D&A Session 10 - Bard Logic

''Feel the rhythm of the songstress. What do her words invoke; your past, present, or future?''

Table Members

 * ForteNoir as the MC
 * SquashDemon as Jacopo Giuseppe Dux
 * Kixandra as Akamai Reyes
 * Dimin as Oliver Moorland
 * Elgar as Antonio Cervantes
 * RedAngelAlnet as CINO Ketaminé

Session Summary
After a few months of easy jobs and personal recovery, Los Langaros are summoned back to the Hraesvalgr for a priority mission; Anna Redfield, esteemed global pop star and singer, has come into possession of an asset stolen from AmiMedico, and wishes to barter this item to the Road. In exchange, Redfield requires additional security for the duration of her ANNRED LIVE 2321 Farewell Tour. Los Langaros are tasked with meeting her in London, where they are greeted by her security chief, the prickly and jaded Alemmo.

The team is escorted to the London Conservatory, built on the site of the former British Museum, where Anna meets them in a recital room and offers up her prize for the others to examine. Though not the thief herself, Anna had come into possession of prototype medical nanomachines, much smaller and much more advanced than those used for prohibitively expensive therapy treatments. Anna states that she believes her life is in imminent danger at the hands of another party working for AmiMedico, and reiterates her promise to give the technology to the Chrome Road in exchange for her safety.

The group heads to West Ham FC Arena to examine the venue for possible security holes. Knight takes a moment to create a personal backdoor into the arena's security systems, gaining control of the doors and CCTV cameras in the process. Dux gets an early lead on possible complications when he has a mutual sighting of Sicilian Mafia foot soldiers in a tube station on his way back to his hotel. Likewise, CINO stakes out the area surrounding Anna's hotel from the cockpit of the Red Mask and manages to pinpoint a stealth sniper AF spying on the same hotel from an extreme altitude. CINO is able to dispatch the machine and capture its pilot, but when attempting to question them, the pilot is unceremoniously killed by Tassos Pelagious of the Oikogeneia in an unidentified new AF. Tassos quickly escapes, but CINO is able to pass along identifying information to the rest of the team.

On the night before the concert, CINO absconds into Anna's private suite; in another life, CINO had taken up the fabricated persona 'Noel Durand', and had worked for many years with Olga Reznikova, now known by her stage name of 'Anna Redfield', on a popular television sitcom. Roused from her sleep, Anna is unable to recognize CINO due to his physically-depleted state, but CINO claims to have a 'professional relationship' with Durand. He accepts Anna's cell number to 'pass along to Mr. Durand', and retreats from the scene. In the meantime, Tony takes up position atop the tallest structure in the vicinity of the arena and discreetly moves the team's AFs into position at strategic spots surrounding the arena in the dead of night.

The day of the concert dawns, and in the evening, Anna performs her set in front of a crowd of hundreds with no disturbances or events to speak of. Knight back-checks the collected video tapes from the arena's CCTV database and algorithmically combs all of it. He discovers that Tassos and members of his entourage were in the front seats, and that other figures roaming the stadium may have been connected to Tassos but is otherwise unable to confirm.

The following day, Ollie joins Anna's security entourage as she and her band head out for breakfast and morning coffee. Knowing that their vehicles were likely spotted by the machine that CINO destroyed, Ollie conspires with Alemmo to acquire new, secret vehicles in order to further mask Anna's coterie as they travel to and from the arena. Dux likewise informs Ollie that, if the Sicilian mob is truly after Redfield, they will likely make their move before the night of the second concert performance in order to minimize and control the collateral damage and prevent it from becoming an international incident. Dux heads back to the team's airship and is performing maintenance checks on AF equipment when he is interrupted by the polite presence of Dominic Santiago, right hand and bodyguard of Don Bonanno. Dux takes an afternoon drink with Dom, who informs him that Dierdre is still being cared for, but also that the parties assembled to apprehend Redfield are making their move soon and that Dom will not spare Dux if they come to be on opposite sides of the incident.

Dux, fearing that his participation in the mission may endanger his wife, sets up the rest of the team at their lodgings and forces an armed confrontation between them all. He reveals his intention is to sell a believe story to any mob observers that he tried to step in and stop Redfield's protectors, but was thwarted by them; the rest of the team accepts this, but cannot wait for the outcome as the West Ham FC Arena comes under attack by a combined Sicilian-Greek task force led by Tassos. Alemmo explains that he had escorted Redfield and her coterie to the arena under the assumption that her hotel was likely to be attacked, and had locked all of them in one of the emergency shelters in the arena's sub-basement until the situation had stabilized. After being escorted by British police to a local holding station, the squad car holding Dux is attacked by mob foot soldiers, and he is forced to escape from the scene on foot.

The remaining members of Los Langaros head to the arena in their new personal AFs. Tony confronts Tassos personally, and is able to convince him to stand down and discuss the situation. The discussion brushes against mentions of external forces and secret powers trying to guide the events as they play out. Tassos makes mention of 'the Frenchman', but the exchange is cut short as his machine is destroyed. Above the arena, Cardinal's Testarossa-S, flanked by three identical copies of Kingfisher's Alcedo, cuts down the rest of Tasso's team with beam fire, leaving only Dom to escape the scene. Tony gives Cardinal no quarter after having killed one of his 'friends', and viciously assaults his machine. The rest of the crew joins in on the assault, but are forced to give pause with one of Cardinal's mob lackeys bring Dux into the arena's open field at gunpoint. Dux gives a knowing look to his team's machines. Knight takes the shot that Dux would take were he in the same position, and destroys the Testarossa's cockpit. In response, Dux is executed in front of everyone.

The four enemy machines are revealed to be nothing more than remote drones, controlled by the TYRANT, the AI thrall of the Aviary. Though CINO manages to escape the scene with Redfield, and the rest successfully destroy the Aviary's mobile weapons, Los Langaros are left to try to understand what happened and what Dux's death means to them.

Days later, Tony receives an urgent private cell call. The contents of the conversation, and the events of the London mission, steel him for war...