The Handbasket Ride - Episode 4
A solo Electric State RPG actual play report
Content warning: Strong language
Wednesday, October 16th, 1996. 6:47am
Scene Chaos Factor: 5
Expected Scene: Arriving in Barstow
Testing the Expected Scene: 4 - Interrupt Scene
Event Focus: 47 - NPC Positive
NPC Choice: d4/d10 - 1/8 - Blackwelt Military
Meaning Tables Actions: 60/73 - Lure Portal
Does this happen in a neuroscape? 50/50 - 95 - Exceptional No
On the road fairly early this morning. The air is still cool and crisp, and the sun's just thinking about poking itself above the horizon.
I ended up spending a couple of hours with Ms Bellon going over information on Shani, before I was allowed to go back to my pickup and get some sleep. Not the most comfortable night I've ever had, but I've slept in worse places. They even provided me with something to eat while I worked, even if it was military rations. I saved some for this morning, but didn't feel like it when I got up, so I settled for a couple of cups of crap Army coffee instead.
I hate that they're forcing me to do this. I don't want anything to do with the Pacifica military, and would just prefer to go about my business and get home again. Truth be told, I don't really give that much of a damn about the Blackwelt military either. The whole war was just a load of crap that killed off a whole load of people for no real gain. You could even argue that it made everything worse for everyone, except maybe the fat cats who got rich on all the military hardware.
Speaking of military hardware, about a mile off the side of the highway sits what looks like the wreck of a war era suspension ship. It looks like it had rolled onto its side, and the whole thing has been tagged with graffiti. Looks like the scavengers had been at it heavily. There's a lot of it missing now, which is why I can't even be sure what model is it any more. Not that I was ever any kind of suspension ship identification guru.
It's slow going on the highway. The dust is thicker here than it was up north near the border, and it's making the road feel slippery, even with my off-road tyres. I hadn't been down this way in a long time. I normally prefer the more northern border crossings closer to home when I do have to cross into Pacifica, but like I said, they'd closed all but the Primm crossing.
Dammit, the bumpy ride is playing merry hell with my bladder, particularly after that coffee earlier. I had hoped to make a clear run through to Barstow, but it looks like I'm going to have a take a quick detour for an urgent pit stop.
A few minutes later, I'm feeling much relieved after driving about a half mile down a dirt access road, so that I was out of sight from the highway.
I was climbing back into the truck when I thought I heard a voice calling for help. At first, I thought I was imagining it, but then it came again. A man's voice, weak and sound like he's close to death.
After making sure my Beretta was still loaded, I carefully walked up the road, pistol in hand. About a hundred yards up, I could see an overturned car just off the road, lying on its roof in what looked like a dry creek bed. It was hard to tell, because it was lying a couple of feet below the road level.
As I got closer, the voice called out again. It was pretty weak, as though someone had survived the accident, but was pretty badly banged up.
Wits check to detect anything out of the ordinary: Five dice - 1, 1, 3, 3, 4 - No successes.
I clambered down the side of the ditch until I could look in the car. It was empty.
That's when I heard a man's voice behind me, strong and confident. "Put your weapon on the ground, and turn around with your hands in the air."
Fuck. I fell for it.
I crouched and put the Beretta near my feet, then carefully turned around. There were three guys there in camo gear pointing assault rifles at me. Behind them was a tall, African-American guy, standing at the entrance to a culvert.
One of the three came forward and quickly patted me down, then roughly grabbed my wrists and secured them with a cable tie.
I was taken into the culvert, where it looks like these guys had been set up for a couple of days. They had packs and other gear carefully set up, including a couple of neurocasters of a type I didn't recognise. They certainly weren't regularly available consumer models, that's for sure.
The guy who'd frisked me had taken my wallet from my jeans pocket and handed it over to the guy who'd spoken. He flipped it open and pulled out my driver's licence. He carefully studied it, then handed it over to one of the other guys, who took it and ran it through some sort of scanner, before sitting down and settling his neurocaster onto his head.
The speaker came over and looked me up and down. Now he was closer, I could see an embroidered name badge on his shirt: Merrick.
