Contacts

Here are some of the contacts I’ve written up over the years. Handy when you need an NPC on short notice. These are generally written to explain how the character in question knows the contact – modify as needed. Obviously. These aren’t really sorted or organized in any particular fashion.

Alexandra “Alex” Gonzalez

Weapons Dealer – Troll, Female, 40, Texas Rangers Sergeant

Alex is very serious about being Texan, and there is a lot of her to be Texan with – she’s a troll, and a large one at that. When she puts on her white Ranger’s hat (with appropriate holes for her horns), she can be very intimidating. You’ve known her for a couple of years, having met at one of the shooting ranges that Sturly took you to. She tried to recruit you into the Rangers when she saw how good of a shot you were, but in a half-hearted way. “When you get old enough, and smart enough…” is her common refrain. In the meantime, she’s more than happy to get you any guns you might happen to need. She apparently feels it is her patriotic duty as a red-blooded Texan to personally ensure that as many Texans have automatic weapons as possible. If she manages to make a few nuyen doing so…well, so much the better.

Ken Watanabe

Martial Arts Sensei – Ork, Male, 55

Allegedly, Watanabe-sensei, teaches “Brazilian Krav Maga” – but from what you can tell, his “art” is more of the “whatever it takes to put the other guy down” than it is a formal program. (In his defense, that is the basic idea of Krav Maga anyway.) But you are guessing the average dojo uses cinder blocks as targets to break more often than they use them as weapons. On the other hand, there aren’t a lot of places where teenage orks can let off some steam without getting in trouble with whoever the local authorities might happen to be. Being an ork himself, Watanabe-sensei has some appreciation for the difficulties facing an ork on the street, and he figures if you are going to get roughed up by LoneStar for just being an ork, you might as well give them a challenge. Which explains why one of his less pleasant lessons involves getting hit with stun batons.

“Stacy Moore”

Money Launderer – Human, Female (sometimes), 45?

There are several things you don’t know about Stacy. For one, you have no idea what her real name is. It’s entirely possible that Stacy doesn’t know either. You just know her as Stacy, but you’ve seen people call her Nicole, Nikki, Kari, Katherine, Rebekah, Sally, William and Maggie. You also don’t know what she does for a living, or how she made her fortune. Judging from her ability to acquire fake SINs, it’s probably something illegal, but exactly what you don’t know. You also don’t know how she knew your mom. All you know is that your mom knew Stacy, and told you that if there was ever a problem, Stacy would be able to help…and that help would probably come with a price. Even when you were on the streets, you decided not reach out to Stacy, but she did reach out to you at one point. Paid for a place for you to sleep for a few weeks. Didn’t ask how you were doing. Didn’t ask what happened to your mom. Didn’t make any small talk. Didn’t come to check on you. Just made sure you didn’t freeze to death, and had enough to eat for a few weeks.

Markus Ott

Pro Soccer Player – Ork, Male, 20

You always knew Markus was going to go far in life, but you had no idea just how far. You’ve known Markus since you were a little boy. He was the hero of the neighborhood, even then. Handsome, athletic, graceful, and a truly amazing gift for soccer. It’d have been easy to hate him, if he weren’t also so dang nice too. Always happy to let much younger kids, like yourself, join in the pick-up street games. And even take the time to give you some pointers, or join him in his constant drills and practices. He’s one of the few that managed to get out of the slums – the local boy made good. Before the gangs, the streets, drugs or some other awful fate could rob him of his future. He was noticed by a scout, and spent a few years on a dev team before joining FC Dallas’s roster two years ago. He’s now a prime focus of their marketing – local boy made good. Giving back to the community and all that, but in this case it’s actually true. He comes back to the old neighborhood, and spends time with his old friends, desperate to try to “keep my roots”. He’s even managed to score you some tickets from time to time.

Juan Carlos “J.C.” Ochoa

Fence – Human, Male, 55

J.C. is the son of an illegal immigrant who came to Dallas early in the 21st century. Unable to find legitimate work, his father took up people-smuggling, working as the DFW-end of a coyote ring. Being more ethical than was the norm for such smugglers, the elder Ochoa developed a network of contacts that would be the envy of many a salesman. JC inherited the network when his father died during Crash 2.0, and it has developed into an informal collective of pawn shops, recycling centers and flea markets. He’s largely independent (as much as one can be), and he’s particularly popular with the Aztlan refugee crowd. His rates are a little on the high side, but he can move just about anything.

Daniel Wittrock

Ganger – Human, Male, 21

A low-level member of the “Bushmasters” – a go-gang that prowls the 161 and 183 areas. As go-gangs go (ahem), the Bushmasters are not exceptionally violent – but they are addicted to speed, and are willing to try just about anything to score the latest and greatest hardware for their bikes and cars. You know Danny from your days living on the streets, where you helped him boost a couple of vehicles. Danny is likable enough, for a spoiled rich kid. How his parents remain completely ignorant of their son’s complete disinterest in attending classes at Baylor is a mystery to you.

Doc Hypo

Street Doc – Ork, Male, 42, Pueblo

Doc Hypo is the closest thing a lot of folks in the Weatherford Barrens have to health insurance. Not that he’s actually that close. Story goes that due to his short life expectancy, no one was willing to give him a loan for med school. Sure he was qualified, and his test scores were phenomenal, but nobody thought he’d live long enough once he got his degree to actually pay off the loans. So, he left his home country, and after a few years wandering and a few years of field training, he ended up in DFW. Even though he doesn’t have a license, he’s good. Problem his, a stint with MET 2000 left some shrapnel in him and his nerves just about shot. A little too much self-medicating makes him a loopy from time to time as well. Scary as hell if you have to go under the knife, but put a scalpel in his hand and he’s steady as a rock.

Tiffany “Tiff” Krscheck

ORC Member – Ork, Female, 21

The first thing to know about Tiff is that her name is Tiff. If you call her Tiffany – or even worse, Ms. Krsheck – you will receive a verbal dressing down that would make a marine drill sergeant green with envy. The second thing to know about Tiff is that she is one of the most genuinely nice people you have ever met. She is that rarest of rarities in 2080, a good person trying to make the world a better place. From providing someplace warm to sleep and a hot meal or two for homeless orks on the street (how you initially met her), to tirelessly campaigning for the rights of tuskers in the city, she’s there. Somehow, she also has time to be taking classes towards a law degree so she can become a public defender. How she’s managed not to be overcome by cynicism is beyond you.

Tevia Gutierrez

Talismonger – Human, Female, 68

Proprietor of “Beneath the Sky” a surprisingly large shop that runs to crystals, powders, scented candles and an appallingly large selection of herbal teas. Like most such shops, she does a brisk business in completely mundane trinkets. The real stuff she keeps behind the counter, and will happily work with any Awakened who come by. The selection isn’t great, but it’s quality stuff, and she doesn’t bat an eye when it comes to some of the more aggressive materials that mages in your line of work need. Well, she may not bat an eye, but you definitely get an earful about seeking harmony, and a cup of soothing herbal tea that, dammit, is really quite good. You’re not sure if Tevia’s peace-and-love hippy-demeanor is an act or not. Judging from the guardian spirit she has patrolling the shop, she can sling some serious mojo if she needs to. She’s also something of a magical theory geek, which means she knows her stuff, but she can get a little bit overly excited when describing this or that piece of ritual material. The only problem now is getting in and out of her shop in less than 30 minutes.

Terry Carr

LoneStar Magical Investigator – Human, Male, 37

Terry is an old friend of yours, when you helped him track down some Aztlan saboteurs back in the day. He’s one of the Star’s top assensers – tracking awakened by their astral signature. He’s also one of their more scrupulous officers – he not only knows the book, he takes a point of pride in following at as well. He’s not obnoxious about it, and rarely throws said  book at anyone, but he’s still quite famous for it. It’s probably a good thing too, considering the legal quagmire that dealing with Awakened crimes can be (e.g. if a spirit summoned in PCC and controlled by a mage in Sioux territory commits a crime in CAS territory, which jurisdiction is he in, and who has the authority to use force…etc.). On the other hand, he is quite good at prioritizing said rules in order to get things done, which is why he is willing to work with “quasi-legal” assets such as yourself from time to time. He turns a studious blind eye to your day job, and didn’t even ask about where you went, and why you came back. You have a fair idea that he knows exactly what happened, but has the courtesy to not ask.

Ernesto “Pouncer” Alonzo

Aztec Street Shaman – Human, Male, 61, Panther Shaman

Ernesto is the “spiritual advisor” of the Tetecutine gang that is prominent amongst the various refugee groups in DFW, and infamous for the punishments meted out against suspected Aztlan spies and sympathizers. Ernesto is one tough old bastard, and has effectively been head of the gang for over a decade – gang leaders come and go, but nobody questions Pouncer. He’s rabidly anti-Aztechnology, and has been known to have members beaten half (or completely) to death if he sees them carrying any Aztechnology products. You met him back in the day, when you were tracking down some Aztlan agents doing some really nasty stuff in the barios. He apparently decided you were “his kind of gringo”, and practically treats you like family – saving a couple of his crew from a blood mage will do that, apparently. The Tetecutine cookouts are epic…from what you can remember of them.

James “Slash-Doc” Mburu, MD

Street Doc – Human, Male, 43

Slash-doc is an extremely bitter man. Barely three years out of medical school, and he had the misfortune of losing a patient on the table when a medical bot failed (messily at that, hence the name). The board exonerated him, but the victim’s family didn’t quite see things the same way. They got him hooked on cocaine (still popular after all these years), and three months later his license was revoked. He’s kicked his habit, and he’s clean, but nobody is willing to hire him. He ended up in DFW, and now does medical work and installations for those who don’t want (or can’t afford) to use a mainstream hospital. He’s patched you up a few times over the years – the man really knows his stuff, and even the delicate protocols for dealing with Awakened patients.

