Shosuro Ritsuko, Enigmatic Ninja
7M1 Pistol Wielding Shosuro Shinobi
15 Scorpion Clan Operative
17 Enigmatic
17 Flaw : Hidden Identity
17 Flaw : Traitors of the Empire
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9 abilities and 8 points left
Ritsuko walks down the narrow alley, concrete walls rising five floors toward the night sky. The half moon provides just enough light to turn the path moonlit grey and highlights the dumpsters just outside of the shadows. The passing clouds sometimes obscuring Lord Moon.
She wears dark leather pants with matching boots; her jacket bears Yoritomo green stripes running down the sleeves. The motorcycle helmet still conceals her features, and her Shinjo Motors Furinkazan is parked on the street behind her, also black with green stripes that mirror her jacket.
At the other end of the alley, three figures detach from the shadows. Ritsuko can see dark robes and jingasa. Two of them approach with staves in hand; the middle one appears to not have any weapons at all.
"Shouldn't be looking around the docks this time of night," the middle man says, voice monotone and detached as if distracted by something. "Who are you?"
Ritsuko pulls her helmet off. She reveals black hair with equally dark eyes. Her fingers tap the watch and scribble the kanji to unlock the device. Ritsuko's false identity is transmitted with a gesture. A quick smile crosses her lips, "Yoritomo Mare," she replies.
[Ritsuko attempts to bluff her way past the guards using Scorpion Clan Operative against the base resistance of 14. Ritsuko : 10, Guards : 13, defeat.]
The unarmed man produces a tablet from the folds of his hitatare. He scrolls down the display. "What brings you down here, Yoritomo-san?"
She responds with a slight shrug as her eyes glance quickly to the two men on either side of him. Ritsuko returns her seemingly complete attention to the man asking questions. "I heard a cargo ship docked earlier today, and I was hoping to be first to see what arrived."
"I see," he mutters, casually nodding his head toward Ritsuko. The two armed guards advance with their staves held forward. "You don't appear to be in the system."
Ritsuko quickly considers her options : pull her pistol with the possibility that someone will miss these three, knock them unconscious or run. Running would mean further failure; their security would undoubtedly increase for some time. She chose the second option; let them remember that someone dressed as a Yoritomo did this. That would at least cast some doubt.
[Ritsuko opts to attack the goons using Pistol Wielding Shosuro Shinobi and spends 10 of her points to increase the ability to 7M1 against the base resistance of 14. Ritsuko : 6, Guards : 13, success.]
[GM Note : And here's where it gets really interesting. If Ritsuko hadn't increased her Pistol Wielding Shosuro Shinobi skill right then, she would have failed a second time. Though she succeeded in her skill roll, so did the guards; the guards rolled a higher success, so they win. Either Ritsuko would choose a new ability, spend a Hero Point on the first encounter or concede defeat.]
Ritsuko watches the two guards advance then quickly steps forward. Her helmet swings up and smashes into a guard's chin. He falls back against the wall where Ritsuko's foot swings out and kicks him in the head. The second guard swings the staff at her, which she parries with the motorcycle helmet. Her foot comes up then down sharply against the guard's thigh. He kneels down on the ground where her helmet bashes against the side of his head.
The Bayushi Tech Sasayaki comes free from its holster at the small of her back. The barrel aligns with the third figure's forehead. "How about you put me in the system?"
"I- Ye- Yes. Sure," he replies, fingers deftly tapping along the face of the tablet.
"Thank you."
"Please do-" and his head snaps back as Ritsuko punches him. She takes the security tablet and walks to the mouth of the alley. Three unconscious forms behind her.
The white concrete walls across the street are topped with chain link fencing and barbed wire. Two lanes exit and enter the dockyard with guards housed between them. She checks the tablet and considers her next option. What would be the most plausible story? Visiting security from headquarters? Makes sense, considering the value of the shipment.
[Ritsuko accesses the computer system and uses Scorpion Clan Operative to add her security credentials to the server and spends two points to increase the ability to 15 against the base resistance of 14. Ritsuko : 13, server : 8, success.]
[GM Note : Unfortunate as the 13 would have been a critical had she not increased the ability score.]
Retrieving her bike, she rides up to the gate and checks in with the guard. This time, her false credentials sent to the tablet register as a security consultant from Yoritomo Industries. Ritsuko parks her bike and enters the shipping offices. At this hour, most everyone has already gone home, leaving her with full physical access to the computers.
