Shadow Of The Waxwing Slain, Ch. 4

The Iron Court

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Chapter 4: The Iron Court

Photo by Leyre on Unsplash

Shift 5: Night

LAPD - Interrogation Room

Dee sat across from Gabor, cold steel table between them, Fletcher sitting to her right. She’d gotten Gabor a class of water, which sat untouched in front of him, as he stared at it.

Fletcher had a file in front him, closed, holding the Esper pictures from the protest. He also had a styrafoam cup of coffee, steam rising out of it, freshly made.

“So, Mr. Nanjiani,” Dee said. She’d changed into her work clothes, dark pants and top, leather jacket. “Tell us what you were doing at the Empathy Movement protest.”

Manipulation with advantage for having him in custody.

3d8 = 4,7,1 → Success

Gabor took the glass of water and drank a couple gulps before setting it down. “I was there to deliver a package to someone else.”

“Do you often attend Empathy Movement protests?”

1d6 = 1 → “No, and”

“No,” he said, emphatically, slamming a hand on the table. “That’s why I was in disguise, I didn’t want anybody to think I actually go to those things or believe like they do. I didn’t want any pictures showing up in the news…” He trailed off.

“Did you know what was going to happen at the protest?”

1d6 = 2 → “No”

He shook his head, closing his eyes. “I had no idea.”

“Tell us about the package. What was it?”

Did the package contain the explosive used at the protest? I’m going to say this is likely, and add +1.

1d6 + 1 = 7! “Yes And…”

Yes, the package contained the explosive and something else…

Did Gabor know what was in the package?

1d6 = 3 → “No, but…”

Gabor opened his eyes. “I didn’t know what was in the package! I promise!” He sounded too earnest.

“But you did know something,” Fletcher said.

“I knew it was something…bad. I knew it would disrupt the protest, I just didn’t know it was going to hurt anybody. You have to believe me.”

“Who did you pass the package to?”

Does Gabor know who Rhodes is?

1d6 = 2 → “No”

“I don’t know, I was just told to pass the package to this raggedy looking guy.”

Fletcher opened the folder and pushed the print-outs in front of Gabor. “You don’t know who this is?” He asked, pointing to the picture of Rhodes receiving the package.

Gabor shook his head. “No idea.”

At this point, what do we know? We know Gabor strongly opposes the anti-replicant Empathy Movement. He knowingly passed a package to ‘disrupt’ the protest, without knowing (or ignoring the fact) that people would get hurt. He didn’t know who he passed the package to.

“Are you working with the Replicant Underground?”

1d6 = 4 → “Yes, but,”

Gabor let out a deep breath. “Yes, but this wasn’t them. Not exactly.”

“Explain,” Dee said, leaning forward, staring at him.

“There’s some in the Underground who feel…strongly. Who want to do…more.”

“Extremists,” Fletcher said.

Gabor shook his head. “Not extremists, no. Just…a group who feels that stronger actions need to be taken.”

“Actions like bombing a protest,” Dee said, her tone flat.

Gabor put his head in his hands. “I didn’t know…”

“This group have a name?” Fletcher asked.

(SF:IS - Faction Name Template) “Iron” “Court”

“They call themselves the ‘Iron Court’.”

At this point, I need to roll to see if Gabor is a replicant. It seems very unlikely to me, considering everything that’s happened, including him letting himself be taken into custody, so I’m going to roll 1d6 - 2. This means only on a 6 would it be true.

1d6 - 2 = 1 → “No, and”

“You’re a famous celebrity, an actor, why would you get involved in something like this?” Dee asked.

Gabor didn’t answer, looking down.

Some personal connection, perhaps, Dee thought to herself. “Why you?”

“They wanted me to prove my loyalty to the cause and they were worried a replicant might be spotted.”

“Now, this next question is extremely important,” Fletcher said. “Is the Iron Court planning on doing something like this again?”