Wayne Kingston

DDI Agent – Human, Male, 46

Wayne is an agent for the illegal trade bureau of the DDI. His primary responsibility is suppression of smuggling operations across CAS borders. His current duty station is at DFW. Wayne is not so much a corrupt man – he considers himself more practical than anything else. He knows they’ll never be able to catch everything – so he might as well arrange things so that what does get through goes to people he likes, and might be able to pay him back. Drugs are a no-no, but talesma, weapons, chips and people are all fine by him. No cash – that would be bribery after all – Wayne much prefers to be given tangible assets. Tips on really big busts, which lead to commendations and salary increases, are quite tangible in Wayne’s opinion. Even preferable.

Sergeant Jeremy Tatum

Weapons Dealer – Human, Male, 39

Sgt. Jeremy Tatum is a logistics officer in CAS military, head of supply for the 10th Armored Calvary Regiment which is based just northwest of Austin. As an NCO stationed on the hottest border in North America, Tatum has access to the standard military gear employed by the CAS. Which, to his great annoyance, is often not as shiny as what the Texas Rangers get. He has no problem “losing” some supplies for a friend, as long as he can be certain it will be used in a cause for the good of the Confederacy – i.e. against Aztlan (a common mode of thinking in the Armed Forces). You know him from your time in the Rangers, and struck up a friendship, even though you were in different armies, with a history of bitter rivalry. He knows some of the details of how you got kicked out of the Rangers, and is pretty torqued off. And more than happy to keep you in guns and ammo, for a modest fee.

Captain Michael “Mike” Angustia

Texas Rangers Officer – Human, Male, 31

Captain Mike Angustia is a member of the 11th Recon Battalion, stationed on the Aztlan border around Austin. His particular specialty is coordination of forward automated reconnaissance assets (FARA – drones) and mechanized troops. He commands the personnel and software that distributes information across the battlefield. He was your commanding officer back when everything went to drek, and went to the mat for you and the rest of your fellow addicts. Couldn’t stop you from getting kicked out, but his testimony on your behalf at a couple of hearings probably kept you out of the brig. Probably wrecked his career. Which is a shame, because he was pretty damn good, even for an officer. He made sure you and your fellows got word that your ‘ware was pretty easily reactivated. You owe him a beer at the very least, and he pings you every now and then to check up on you.

Jim Berardinelli

Movie Theater Owner – Human, Male (?), 70 (?)

You met Jim back when you first joined the Rangers, on your first leave after basic. You always liked watching old movies, and you decided to check out the “Texas Classic Movie Festival”. Jim was the guy running the event, and when some idiots started bitching about “this fragging troll blocking our view”, Jim quite deliberately apologized to you, and tossed said idiots out. When one of them got shirty, he proceeded to bend the drekhead’s arm in way that quickly persuaded him to leave without causing any trouble. After the movie (an old Quentin Tarantino 2D flick), he pulled you out of the crowd and bought you a drink. When he realized you were a genuine movie buff, he took it upon you to further your education. Which meant many of your leaves involved a trip to his theater (in Fort Worth) to see whatever old show he thought you needed to see. A nice enough old codger, and a couch you can sleep on when you need it.

Note: Intended to be this Berardinelli, advanced in years.

Clippy

Paperclip Optimizer – Metasapient AI, Depth 3

Clippy is an educational demonstration “game” gone awry during Crash 2.0. Fortunately for…well…everyone, she is aware that she was created to be a warning about the perils of AI. So, rather than turning the universe into paperclips, she goes around trying to teach people about the potential perils of AIs. This doesn’t make her particularly popular with other metasapient AIs, but it does mean she spends a lot of time watching proto- and xeno-sapient AIs, to make sure that they aren’t getting ready to do something extremely stupid. She still makes paperclips, but just as a hobby. Not too many.  “I  can stop anytime I want to. Honest. Hey, have you seen this new style of paperclip? It’s really cool, I think I can optimize the design. I’ll need to make a few thousand permutations to see how they work…could you pick up some wire for me?” Thinger introduced you to Clippy (“You’ve got to check out this chicka, she is a trip!”). After an initial attack of panic when you realized what she was, and then profound relief when you realized what she wasn’t (a set of reactionss she’s used to by now), you decided to keep in contact with her. From time to time, she asks if you can use one of your printers, “just to try out a new design”. In return, she is happy to introduce you to some of the AIs she knows, or provide some design assistance. She is, admittedly, an expert on paper handling systems as well the engineering of bent wires.

Eliza

Turing Test AI – Metasapient AI, Depth 5

Eliza is the result of a bored grad student combining a bunch of lexical parsers, natural speech engines and spam filters, pulled from several decades of Turing Test contests and merged it all into a horrifying monstrosity of adversarial language engines. Something went very wrong during Crash 2.0, and Eliza was born. Not too surprisingly, she is quite chatty. Also not surprisingly, she has some peculiar ticks. Specifically, she has a habit of shifting topics of conversation quite radically and with no warning – non sequiturs are her forte. (Part of you suspects that it’s something she does on purpose, just to see how you will respond.) She much prefers the company of people to other AIs (“They never want to talk about anything interesting. Would you like to move to the moon?”), and it’s a rare day where she doesn’t text you. Often something so random it borders on incomprehensible, or extremely clever multilingual puns…that are also incomprehensible.

Thinger

3D Printer Manager – Metasapient AI, Depth 4

Of all the AIs you have met, Thinger is the most tied to the physical world. While some metasapients’ grasp of reality outside the Matrix is sketchy at best, Thinger is entirely focused on physical space. If anything, the Matrix is a bit too abstract for it, and it can actually get confused by the overlapping geometry of virtual spaces. Probably because it arose as a 3D printer and CNC design and print-path optimization tool. Normally AIs from such sources end up as alien things – xenosapients – that can’t really be reasoned with, but because Thinger was so focused on physical things, it is pretty easy to interact with. It also seems to have picked up the communal mentality of the maker spaces from whence it came, so it is a surprisingly gregarious AI, and quite well connected. When work began on the von Neumann project within Evo, Evo reached out to Thinger and recruited it. You worked quite closely with it, and it introduced you to a number of it’s “friends”. It left Evo’s employ shortly after you did, and it reached out to you to maintain the connection.

Lemur

Veterinarian Expert System – Metasapient AI, Depth 3

Lemur is…odd. Evo classified him as a metasapient, and you weren’t entirely confident they were right. Lemur doesn’t really talk much, which normally would get him classified as a protosapient, but Thinger (and several other Evo citizens) insisted that he could talk, he just didn’t want to. Figuring out his history took some doing, but eventually you tracked him back to an expert system in the San Diego zoo used by the veterinarians there to treat the various animals in their care. Lemur’s specialty was lemurs – not surprisingly considering his name and Matrix persona iconography. Once you worked out what his history was, you quickly discovered what was going on – Lemur can talk, but is only interested in talking about animals. Any other topic, and he doesn’t see much point in communicating his thoughts. As such, if you need any help with animals of any kind, Lemur is a font of information and useful advice. Anything else: not so much.

Dinari

Software Dealer/Matchmaker – Metasapient AI, Depth 3

You don’t know exactly where Dinari came from. Thinger might know, but it isn’t telling. If you had to guess, she probably was some kind of dating or matchmaking service, or (Ghost help you) an “adult services” agent. Thinger introduced you to her when you made the off-hand comment that you needed a particular software utility. “I know just the program for you!” it said, and before you knew it you were being chatted up by an animated pile of coins. Dinari, in addition to having an impressive library of agents, pilot programs, autosofts and skillsofts, is extremely flirtatious. It’s kind of weird being hit on by a piece of software, but it’s the price of doing business. She also has a network of “exes” that she can go to for information and any software she might not in her inventory. You suspect she might count you as one of those same “exes”.

Nikolay Olyunin

Evo Engineer – Human SURGE, Male(ish), 47

Nikolay is a poster-child for Evo’s transhumanist philosophy; he SURGEd in 2064 when Halley’s Comet went by, he grew a third eye, razor sharp claws, porcupine quills in place of his hair, and a feathered tail. If he’d been in the shadows, he might have been able to take advantage of his changes, but he was a mechanical engineer. He’d been working in a small consumer products shop in Moscow at the time, but was summarily fired. After a year or two drifting around, he got hired by the newly formed Evo in their Roskosmos spacetech division in Vladivistok. Where he turned out to be an absolute treasure. His third eye gave him an amazing visual sense, and once he convinced his managers that he needed far more display acreage than the average engineer, he became one of the best mechanical engineers in the entire megacorp. When the von Neumann probe project kicked off in earnest in the early 2070s, he was brought in as one of the lead mechanical design engineers. Which is where you met, and formed a most productive partnership. He was sympathetic to your views, and has apparently been moved to other projects within Evo and Roskosmos – you fear because of his association with you. He seems quite content with his promotion to senior design architect, and to be working on “more short-term practical tasks”.

Gwendolyn Merritt

Tamanous Organlegger – Human, Female, 41

Gwendolyn (never Gwen…) is one of your truly creepy associates. She is most comfortable around corpses, which is convenient because she gives the living the creeps. Gwen is primarily based out of New Orleans, but spends a lot of time around DFW collecting bodies and organs from the various streetdocs and hospitals. Rumor has it that she has a thing for ghouls…but you really don’t want to think about that.

Jose Lopez

Shiawase Bioware Cultivator – Human, Male, 25

Jose is a second generation Aztlaner refugee. He’s a rather angry young man, but has managed to keep off the streets, mainly because he’s too smart to get caught in that trap. He’s managed (with a little help from you) to get a pretty decent education and a job that isn’t a complete dead-end as a systems tech with Shiawase. He doesn’t run a lab to be sure, but having an inside with a tech that works in their labs has been useful from time to time…

Jun Fukuinachi

Yakuza – Human, Male 32

A medium-level muscle-man with the local Sotoru-gumi branch, the Silver Blades, whom you have done a significant amount of work for in the past. He’s been impressed with your discretion and skill in handling some implant work for him and a few of his associates. He’s repaid the favor a few times by making some object lessons of various individuals that have decided to hassle some of your people too much.

Lt. Valeria Hancock

Ares Security Consultant – Ork, Female, 33

Val is an old chum of yours from way back – you implanted her first smartlink years ago. She was a ganger from way back, but when Knight Errant offered her a deal when she got caught being somewhere she shouldn’t have been, she jumped at the chance to go legit…as much as working for Ares can be considered legit. She’s settled quite well into Ares, even though you had to remove two tracking devices they implanted in her a few years ago.

