ShadowRock!, Chapter 16 (Patreon)

Chapter 16: Quick Shot

Lioness stayed in the van. Not because she was a coward, but because she was going to be in VR, controlling her drones. And limp bodies were easier to put holes in.

They gathered in front of the vans, with her in the center, TechKat and Tigress to the left, and Cougar and KittyKat to the right. The sniper drone was already in the air, and two ground-based combat drones on the ground, ready and waiting. This was as good a formation as they’d get, on such short notice, and with such an open area. None of them had fingers on the triggers, but everyone had weapons close to hand.

The three vehicles rolled to a stop ten meters away. Close enough that they could talk easily, but far enough that it wasn’t quite close range for pistols. Smart. Smarter was the fact that, when the doors opened, six corpsec guards got out of each van, armored vests worn openly, with SMGs in a low-ready stance. Another corpsec, probably more important given that he only had a pistol, not an SMG, got out of the sedan. Also wearing an armored vest. That one then stepped to the side, allowing the ork who had first hired us to get out.

Really, the whole presentation was a 10/10. I was a performer, so I knew how to set a scene and put on a show. This was quality work, honestly. Just the right level of intimidation factor, without going straight to violence. It was a show designed to prevent a fight as much as win one. Which told me the ork definitely wasn’t wanting to pay us what he owed.

Further proof of that was the way some of the corpsec looked a bit twitchy. Not all of them, but most. They’d taken a hit of something. Cram, or maybe Jazz. Probably Jazz, since it was a shorter duration effect, good for a single fight, not a whole shift. Either way, they were amped up and ready for a fight.

I decided to break the ice. Give the ork a chance to explain himself. “This is a rather large delegation for a simple payment and handover, no? You wouldn’t be thinking about doing something foolish, would you?”

The ork growled, and said, “You shadowmen, always thinking you’re special. Always thinking you can make demands, when you should be grateful for what is given to you. The only reason you exist is because you are a necessary cog in the machine. But a cog is still a cog, and shouldn’t get delusions about being more than that.”

Ah, he was one of those types. The kind who was a true believer in the corporate hierarchy. Whichever mega he worked for, he undoubtedly believed the corporate line that they were just as great as management said. It was what made company men useful, after all. They were loyal, and their identity was based around the corporation, and their place in it. Which was why they were great fall guys and cut-outs, because they would never question, and never hesitate.

Of course, the downside was that they would never question, and never hesitate. Dogmatic zealots were like that, after all. This ork had clearly come into the situation with a chip on his shoulder, because we hadn’t meekly taken his initial offer, and told him to his face he was not paying what the job was worth. In that type’s eyes, the job was worth what the corporation was willing to spend, and the corporation wanted to spend as little as possible for the proper results. Anyone arguing with that was a problem to be solved.

“That’s nice, but do you have our money? We have the paydata, as requested.”

Pussycat: Lioness, if he so much as twitches wrong, snipe him, then the important-looking one next to him. But make sure the ork goes down first. Will probably cause the corpsec to hesitate.

Lioness: Got it.

The ork snarled. “Take them. And get the data from their corpses.”

Lioness’s Gunnery attack (Mr. Johnson): 13d6 = 4 Hits, 3 Miss

Mr. Johnson’s Defense: 5d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (2 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 11P, -4 AP

Mr. Johnson’s Damage Resistance: 16d6 = 4 Hits, 2 Miss (7P Damage)

Mr. Johnson: 7/11 Physical Monitor (-2 Mod)

Lioness’s Gunnery attack (Mr. Johnson): 13d6 = 5 Hits, 0 Miss

Mr. Johnson’s Defense: 3d6 = 0 Hits, 0 Miss (5 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 14P, -4 AP

Mr. Johnson’s Damage Resistance: 16d6 = 4 Hits, 3 Miss (10P Damage)

Mr. Johnson: 17/11 Physical Monitor (Dead)

Two shots rang out from above, before the corpsec could even move. The first struck the ork center mass, leaving a bloody wound that would definitely be bad for his health. The second, however, struck him in the head, and the head was simply no longer there. Very much not survivable.

Lioness: Sorry, took two shots. Guy had more armor than you would expect. Or maybe the suit itself was armored in some way.