“I don’t know. All they told me was to pass off the package and that it would disrupt the protest. That was my part.”

“You realize, if you don’t give us the members of the Iron Court, this falls on you and you go away for a very, very long time. Your reputation and your life will be ruined.”

Gabor closed his eyes. “I only know one. The one who…got me involved. I’ll tell you about her if you promise…to let me go.”

“Give us a minute,” Fletcher said, giving a head nod to Dee. “We need to discuss.”

---

“He was knowingly involved in a plot to hurt people and you want to let him walk?” Dee asked, crossing her arms.

They stood on the other side of the two-way mirror, where they could see Gabor looking dejected.

“He’s told us everything he knows. He was played, used. He didn’t know it was an explosive. Besides, we don’t give him this, he calls his lawyer and we waste time,” Fletcher replied, sipping at his coffee. “You know that package was large enough to hold more than the fingernail-sized device that exploded at the protest, so it’s only a matter of time before another one happens, likely a bigger one.”

“Fine,” Dee said. “But I don’t like letting criminals walk free.”

“Noted.”

---

(BR:RPG) NPC: Eve Ricci, Scholar

“Her name is Eve Ricci. She studies and writes articles around the science behind replicants. She was brought on to one of my films as a consultant. That’s how we met.” Gabor gave them her address and phone number. His face was pale, his eyes red.

“Why are you so upset?” Dee asked. “She’s just a replicant.”

Gabor glared at Dee. “She’s so much more than that,” he said. “So much more than you N-9s will ever be.”

---

“I don’t like just letting him go,” Dee said.

“We’ll hold him for awhile, so he can’t warn Eve beforehand.”

Dee scowled at Gabor through the two-way mirror, who had put his head in his hands.

Fletcher sipped his joe. “You upset about what he said?”

She turned her scowl on him. “No, I just…do you buy it? That he fell in love with a replicant?"

Fletcher shrugged. “Sure seems like it, doesn’t it?”

Dee looked back at the mirror, crossing her arms.

“Listen, Dee,” Fletcher said. “I been doing this job a long time, and you have got to let things go. You hold on to everything, you’re going to start losing bits of yourself."

Fletcher uses his specialty, Counselor, to heal a stress from Dee through talking.

Dee dropped her arms to her side, taking a deep breath and letting it out. She put her hands in her pockets.“You get Rhodes’ info?”

“Yeah,” Fletcher said. “I also got called out by Quell, unfortunately. You and me both are in a bit of hot water with Holden, but she’s satisfied for the time being.”

“I can go pick up Ricci.”

“We both go get Ricci. She’s a replicant involved with an extremist faction of the Underground.” Fletcher rubbed the sleep from his eyes and tossed his empty coffee cup in a nearby trashcan. “I doubt she’ll come quietly.”

Shift 6: Morning

Location: Sector 1 - Entertainment District

They rode in Fletcher’s Spinner, heading towards Eve Ricci’s ground-level apartment lived in a ground-level apartment in Sector 1, near the red light district.

Weather: A cold acidic fog

It was quiet, as the sun rose but it didn’t reach past the skyscrapers to the street level below, where a cold fog hung.

Fletcher had one hand in his lap, playing around with the dog-tag that hung from his neck, flipping it around his fingers. The name on it read “Trenton Reade.”

Dee looked out her side window, one hand in her pocket, feeling the scales of a small sparkling fish, a cheap souvenir she’d found on the ground one day. Rem had said she should take it, so she did. At times, she found herself staring at it, and she liked the feel of it in her hand.

Both detectives would get an extra stress from another shift without downtime, but I’m having them interact with their Signature Items to lose a stress each, keeping them with Fletcher at 2, Dee at 1.

“You got the arrest warrant?” Dee asked.

Connections: d10 + d8 = 8,1 → Success

“Yes,” Fletcher said. “But it’s not a retirement order. That would’ve taken longer and we need her alive, anyway.” He looked at Dee. “You got that?”