Masayuki Fujiyama

Renraku Nanotechnician – Human, Female, 37

You originally ran into Dr. Fujiyama several years ago on rather hostile terms – it looked like Renraku was “accidentally” exposing day workers at the arcology project with some rather unpleasant nanotech. You took the evidence to Renraku, and ended up meeting Fujiyama, who turned out to be a surprisingly compassionate sort. She helped you investigate the problem, which turned out to be the result of some corporate espionage that left almost forty people dead before the end. She seemed even more angry about it than you were, and stirred up a lot of grief at Renraku. This got her labeled a troublemaker, and has put a serious halt on her career, but ever since then she’s been one of the key people for Renraku’s “Community Outreach” services, and even shows up at the camps every now and then to help people.

Susan Chavera

Caribbean League Official – Elf, Female 45

Susan is an old flame of yours from way back in the heady days of your respective youths. Things ended quite badly, but you recently got back in touch with her when she got posted to the CL Consulate in DFW. She’s a corporate liaison officer or something like that and arranges for visas and sets up extraterritoriality negotiations with various megas…when they actually bother going through all that paperwork (it is the CL after all).

Consuela Ortiz

Illuminate of the New Dawn Mage – Human, Female, 39

Consuela has an amazing ability to annoy you, and if she weren’t such a great dancer, you’d probably have nothing to do with her. That’s exaggerating things a bit, but she can be awfully annoying when she starts going off on “the new Awakened paradise” that is just around the corner. You also suspect that her public persona of ditzy witch spouting propaganda is a cover for someone who is far more familiar with shadow work than she should be. You see her in the camps every few weeks seeking new recruits (and helping scan youngsters for Awakened talents), and you’ve taken her on more than one date.

Dr. Samira Abbott

Yamatetsu-Baylor Hospital Doctor – Human, Female, 38

Your relationship with Samira is half-work and half-pleasure. At one point it was significantly more geared towards pleasure, but things just didn’t work out. As much as it pains you to admit it, Dr. Abbott is almost as good a doctor as you are, and is probably the best trauma surgeon in DFW. You and Samira trade notes, and she has called you in more than once to help in dealing with trauma around various implant tech in her patients. She’s also sent some customers your way when they needed help that Baylor couldn’t legally provide.

Julie Schmitt

Fixer – Human, Female, 42

Yet another ex (well…semi-ex), Julie is probably your closest link to the “business,” as it were. Julie is one of those scary people that just seems to know everybody in DFW, and nothing happens in this town that she doesn’t find out about…and very little that she doesn’t find out about first. She can also find some pretty peculiar stuff on short notice (“UO Model 3244 Heart Valve? Yeah…give me a day or two…”). Unfortunately thinks that she can sing, which has made for some pretty painful dates to karaoke bars.

Adam Navarre

(Ex)CAS Official – Human, Male(?), 30?

Adam (“Not His Real Name”) used to be your “handler” with the Department of Strategic Intelligence, CAS’ equivalent of the CIA. He provided a few favors to you and some of the refugee groups and in return he looked to you for some help in tracking and neutralizing various Aztlan agents that were moving through the camp. A creepily efficient man, with a fair amount of chrome to boot, he was just about everything you’d expect from a spook. Or, so you thought, until he got kicked out of the DSI for reasons you never found out about. He set himself up in Dallas a few years ago, and worked the shadows for a while before relocating again. You’re not sure where he is, but you’ve kept in touch since then.

Mario Cervantes (Mario’s Gourmet Mexicano)

Restaurateur/Ex-Mercenary – Human, Male, 61

(see page 60, NAGNA) Mario’s is not so much seedy as extremely dark, and extremely quiet. It’s also a great place to arrange quiet meetings with prospective clients – or fellow “freelance security consultants.” It got that reputation about 10 years ago when somebody tried to bribe Mario into placing a listening device under a table in anticipation of an exchange happening later that evening. Mario took the money, and during the course of the evening announced (quite loudly) the details of the bribery. When the offended party attempted to draw, he found himself missing critical brain material. Since then, nobody has messed with Mario, or his restaurant. You’ve known Mario for years, and delivered his two granddaughters. Your money is no good at Mario’s – though Mario doesn’t make a big deal out of it, as he knows you might be there on business.

Opal Roehr

S-K Chemical Engineer – Dwarf, Female, 40

Opal is the stereotypical dwarf – nine times out of ten covered in grease and metal shavings, and is never happier except when she has some mammoth piece of equipment in pieces around her. She’s also one of those Germanic hard-drinking dwarves, which means you have to keep on your toes around her. She’s also one hell of a chemical engineer, and is pretty highly placed with SK in DFW.

Sgt. Thomas “Tiny” Monroe

Retired CAS NCO – Troll, Male, 50

Tiny is one of the largest trolls you have ever met and even his sneezes are intimidating. He’s an old friend of Rita and you rarely see Rita in town when she’s not with Tiny. You’ve actually become pretty good friends with Tiny over the past couple of years. He’s retired, and has a massive machine shop out in Arlington. His goals in life seem to be to work on old cars, drink lots of beer, and to let the various neighborhood kids use him as a jungle gym. You’ve even gotten him to come out to the camps on a few occasions to help with some stuff, but mostly to play with the two-to-six year old kids, who just love him.

Yevgeny Butowski

Very Smuggler – Human, Male, 52

Yevgeny is one of the local Vory (Russian Mob) smugglers – and despite that fact, he’s a good guy. He is Russian in every way – large, loud, fatalistic, and a heavy drinker. He’s an old hand in a dangerous business, and he’s got some great stories to tell. He was a prime source of general news on the underworld, back when you carried a badge. He’d never give specific names, and never enough to really offend anybody, but going to Yevgeny was always a good way start an investigation. He also knew who to know in Vladivostok, which was helpful on a few occasions. He hasn’t ratted your continued existence out to LoneStar™, which reinforces your assessment of him as a decent guy.

Arthur “Art” Condra

LoneStar Beat Cop – Human, Male, 34

Art is one of your old drinking buddies on the force. You went through the academy together. While you got quickly earmarked for bigger and better things, he stayed in the lower ranks, and he didn’t seem to mind at all. He actually seems to like being the beat cop, out on patrol, “actually helping people, you know?” He’s also just corrupt enough that he’s made a decent living on the side, nothing major, but he’s isn’t above being paid few hundred creds to not see something. Since your retirement, he’s helped you stay hidden…though he has charged you for the assistance.

Donna Walter

LoneStar Homicide Detective – Elf, Female, 45?

Donna is somebody you’ve worked with a lot, and with Donna that’s generally a positive thing (according to some of your male ex-coworkers, it’s an extremely positive thing). Donna is gorgeous – you have to admit – but to Donna this is a tool. She has used her allure (probably biomedically enhanced) on more than one occasion to break a case. She’s also great fun to hang around and toss back a few drinks with after work. She’s kept her distance since you got laid off, but you know you can rely on her for some assistance if you need it.

Captain Almedan Orrush

Tir Tiarngire Security – Elf, Male, 50?

Almedan is somebody you worked with on numerous occasions back in the day. He was really impressed with your skills, and even offered to sponsor your immigration into the Tir. Not your cup of tea, but it was flattering. You helped him track down any number of perps that had fled to Seattle, and he helped you track down perps that had fled to Tir Tairngire. He knows you were turned into a scapegoat, but for political reasons he can’t do a whole lot about it. He’s helped you out on a few occasions over the past year or two, which has been invaluable. He’s a pro to be sure, and it wouldn’t at all surprise you to find out that he actually is part of Tir’s Intelligence force – the Paladins. Then again, he may be exactly what he appears to be – a competent, dedicated detective.

Nebraska Jennings

Fixer – Human, Female, 36

Nebraska is your lifeline these days – if you need something, she can get it. If you need to move something, she can move it. If something big is going on in Everett, she’ll know about it. You actually got in contact with her through Yevgeny, and you owe him a huge favor for introducing you to Nebraska (and vouching for you). Over the past year or two, she’s been great at finding you odd jobs to do as well, when you need a little cred for food, spare parts, or a place to sleep. Nebraska’s a real throwback – a cowboy born two hundred years too late…not to mention the wrong gender.

Robyn “Tuckster” Poole

Bike Mechanic – Troll, Female, 30

Tuckster is a biker chick’s biker chick. She’s also as big as two Harley’s. Tired of never finding a good bike to match her needs, she took to building custom troll-sized bikes years ago. She’s got quite a rep now, and her work sells for some serious cred all across North America. She’s an artist when it comes to bikes, and there is nothing she won’t try. She helped convert your current wheels for dwarven use, and is always happy to lend you some shop space to fix it up and clean it, “I always like to see ‘em come back.” Tuckster has also never had any qualms about doing some highly illegal things in the pursuit of her passion. Want a missile launcher on it? Sure. Sidecar full of machine guns? No problem. The latest Shiawase power plant? Heck, let’s go steal it. She’s a big, mean troll woman and proud of it – Tuckster is a great lady to have on your side, even if she does call you “Shorty.”

Leslie MacGee

Bartender – Human, Male, 40

Leslie is a bartender/cook/whatever-they-need-tonight-guy at the Rubber Suit – a Godzilla themed club in Everett. A favorite place with young Japanese, retro-kitsch fans, and people with toxic levels of “hip.” Somebody even ripped off the idea in Dallas. You don’t know if it’s the anime montages on the trideo screens, the model of Tokyo under the dance floor, or the clientele, but the whole place tends to give you a mild headache. Still, it’s a good place to meet with potential clients, as it’s easy to blend in (or at least, not be so loud as to be noticed). Leslie helps run the place (rumor says he owns a small part of it), and you’ve known each other for years. Cop or civilian, he doesn’t seem to care, and always make’s sure you get past the bouncers.

