It is during these troubled times that runners are in higher demand than ever. Come and follow the story.
The Team
Gideon -- Bear Shaman -- ex-spec forces
6' Tall. Very muscular. Short black hair with some grey. 35-45 years old. Slight pot belly, due to creeping middle age. Lines around the eyes and mouth.
The Preacher -- Preacher/Street doc
The Preacher is a tall barrel-chested man with a great physical presence.
His brown eyes gaze out of a face made up of hard planes, giving him a
rugged weathered look. His hair is worn a little longer than a regulation
haircut and white wings sweep back from his temples. His usual dress is
reminicent of an 1800's revival preacher. Although obviously of modern make
and fashion, his ensemble put together gives the impression of another era.
His clothing is mostly unrelieved black with a white collar. topping it off
is a wide brimmed black hat.
There are times when more modern clothing is more appropriate and he will
wear the appropriate outfit.
Fury -- retired UCAS MC Colonel
Fury is a dwarven male, physically fairly young by dwarven standards, being
born in the early 'teens. He has very short hair, though not quite a military
butch-cut. Hair is brown, peppered with grey, though there is less brown at
his temples and on the sides than on top. Eyes are green, and can fluctuate
quickly between warm and cold, depending on the situation. Though he's been
out of the military for quite some time, he is still in excellent shape, and it
shows in his fluid movement. Occasionally, an old wound will ache or make the
odd joint stiff, but so far neither age nor experience has affected his
responsiveness. Fury generally dresses in conservative business suits, and
prefers either solid colors or simple and subtle pinstripes. Rarely wears
hats, almost always wears designer gloves, and his footwear changes as
appropriate for the rest of his clothes.
When he moves, his military background is evident to those who know what to
look for, though he is nowhere as rigid.
Laughing Jack -- elf sammy, ex-mil
Tall, lean and razor-sharp would be words that best describe this
Elf's physical appearance. The man is dressed in tight, chrome
studded nightshade synth leathers that compliment his long, muscular
limbs. He looks (and moves) like a hunting cat. He is pretty to look
at by human standards, but Jack's more attractive features are
heavily over shadowed by the dark mood which follows him wherever he
goes. His violet eyes are cold and hard, staring out at an
indifferent world. His face is close to expressionless, but for the
eyes. Obviously the tag "Laughing" is a joke.
Snake -- human social butterfly
Sharon is a very attractive and charismatic young
woman of Anglo-American heritage. She maintains a fit and
athletic body. Sharon has long blond hair, blue eyes and a face that rivals the simstars. Her full lips have been known to change from a smile to a pout as the situation warrants for her to get her way.
>>>Start transcription. Saved to file 2061.09.01:08.42.29(1)/~PersonalLog
: The last three runs were disasters. Well, let me correct that. The last run went without a hitch, probably due to the new team; anyways, we got the dumb statuette like stealing candy from a jacked in deckhead, I mean, how hard can it be to steal a minor piece of art from a museum. But we got back only to find our J had decided he like the feeling of putting lead in his own brain. So now I was stuck with the statuette and no pay -- with rent due and my rep speeding it's way down the drain.
>>>End transciption
>>>Begin autorecord 20:12:04 on September 6, 2061. Save to 2061.09.06:20.12.04(1)/~TRID/UNKNOWN1.
"Good evening, I am Esteban Mateo, and I am trying reach Ms. Sharon McNeil. Are you she?"
"Good evening Mr Mateo, if you could tell me why you are calling I could answer your question."
"Without knowing the intent of my phone call, you are ignorant of the nature of your own name?"
"Very well, my good woman, whomever you may decide you might be, I am calling because my employer is entertaining the idea of offering Ms. Sharon McNeil the opportunity to come to present herself as a possible candidate for future business opportunities."
"Given that information, ma'am, might you be Ms. McNeil in question, or, failing that, might you perhaps knowhow to contact her."
"My dear friend, I am surprised that you talk so openly to me over an un-secure phoneline. However Mr. Mateo, let me know where I could find you so we could talk a bit more about your proposal."
"Secure phone lines?" "What paranoia is this? Interviewing is a perfectly standard part of any business day."