"This can't be right," she mutters, tapping quickly on the keyboard.
The shipping manifest for this afternoon's arrival was filled with standard items, which also included some smuggled weapons, and a heavily redacted reference to one unidentified line item. She delved further into the one item and came up with...
"Jonetsu?"
The Bloodsword had been presumed lost when Doji Tanaka leapt from the cliffs of Kyuden Doji. That was over 1500 years ago. How had the Mantis supposedly recovered it, and, more importantly, who was it going to?
[Ritsuko uses Scorpion Clan Operative to uncover the identity of the buyer against resistance 17. Ritsuko : 13, server : 8, success.]
The threads begin to entwine. The supply of smuggled weapons. The rumoured Bloodsword. All of them are going to one buyer : Goraiku Atsuhisa. A name. Another series of queries travel electron pathways, an image and visitor's badge appear on screen. And a face. And the exchange is to happen... tonight?
Ritsuko glances at her watch. Within the hour by the look of things. She starts walking toward the warehouses. To continue the cover, Ritsuko would need to get access to some of the smuggled weapons. A Tsuruchi Arms Arashi and a couple of the grenades. All the while contemplating why the Centipede would need Tsuruchi firearms and a Bloodsword.
She waits inside the warehouse until she sees a black SUV pull through the gate; it parks between the Tsuruchi vessel and the warehouse. Ritsuko glances at her watch again, wishing that she had had the foresight to bring one of her drones. Instead, she slips out of the warehouse and uses the cover provided by pallets of barrels to creep closer.
[Ritsuko uses Pistol Wielding Shosuro Shinobi to move closer and listen against resistance 17. Ritsuko : 11, Atsuhisa : 1, success.]
"Evening, Hisa-san," a figure says, stepping from the shadows across from Ritsuko.
"Shimeko," Atsuhisa replies with a nod of his head.
Shimeko. Ritsuko files that name for future research. They have conducted business before judging by the tone of their greeting.
"You should have brought more cars," Shimeko noted. "That SUV isn't going to hold all of the material."
"I'm here for the more important item," Atsuhisa says. "We'll send a truck for the remainder in the morning."
"If it's just the one line item, follow me."
The two of them move in Ritsuko's direction, leaving the SUV with a pair of guards in business attire. One, the driver; the other, hired muscle. Ritsuko moves through the shadows and keeps an eye on Shimeko and Atsuhisa.
Of all the crates in the warehouse, Shimeko moves towards one in particular. Large, as if it contains the same amount of goods as any other. She pulls at the side of the crate which gives way, revealing a liner cradling a smaller wooden box within. The smaller box is lacquered black with silver kanji written over its lid. Too far to read what it says, and their voices are muted by the distance.
If Atsuhisa wants this box, Ritsuko needs to claim it for the Scorpion. She looks back at the SUV with the pair of guards. Misdirection was in order. She pulls one of the grenades from her belt and judges the distance from herself to the SUV. Pulling the pin, Ritsuko tosses the grenade underhand towards the SUV.
"What th-" the hired muscle says, the last of his words cut off by the loud explosion the grenade creates. Shrapnel tears through the two guards and the SUV is riddled with tiny punctures. The Tsuruchi created the bakuhatsu kiba as a traumatizing anti-personnel device. Like most grenades, it held an explosive charge, but this one violently released shrapnel, the fangs, into people.
The pair within the warehouse rush outside to review the damage. Ritsuko takes advantage of the distraction and re-enters the warehouse, grabbing the lacquered box and rushing toward the rear exit.
[Ritsuko uses Pistol Wielding Shosuro Shinobi to escape unseen against resistance 19. Ritsuko : 8, Shimeko : 8, tied.]
Ritsuko erupts from the exit, the box cradled tight against her chest. She looks back and sees Shimeko turning toward her direction. The door shuts behind her. Ritsuko is unsure if Shimeko had seen her leave with the box, but, even if she had, the shadows would only reveal the black and green of the Yoritomo.
First, she needed a place to hide and let the guards search the premises for the intruder. They would be expecting her to leave immediately, but she had security credentials. Ritsuko would wait until their attention lapsed then take this back to her apartment for further study. Until then... Ritusko uses her watch and false identity to open an office, laying the box beneath her feet as she sits at a terminal.
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