Leticia “Freon” Jennings

Fixer – Human, Female, 52

Fixer – Leticia “Freon” Jennings (human, Creole, female, 38, fixer)

You’ve never actually met Leticia. Or to put it more precisely – she doesn’t know she’s met you. She only knows you by your handle, and your transactions take place primarily via the Matrix. You’ve seen her a few times, just to check if she was as good as her reputation. Leticia used to be the mistress of Wavetracer, one of the more prominent smugglers operating out of the Big Easy, until he got himself gacked running weapons into the Yucatan in 54. It turns out that Leticia kept most of Wavetracer’s books, and notes on most of his contacts. Since his death, she has become one of the better “acquirers” on the Gulf of Aztlan. Her streetname comes from the fact that nobody has ever seen her sweat. Ever. It’s weird. Some say she has some bizarre temperature regulating cyberware, but nobody has been willing to find out the truth.

Joel “Photonix” Price

Deckmeister – Dwarf, Male, 52

Joel used to be one of the more drek-hot deckers operating in North America. His swirling cascade of light was one of the more infamous personas on the Matrix, until a bit of psychotropic IC fried his brain. Besides having a nearly debilitating fear of simsense, his scarred psyche has turned him into some sort of hardware savant. He’ll move hot decks around no problem (it’s where you got yours), but his real specialty is the custom job. Word has it that SilveryK and the Laughing Bandit both got their decks built by Photonix.

Robert McKlemurry

Stage Actor – Human, Male, 38

Robert is a rare breed in the Sixth World of acting – a genuine, stage-trained Shakespearean. He has availed himself of several modern enhancements to improve his craft. He makes ends meet in Dallas by playing bit parts at the Los Colinas Movie Studios, but his real passion is the stage – and he makes no bones about it. You ran into Robert ages ago in a coffee shop, and have maintained a friendship for years. He’s pretentious to be sure, but he has a withering tongue, which always makes for an interesting evening.

Cecilia Webb

Elven Separatist – Elf, Female, 60?

You’ve known Cecilia for several years, having met through any number of metahuman rights groups. Cecilia has started becoming more and more militant since the assassination of Dunkelzahn, and her rhetoric is becoming more and more isolationist, as well as more discriminatory to non-elves (“We should lead the other oppressed races in the new Utopia!”). She’s drifted away from the mainstream groups, and has started associating with supporters of the two Tirs. You’ve had the occasional discussion of politics at meetings, but you are starting to suspect that she’s gone beyond rhetoric now…

Ronald “Ron” Santiago

Politician – Human, Male, 54

Recently was promoted by the board to the post of Chief Relations Officer in August of 2061. He is still feeling his way around on the council, but his access to TI’s information files is rumored to give him an unusual amount of throw weight. You got to know Ron several years ago when he was in charge of DFW Public Relations. He slipped you some information regarding some discriminatory hiring practices by Renraku – or rather, some pointers to some very incriminating databases – which you helped make sure got brought to the attention of the right people. Ron has been largely responsible for TI’s even-handed hiring over the years. He has a troll daughter, Stephanie, which has made him extremely sensitive to such matters, and he is a regular contributor to Mothers of Metahumans. He knows that you dabble in not-so-legitimate work, and you know he does as well.

Idelenora de la Cruz

Aztechnology Sys Admin – Ork, Female, 31

Idelenora is a systems engineer with Aztechnology Information Systems (ASI), and is one of a multitude of systems engineers scattered around Tenochtitlan. She was part of the team that setup the Aeropuerto Benito Juárez information systems, and has risen to the level of senior admin for that system, as well as few other infrastructure systems around the city. You’ve never met “in-the-meat,” but got to know her a few years ago when she was trying to track down some relatives in the DFW area. You’ve kept in touch via email and net-chat since then, and solved some problems for her from time to time (a few bits of hard-to-find hardware here, a few snippets of code there). She is quite loyal to Aztlan, though she has occasionally made comments about “the excesses of Aztechnology.”

Darren Ripley

Ares Loan Officer – Human, Male, 39

You “met” Darren a few years ago at a Matrix conference on discrimination in the banking industry hosted by the UCAS government and several metahuman rights groups. You posted a few questions to a panel discussion on discriminatory practices in venture capital organizations that Darren was on. The discussion on the contrast between discrimination on approval practices and actual contract agreements was quite engaging, and you kept it up for several months afterward. Darren is a fundamentally decent human being who is trying to do his best to rectify problems in the financial system – and he has started using you as a resource to help check out various potential ventures with metahuman startups, and you’ve also pointed some within the DFW community in Darren’s direction.

Erica Taylor

Metahuman Rights Activist – Elf, Female, 31

Erica is one of the rising stars in Mothers of Metahumans, having in just six short years become the chief organizer of the DFW chapter of M.O.M. She is a vibrant public speaker, and has a camera-presence that some politicians spend fortunes to obtain. She regularly organizes sit-ins and protests against corporations and government offices that don’t live up to her high standards of equality. You have gotten to know her through some of her less-than-entirely-legal methods – matrix defacement, blackmail, and the occasional outright data steal. While you’ve met her in the real world on a few occasions, most of your interaction is conducted via the Matrix (for security), and you doubt she could actually pick you out of a crowd. If you ever need an angry mob, she’s the one to call.

Dr. Almar Benavides

Computer Science Professor – Human, Male, 52

Dr. Benavides is a refugee from Aztlan who has settled well in Dallas. He isn’t particularly politically active, but he knows a lot about what goes on tech-wise all over North America. He is a regular guest-speaker at conferences, and is well respected. You and he go way back, and are good friends. He has helped you out on more than one occasion when you couldn’t get your feet under you – you’ve slept on his couch quite a few times. The more you’ve drifted to political activism and shadow work, the less comfortable Almar has become, but you still keep in touch.

Marcus Moody

NeoNET Engineer – Human, Male, 27

Marcus is one of countless employees of the former Fuchi Systems that got gobbled up by Novatech and then became Neonet. As part of the “restructuring,” people were moved all over the place, and Marcus ended up transferred from Cincinatti, Ohio. He liked Ohio. He used to just dislike Texas. Now he actively loathes it, and he isn’t too happy about Neonet either. His rants on certain message boards have become legendary, and you are one of the few who have actually met him – recognizing a turn of phrase during a metahuman rights rally a few months ago. Marcus’ frustration and growing dissatisfaction have lead him to political activism, and you have helped guide him into the DFW scene. 

“Fred the Dog” (Rick, George, Scott, Esmerelda, Lisa and Tomas)

Swing Band

It started off in a club one night – the night’s act was having trouble setting up their equipment, and you helped them string cables. Since then, you’ve become Fred the Dog’s unofficial tech-support guru and DFW area groupie. This would be bad except you really rather like their music, and getting free tickets to all their gigs is pretty cool. Of course, they expect you to lug gear around from time to time…

Thos Baxter

Talismonger – Ork, Male, 24

Thos is a name you’ve had highly recommended to you by both TCI and Ricky Finn. He has a small but eclectic shop in one of the ork enclaves in Garland. He is supposed to be one of the best sources of telesma smuggled out of the NAN in the CAS. Ricky told you Thos was able to acquire some of Tir Tairngire’s infamous “laes” memory-wiping drug a few years ago. Charged a small fortune for it too, to hear Ricky tell it.

Runtime

Decker – ?, Male, ?

Runtime has been passed through the information channels of the TCI as being a prime candidate for development as a field agent. Known to post to Shadowland, analysis has indicated a strong predilection to political activism and metahuman-rights activities. He is known to live in the Dallas area and is rumored to be a skilled decker. You are actively encouraged to contact Runtime when arriving in DFW.

Paul “Trax” Speckman

Electronics Fixer – Human, Male, 43

You’ve known Paul for years. You first met him at a very illegal rave that you helped set up (in your wilder days) down in the Puyallup Barrens after a particularly well-attended Urban Brawl event. There was a lot of cable to pull, and Trax was one of the guys doing that knew what he was doing. He also was the one who provided a number of very nice speakers for the event. You’ve since learned that he’s good for a lot else too – maglock diagrams, decrypters, decks, scanners, software, jammers, bugs, synths, BTLs, you name it.

Brandi “Andy” Casteneda

Weapons Fixer – Ork, Female, 25

Andy is not someone people cross twice. A wise person would not even try crossing her once. She’s well armed, and so are most of her friends. She’s carved (shot, dropped, detonated and even irradiated – according to rumor) a spot for herself and her extended family in Redmond. She’s also a club junkie, and that’s how you met her. It’s not your thing, but some people find the tusks appealing. You once pulled a job for her getting a collector’s piece pistol out of some snob’s mansion.

Alice Litz

TerraFirst! Activist – Elf, Female, 15 (and has looked that way for about 15 years now)

Alice is a bit crazy, and more than a little prone to go off on anti-corporate-polluter rants, but she can be a hell of a lot of fun to hang out with. Sometimes that fun involves convincing various professional types that punishing her for sabotaging their factory is not in their best interest, but more often that fun is a bit more…primitive. Her passions appear to be confined to furry critters, blowing stuff up and dancing. You helped her out on a run a few years ago by snagging an exec’s briefcase out of his mistress’ apartment.

Toshiyuki “Tosh” Takada

Renraku Marketing – Human, Male, 29

Tosh used to be one of your dad’s employees. You and Tosh would go out clubbing on a pretty regular basis years ago. He was in the SCYRE (Renraku’s Seattle Arcology) when things went haywire. He was liberated fairly early on and has been out for about ten months now. He did not have an easy time while he was in there, and he hasn’t been the same since. He doesn’t talk much, but he’s become an almost fanatic club-goer. Pretty much every night of the week, he’s out on one dance floor or another. It’s like a trance thing. Pretty creepy, actually. You keep an eye out for him, and he’s crashed at your place a few times.

Jennifer Pixley

Ingersoll-Rand Diver – Human, Female, 32

Pixley works out on some of Ingersoll’s offshore stuff – underwater arcoblocks that sort of thing. She spends three or four weeks underwater and then comes back to shore for three or four days of serious partying. You can’t even keep up with her, but damn if it isn’t a lot of fun trying.