Initiatives:

Pussycat’s Initiative: 10d6 = 4 Hit, 3 Miss (Init 14, 3 Passes)

TechKat’s Initiative: 10d6 = 3 Hits, 1 Miss (Init 13, 3 Passes)

Tigress’s Initiative: 9d6 = 1 Hits, 2 Miss (Init 10, 3 Passes)

Cougar’s Initiative: 9d6 = 4 Hits, 1 Miss (Init 13, 3 Passes)

KittyKat’s Initiative: 9d6 = 1 Hits, 2 Miss (Init 10, 3 Passes)

Lioness’s Matrix Initiative: 10d6 = 5 Hits, 1 Miss (Init 15, 5 Passes)

Corpsec’s Initiative: 8d6 = 5 Hits, 2 Miss (Init 13, 2 Passes)

Corpsec Lieutenant’s Initiative: 8d6 = 1 Hit, 2 Miss (Init 9, 2 Passes)

Pass 1:

Lioness’s Gunnery attack (Lieutenant): 13d6 = 5 Hits, 1 Miss

Lieutenant’s Defense: 4d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (3 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 12P, -4 AP

Lieutenant’s Damage Resistance: 5d6 = 1 Hits, 0 Miss (11P Damage)

Lieutenant: 11/10 Physical Monitor (Dying)

Lioness’s Gunnery attack (Corpsec 1): 11d6 = 4 Hits, 0 Miss

Corpsec 1’s Defense: 5d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (2 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 11P, -4 AP

Corpsec 1’s Damage Resistance: 5d6 = 3 Hits, 0 Miss (8P Damage)

Corpsec 1: 8/10 Physical Monitor (-2 Mod)

Pussycat’s Attack Roll (Corpsec 2): 17d6 = 8 Hits, 3 Miss

Corpsec 2’s Defense: 5d6 = 4 Hits, 0 Miss (4 Net Hits)

Short, Narrow Burst: 13P, -2 AP

Corpsec 2’s Damage Resistance: 7d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (11P Damage)

Corpsec 2: 11/10 Physical Monitor (Dying)

Pussycat’s Attack Roll (Corpsec 3): 15d6 = 8 Hits, 1 Miss

Corpsec 3’s Defense: 5d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (6 Net Hits)

Short, Narrow Burst: 15P, -2 AP

Corpsec 3’s Damage Resistance: 7d6 = 1 Hits, 1 Miss (14P Damage)

Corpsec 3: 14/10 Physical Monitor (Dead)

Pussycat’s Attack Roll (Corpsec 4): 11d6 = 5 Hits, 3 Miss

Corpsec 4’s Defense: 5d6 = 1 Hits, 0 Miss (4 Net Hits)

Short, Narrow Burst: 13P, -2 AP

Corpsec 4’s Damage Resistance: 7d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (11P Damage)

Corpsec 4: 11/10 Physical Monitor (Dying)

TechKat’s Attack Roll (Corpsec 5): 13d6 = 3 Hits, 3 Miss

Corpsec 5’s Defense: 5d6 = 1 Hit, 2 Miss (2 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 8P, -2 AP

Corpsec 5’s Damage Resistance: 7d6 = 2 Hits, 2 Miss (6P damage)

TechKat’s Attack Roll (Corpsec 5): 13d6 = 4 Hits, 1 Miss

Corpsec 5’s Defense: 3d6 = 0 Hit, 1 Miss (4 Net Hits)

Semi-Auto: 10P, -2 AP

Corpsec 5’s Damage Resistance: 7d6 = 1 Hits, 0 Miss (9P damage)

Corpsec 5: 15/10 Physical Monitor (Dead)

Cougar’s Attack Roll (Corpsec 7): 16d6 = 5 Hits, 1 Miss

Corpsec 7’s Defense: 7d6 = 1 Hit, 0 Miss (4 Net Hits)

Monofilament Sword: 11P, -1 AP (Reach 1 reduces target’s defense)

Corpsec 7’s Damage Resistance: 6d6 = 0 Hits, 2 Miss (11P Damage)

Corpsec 7: 11/10 Physical Monitor (Dying)

Two more shots from on high announced that Lioness was still on the prowl. The important-looking corpsec guy took the round near the neck seam of his armor vest. The large hole where much of his neck and shoulder area was supposed to be suggested he would not be long for this world without some immediate medical attention. For obvious reasons.

The second shot took the closest guard on my left-hand side. Hit him in the chest, but his armored vest wasn’t really set up to take hits with explosive rounds fired from a sniper rifle. It may have blocked enough that he was still breathing, but he definitely wasn’t having a good day.

My lovely Shiawase Arms Monsoon hadn’t had a chance to get much play so far, but I intended to change that. Unfortunately, the beauty only had two modes, semi-auto and full auto. However, one thing most people didn’t know about a full auto gun was that a Long Burst could be used against multiple targets, so long as each one was within a meter of the one before. Walking the burst basically turned a full burst of 9 rounds into a short and a long burst of 3 and 6, if you were hitting two targets, or three short bursts, if you were hunting 3 targets. You did have a penalty of -2 dice each time you switched targets, on top of the recoil penalties, but that’s what big dice pools were for.