"But you are correct in assuming that my employer does not want the details of his personal business bandied about in public. And you will note that I did say that you... Excuse me, that Ms. McNeil, is being considered as a *candidate* for futurework."
"Let me explain a little further. My employer is most particular about those whom he chooses to allow to further his interests. He makes it a point never to offer contracts to those whom he has not evaluated rather extensively in person. To that end, since Ms. McNeil's name was put forth as a potential recruit, my employer is preparing to set up a retreat of sorts, where he can have the opportunity to get to know her, among others, to decide whether offering her the chance to contract her services to him at some point in the future."
"And if Ms. McNeil is interested, then I will be most happy to explain the details of this retreat. If she is not, then I am sorry to have disturbed your evening, my good woman..."
"Well, since you already presume correctly that I am Ms. McNeil, why don't you tell me more?"
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ms. McNeil. My employer would like to invite you to spend the three days at his private residence so that you might make one another's mutual acquaintance. Ordinarily, he would conduct such a retreat over the weekend, but other business affairs prevented him from doing so last weekend, and the upcoming weekend is booked as well."
"Therefore, if you accept, his driver will pick you up in his private limo around noon tomorrow . From your home, you will be taken to his private residence where you will stay the evening. You would remain at his home Wednesday and Thursday as well. Thursday evening my employer will dine with you, and then -- if he finds you compatible -- present you with your first potential business opportunity. If he finds that he simply cannot find an appropriate use for you, or if you wish to decline said opportunity, you will be escorted back home with no further obligation."
"Because my employer realizes that committing three days to his interview process is an inconvenience to you, he is , of course, willing to compensate you for your cooperation. Whether or not he chooses to offer you any further employment, you will be paid the sum of three thousand nuyen for your time and trouble. Is this agreeable to you. Ms. McNeil?"
"I will accept your invitation. Do you or your employer expect me to bring anything specific with me?"
"Only yourself. My employer will supply the rest..."
"I will wait for the limousine"
"I will notify my employer to expect you, Ms. McNeil. I am certain he will be most pleased."
"At which time can I expect to be picked up and how do I recognize that I am with the right party?"
"As previously mentioned, the limousine should arrive around noon. It is a Rolls Phaethon, which I believe should be rare enough in your neighborhood to be a distinguishing feature. But if you wish to be certain, you can ask the driver for his name. I am not certain yet which will be on duty, but the answer should be either Benito or Raphael."
"I am looking forward to meet your employer."
"I shall convey your eagerness to my employer, Ms. McNeil. And I am sure that his own anticipation will rival your own. Until tomorrow, then, Ms. McNeil..."
>>>Begin autorecord 20:24:35 on September 6, 2061. Save to file /Samuel~&075836
Samuel's expression becomes more businesslike. "Did I hand out
your name without consulting you first, Dominique, no of course not." He
says soberly. "But do I know Mr. Mateo? Only by reputation. If you've
come to his attention, then you've pretty much arrived, my dear. Mr. Mateo
is the guy Friday for none other than Salvador Diego..."
"What kind of business is he normally conducting?"
"In the light or out of it? He does extensive
business in both realms..."
"Can you give me some advice about the dark side?"
[Samuel nods] "I've never dealt with him directly, but from what I
understand, Diego pays fairly well and keeps his end of the bargain. But
he does expect for you to hold firmly to your end of the bargain."
"As for the nature of his less open business, according to most of
the talk I've heard, he primarily engages in acquisitions. He apparently
has quite of collection of both art and artifacts. In addition, some of
his ventures seem to have to do with personnel relocation..."
"Art and relocation? That's a strange combination,
isn't it? What kind of art collection does he have and
personnel relocation, do we think of the same?"
"I'm not sure that the two are really connected. The art collection seems to be personal. I don't have too many
specifics, except that I know that he has requisitioned several pieces of
Spanish artwork from the early 1600s. As for how the personnel relocations
fit in, I'm not certain. But since Mr. Diego has investments in so many
different corporations, they might merely reflect a desire to improve the
value of his holdings..."
>>>End autorecord
The name Salvador Diego definitely gives you pause. From your
knowledge of corporate lifestyle and Seattle high society, you know that is
very one of *the* in crowd. He throws parties which all the high society
moguls vie to be invited to. His attendance or lack thereof at another's
party can make or break it as a social event.