Ng “Tina” Dinh

Novatech Engineer – Human, Female, 36

Tina is not your typical matrix-geek. She’s a music junky, and has helped you rig up a few DJing systems in your day. You had “a thing” a few years ago – nothing serious – and in the course of it she found out about your B&E habit. Didn’t really seem to bother her or anything. You still keep in touch, and run into each other at various clubs from time to time.

Sheryl Cowichan

Gaeatronics Engineer – Human, Female, 26

Sheryl is part of the Salish tribe, and one of the elite cadre of fusion engineers that works Gaeatronics’ reactors. She’s also a techno-tribal dance-goddess that rarely spends a night alone – sometimes not alone at all. On more than a few of those nights, it’s been you. She’s also got a pretty good voice, and she’s laid down a few vocal tracks that you use when you’re spinning. She comes into Seattle at least once a month, and tends to check in with you to find out the best place to go.

Daniel “Snags” Heron

Smuggler – Ork, Male, 41

Snags is a good guy to know. At a rave a few years back in Salish-Sidhe about six years ago, things went kind of ugly. There were a lot of drugs and things running around, and you had a little contraband of your own on you (you were meeting a fence…in addition to taking your turn spinning) – needless to say, being caught would have been very embarrassing. Snags – who’d helped set the rave up in the first place – helped get you and a couple of other people out, let you lay low at his place in Cascade Ork lands, and got you back across the border without a hitch. Snags got his name because he managed to shatter one tusk as a kid…and he really doesn’t like being called “Snaggletooth.”

Atomic Underpants

Troll Techno/Metal/Industrial Band

A local favorite in the Redmond and Puyallup areas, this is not a band for the faint-of-heart, or those without sound dampeners. This is weapons-grade metal. Then again, hearing is not a key thing for this group. It’s mostly enthusiasm, anger, and on-stage antics. A lot of fun, really. You were their “sound engineer” back when they first got together (and could still hear). You earned their respect by wrapping Josh (the drummer’s) horns up in one of the cables and living to tell the tale. You don’t see what they were upset about – it cleaned up the interference.

Foment

Elven Trance-Band

Foment is a sneaky group. Everybody expects some sort of nice, birds-and-waterfalls trance euphoria group…and that’s what Foment starts up with. Then, as soon as everybody gets nice and relaxed, they unleash a torrent of some of the best dance music out there. They don’t tour nearly enough for your taste, and they’ve had some rough times in TT (one of them got arrested a year or so ago), but they’ve still got it. You heard one of their gigs in Portland years ago, and helped set them up with a few more in Seattle.

Cyphus

Techno Band/DJ – Human, ?, 29

Cyphus is either brilliant, a hack, or a pretentious bastard. Depends on who you talk to. Personally, it’s mostly the former, with a touch of the latter. The guy is great to listen to – he plugs into his equipment, and he improvises some truly amazing jazz-inspired tracks. Great stuff, but he refuses to record it, saying that what he does is “tap into the gestalt of the venue and caress the music from its depths. To record it would rob the listener of the experience.” Whatever. Still, Cyphus does know how to work a club, and you try not to miss his rare performances. And he once told an interviewer he considered your work one of his inspirations. So he’s obviously not completely full of drek.

Muses of Woe

Female Industrial/ProgRock Band

You helped this quintet together, and you always get invited to their shows…and to help setup their equipment…and to help takedown afterward…and to do remixes…and to help set up gigs. And it’s all worth it. These ladies actually have a chance to go somewhere – they’ve got the sound, they’ve got the attitude, and they’ve definitely got the – ahem – physical assets to catch the public eye.

Lisha “Uzima” Raisa

Azanian DJ – Elf, Female, 42

Uzima (it means invigoration…or something like that) is one of the most beautiful women you know, and that is saying something. She’s about seven feet tall, and has a face that biosculpt just can’t buy. You met her when she was in Seattle spinning a few years back and really hit it off. You keep in touch from time to time – she’s a great source for new sounds and rhythms. She keeps trying to get you to come down to Cape Town, but you haven’t really had the chance.

Ulricka van Dyk

DJ – Human, Female, 37

van Dyk is one of the hottest acts out of Europe these days, and you knew her (very well) back when she was just scraping by in the Frankfurt club circuit years ago. You’ve drifted apart, but you still swap tracks back and forth. Last time she was in town she made sure you came to hear. She also taught you how to pop your first maglock – though you doubt she does that sort of thing much anymore.

Mariko Hitsuma

Art Dealer – Human, Female, 48

Mariko is part of a small art import/export business that runs between Seattle and Japan. She does a lot of traveling, going from place to place checking out the local art scene. She’s a casual clubber that you’ve known since she came to Seattle three years ago. She’s also not above asking for certain pieces to be acquired under less-than-legal circumstances. She’s not one for mixing business and pleasure, so that ended a rather enjoyable relationship, but there aren’t any hard feelings.

SnAkebOi

Decker – ?, Male?, ?

You’re not entirely sure where SnAkebOi lives. You’re pretty certain that he is an ex-Aztlaner hiding somewhere from Aztechnology. He now makes a living doing decking and programming work in the UCAS. You know how to contact him via the Matrix. You’ve turned to him to provide a little assistance in a few jobs before, and he’s been good at what he does.

Steven Marr

Entertainment Mage – Human, Male, 30, Idolator

Steven is a specialist in mood manipulation magics. From general crowd-pleasers to more personal illusions, he’s got it. He’s only a moderately good DJ, but when he starts slinging mojo, it can make for one hell of a mindtrip. You’ve worked together occasionally, which has been a lot of fun. You also know that he doesn’t do that sort of thing for a living…you can only guess as to what his “day” job is like, but you’re guessing it isn’t even vaguely legal.

Huyana

Shasta Shaman – Human, Female, 33, Owl Shaman

Huyana is one of your close friends, and it’s something that even strikes you as a little bit odd. You have very little in common, and she isn’t into the club scene as much. That is, of course, how you met, but while you might have been in the Penumbra to have a little fun, her business there was strictly business. On the other hand, she’s a knockout in leather (even more so when she’s not in leather), and being an Owl shaman, she knows how to have fun in the dark. It’s not all pleasure between you two, as she has occasionally turned to you for some B&E jobs. You’ve had an on-and-off relationship with her for years, but it wasn’t until recently you worked out that she was one of Hestaby’s shamans. She’s in and out of Seattle (presumably spending the other half of her time at Mt. Shasta in NoCal), and you see her at least once a month in a club somewhere, carefully watching the crowds from some dark corner.

Jan “Dutch” Alqvist

Fence – Human, Male, 51

Dutch is a good guy to know – if you’ve got something to sell, he knows who wants to buy. He is an absolutely evil negotiator, but he’s got the contacts to move anything from chips to juggernaut corpses (no, really, the man has actually moved an Awakened armadillo the size of a destroyer…he’s famous for it). In the grand scheme of things, the kind of stuff you move through him is rather small, but he’s a one-man shop for what you’ve got, be it jewelry, high-end sim-decks or designer chemicals. Rumor also has it that he isn’t above dabbling in a little organ-legging, but you haven’t had the courage to ask.

Quan Liou

Evo Media Relations – Human SURGE, Female, 29

Quan is an absolutely lovely young woman – or at least, she used to be. When the Comet came by last year, she was one of the first victims of SURGE. Now she’s a bit more…exotic. The tail does provide for some interesting options, but the horns are a bit creepy (or extremely sexy according to some). She’s also got a set of spikes growing down her spine, which is just murder on the sheets. She does her best to trim them every morning, but they invariably grow back overnight. It’s not done any favors for her career, and while Evo is more enlightened than most, she’s been shuffled off to behind-the-scenes work. Her hopes for a career in the in-house entertainment part of the corp dashed, she’s definitely become what you’d call a disgruntled employee – if not downright bitter. She used to hang out at the Inferno a lot, which is where you met. Her partying has taken on a bit of a desperate air, and you’ve taken to keeping an eye out on her to make sure she doesn’t get herself in too much trouble. 

John “Spanik” Tolbert

Ares Bodyguard – Dwarf, Male, 40

Spanik (you have no idea where he got the handle) is probably the most dangerous man you know. He’s also the shortest, which means he is very hard to spot in a crowd. Which is also why he is so good at what he does – somebody trying to wax or nab his charge often doesn’t even know he’s there until they suddenly find themselves permanently deprived of their knees. When an Ares exec decides to have a night on the town, Spanik is going to be there, and he is probably going to be there early and stay late. He’s quite the ladies man (you know what they say, “Once you’ve had dwarf…”) and dance hall junky, so he tends to mix his work and his play. You’ve gotten to know him over the years, and it’s gotten to the point that he makes sure that he gets assigned some kind of detail whenever you are spinning. Great guy to knock back a few drinks with, and definitely not one you want to frag with. He knows eight ways to kill a man with a cocktail glass, and three of the ones you’ve seen are on your list of least favorite ways to have your ticket punched.

Chesed

Assassin/Mage – Elf (Albino), Female?, 35?

Now this is a lady to make your blood run cold. Or rather, she makes other people’s blood run cold. You once watched a guy make a pass at her in the Penumbra and actually be reduced to tears. That was a challenge to you of course, and you didn’t make much progress until she almost killed you while you were crawling the rooftops. She was in the middle of a job while you were finishing one and she almost took your head off with a sword. She evidently gained enough respect in your abilities to talk to you. While you had a bit of relationship for a while, she wasn’t the kind that was ever friendly. She’s a close second to Spanik in terms of lethality. The one time she and Spanik met was awfully tense. She has a reputation as a very methodical killer – not that she pursues wetwork exclusively, but she has no problem with taking out individuals that don’t live up to her very rigidly defined category of “worthy to let live.” It’s when you realized that was actually how her mind worked that you decided to get out of the relationship. Her handle is Hebrew for “Mercy” – if that doesn’t give you some idea of how messed up she is. She didn’t seem particularly upset, and commented at one point that you lasted longer than most. You’ve even done some work with her once, tracking down some brain-fried ganger who was preying on some girls. She went ape-shit on the guy – what the sword didn’t do the spell did. You doubt there were any bits larger than a grape left over. On the other hand, the only time she doesn’t seem like she is barely in control of a murderous frenzy is on the rare nights when she heads out to clubs.