Walking the burst down the left-hand side, I hit the three guards next to the already wounded one, and all three went down, with nice, bloody holes in them. Dead or dying, I couldn’t tell, but I knew they weren’t going to be giving me any more trouble.

Before I could admire the view, TechKat’s pistol barked twice, hitting the fifth guard on that side of the formation, the only woman in the group. First tore into her, center mass, and the second caught her in the face, and the explosive round removed her face entirely. Dead instantly, with no hope of stabilizing her or getting her back into the fight.

Cougar burst forward with her ghoulish speed. The sword in her hand cut through the closest guard on the right side’s armor and flesh, sending him to the ground, choking on his own blood. A monofilament blade with ghoul strength and magic behind it was a terrifying prospect to behold. Made her glad Cougar was on their side.

Corpsec 1’s Attack Roll (Pussycat): 5d6 = 5 Hits, 0 Miss

Pussycat’s Defense: 9d6 = 4 Hits, 1 Miss (1 Net Hit)

Short, Narrow Burst: 7P

Pussycat’s Damage Resistance: 19d6 = 6 Hits, 5 Miss (1P Damage, Converted to Stun)

Pussycat: 1/10 Stun Monitor

 Corpsec 1’s Attack Roll (Pussycat): 2d6 = 0 Hits, 2 Miss (Critical Glitch)

Short, Narrow Burst: 7P

Corpsec 1’s Damage Resistance: 9d6 = 5 Hits, 0 Miss (2P Damage)

Corpsec 1: 10/10 Physical Monitor (Unconscious)

Corpsec 6’s Attack Roll (Pussycat): 7d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss

Pussycat’s Defense: 8d6 = 3 Hits, 2 Miss (No Net Hits)

Corpsec 6’s Attack Roll (Pussycat): 5d6 = 1 Hit, 0 Miss

Pussycat’s Defense: 8d6 = 2 Hits, 3 Miss (No Net Hits)

Corpsec 8’s Attack Roll (Cougar): 6d6 = 3 Hits, 0 Miss

Cougar’s Parry: 15d6 = 4 Hits, 4 Miss (No Net Hits)

Corpsec 9’s Attack Roll (Cougar): 6d6 = 2 Hits, 2 Miss

Cougar’s Parry: 14d6 = 5 Hits, 4 Miss (No Net Hits)

Corpsec 10’s Attack Roll (Pussycat): 8d6 = 3 Hits, 0 Miss

Pussycat’s Defense: 7d6 = 3 Hits, 0 Miss (No Net Hits)

Corpsec 10’s Attack Roll (Pussycat): 8d6 = 1 Hit, 4 Miss

Pussycat’s Defense: 7d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (No Net Hits)

Corpsec 11’s Attack Roll (KittyKat): 8d6 = 0 Hits, 2 Miss (No Hits)

Corpsec 11’s Attack Roll (KittyKat): 8d6 = 3 Hits, 2 Miss

KittyKat’s Defense: 4d6 = 2 Hits, 0 Miss (1 Net Hit)

Semi-Auto: 6P

KittyKat’s Damage Resistance: 15d6 = 6 Hits, 1 Miss (No Damage)

Corpsec 12’s Attack Roll (Pussycat): 1d6 = 1 Hit, 0 Miss

Pussycat’s Defense: Reduced to 0

Full, Wide Burst: 6P, -9 Defense

Pussycat’s Damage Resistance: 19d6 = 4 Hits, 3 Miss (2P Damage, Converted to Stun)

Pussycat: 3/10 Stun Monitor

The corpsec were… well, they were enthusiastic. Unfortunately for them, enthusiasm was no substitute for skill. The wounded corpsec on the left tried shooting me with two bursts from his SMG. One round of the first burst clipped me well enough to bruise. The second burst was thrown off so badly from the recoil that he ended up shooting himself in the leg. Wasn’t sure if he was actually dying or just out, but that was damn embarrassing.

The other corpsec on the left sent two bursts my way, clearly deciding that I was the biggest threat, what with the three bodies next to him. Unfortunately, he had even less luck than the first one. Or maybe more luck, considering that, despite not hitting me, he did at least manage not to shoot himself in the leg, so that was an improvement.

The two closest to Cougar realized that shooting at a swordswoman while she was already in melee range was ‘suboptimal’. Especially since you couldn’t parry a sword with an SMG. They dropped their guns on slings, and pulled out stun batons. Not likely to take Cougar out, but the taser dance was always something to be careful of. Thankfully, her sword parried both strikes.