Beyond this social power is his very real charm and
sexuality. Diego was voted as Seattle's Most Eligible Bachelor by Charmed Magazine only two years ago. Of course, the rumormill has it that Diego is
now off-the-market, as it were. Shortly after the Charmed article, Diego
became enamored of Miss Carlotta Nieve, the first chair violinist at the
Seattle Philharmonic.
In a more practical vein, you know that Salvador Diego is an
extraordinarily wealthy man. Depending on just who you ask, he is listed
as either the first or the second wealthiest non-corporate, non-Dragon
entity in North America. In fact, he usually floats as number 3 to 5 in
the world, according to the financial listings.
The source of Diego's money is something of a mystery. But what
is known is that he has his hands in most of the major corporate
pies. While he does not own a controlling share in any one corporation, he
owns sizeable blocks of stock in all of the big Nine corporations and in
literally hundreds of second and third tier corporations. His blocks are
often large enough that the key players in most corporations court his
favor for his swing vote.
Imported file 2061.09.06:18.34.14(1) marked URGENT from "Business Pager" to ^2Gideon~&348. Merged with autorecord file ^2Gideon~&347.
"Sure. If they are open, I'll see you there when you get there. If
they aren't open, I'll wait for you.
Imported file 2061.09.06:18.39.57(1) from "Business Pager" to ^2LaughingJack~&26. Merged with autorecord file ^2LaughingJack~&25.
"Sure Jack, how can I help you?"
"I need information and a background check on a man who has tried to
hire me. I can't turn to my regular contacts, so my only option at
the moment appears to be to ask for your charity.
"It shouldn't have to be said that I will pay you back as soon as I
can, with interest. I'll owe you, Runner to Runner, if you'll do me
this favour."
"I see no problem with that Jack, so , why don't you
tell me more and I can see how I can help you, ok?"
"Here's a still of the man who hired me," >>>Image recieved
"He introduced himself as Esteban Mateo. He has a distinct
upper-class British accent, and he practically screams money. The job
is not for him, but for his boss. This is all I know, but it should
be enough for you to get some useful information. Who he is, what he
might be hiring me for, who his unnamed Boss is, any information on
his previous shadow-deals, if you can get it. The usual."
"Well, it seems like he is not only interested into
you. As fare as I know, Mr. Mateo works for Salvador
Diego. His full name is Estaban Fausto Angelo Enriche
Mateo and he is a registered magician of the
shamanic tradition."
"Salvador Diego pays fairly well and keeps his end of
the bargain however he also expects that the other
side hold firmly to their end of the bargain."
"Hi primary business interest is in acquisitions but
apparently he is also involved in personnel
relocation. In addition he has a private interest into
art and artifacts, especially...Spanish artwork from the early 1600s."
"Then I suppose it's not so much a favour to me that you are telling
me this, but also in your best interests.
"Even so, you were willing to do me a service before you knew who I
was going to ask about. I still owe you."
"Estaban Fausto Angelo Enriche Mateo,"
"When you say 'acquisitions', do you mean acquiring Spanish artwork?"
"I am not so well informed about him but as fare as I
know those two issues are not the same."
"And when you say personnel relocation, I'm assuming you are referring
to...Finding the best possible environment for unsatisfied rival corp
employees to live in and work in, through methods that all the major
corporations accept and use? In the interests of the employees, of
course,"
"You assume and I assume."
"No Jack, when I say acquisition and personal
relocation I am talking about business transactions
were as Spanish art work is one of his private interests."
"Ah. I thought you said personnel, not personal. But that
information is secondary. The most important thing I wanted to find
out was whether or not Diego is trustworthy."
"Very well. Then I'll see you tomorrow. Nothing else you want to add?"
"As fare as the Shadows talk, we can assume that he
is. His reputation is first class."
"I'm assuming that Mateo gave you a similar proposal to what he
offered me... 3 days at his boss' retreat, taking our measure."