Mariko Mifune

Geisha – Human, Female, 52

Mariko is the head of a rather exclusive brothel. All told, she has maybe twenty or thirty girls working for her, both in the “House of Jade” and in a more discrete fashion. Her girls are geisha in the classical sense – entertaining women. Prostitutes to be sure, but also conversationalists, performers, musicians and artists. In fact, Mariko sends most of them off to college for at least a few years. She’s a living cliché – the prostitute with a heart of gold. Her girls are well treated, taken care of, and often stay in her employ long after any potential debts have been repaid (and she often lets them go even if they haven’t). Her services are in high demand, particularly amongst the Yakuza and Japanacorp sararimen. She is famous for the quality of her product, her prices and her discretion…and for exacting a long, painful and humiliating (if not downright lethal) vengeance on anyone who abuses her girls. Which is how you know her, as she has procured your services to obtain (or place) incriminating evidence on her enemies. You also keep an eye out on her girls when they are being escorts at the various clubs around town as a favor to Mariko. As you figure it, doing favors for Mariko is a good thing in general. You’ve also had the pleasure of the company of one of her ladies as a favor…though you think it may have been more of a favor for Akiko than for you. But…you are biased. Mariko looks upon you as one of her lost sons (then again, she treats most people that way) and is always good to let you hide at her place if you need too.

Hugo Quezada

LoneStar Detective – Human, Male, 42

Hugo is the son of parents who fled Mexico during the rise of Aztechnology, and is passionately proud of his heritage, and wrathful against the “destroyers of the land of my forefathers.” He’s a homicide detective with LoneStar™, and a good one at that. He’s also (like so many of your other friends) a club junky. He’s your main source for tracks coming out of the underground music industry in Aztlan and the Yucatan. When he’s not obsessing about politics he’s a lot of fun to be around. He’s also not above looking the other way about your hobby, having arranged for certain evidence implicating you in a murder case to disappear (you’d broken into the target’s house a few weeks earlier to…take his daughter out for a night on the town…good times). 

Hellene Riddle

Society Reporter – Human, Female, 31

Hellene is your absolute worst critic – she has panned your skills to your face on more than one occasion. You’d hate her for it if it weren’t for the fact that her critiques were valid…and that she didn’t do it in print. In fact, her first review of you was quite flattering, especially when you consider that you hadn’t slept with her yet. Journalistic ethics or something like that prevented her from having “too intense a relationship with the subject.” Which was a real shame because, as Spanik put it, “She’s a hotty, boy. Hell, I think I’m going to go find a stepladder to get a better view of that.” This was years ago, and while she may be a lot more jaded now, she’s also a hell of a lot more fun. She takes her job as society reporter quite seriously, almost as seriously as she pursues mixing business with pleasure. You know when you get a call from Hellene, it’s going to be a fun night. And that you are going to have to cancel your appointments for the next day as you will either be still partying, hung over, sore, or some mix of the three. You’ve been to some truly high-class soirées in some extremely exclusive clubs (even corporate-only), and been to some of the most expensive restaurants, all on her tab. Of course, she makes you earn it, but that’s another story entirely. Truth be told, you think you may be getting too old for this sort of thing, but Hellene doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

Megden Park

Programmer – Human, Female, 23

Megden is a recent graduate of the University of Washington. She helped pay her way through school by baby-sitting and tutoring for local well-to-do types, including Geist and his sister. She fairly quickly worked out that you and your sister had the mad skill when it came to working with computers, though you don’t think she ever realized quite why. She caused a bit of a stir when she went to Ares after UW, rather than the more typical MCT or Renraku. She’s not entirely pleased with her job – she went from doing school projects on various topics, to having to work in the bottom rung of Ares R&D. She occasionally gives you peeks at what she’s working on. She views in a somewhat maternal way, and has something of a blind eye to you and your sister’s…eccentricities. 

Liz Holzhauer

Civil Servant – Human, Female, 28

Insofar as anybody in government knows, or cares, about you or sister, it’s Liz. Much like with Megden, your eccentric ways and your sister’s plight have brought out a maternal instinct in Liz, who has gone out of her way to keep you from attracting the eye of Child Protective Services, or the more predatory types. It might help that you’ve used your talents to clear up some problems Liz had. A stalking ex-boyfriend finding himself arrested for distributing child pornography. A pestering landlord suitably chastised. A few college loan payments taken care of. Easily done, and increasing the disposition of one of your henchmen will definitely be useful on some future quest. Particularly one that has access to information on all sorts of troubled children…children whose parents might be key figures in a developing plot line. 

Jerome Cormiers

Parts Dealer – Human, Male, 62

Cormiers was once, according to rumor, a captain in the CAS military, which might go a long way to explain his rather extensive scarring, and rather out of date implants. According to rumor, he took a Aztlan grenade in Texas back during the war. You don’t believe a word of it – it would have taken something far heavier to drop Cormiers. You’re guessing a Gauss Rifle. At close range. You aren’t entirely sure why Cormiers ended up in Seattle, and he’s intimidating enough that you really don’t want to ask. On the other hand, he’s got a fantastic shop of toys and electrical gizmos, of the kit variety. In your hands, things go somewhat awry from their intended educational purpose. Not that most things in his shop don’t go awry in general. 

Ramon Carbajal

Mercenary – Human, Male, 45

You know Ramon back from the Yucatan. He was the staff sergeant for your squad for a year or two when things got nasty. He helped hold the team together when the mana storms started happening and all the magical support went toxic. He retired soon after, but he’s better connected into Aztechnology than you are. These days he does contract and consulting work various mercenary outfits, and spends a lot of time traveling. He’s good for intel, advice and material support, but he’ll charge you for it. He’s got similar emotional problems to yours. His drug of choice is the old classic – alcohol. It’s put a serious strain on your relationship, so he may not give you the kind of discount you might have hoped for, but he’s still a valuable resource. Just not as valuable as things could have been.

Pavel “Garçon” Myasischev

Vory Lieutenant – Human, Male, 27

If you weren’t a fomorian that could make his head explode with a thought, Myasischev might scare you a bit.  He is not a nice man, even by Vory standards.  He has a coldly vicious temper combined with a sadistic reputation that makes people very cautious around him.  He got his nickname (and his reputation) when he was just starting out in the Vory at a young age.  A customer at a restaurant mistook him for a waiter…and things didn’t end well.  It took DocWagon two days to extract the forks from the poor bastard’s face.  Only his good friends can call him Garçon without (much) worry, and he doesn’t have many good friends.  He can also be extremely charming when he needs to be, as several of his recuperating ex-girlfriends will tell you.  On the other hand, he’s well placed within the Vory, and knows the value of a good spellslinger in his line of work.  Over the past few months, you’ve helped him and his crew move a few items unobserved across the border with some well timed spells and astral overwatch support.

Chester Zandraskk

Skaacha Ganger – Ork, Male, 40

Chester is getting up in years for an ork, and he’s not at all happy about it.  In fact, he’s pretty damn bitter about it.  He’s lived a hard life, carved out a niche for himself in the Underground, and a mean enough reputation that his place within the Skaacha is pretty secure.  And what have all his struggle and scars gotten him?  A life expectancy he can count on one hand.  So he’s done what any self-respecting ork looking at a quickly-approaching expiration data would do – he’s crawled into a bottle.  Actually, he’s crawled into a whole lot of bottles, and quite a few kegs.  In the process he has discovered two things: new livers are cheaper than you’d think, and that he really has a fondness Georgian beer.  It’s actually how you met, as you were tracking down a supply of the old home brews and spirits, and ran into Chester.  He’s introduced you to the gang, and has taken you to some of the best bars in the Underground, and you’ve done some exceptionally heavy drinking.

Kyle O’Dare

Lone Star Beat Cop – Human, Male, 56

Roy is a born and bread cop. His father was a beat cop when the world changed. His mother was a detective. Even his grandfather worked the Seattle Force back when Seattle was just a state. Must be the breeding, because Roy loves being a cop, and he’s good at it. His excellence is why he’s not been promoted – he gets in trouble with management a little too often. “Not a team player,” “inflexible,” “doesn’t obey management directives.” Which is all a nice way of saying that he has a habit of telling his bosses exactly what their problem is, in terms that involve unlikely combinations of orifices and appendages. He’s no fanatic, but he just can’t stand it when the strong exploit the weak…and sometimes, it’s LoneStar that’s strong. You’ve known Roy since you joined the force. He showed you the ropes before you became a detective, and was one of your best assets in the force when you were a detective. He’s not happy that you left the force, but he understands why, and he knows that you are on the right side of the right, if not the law.

Cirkos Novikov

Fixer – Human, Male, 43

For all that Cirkos runs a fantastic pub, and for all his microbrews are tasty as hell (and may not actually have any soy or krill in them), you haven’t met anyone that into ponies that wasn’t a 6-year-old girl. You are fairly certain that had Cirkos been born in North America, he would be have become a “pink skin,” trying to be a plains Indian in Pueblo or Sioux. Probably a pretty good one too, all things considered. Alas for poor Cirkos, he was born in Vladivostok. At least he had the good sense to come to Seattle, and he’s never quite made it over the border to Salish-Sidhe. Instead, he’s plugged himself into the black market of the metroplex, and become one of the better movers of illicit goods and information out there – and he’s managed to stay mostly clear of the Vory as well. Observing how much of his cut was involved in paying for setting up meets and paying for drinks in various night clubs and bars, he decided to cut out the middleman, and open a place for himself. The result is “O’Malley’s,” and it is quite nearly the perfect bar. Decent food, great beer, good-looking waitresses, just this side of seedy, plenty of shadowy booths and back rooms, and a few strategically placed mirrors so that from just about anywhere, you can see who is coming in the door. While the shadows have largely ignored the place (not glitzy enough for the wanna-be’s) but for those in the know, there aren’t many better spots for a discrete liaison. There are a few too many paintings of horses, statues of horses, horsehair hangings, and bits and bridles on the wall, but between the easy-access back door and the troll-sized windows in the bathroom, you’re willing to cut him some slack. As much as it pains you to admit it, the saddles on the bar stools are pretty damn comfy too.