"So, tell me, Mr O'Sullivan, what's a Blackwelt citizen doing in Pacifica? And how did you get through the Pacifica roadblocks?"
"Technically, I'm on holiday, going to visit some college buddies, but so far, this holiday has pretty much sucked."
Neurocaster guy pulled the caster off his head. "He checks out, Elephant. Private investigator out of Hawthorne, went through the Primm crossing yesterday afternoon, listing reason for visit as 'vacation'."
In case you're wondering, Merrick's nickname is short for "Elephant Man", on account of his surname.
Merrick nodded. "Interesting. See what else you can find out." Neurocaster guy just nodded, and slipped back into the virtual world.
Merrick turned back to me. "Not the best time to be taking a vacation in this country," he said. "Or have you just not been paying attention to the news in recent months?"
"I've seen it," I said with a shrug. "It is a crap time, but it might be the last chance I get to see these guys, so decided to take a risk."
Merrick paced back and forth a little. "That still does not answer how a Blackwelt citizen got through the Pacifica military roadblocks. They've let nobody through in the past thirty six hours. Why were you the exception?"
Wits check: Does Eamon twig to who these guys might be? Five dice - 1, 2, 4, 6, 6 - Two successes.
Holy crap. I've just realised who these guys are. Or, at least, might be. I'd heard rumours of the Blackwelt Coyote teams: elite military units tasked with infiltration, reconnaissance, and intelligence gathering behind enemy lines. They're supposed to be really good, like the old US Navy Seal Team Six, or the British SAS. Not the sort of guys you want to fuck with. But there was never an official confirmation of their existence, for obvious reasons.
"You're Blackwelt Army, aren't you?" I asked.
Merrick's eye's narrowed, and he slipped a combat knife from a hidden sheath on his forearm, and tested the edge with his thumb. "I will neither confirm, nor deny that, Mr O'Sullivan. Who we are is actually none of your fucking business. Now, if you'd like to leave here and continue with your 'vacation', I'd suggest you answer my question."
Opposed Empathy check: Does Merrick intimate O'Sullivan?
Merrick has an Empathy of five, and I'm giving him +4 dice for the knife, and three other soldiers.
O'Sullivan is going to suffer a -1 penalty because he's handcuffed.
Merrick: Nine dice - 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6 -Three successes.
O'Sullivan: Four dice - 3, 4, 4, 4 - No successes.
Jesus Fucking Christ on a bike. In one breath, Merrick embodied all the rumours about the Blackwelt Coyote teams, and then some. This guy was not fucking about. Chances are, if I don't give this guy what he wants, no one will ever find my body.
So, in the interests of self-preservation, singing like a canary it is.
All the same, I tried to keep the fear out of my voice. "Pacifica let me through the roadblock on the orders of Sentre."
Merrick studied my face. "Sentre's orders?"
"This whole thing is a Sentre operation. They're calling the shots. They're looking for a guy who apparently stole some sensitive information. Somehow, he made it as far as Barstow - as far as they know - so they have the city cut off. Roadblocks on all roads in or out. I'm guessing that the Pacifica military slammed the borders shut to make sure that this guy couldn't get out."
"Interesting," Merrick said. "That still doesn't explain why you were let through, though."
"Apparently, I arrived at just the right time for Sentre. Given I'm from Blackwelt, and a PI, they figured I'd be far less suspicious if I went looking for this guy, especially as I specialise in missing persons cases. Plus, from their point, I'm expendable, I guess."
"Not wrong there. What is this guy's name? The one you're looking for."
"Nym Shani, was what I was told. Indian boffin."
Merrick turned back to the Neurocaster guy. "Swiper! See what you can dig up on a guy named Nym Shani, and why Sentre wants him so badly."
Neurocaster guy's only reaction was to give the thumbs up.
Merrick pointed to spot against the wall of the culvert with his knife. "Take a seat, Mr O'Sullivan. It might take a little while to verify your story."
I did what I was told, and Merrick used another cable tie around my ankles. "Don't want you running off anywhere", he said with a grin like a great white shark.