"See you tomorrow, Jack"
Text file sent to DIANE autosaved as 2061.09.06:18.43.49(1) >>>Text reply from DIANE 2061.09.06:18.46.23(1) Long time no hear. I hope that things are going better for you
now than the last time we chatted. As to your questions, your line still
comes up clean. Why? Do you have reason to believe someone has cracked
it? If so, I can change the encryption and reroute the telecom hops again,
just to be sure. As for the other, can you give me a little more to go on than just
"Mr. Mateo". That's a fairly common name in some parts of the world, and
the list of hits is way too many to even begin to sift through. >>>Text file sent to DIANE autosaved as 2061.09.06:18.48.09(1)
I want to thank you for your fast reply and for your
check concerning my line. I just wondered due to some
business I might be able to do. I talk to you later,
take care,
Dominique'
>>>Text reply from DIANE 2061.09.06:18.49.23(1) 'Hoi, again...
Null sheen on the line check; it's an easy enough routine to
run. "Some business" sounds promising. I'll keep my fingers crossed for
you. BTW -- you never gave me anything to narrow the field on that Mr.
Mateo search. Did you still need me to run that, or have you got it covered.
Talk to you soon,
Diane'
>>>Text file sent to DIANE autosaved as 2061.09.06:18.50.21(1)
if it would be possible, could you look up anything
about Mr. Mateo linked up with Salvador Diego? The
cross reference should narrow the hits down
considerably. I would be especially interested into
his business interests.
Thanks again, see you soon, >>>Text reply from DIANE 2061.09.06:18.52.06(1)
The search results on Mr. Mateo don't come up with much of
interest. The full name Mr. Mateo who works for Salvador Diego is Estaban
Fausto Angelo Enriche Mateo. I mention this only because it might help
with any future digging you do. He is a registered magician of the
shamanic tradition. He holds a permit to carry a bonded weapon focus and
another to carry a sword, so one might imagine that the two items may be
one in the same. Beyond that I could find little mention of him other than
that he seems to be essentially Diego's personal assistant. I'm sorry, I
know that's not much of any use, but there is little else out there about him.
Hope that helps at least a little, File 2061.09.06:18.45.04(1)
Ares Macrotechnology: 2.4%
Though these blocks are not really large enough to seem
impressive, they do give Diego a bit of pull as it is frequently enough to
count as a swing vote on any given stockholder's vote.
The rest of Diego's corporate investments are too numerous to list... Several years after she Awakened, there was a brief, but bitter
controversy surrounding her using magic to enhance her music. Nieve
insisted repeatedly to detractors and the press that anything that made
life more beautiful was art and that the purists could go to Hades. Harsh
critics began to demand that she cease to "brainwash" her listeners or
retire from the Seattle Philharmonic where she was, at the tender age of
17, already first chair.
This controversy brought Ms. Nieve to the attention of Salvador
Diego who is the largest single patron of the Seattle Philharmonic. Diego
suggested that, perhaps, the matter might best be resolved if Nieve were to
take a short sabbatical during which the public and the Orchestra itself
could decide whether the loss of her magic was worth the loss of her
music. Nieve agreed and disappeared from the musical scene for nearly a
year and a half... And attendance at the Seattle Philharmonic performances
dropped by nearly 50%. The managers and critics alike soon agreed that
perhaps the magic and music were one, and begged Nieve to come back. She
agreed to resume her first chair position, but still has been less public
than before and far more selective in the performances in which she agrees
to appear.
Some time during the sabbatical, so the gossip columns say, Diego
became enamored of the young Nieve. She began appearing on his arm at
nearly all of his many social engagements. And since that time, Diego has
not been seen dating any other women...
"Snake, got a disturbing call.. one that should not have been able to happen. Is is possible you could call me back here on a clean line?"
"Snake. I got a call I think was placed by a decker. I don't know if it
had to do with our last business or whether it is something personal. Is
there any way to pick up traces from a comm line where a call came from,
or who was riding herd on it? Or whether the line is being tapped now?"
"Calm down, tell me what happened and than we see what
we can do, ok?"
"You're calling from a clean line, right?"
"On top of that, he knew it was my phone, despite being listed in my
landlord's name."
"I agreed to his offer, and he pushed a down payment accross the line
onto this credstick. Is there any way of tracing where the call, or the
payment, came from? Or is there a way of seeing if the line IS being
monitored?"
"I know someone who I can call and check it out. But I
guess that that's need some time and I don't know if
you have this time"
"Do you think it has something to do with our last
party?"