The next corpsec decided that, if burst fire wasn’t getting the job done, he should try semi-auto, instead. Two rounds sent my way, and while one bounced off one of the plates in my coat, it didn’t actually do even enough damage to bruise. Still, being able to change tactics in the middle of a battle was impressive… for corpsec.

The guy next to him copied that guard’s idea, and sent two rounds at KittyKat, no doubt deciding that the woman with a spear might be a magic-type problem. Not a bad read, honestly. Of course, he completely failed to actually do anything other than getting KittyKat’s attention, which I doubted would be healthy for him.

That display apparently relieved the last guard of all sense. He decided full auto was the way to go, even though he was basically reduced to spray and pray. But enough bullets in a wide-enough area is practically guaranteed to touch something, and I felt the impact of a hit on my chest armor. No pain, thanks to the mods I had, but the biomonitor did tell me I’d be getting another bruise from that. So, fuck that guy.

Tigress’s Attack Roll (Corpsec 6): 14d6 = 7 Hits, 3 Miss

Corpsec 6’s Defense: 5d6 = 1 Hit, 0 Miss (6 Net Hits)

Short, Narrow Burst: 16P, -2 AP

Corpsec 6’s Damage Resistance: 7d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (14P Damage)

Corpsec 6: 14/10 Physical Monitor (Dead)

Tigress’s Attack Roll (Corpsec 12): 12d6 = 4 Hits, 2 Miss

Corpsec 12’s Defense: 5d6 = 3 Hits, 0 Miss (1 Net Hit)

Short, Narrow Burst: 11P, -2 AP

Corpsec 12’s Damage Resistance: 7d6 = 1 Hit, 1 Miss (10P Damage)

Corpsec 12: 10/10 Physical Monitor (Unconscious)

KittyKat’s Spellcasting Test (Corpsec 11): 15d6 = 6 Hits, 0 Miss

Corpsec 11’s Will: 3d6 = 1 Hits, 1 Miss (5 Net Hits)

Manabolt, F6: 11P Damage

KittyKat’s Drain Resistance (3P): 13d6 = 4 Hits, 2 Miss (No Drain)

Corpsec 11: 11/10 Physical Monitor (Dying)

Two quick bursts from Tigress’s battle rifle take down the last standing guard on the left, and then the one on the far side at the right, who panic-sprayed his weapon at me. Both are down, don’t know about dead or dying. But definitely not getting back up.

And then, KittyKat unleashed a bolt of magic strong enough that I could swear I saw it before the guy who shot at her starts bleeding from his, well, everywhere. His eyes exploded and there’s more blood coming from his ears, nose, and mouth than could possibly be healthy, or survivable. And then he falls to the ground, definitely dead or dying. And that’s why you don’t draw a mage’s attention if you aren’t able to kill them outright.

Pass 2:

Pussycat’s Attack Roll (Corpsec 10): 17d6 = 8 Hits, 3 Miss

Corpsec 10’s Defense: 5d6 = 2 Hits, 1 Miss (6 Net Hits)

Short, Narrow Burst: 15P, -2 AP

Corpsec 10’s Damage Resistance: 7d6 = 2 Hits, 3 Miss (13P Damage)

Corpsec 10: 13/10 Physical Monitor (Dying)

Pussycat’s Attack Roll (Corpsec 9): 15d6 = 6 Hits, 1 Miss

Corpsec 9’s Defense: 2d6 = 1 Hits, 0 Miss (5 Net Hits)

Short, Narrow Burst: 14P, -2 AP

Corpsec 9’s Damage Resistance: 7d6 = 1 Hits, 1 Miss (13P Damage)

Corpsec 9: 13/10 Physical Monitor (Dying)

Pussycat’s Attack Roll (Corpsec 8): 11d6 = 5 Hits, 2 Miss

Corpsec 8’s Defense: 2d6 = 1 Hits, 1 Miss (4 Net Hits)

Short, Narrow Burst: 13P, -2 AP

Corpsec 8’s Damage Resistance: 7d6 = 2 Hits, 0 Miss (11P Damage)

Corpsec 8: 11/10 Physical Monitor (Dying)

Lioness: Not comfortable shooting a sniper rifle into melee. Friendly fire from my gun would be ‘less than ideal’.

Cougar: Pussycat, your gun’s probably less likely to fuck me up if you tag me with a stray. Go for it.

Pussycat: Got it.

I walked another burst across the three corpsec still standing. All three take hits, and they go down. No strays tapping Cougar. Just three enemies down.

“Well, let’s see what we can strip out of these guys’ links, and see if we’re going to get any payment out of this.”

KittyKat looked my way, “We leave the bodies, or take them to the butcher’s shop?”

I shook my head. “Leave them. The others were gangers. Corpsec are more likely to have stealth or security tags in them, to make sure no one can make them go missing too easily.”