By the time Neurocaster guy emerged from underneath his caster, the sun was well and truly up, and the temperature was starting to rise as well. Both feet had gone numb, because the cable tie was too damn tight, but somehow, I didn't think that complaining was going to get me anywhere.
Merrick and the caster guy had a quiet conversation, with plenty of back and forth, punctuated with a few glances in my direction.
Was Neurocaster guy somehow able to find out Eamon's real agenda in Pacifica? Unlikely - 35 - Yes.
Military databases, man.
Merrick comes over to me with a bemused look on his face. "You are full of surprises, aren't you Mr O'Sullivan?"
I had no idea what he was talking about. "Come again?"
Merrick squatted down so he was closer to my level. "Vacation, huh? I guess it makes a decent enough cover story for your real intention, which is tracking down a Kathryn Everett."
My face must have gone sheet white, because both Merrick and Neurocaster guy started cracking up laughing. The two soldiers shared a high five, before Neurocaster guy went back to his gear.
Merrick was still chuckling when he slipped out his knife, and sliced through the cable tie around my ankles. "Turn around," he said, and then sliced through the one at my wrists as well. "Stay there until you can feel your feet again."
He stood up and looked down at me, while slipping his knife away. "We're going to let you go now. Meeting you has been highly informative, not to mention serendipitous. And to think you just drove right up to us."
I'm glad he's so damn amused. I guess not a lot of funny stuff happens out here. "So why didn't you shoot me on sight?"
"Blackwelt plates on your pickup," Merrick said, nonchalantly. "Had you been sporting Pacifica plates, you would have been feeding the vultures right about now."
Now, that's a comforting thought. I didn't doubt him though.
The pins and needles were starting in my feet, so I used the wall of the culvert to help me stand up. I'd had enough of sitting on my ass. I needed to get moving, in more ways than one.
Merrick looked at me. "So, you're going to find this Shani for Sentre?"
"Yeah, unfortunately," I said. "If I don't, I won't make it to the coast. They made that abundantly clear. My plan, though, is to try to find out what he knows that got Sentre's panties in a bunch. If I can do that, I'll tack it onto my report, assuming I get a chance to make it."
Merrick just nodded. "You do that. That sort of information is gold, and will help you in the long run." Didn't say when it would help with, though.
He held out his hand. "Pleasure meeting you, O'Sullivan. Good luck finding Everett. Hopefully, we'll never meet again, but we'll be keeping an eye on you all the same."
I shook Merrick's hand. Strong grip, but I really didn't expect anything else. "I can't say it's been a pleasure, but I am damn relieved to be walking out of here, considering the alternatives."
Merrick looked amused. "Fair," he said. He handed me my Beretta. "See you round, O'Sullivan. Don't bother telling anyone you saw us. We were never here."
"Gotcha," I said, and started limping out the culvert. The other three soldiers, just watched me, their assault rifles in their hands, just in case. Not that I would have been stupid enough to try anything.
I didn't look back. Like Merritt said, they were never there.
By the time I got back to my pickup, I was shaking so much, I actually threw up. How the hell I walked away from that alive, I'll never know. But now I have to get my shit together, and find Shani in a town I don't know, before he can make a run for it.
Today is just getting better and better.
End of Scene Bookkeeping
Things definitely were not in Eamon's control, so the Chaos Factor goes up to 6.
Added Blackwelt Coyote Team to the Character List.
End of Episode Notes
What the hell do you with a “Lure Portal” interrupt scene in the middle of the desert? Figuring that out took me about half a day of pondering, and a couple of rewrites of the beginning. But once I had that, I had fun with this scene.
Again, this one let me play on the initial theme of tension between the two nations. The idea for the Coyote team came from an old story I wrote about a British SAS team that was inserted into Argentina during the 1982 Falklands Island war. They hid near the end of an Argentinian airbase’s runway, and radioed into the British Navy whenever fighter jets took off, so the Poms were never taken by surprise.
I loved it when I rolled three successes on Merrick’s intimidation check, vs Eamon’s zero. Merrick took on a whole new level of badass in my mind at that point.