"This the same guy that called you? _I_ accepted a
transport time of tomorrow at 13:30. How long will it take to get
someone that can maybe do a matrix track, and how much do you think it
will cost? I am really low on funds right now, and even if I started
pawning stuff, could only come up with a couple K nuyen."
"Yes, he is and I know for whom he works. I don't
think that we need to do a matrix tracking. It would
cost quite a lot of cred and I think that he has
covered his tracks very well."
"Ah, so you know who he is. You think the job is what he says it is?
Or you think he is the proverbial paleface bringing typhoid blankets?
No slight intended of course."
"He didn't say much and three days is a bit long just
to have some dinners with our mutual friend. I can not
imagine that he just sits with us in his condo and
does some small talk."
"As for whether it has anything to do with our last.. er..
transaction... I can't help but believe it has SOMETHING to do with it.
We have only known each other for a month or so.. and both of us got a
call. How else would anyone put our names together? It would be even
MORE convincing if our other associates were together as well."
"Ah.. Snake.. you ARE calling me from a line that's NOT in your residence.. aren't you?"
"Of course I call you from my place." "Don't think it will change much if our mutual friends knows that we talked, will it?" "He found us and if he wanted to he could have visited us personally, so don't worry too much."
"... Ho! You are right. You coming on the same pow-wow with me and he?" . . .
"Say, I can't really sleep right now, you want to get together for a
cuppa kaf and talk about last week?"
"Ok, north or south since I life a bit south of the
campus. Should I pick you up?"
"Er.. no. Let me meet you. Avoiding unpleasant people and occasions is what I DO for a living. I would not suggest that I negotiate with employers, nor would I suggest you dodging peaceforcers. Don't you have a little gag shop on the street in front of your place? As long as it isn't more than 3 miles, I
should be there in half an hour or so."
"Let's meet in 'Cafe Colombia' in Bill Clinton Avenue.
It's about a mile south of the university district."
"Snake, this is Laughing Jack. I need to ask you a favour. I'm sure
your end has picked up this number, call me back."
"What do you want?"
"Jack, you should know why I call, you left the
number..."
"Snake. Good that you called. I have a favour to ask. I know you have
an impressive ability with people, and I suspect you have a wide
variety of contacts... which is why I called.
'Dear Diane,
I hope that I do not disturb you but could you do me
two small favors. I need want to know if my phone line
is still secure or if someone (and who) tapped it.
The other issue is a certain Mr. Mateo. Do you know
anything which is not in the public database?
I hope to see you soon, take care,
Dominique'
Diane.'
'Hi Diane,
'Hoi Dinae,
Dominique'
'Hoi, Dominique,
Diane'
>>>Search: Mr Mateo
>>>Return 36,200 matches. Refine search?
>>>Search: Salvador Diego
The information on Salvador Diego is also extremely
overwhelming. On a quick search, you pretty much get what you already
know: That Diego is an extraordinarily wealthy individual, that he is
highly active on the Seattle high society social scene, that he dabbles in
a large number of corporate affairs.
In addition, you learn that he is noted to be a fairly generous
philanthropist, donating money to many charitable organizations. His main
charities tend to focus on medicine and medical research, magical research
institutes, and the arts, but they are not limited fully to those realms.
Beyond that, you find that despite his overtly high profile image,
Diego is a fairly private man. None of his residences are listed anywhere
that you can find. He does only a limited number of interviews, and those
are always highly selective in nature...
>>>Search: Salvador Diego financial interests
Diego's holdings and investments are incredibly diverse. He seems
to subscribe to a investment philosophy which is the financial equivalent
of "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." He owns stock in all of the
Big Ten corporations as well as literally hundreds of second and third tier
corps as well. He dabbles in bonds and futures. He has investments in
such diverse commodities as oil, gold, diamonds, real estate, and
oricalchum... He is known to sponsor small businessmen as they start out
new ventures, and there is much speculation in the financial papers as to
why he will chose one applicant over another, but no one can seem to find a
trend. What is known is that those he chooses tend to do well -- far better
than the norm -- to the tune of some 500%...