“Understood.”

Fletcher dropped the spinner down, parking a few blocks down from the apartment.

(AR)Buildings around: 2 Department Stores, luxury apartments, a street doctor, a hotel,

There were two department stores, right across the street from each other. They had cracked windows and graffiti-scrawled walls.

Past that, a ‘luxury’ apartment building, with faded paint and boarded-up or broken windows.

That’s where Ricci lived.

Fletcher and Dee got out. Fletcher checked his PK-D Blaster, while Dee loaded her .357 subcompact. “Alive,” Fletcher said, flicking a switch on his gun to set it to sonic rounds.

“Just in case,” Dee said, slipping the gun into the small of her back, under her shirt.

Fletcher holstered his handgun and started walking down the street towards the apartment.

They passed a tiny shop, red neon proclaiming some type of cheap doctor, and a seedy hotel advertising payment by the hour.

Fletcher pulled his trench coat tight, the cold fog getting to his tired bones as they crossed the street to the apartment building.

The door to the building was locked, with a buzzer panel on the side, though half the buttons didn’t look like they worked.

Fletcher pressed all the buttons that worked, hoping someone would buzz the door open.

“You really think that will work?” Dee asked.

Does it work?

1d6 = 2 → “No.”

It didn’t.

Fletcher shrugged. “Worth a try.”

Dee shook her head, stepping up. “Allow me.”

Force: d12 + d10 = 3,10 → Critical Success!

(Remember, 10+ counts as two successes)

I choose “You act quietly” as a bonus effect.

She grabbed the handle, put her shoulder to the door and gave a quick slam.

Something snapped and the door swung open.

She held on so it didn’t slam the wall and walked in, holding it open for Fletcher.

“I’m impressed,” Fletcher said, walking in.

Dee closed the door behind him.

---

What floor is her apartment on?

1d4 = 3

They stood outside her door on the 3rd floor of the apartment building.

“Let me try something,” Dee whispered, motioning Fletcher to stand off to the side. She stood in front of the door, reached up, and knocked.

No answer.

Dee knocked again.

“Whose there?” A voice called out from inside.

Dee knew Eve would be looking through the peephole, studying her closely.“A mutual friend sent me. Gabor Nanjiani. He said you could help me.”

Dee is trying to manipulate Eve into opening the door. I’m going to give her disadvantage due to Eve’s distrust, leaving her with just 1 Base Die.

Manipulation: 1d8 = 2 → Failure

“I don’t know who or what you’re talking about. Please leave.”

“Miss Ricci,” Fletcher called out. “My partner and I need to ask you some questions. Things will go alot smoother if you open the door and we can talk.”

Does she respond? 1d6 = 1 → “No, and”

Ricci didn’t respond, but they could hear quick, furtive movements inside.

“Enough,” Dee said, pushing Fletcher aside, getting ready to kick the door down. “Eve Ricci! We have a warrant for your arrest!”

---

Photo by Leyre on Unsplash

Upkeep

End of Session: Fletcher and Dee each get a Promotion Point for “Finding one or more clues.” Dee learned that a human could love a replicant, and that has affected their world view, so I’m giving her a Humanity Point as well.

Chapter log

Things are really escalating! I may get to use the Chase and/or Combat rules next chapter, which is exciting. I’ll admit, handling interrogations and in-depth conversations as a solo-gamer is difficult. I tried to use guided questions and the 1d6 “yes/no” oracle to navigate the conversation, and I think it went fairly well. I’m considering working on some kind of NPC Interaction/ Conversation Oracle or Tool. I want to shout out the wonderful generators at donjon. They make fantastic generators for all kinds of systems and settings, and now have a specific section for Blade Runner which will be very helpful moving forward! Also, I used Augmented Reality(AR) to generate some random buildings. I’ve said it before but it’s a great book of tables for cyberpunk settings.

Let me know your thoughts and questions!

Thanks for reading.

Chapter 5: Broken