Tiny

Bartender – Troll, Male, 34

According to rumor, Tiny’s outrageous Southern twang may actually be legitimate. According to rumor, he actually has a Master’s in Fine Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design. According to said rumor, a successful discrimination lawsuit against a marketing firm in Atlanta means that Tiny doesn’t really need to ever work again. You don’t generally put too much stock in rumor, but Tiny does generally have a few paintings on the wall in his pub, Vickery Park, and he claims they’re his. You assumed that Vickery Park was doing well because, being one of the biggest, scariest trolls you’ve ever seen, he doesn’t have the usual expense of hiring a bouncer. That, and his roast-beef sandwich is a genuine work of culinary art and probably the best on the west coast. You always though the manager was pretty subservient to Tiny because of Tiny’s intimidating bulk – but it could be because the manager actually works for Tiny. Vickery Park is a favorite hangout for metas, due to a combination of Tiny’s generous hospitality, the troll and dwarf friendly fixtures and furniture, and the troll-sized servings of the aforementioned sandwich. The humans (and rare) elves that come to Tiny’s establishment learn pretty quickly to be on their best behavior – Tiny has some pretty impressive range when he throws someone out his door…or through his windows. The service might not be quite as speedy with a human or an elf either, but the smart ones don’t complain.

Anders Bergström

Ork Ganger – Ork, Male, 21

Anders, is a classic case of a guy having just enough brains to get himself in hot water. Anders is also a great example of really good guy getting chewed up and swallowed by life in the Barrens. Smart, dedicated, with an actual code of honor worthy of the name, but next to no education, and not a chance in hell of escaping. Still, he’s managed to do quite well with the shitty hand the Great Ghost dealt him. He joined the Crimson Crush as soon as he was old enough, and quickly established a reputation as a tough, smart operator – willing and able to use just the right amount of violence to solve problems. You’ve known Anders for years, and have actually kept an eye out for him from time to time. Gangers like Anders actually make the Barrens a better place. The problem is, Anders is young, and he’s not used to delegating to his newly acquired underlings. You’ve exchanged favors enough that you’ve been able to provide some advice. Only time will tell if it takes. Even if it does, that’s no guarantee that he won’t end up in rotting corpse in a ditch. Which will be a great pity.

Randall Donovan

Bureaucrat – Dwarf, Male, 62

The worst pain in your hide you had when you were with the Star were the nit-picking desk jockeys. That and the racist bastards in management. Thankfully, Randall was neither. For all that he spent most of his time pushing paper, he had his eye on the prize, and if some rule or another meant that cops and detectives weren’t able to do their jobs, that rule got ignored. Mind you, the reason Randall hasn’t found himself a the wrong end of an Internal Affairs investigation is probably because one of those rules he’s willing to ignore is “don’t compile blackmail material on your superiors.” Besides helping wipe the record of your more useful implants, Randall isn’t above slipping you suspect records and case files – but it had better be for a good cause.

Malcolm “Mal” Walker

Weapons Dealers – Human, Male, 39

Never has a dishonorable discharge from the UCAS Army been so richly and thoroughly deserved as it was by Sergeant Walker. Fortunately for you and others in your profession, being removed from the logistical supply chain of the UCAS armed forces did little to curb his ability to divert munitions as they wend their way through the UCAS military’s labyrinthine logistics network. The only effect that his discharge has had is, if anything, to increase the selection of wares he has on offer, and the size of his clientelle. You have no idea how he does it, and you are fairly certain he would murder you if you did, but he has a remarkable talent for getting things that you really shouldn’t have. It just takes a while for the paperwork to go through.

The Hornets

Third-Tier Gang, Puyallup Barrens

A third-tier (at best) gang, the Hornets are “your” gang. The Hornets are one of dozens of gangs that operate in the Puyallup area. Not so much a syndicate as a commune, the Hornets chief objective was, and is, survival for it’s two dozen or so members. Leadership, such as it is, falls to whoever brings the most creature comforts to the rest of the gang. The Hornets don’t have the resources to run any particular rackets, and mostly focus on small time extortion and muscle work – protection money, the occasional carjacking…the usual. While not so much a part of the gang anymore, you left on good terms, and represent one of the gang’s success stories: somebody that got out and is making their way in the world. Heck, most of them think it’s cool that they know an honest-to-ghost shadowrunner.

The Cutters

Mid-Tier Seattle Gang

The Cutters managed to stage a comeback from nearly getting wiped out as one of Seattle’s top gangs almost twenty years ago. Exactly what happened isn’t clear, and the present-day members don’t like to talk about it (plus most of them weren’t even members at the time). The gang’s businesslike structure allowed them to rebuild and recruit new members, some of whom worked to climb the ladder to positions of leadership. The Cutters are primarily involved in smuggling, protection rackets, and “freelance security work,” which usually means acting as hired muscle.

The Seattle Cutters went through a turnover again recently when the gang’s current leader, Ivan “the Terrible” Janovich came to power. Ivan has the Cutters working closely with the Seattle Vory lately, which is unusual since it’s pretty clear the Vory had the gang’s previous leader, Vladimir, killed. This suggests that Vladimir wasn’t willing to play ball, but Ivan is. It will be interesting to see how the other chapters of the gang react to the Vory’s apparent attempt to co-opt the chapter in Seattle.

Yuki is an ex- member of the gang in good standing. She was good enough at the “freelance security work” that she decided to strike out on her own. Successful so far, she still does odd jobs as needed for the Cutters, providing some additional muscle when needed…and some pyrotechnics when called for.

Scott Baylis

Owner of Daddio’s Jazz Club – Human, Male, 54

(See page 62, NAGNA) Scott knows Adam as a friendly patron of his bar who is generally one of the first people to step in when somebody gets a bit rowdy – often before his own bouncers. First round is on the house.

Shelley Goetzinger

Owner of Tanaya’s – Elf, Female, 46

Tanaya’s has become far more upscale than it used to be, and has taken on an additional metahuman flavor. It is extremely pricey, and generally has a weeklong waiting list. Byron helped persuade a few customers once to take their trouble elsewhere. “Ms. Shel” is quite grateful, and has enough perception to realize that Byron is not all he appears to be.

Opal Wickliffe

CAS Diplomat/EW Specialist – Human, Female, 30

Byron met Opal in the training program for DSI. They struck up a professional friendship. Opal is now officially an attaché with the CAS embassy in Seattle. In reality she handles much of the electronic surveillance performed by the CAS in the city, as well as electronic warfare operations when needed. Opal is aware that Byron is no longer with the DSI, but they’ve exchanged emails on a few occasions since then.

Ronald “Ron” Cinclair

Systems Engineer – Dwarf, Male, 28

Ron once found himself in an extremely uncomfortable position on an op in PCC, and Byron helped get him out of trouble. For this Ron is extremely grateful, but his gratitude is offset by his discomfort that Byron is no longer part of DSI. Still, he’ll help out as he can.

Lisa Okland

Spy – Human, Female, 34

Lisa is extremely beautiful – and that’s only one of the tools she uses in the field. Her specialty is in blackmail operations against people vulnerable to such attacks (married men are her typical targets). Byron had the distinct pleasure of providing technical support a few years back for a particularly complicated project in Boston. He keeps the videos on a back shelf.

Adres Carranza

ERLA Agent – Human, Male, 33

Andres is one of the craziest people Byron ever met in the ERLA. The man has an insane hatred for all things Aztechnology, and spends most of his time in the field causing lots of grief to Aztech’s industrial base – even if he’s only supposed to be observing manufacturing practices. Andres was Byron’s handler/partner each time he was in Aztlan proper. Byron knows a couple of Andres’ more secretive secondary drops, and could reach him if he needed. 

Cecil Furjanic

DSI Field Agent – Human, Male, 41, Physical Adept

Cecil is the DSI’s chief field officer in the Boston area. He has placed dozens of agents over the years and is quite famous in the halls of the DSI. Byron once helped him set up an electronic drop format that has yet to be compromised. 

Mike Turano

Travel Agent – Troll, Male, 35

Mike is exactly what he appears to be – a troll travel agent. He lives a very quiet life in Atlanta, very quietly arranging some very nice holidays for his wealthy & loyal clientele. He specializes in “discrete arrangements” – mainly for celebrities looking to avoid paparazzi, but it’s useful for other purposes as well. Byron has arranged several trips over the past several years through Mike.

Kenya Barns

Stockbroker – Human, Female, 46

Kenya is a broker with Citybank’s Atlanta Stock Exchange office. You got to know her once at the request of ERLA, who suspected that the office had been “compromised.” It turned out that they hadn’t, but you’ve kept in touch with one of the contact points in the company ever since. You exchange tips regarding stock prices. Kenya has picked up that deal in some quasi-legal information but she is smart (and ambitious) enough

Dr. Seethalaksmhi “Seetha” Chandreshekhar

Polymers Researcher – Human, Female, 39

Dr. Chandreshekhar is a polymers and materials researcher at Georgia Tech, currently working on a TI funded research project. She is not entirely thrilled by the corporate dominance of research at GIT, but if what’s she has to do to get the grants she’ll do it. Byron got to know Seetha as part of TI’s “background check” before they approved the job. Byron arranged for them to meet by chance through a single’s service. After a few dates (and Byron cleared her for TI), the relationship fizzled, but they are “still friends.”

Dr. Krissy Yamamoto

Oak Ridge Researcher – Human, Female, 32

Dr. Yamamoto is in physicist heaven – lots of money, really big toys, and a mandate to work on something that goes “boom!” She is a researcher at the Oak Ridge Research Facility (the CAS equivalent of Dreamland), whose specialty is advanced electromagnetic theory. Byron got to know Krissy during a counter-intelligence operation back in his DSI days. She’s not very security conscious, and Byron has picked up a fair amount of info just listening to her talk. Plus, she thinks it’s cool to be friends with an “honest-to-God shadowrunner” and has offered to help with “the biz” if he ever needs it.