>>>Search: Salvador Diego corporate interests
As already mentioned, Diego holds shares in all of the Big Ten
Corporations. Though he does not hold a controlling interest in any. It
is hard to be sure just exactly how much stock Diego actually controls
because at least some of his holding are through shells and trust
companies. But the direct, overtly owned stock breaks down as follows:
Aztechnology: 0.059%
Cross Applied Technology: 3.2%
Mitsushama Computer Technologies: 0.6%
Novatech Incorporated: 2.9%
Renraku Computer Systems: 1.3%
Saeder-Krupp: 0.53%
Shiawase Corporation: 0.55%
Wuxing, Incorporated: 1.7%
Yahmahatsu Corporation: 1.1%
>>>Search: Carlotta Nieve
>>>INFORMATION CONDENSATION . . . . . . . . .
Carlotta Nieve was a child protegee in violin. At a very early
age, she was thrust into the spotlight. People who saw her were instantly
entranced by her music. This effect, according to all reports, only became
more pronounced after she hit puberty and became magically active.
File 2061.09.06:20.16.31(1)/PersonalLog
Just got back meeting with Gideon at Cafe Columbia, seems like the whole team from the last run was contacted about working w/ Diego. As far as I can tell, we're all going to be present tomorrow for the limo ride to the three day retreat. So far, looks like this Diego's a good a J as they come. But we'll see how far that really goes soon enough.
END TRANSCRIPTION
>>>Text file sent to DIANE autosaved as 2061.09.07:14.12.32(1)
could you please check the name 'JohannMeriposa'. He is related to Diego, maybe a business associate. He seems to have some kind of 'bad habit' as fare as I heard. I will check im out as well but maybe you are able to discover something deeper hidden than me.
Talk to you soon,
Sharon'
>>>Text reply from DIANE 2061.09.06:14.31.47(1)
'Dear Sharon--
I ran the name Johann Meriposa like you asked. It seems that
Meriposa is the CEO of a mid-sized financial services corporation, Meriposa
Industries. That corp has just recently made the leap from third to second tier corp. And according to all the trade journals, it's Johann Meriposa's keen
insights and accurate market predictions which have made that possible.
Diego does own stock in Meriposa Industries, and he is listed as a client
for that firm.
In addition, the two seem to travel in similar social
circles. They regularly attend the same social functions, and they seem to
enjoy one another's company.
As to your question about Meriposa and Dunklezahn's will, you are
correct there as well. The specific entry read: "To Johann Meriposa III
-- I leave the small tropical island which I so recently outbid you for. I
hope you will enjoy it as much as I have."
I can find no reference to any sort of bad habit in regards to
Meriposa.
That's all I can come up with on a quick search.
-- Diane'
File 2061.09.07:14.14.07(1)
>>>Search: Meripose + Diego + Mateo
In your search for Diego and Meriposa, you come up with
essentially the same data as you got from Diane.
Mateo comes up completely void.
>>>Text message from UNKNOWN 2061.09.07:14.26.54(1)
[Image of a beautiful monarch butterfly]
"With my compliments, Snake, you need only have asked.
-J.M."
>>>ATTACHEMENTMeriposaIndustries 2061.09.07:14.26.54(1). Saved to file 2061.09.07:14.26.54(2)/MeriposaIndustries
INFOMATION CONDENSATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Corporate profile for Meriposa Industries. There is also a short biography of Johann Meriposa which sums up his having grown up in upper class Boston and gone to boarding schools and his attendance at Harvard Business School (with
complete candor about his borderline grades there because he skipped class
too often to go surfing -- both in the meat world and the Matrix)... It
goes on to talk about his taking over Meriposa Industries, and that
company's subsequent rise...
>>>Text file sent to DIANE autosaved as 2061.09.07:15.34.28(1)
'Dear Diane,
Just a short message to let you know that I arrived well. Do you have the possibility to follow a phone call and locate my position? I am somewhere 3 hours north of Seattle.
Talk to you soon,
Sharon'
>>>Text reply from DIANE 2061.09.07:18.25.17(1)
'Dear Sharon --
Glad to hear that you made it okay.
It may be possible to follow a phone call, but it is not easy. It means hacking the phone system itself, and is rather tricky, especially if I have to cross RTGs to do it. I might be able to do it, but I would have to charge you standard rates for the time and the risk.
Let me know what you want to do.
Diane.'
