Cyberpunk Session 31
Tremen answers the door. There is an Asian gentleman at the door. He bows and hands over a set of keys without speaking. He is wearing a suit which has the same lapel badge1 as the gentleman who greeted us when we arrived in Night City. The key ring has three identical keys on it and Tremen throws the keys to Wakiya. Ricky looks outside the warehouse and there is a blocky van-like vehicle parked there. Wakiya heads to the vehicle and drives it inside the ground floor of the warehouse.
We have a conversation with Hana Kage
Shimon about living costs here (since it seems we'll be here for sometime). She says that monthly costs can be as low as 1,100 Eurobucks but 1,600 would be more typical assuming that we want some food that actually tastes of something[1.Those of us, such as Tremen, who now have an agent
(a smartphone-like device) will also need to pay its subscription of 100 Eurobucks per month).]! Checking our funds we see that while we do still have some currency from New Toyko it does have some problems - namely it's New Yen and is dated from what is now the future! As a result Nameraka gets worried about our finances and starts to scour the newssheets for any possible patrons and/or employment.
Cyber Snoop Business News 1st August 2020
Biotechnica Researcher Mystery
Mystery about disappearance continues despite his recovery by Queen Morosha's organisation last week in the woods to the north-east of BosWash. While Biotechnica confirmed that Professor Kogan Akigo is one of the prime genetic engineers behind the Reference Forest
they declined to provide any actual details about his current health beyond expressing hopes that he will be continuing his research soon. The professor was presumed dead following a dam break close to both the prototype Orchard
and a Secret
Nuclear Facility.
Land Grab in Washington
Even more mystery surrounds the acquirers of millions of acres of woodland in Washington state. The new owners, while remaining relatively tight-lipped have closed access to the acquired lands and claim that they have great plans for the land. Locals remain concerned for their future.
Reference Forests: Controversy?
While many investors have welcomed Biotechnica's cutting edge genetic engineering there are those opposed to the new Reference Forests. With three of the forests already up and growing leading to hopes for the associated recovery of the lumber industry, Green Fist
, an environmental activist group has called for Biotechnica to be shut down. Green Hammer
, the founder, has called the Reference Forests an abomination that uses non-native trees to destroy the remaining local ecosystem. Professor Geri McKennel insists that the Reference Forests are rebuilding whole forests, creating clean air and actually helping to restore the natural order. She claims that the Biotechnica could even grow trees on Mars.
He sees the article about Biotechnica and Reference Forests and concludes that it's entirely possible that Professor McKennel will be looking for additiobal security. He sends off an email to her suggesting that we could help. After a couple of hours she responds suggesting a video call which he accepts and we all (apart from, initially, Tharbin) crowd around. After some negotiation we agree to provide additional security for one of the Reference Forests for 500 Eurobucks each for three days and then a renegotiation after that if required. Biotechica will provide transport out to the forest in five minutes time!
We depart in a transport AV, which liftoffs vertically and then heads out over Night City and the heads out to the forest. The terrain we fly over is scrubby wasteland. As we fly Tharbin is able to riffle through the AV's medikit to restock (to a some degree) his own stocks with the agreement of the AV pilot.
Nameraka looks out at the countryside. There are roads etc with what looks to be normal traffic - though it can be hard to tell since we are some height above the ground.
After an hour or so we arrive, the AV pilot enjoying a high and fast approach to a landing pad next to a decent size building. He lands and it's apparent that this is a ranger station just at the edge of a substantial forest. A guys walks out of the building and points out a path leading into the forest. He says there's fire tower in the middle that we should use as our base of operation
The Reference Forest
At about quarter past one in the afternoon we arrive at the fire tower. There is a lift at the bottom which Tremen enters and after a few seconds, with no own joining him, he presses the button to go to the top of the tower and lift ascends the tower. At the top is a room with some cots, a table and some equipment including binoculars, a metrological computer, communications gear and some seismic sensors. The tower has a balcony on all sides that allows observation of the forest. There is also a fridge with freeze-dried supplies. Water is supplied by a rain catchment system and there are solar panels and batteries to provide power.
Nameraka sets up a snare to provide some level of warning of intruders using the path we used to get to the tower while Kage and Wakiya scout out the areas around the tower after they reckon there's nothing worrying within 150 metres of the tower.
Spooky reports that she can link to a drone back at the ranger station - though we'll probably need to go back to the station to release it.
Looking from the top of the tower we can see that there are four paths from the fire tower heading in the four cardinal directions for at least 500 metres before they fade into the mist. We can see that the trees are all about four metres in height allowing for a relatively clear line of sight since the terrain is (as far as we have scouted) relatively flat.
We take watches overnight
Footnotes
- A stylised red tree on a shimmering background ↩