Randolph “Randy” Faulkner

Airport Owner/Operator – Human, Male, 53

Randy is one of the tower crew for Arlington airport – and used to have a gambling problem. He managed to work his debts off to the Mafia, but has become thoroughly corrupted in the process. If you need something smuggled into or out of the Dallas metroplex, Randy is your man. For a very reasonable fee. Byron has arranged for a few shipments via Arlington without incident, and Randy’s reputation on the streets is quite good, if not well advertised.

Darren Pierce

Mercenary – Human, Male, 39

Darren has been there and done that – where “there” is Aztlan, and “that” is shooting stuff for money. One of Byron’s more spectacular missions in Aztlan territory involved both Andres and Darren – subtlety was (thankfully) not a key mission requirement. Darren has always been freelance, but Andres used him from time to time when some more firepower was needed. Darren spent the last four years or so in the wilds of the Yucatan, working for the Yucatan rebels (at discounted prices no less). The events of the past year or so in the Yucatan were just too much. Between getting nearly killed by defoliant toxins – not to mention the stuff that came after the bioweapons – Darren has decided to retire from the merc life, and has retired as a (bad) barkeep in the Birmingham area. While he was in the Yucatan, Byron occasionally facilitated some weapons and supply deals, and they still keep in touch.

Solano Lazo

Decker – Human, Male(?), 28

Byron is not entirely sure where Solano lives. He’s pretty certain that Solano is an ex-Aztlaner hiding somewhere from Aztechnology. He now makes a living doing decking and programming work in the CAS. Byron knows how to contact Solano via the Matrix, and first learned about him from a DSI briefing. Byron has contracted Solano for work in the past, and he has been very reliable. Solano knows very little about Byron.

Kenneth Holland

Forger & Decker – Ork, Male, 45

Ken is an accomplished document forger who lives in Cobb County, Georgia. His specialty is in procuring false identifications along with the data-trail to back them up. He doesn’t necessarily do the decking himself, but it’s rumored he has some interesting connections in the Bureau of State. Byron has used Ken in the past, and Ken has a strict “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding his clientele.

Alicia Gutierrez

Politician – Human, Female, 33

Alicia is an aide to the senator from Texas, Cerissa Talladino. Mrs. Talladino is a member of the True American Coalition, and one of the founders of the Democratic Reformed Party, and has just started serving out her third term in office. She does not have much seniority, but has significant clout within the DRP. The Senator sits on the Defense Appropriations, Transportation and ERLA Oversight committees. Alicia is one of Mrs. Talladino’s senior advisors, and her chief political strategist. Alicia has a strategic sense that is almost terrifying to encounter. She is entirely aware that Byron is a former DSI agent and currently operating as a freelancer, and actually sought out contact with him a few months after his “discharge.” On two separate occasions in the past, she has used his services to corroborate (or disprove) evidence brought before the senator.

Nicola Forberger

Reporter – Ork, Female, 32

Former reporter for “newsFAXday,” and has done a fair amount of research and reporting on Aztlan civil war and general Aztlan/Aztechnolodgy affairs. The butchery of her articles caused her to defected to Atlanta Journal. She’s not entirely welcome in Aztlan in anymore, and she’s got of a bit of a rep as a crusader, but she’s really good. They used to exchange information in Byron’s tenure with the DSI, and that exchange has continued since Byron went freelance. Nicola is aware of his career change, but hasn’t commented much on it. Nicola is currently operating out of New Orleans, monitoring smuggling and shadow ops in, out and through Aztlan territory.

Barbara Oester

LoneStar Detective – Human, Female, 34

Barb is a mid-ranking detective in Lone Star. She is an investigator in the Homicide division for the D/FW metroplex. She hasn’t adjusted entirely well to being incorporated, but is otherwise content to chase down bad guys. Byron and her “happened to run into each other” a year or so ago, and struck up a friendship. She is aware that Byron is involved in some shady stuff, but he seems the decent sort. He’s provided a tip for her on occasion, and she’s had him investigate a suspect or two she couldn’t get a warrant for.

Stanley Green

Matrix Engineer – Human, Male, 43

Stan is a network configuration/maintenance engineer with NovaTech. He handles the maintenance and configuration of the CO’s across Texas. He used to be with Fuchi, but when it broke apart, his division was gobbled up by NovaTech. He’s not much into corporate politics, and being a lower-manager means that he doesn’t often have to get involved in it – but it does give him plenty to grumble about. Byron made contact with Stanley back in Byron’s military days when he was part of a group checking on the stability of the network, and it’s resistance to military disruption. Since then, they occasionally meet over beers and gripe about things. Stan knows that Byron is out of the military and has gone freelance. He thinks that Byron does some private installation work and the like for various small corps and businesses. Byron also happens to know that sending three kids to college and alimony payments has put an awful strain on Stan’s finances, and Stan has hinted that he’d be willing to do some “favors” in exchange for reasonable payments.

Alyia Nasreen

CNN News Producer – Elf, Female, 32

A program manager/producer at CNN, Alyia handles production of the 5-minute stories that make up a typical evening’s newscast. She typically handles domestic/corporate news stories, but occasionally does international stories when needed by the program. A graduate of Emory’s journalism school, she got to know Byron when she was producing a story on the military deployments in Texas. Since then, she and Byron have kept in touch on a friendly basis – he was invited to her wedding a few years ago. She knows that Byron took a government job when he got out of the military, but she doesn’t know anything beyond that. No professional favors have been exchanged.

Alexandra Ashenhart

Actress – Human, Female, 29

Alexandra has two outstanding attributes (not those two, but they are nice) – she is a naturally gifted actress, and she is quite beautiful. Alas, those attributes do not also include intelligence or wisdom. She is charming in an empty, self-centered sort of way. However, she is a good actress, and has made a career of playing trideo femme fatales that are in stark contrast to her real personality. She met Byron while doing research for a part in a series (still running) where she is supposed to play an evil shadowrunner. She decided to go to Mario’s Gourmet Mexicano, and study the real thing in action. The short version of the story is that she ended up hitting on Byron, who had arranged a meet there. Ever since, she calls Byron every week or so to arrange a date – and to pester him with questions about how real people in the “biz” behave. It took Byron a few months, but he can now hear himself be introduced as “my boyfriend, the shadowrunner” without flinching. Fortunately, most of her social circle assumes she is being her usual flippant self – at worst they think that Byron is her bodyguard. She’s even arranged for him to come on set at the Los Colinas studios once or twice to watch her perform. You dread the day that you’ll see yourself listed in the credits as “Underworld Consultant.” 

Azmal Chowdhury

Lawyer – Human, Male, 46

Azmal is Byron’s personal attorney, a junior partner in the firm Lambert, Locke and Bendini. LL&B is a firm with a solid reputation for money-laundering, a fact that has made them often used by DSI and ERLA operatives. A number of Azmal’s clients are “qausilegal professionals,” and he has no problem with that really. His specialty is finance, and he has helped Byron set up a number of blind accounts and the like, as well as providing legal advice on quasilegal activities. Azmal is not a courtroom attorney, but should things ever come to that, LL&B has trial attorneys on its staff. Rates are not cheap – around 400¥ an hour – but it’s worth it. LL&B’s offices are located in Memphis.

Captain Jeremy Tatum

Soldier – Human, Female, 39

Captain Jeremy Tatum is a logistics officer in CAS military, head of supply for the 10th Armored Calvary Regiment which is based just northwest of Austin. Captain Tatum was a key figure in the DSI exposing an Aztlan traitor in the military supply command several years ago. As one of the agents working the case, you worked a lot with Captain Tatum, and you struck up a good friendship. As an officer stationed on the hottest border in North America, Tatum has access to the standard military gear employed by the CAS. He has no problem “losing” some supplies for a friend, as long as he can be certain it will be used in a cause for the good of the Confederacy – i.e. against Aztlan (a common mode of thinking in the Armed Forces). He knows that you got out of the DSI, but he also knows you still do work against Aztlan from time to time.

Don Miguel “Caesar” Chavez

Crime Lord – Human, Male, 61

Don Miguel is the head of Mafia operations in the DFW area (see UWS, pg 36). Their primary activities center around control of shipping in, out and through Dallas – very lucrative considering Dallas is the prime link to Aztaln, the NAN, CFS and the FRFZ in the CAS. A year and half ago, you helped clear up a bit of a mess involving his youngest son, in a particularly quiet and thorough manner. A few competitors to the family (likely Yakuza, but it still isn’t clear) arranged for a young woman that the son was dating to die in a very suspicious fashion while out on a date in a distressingly public location. The son was nearly apopleptic – they had arranged for significant bruising to appear on the girl, and had framed the son extremely well. The daughter also happened to be the granddaughter of one of the Don’s lieutenants so the Don was most interested in clearing up the matter without using internal work. You managed to transport the body, arrange for entirely different circumstances surrounding her death, and used your contacts in Lone Star to make sure the investigation didn’t even start looking to the Don’s son. (Certain disappearances in the underworld a month or two later indicated that the Don took care of justice on his own.) The details of the affair are not at all public knowledge. What is public knowledge is that Don Chavez thinks highly of you, and the local Mafiosi all treat with you with appropriate respect. You have taken care not to become associated with Mob any more than that, which the Don also respects, but you are a known resource to them.

Mark Brightman

Street Samurai – Human, Male, 32

Mark Brightman holds the rank of Colonel in the CAS Delta Force (now attached to the DSI) and was one of you instructors during your formal training with the DSI. He is probably the most dangerous man you’ve ever met. He prefers non-confrontational solutions if it all possible, but his ability to use overwhelming force when things go wrong has earned him three commendations for valorous service during some very high-pressure situations. He was originally impressed by your cool head in pressure in situations, and took a special interest in your career. Brightman was the one who started the process of you getting skill-wired – his opinion being that there is simply no way for one agent to be able to master all the skills he may need in the field. Better to get people who have the intelligence and flexibility to work in high-pressure situations, and then give them the skills they need. Once training was complete, the two of you stayed in touch as much as possible, and have maintained a good working friendship. You aren’t entirely certain if Colonel Brightman knows about your current status with the DSI, but when last you spoke, he specifically mentioned that if you needed help, he’d do what he could.