>>>Start transcription. Saved to 2061.09.07:20.48.11(1)/~PersonalLog
Johann mentioned at dinner about his relationship with Diego. "I suppose I could take the easy way out
and tell you that he's my biggest client and without his support my
corporation would certainly be struggling a lot harder to claw it's way up
the financial indices. But somehow I don't think you'd be satisfied with
that..." And Diego introduced himself as Salvador Domingo Ismael Filemon Diego and Carlotta Nieve as the light of his life. Beautiful woman I must say. And apparently this estate is named Casa de La Mancha though he promises not to leave us "tilting at windmills". I must say though that this place is FABULOUS. The '44 Aremis Vineyards Taengale was indescribable. And the dinner kept up with our new expectations of our host. Though I thought for a moment that perhaps we would have ourselves removed from the table when Gideon started down a dangerous path of mixing dinner with religion and then business. Side note to self, Diego is a man raised in a very religious Roman Catholic heritage.
As for the next few days, we've been given pretty much the run of the house and grounds. Apparently Diego's going to be gone most of the mornings, setting aside dinner each night to meet with us. He also mentioned that no biz was to be brought up till after dinner Thursday. Till then, I'm planning to enjoy this vacation. Our host did set a few limits though. I wonder what "local fauna" is present that could be so dangerous. Gotta remember to ask one of the others if a little hiking will be to their liking -- even if there are some "dangers". . . Anyways, it sounds like fun to me... doing nothing and getting payed. I just don't know what he expects from us. Except that there are too many questions and no answers. Looks like I'll have to wait till thursday to find out.
Tomorrow our host plans on flying to London for a meeting. He mentioned not liking the feel of flying out of the mana-sphere. It was brought up he would have preferred ground transport if available. Gotta look into that. Diego also mentioned on the side that we're in the Salish Shidhe.
After dinner I had the pleasure of relaxing in the hot tub with Johann, that is, Mr. Meriposa. He mentioned he was a boarding school orphan and that "Salvador is everything that my father should have been..." I wonder what that meant. . .
Oh, and I almost forgot, I also spoke with Preacher earlier tonight before dinner, seems he had a few things to say about this Casa de la Mancha. It was also fortunate that he brought along his GPS, makes finding a way outta this place much easier if it comes to that. And as to the estate itself, there doesn't to be anything unusual. Exterior walls are wardd. Off-limit rooms are warded; likewise the fourth floor, probably the family quarters according to Preacher. He didn't see much in the way of magical security."
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>>>Start recording. Saved to 2061.09.08:13.32.14(2355)
Ms. Jordan looks a bit puzzled, but she answers your questions.
"We'd had casual contact. I ran into him at conferences and parties.
Nothing out of the ordinary..."
"What can I tell you?" She asks. "I'm not really sure what sort
of thing you'd want to know. Terrence Fairfax is the Dean of the Law
school at Seattle University. He's fairly well-known for his work in
thaumaturological l tort law, if that's the kind of information which you
are interested it."
[Preacher]
When Jack is finished with his line of questioning, I smile and
say, "Could you tell us about that review when you first met Aaron."
{GM}
Ms. Jordan smiles at the memory. "It was a civil rights case,"
she explains. "A SINless child who had been permanently injured by inept
care at a corporate clinic. Aaron was so... passionate in presenting his
case. He was destined to lose, of course. It was not a Supreme Court
case, so emotion had little to do with the law. The corporation had done
the care on their own property, which placed it in the realm of
extraterritoriality, but he argued the case well. Afterwards, when I'd
ruled against him in favor of the corporation, Aaron stayed to ask me if
there was anything he could have done to make his case stronger -- not, I
noticed, to win the case, just to make it stronger. I gave him a few
pointers and the discussion grew into the role of law... and then to
dinner." She smiles again. "The rest, I suppose, is history."
Ms. Jordan nods. "That one, in any case. Aaron was born and
raised SINless," she explains. "He managed to get himself a SIN through
President Dunklezahn's bequest and has been determined to make the best of
himself ever since."
"Really, enfranchisement of the SINless is his biggest
cause. He's a fairly vocal supporter of TASC." For the first time Ms.
Jordan's tone is not exactly approving.
"That and he's fairly concerned with environmental causes."
