 40
AWARDING KARMA ........................................................................ 41
LEGWORK............................................................................................ 41
CAST OF SHADOWS......................................................................... 43
CREDITS
Shadowrun Line Developer:
Jason M. Hardy
Writing:
R.J. Thomas
Plot Development:
Galen Winkler
Cover Art:
Eric Williams
Interior Art:
Chat Sergesketter
Maps:
Sean MacDonald
Cover Layout:
Matt Heerdt
Interior Layout:
Matt Heerdt
Art Direction:
Brent Evans, Kat Hardy
Copyright © 2015 The Topps Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Shadowrun and Matrix are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of The Topps
Company, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the Copyright Owner, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is
published. Catalyst Game Labs and the Catalyst Game Labs logo are trademarks of InMediaRes Productions, LLC.
First Printing by Catalyst Game Labs, an imprint of InMediaRes Productions, LLC • PMB 202, 303 91st Ave. NE, E502, Lake Stevens, WA 98258
Find us online:
info@shadowruntabletop.com
(Shadowrun questions)
shadowruntabletop.com
(official Shadowrun website)
catalystgamelabs.com
(Catalyst website)
battlecorps.com/catalog
(Catalyst/Shadowrun orders)
2
CONTENTS
Warehouse #40, Hong Kong docks
“We needed to leave half an hour ago! What is the hold-
up!?” Chang Li asked oh so politely for the third time in ve
minutes. Captain Han of the independent trading vessel Water
Blossom let out another breath through clenched teeth, trying
to keep his anger in check. Keelhauling wasn’t a Chinese mar-
itime tradition, but it was one Han was giving serious thought
to. Had Li not agreed to pay ve million nuyen for transpor-
tation out of Hong Kong (and paid half up front), Han would
have ordered his crew to prepare the ropes hours ago.
Turning to face the former Wuxing employee, Han took in
one more deep breath before speaking. “With all due respect,
had you not insisted that we take along certain, what did you
call them, ‘priceless items,’ we would have been well under-
way by now.” He waved his hand in the direction of his crew
as they continued to load cargo crates. “This delay is putting
my crew and ship in jeopardy. So I would
respectfully
suggest
you be quiet and let us nish!”
Li opened his mouth, about to say something, but was un-
able to nd his voice for several seconds before nally stam-
mering out “Fine, Captain. But remember that I am the one
paying you for this so-called service.” Turning on his heel, Li
stormed toward the back of ces.
Han hadn’t realized it, but his hand had drifted to the
heavy pistol strapped to his leg. He could have easily shot
Li, taken the two-and-a-half-million deposit, and been done
with it. But as much as he hated to admit it, he needed the full
amount and the job itself. Lately, his luck had turned against
him and his reputation had suffered because of it. No, if there
were going to be any future work, he had to complete this job.
Still, it would have been an easy shot …
Without warning, the warehouse’s main doors exploded
in a crash of thunder and shriek of twisting metal. The echo
in the warehouse was deafening as metal shards and bits of
building material shot though the loading area. An unearthly
smoke billowed through where the doors once stood and an
elven gure dressed in wujen attire levitated through. Wind
billowed at his ornate robe as lightning illuminated his eyes
and leaped from outstretched ngertips. The bolts struck sev-
eral of Han’s crew, leaving charred circles in their chests as
they fell to the oor. Through the smoke, several more gures
darted in and quickly spread out. Their urban-camo fatigues
sported a diamond-shaped unit patch on the shoulders with
the number “58” on it. These mercenaries, while not perfectly
synchronized in their movements, made up for any lack of
unit precision with their assault ri es, gunning anyone who
attempted escape.
Thunder crashed and lightning lit up the warehouse as Han
dove for cover behind an empty cargo crate. The imsy plastic
container would offer little protection, but at least he had a
few precious seconds behind concealment to act. “How in the
seven hells did they get past my security?” he wondered as he
drew his old Predator I pistol. In quick succession, Han put two
shots into a nearby mercenary. Many thought he was crazy for
relying on such an old weapon, but Han knew its aim was true.
For almost twenty- ve years it had been at his side and never
failed. That streak continued as heavy rounds found gaps in
the mercenary’s armor. One struck just between the ballistic
plates near the right shoulder, the other square in the neck.
The hired solider was dead before he hit the ground. Before
Han found another target, a voice louder than anything he had
heard before overrode the noise of battle and echoed through
the warehouse uttering just one word: “Stop!”
Everyone in the warehouse complied, but Han took a
moment to assess the situation. Most of his men were dead
and the only mercenary down was the one he’d just shot.
Worse, the mage, his robe and long snow-white beard still
drifting in some kind of personal wind, was unharmed and
still hovering nearby. But now he was looking directly at the
smuggler captain.
The dead silence permeating the warehouse was broken
by the sound of slow and deliberate footsteps. Through the
thinning smoke, two gures calmly walked in. One was a
large female troll; her dark skin and hairstyle reminded Han
of many trips to Africa over the past several years. Buzzing
around her was a pair of Sikorsky combat drones. Walking
just a step in front of her was an Asian human male dressed in
a long coat, tailored business suit, and very expensive shoes.
He looked to be in his early to mid-forties, but carried him-
self with the weight, presence, and power of someone much
older. The echo of his shoes was the only sound in the ware-
house as he walked. One of the mercenaries approached
and held out his arm to the man in the suit as he smoothly
removed his coat, all without breaking stride. Suddenly, rec-
ognition set in and Han felt his blood run cold.