"I know a few of his college friends, mostly other third
years. We haven't really socialized much. Mostly, when he talks about his
friends, he mentions Jared, who is studying international law, and Filip,
who wants to be a law librarian. They have their own small study group,
and they are all on the student government together."
"As for his past, well, Aaron was SINless, as I said. He grew up
in Pullyup, not far from Hell's Kitchen. His mother was a chiphead, and he
never knew his father. He grew up a bit wild. Ran with a gang and the
whole nine yards. But he always wanted a way out. He taught himself to
read... And when he got the chance to get out, he did."
"He said they were called the Capital L's, but he doesn't talk
about them much. It's a closed book to him, you understand."
"Most of my recent work for Salvador has been in the area of
fighting magical registration. As you may or may not be aware, there have
been several attempts since the late President's assassination to use his
death as an excuse to require the registration and licensing of all
magically active persons in the UCAS. There has also been pending
legislation to require testing for magical potential of all children upon
entry to public schools. Most of my recent energies have gone into
fighting these measures."
"And how involved, if at all, has your boyfriend been in this work?
Have you attended any events for these causes together, for example?"
{GM}
Ms. Jordan shakes her head. "Honestly, he hasn't been. Aaron is
enthusiastic and quite bright, but he's still quite young. He's not ready
for the shark infested waters of lobbying in Washington," she smiles
slightly. "We've talked about some of the issues, of course, but he's
never actually attended any of the political functions when I was working."
A bit ruefully, "I may be a love besotted fool, but I am a
professional..."
[Fury]
I open my mouth, then pause a moment, clearly trying to figure out how to
proceed with my next thought. "Ms. Jordan, I'm not sure how to ask this next
question, so please understand I only ask as part of the task set before us. I
understand that the Don's people know little of your friend, and this is
unusual. Can you tell us why things were done differently this time?"
Ms. Jordan hesitates a moment before answering, actually going so
far as to open her mouth and then close it again. She shakes her head
slowly, a hint of color rising to her cheeks. She stares off into the
distance, not meeting your eyes. Finally, she says, "I'm not really even
sure I have a good answer to that one, Fury."
"It wasn't planned, if that's what you mean. It wasn't a
calculated act of defiance. The secrecy wasn't intended as deception, it
just..." She shakes her head again. "I don't know. Aaron just sort of...
swept me off my feet. I've been so focused on Aaron in a way I haven't
been since... Well, since I was a lovesick teen mooning over Gerald
Heffinger, and..."
She sighs. "I don't know. We were very much wrapped up in each
other. I wasn't trying to hide the relationship. Nothing so
deliberate. I just... Didn't want to share him for a while, I
suppose. Salvador has everything else... My services, my loyalty, my
soul... I knew he would have Aaron too -- someday. I knew that. I accept
that. I just wasn't quite ready yet."
Shaking her head once more, Ms. Jordan brings her eyes back down
to meet yours once more. "I didn't plan to go behind Salvador's back. I
would never do that. It all just happened so fast, and... I was going to
tell him about it. I just hadn't quite... found the right moment... or the
right words. I mean, after it was done, I knew it was a delicate
situation, one that would have to be approached with care. Salvador is...
Many wonderful things, don't mistake that, but he is... prickly... about
his honor, his dominion... his family. I knew I had overstepped myself, no
matter how spontaneous or innocent it might have been. I knew Salvador
would be furious -- and with reason. I knew I had to confess myself and
set matters straight. I just... wanted the time to figure out how to do
that without having it all fall back on Aaron. I did so want Salvador
to... accept Aaron. And then..."
She spread her hands wide and then buries her face in her
hands. Her shoulders rise and fall as if she is weeping, but she makes no
sound.
"I don't really know what help I can be as to motive," Ms. Jordan
says. "Honestly, I've been wracking my brains on that one ever since Aaron
disappeared. I don't think it is any of his old gang friends... I've met
a few, and they seem to have parted on reasonable terms. And if the motive
were to manipulate me, shouldn't there have been some sort of demand? A
ransom note? Something? But if you have any suggestions, I'll be happy to
tell you what I think."
"With the other, the material link, I may be able to help. Aaron
has a comb at my house in Bellevue... and a razor. You might be able to
get the sample you need from those. If not, I have the key to his apartment."
End Transcription