SHADOWRUN
3
>> BATTLE OF MANHATTAN <<
“Captain Han. I do not wish to see any more bloodshed
tonight,” the man in the suit said without preamble. “You and
your crew are not the reason we are here. You just had the
unfortunate luck of being in our way. Now, I give you my word
that if you and the rest of your crew stand down, you will not
be harmed nor will any retribution be taken. We understand
this was just business.”
Han knew he had no choice. Even without the mercenaries,
there was no way he could win this ght. Standing up from be-
hind the crate, Han laid down his Predator and held his hands
up. The rest of his men, those who managed to nd weapons,
followed suit. The mage oated gently to the ground as the
mercenaries closed ranks around the man in the suit. The fe-
male troll simply crossed her arms and observed, saying noth-
ing as her drones hovered around her.
Without a word, two mercenaries headed toward the of ce.
From inside, Li cried out like a pig being led to the slaughter. The
former salaryman thrashed impotently in the mercenary’s grips
before they threw him to the ground in front of the man in the
business suit. Li continued to sob pathetic cries for mercy.
Disgusted at the display before him, the man in the busi-
ness suit looked down at Li and hissed, “Get
up.”
With shaky
legs, Li complied and managed to stand as tears streamed
down his ushed face.
“Mr. Li. You should not have run, but then you should not
have done a great many things. But that is not my concern at
the moment. Now, I give you a choice. Come with us quietly,
cooperate, and you will be shown some dignity before meet-
ing your fate. Do not, and it will be most painful for you.”
Li’s face reddened further but he hung his head in submis-
sion. The man in the suit nodded and turned to face Captain
Han. “I am a man of my word, Captain. As I have said, you and
your crew will face no further harm this night. We shall go, but
you will relinquish all the items you have already loaded on
board and the money you have already been paid. I am sorry,
but it was not Mr. Li’s to give in the rst place. I would also
suggest that before you take another job; make sure the man
who hired you is not wanted by the Red Drag …”
Acting out of stupidity born of desperation, Li grabbed a
machine pistol from a mercenary’s unsecured holster and
pointed it at the man in the suit’s back. In a blur of motion,
the man in the suit spun around as a crack from the pistol re-
ported. In the rst half of a heartbeat, the man in the suit then
grabbed and twisted the machine pistol so it was now pointing
in the opposite direction with Li’s nger caught in the trigger
guard. In the second half of the heartbeat, Li screamed in pain
as the man in the suit ripped the machine pistol (and Li’s n-
ger) away and delivered a series of nger blows to Li’s body
in rapid succession. The former salaryman fell to the ground
quivering, eyes wide in great pain and unable to speak; but he
was still alive.
The man in the suit looked calmly at the machine pistol in
his hand and then at the mercenary who’d lost it. Before the
mercenary could speak, the man in the suit turned the weapon
in his hands and put a bullet between the mercenary’s eyes.
Tossing the pistol aside as if disgusted with its presence, the
man in the suit motioned for the rest of the mercenaries to
bring Li. As he slipped back into his jacket, the man in the suit
looked to Captain Han and simply said “Remember my words,
Captain” as he and his people walked out.
As soon as they were out of sight, Captain Han fell to his
knees and just stared at the dead mercenary.
Outside the warehouse, William Xian watched as the merce-
naries of the Fifty-Eighth Battle Brigade loaded Li into a van
and departed. The retrieval had gone better than expected and
the mercenaries had performed adequately if not perfectly. He
hoped that tonight’s example would motivate them toward fu-
ture improvement. Still, his master would be pleased regard-
less. And hopefully if anyone wished to try to steal from Wux-
ing, they would think twice. But deep down he knew “One”
would be called to go after yet another “Mr. Li.”
On the digital display of his contact lenses, Xian saw com-
ments from both Master Wu the mage and Zarah the techno-
mancer. Wu was already complaining of headaches and want-
ed to leave immediately, while Zarah reported that all security
footage within the surrounding area had been dealt with and
not even the Resonance could nd it. Looking at the chronom-
eter display, he agreed with Wu. Their task was complete; it
was time to rest.
Their private limo rolled around from behind one of the
various cargo containers and Zarah growled. Over his display
William saw the message: “She’s here. And she hijacked
my
limo.” That comment was all that Xian needed to know. As the
limo glided to a halt a mere ve meters from the trio, its back
door opened and an immaculate-looking human woman with
porcelain-smooth features and the latest Chinese business
attire stepped out. Xian knew that behind the top-of-the-line
smartglasses was a gleam of smug satisfaction. Zarah took ex-
ceptional pride in her abilities, and commandeering the limo
was a direct insult to her. But then, that was Lin’s style.
“Did you have to kill one of my men?” Lin asked in way of
greeting.
“He got sloppy. And the last time I checked, the members
of the Fifty-Eighth were beholden to the Red Dragon Society,
not you personally. Why are you here, Lin?”
Lin moved from the limo and ran a nger over Xian’s ex-
pensive silk tie. “We’ll discuss the mercenaries later, hand-
some. But to answer your question, I’m here on behalf of the
Master. It’s been decided that One is going on a little trip;
Manhattan to be exact.
“Why?”
“Why? Because the master wishes it, that’s why. I’m just
delivering the message on his behalf because he’s attending
to other matters. All you need to know is that your ight leaves
from our private airport in … three hours. Data packets regard-
ing your task have been prepared and will be waiting for you
on the plane. You should know that this little adventure is not
to be taken lightly. Our Master has placed a high importance
on it. So if any of you has something that needs to be done
before you leave, better do it now. Because you now have only
two hours and fty-nine minutes.”
4
SHADOWRUN

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika:

Zgłoś jeśli naruszono regulamin