Public Liberty Scene 1: Saving Liberty

[NezMaster]

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For speed of play I've made some assumptions here, such as Tempest sharing her information with the organizaton leaders, and Arsenal sharing his expertise. If I was somehow incorrect in those assumptions (?) I'd be a bit surprised, but happy to retcon if neccesary.

It is very early the next day when the Public Liberty recruits are summoned to a warehouse in the business district of Chicago. The empty building used to be a slaughterhouse once not so long ago, and despite having borne several incarnations since, the stench of decay and feces still lingers in the walls, however faintly.

Once everyone has arrived a very young man either in his late teens or early twenties stands before you, along with the attorney you saw yesterday.

"Greetings Everyone. Thanks for coming after the long night we all had. I'm sorry but it's important that we act in haste. My name is Brendan Justice. Legally, I'm to inherit my fathers vast fortune, including Public Justice. I'm not actually thrilled about that, believe it or not, but it IS important to me to keep my fathers dream alive.
I'm no adventurer, soldier, or mercenary. It was my intent to become a businessman, simply running the more mundane aspects of my fathers business. I'm probably not much of a leader either. But if you'll give me a chance, I want to give it a try. If you feel a need to leave, or if you plan on challenging my right to the estate, I'll understand completely, and your free to leave. If you are willing to stay and make my father's dream a reality, I feel you are the finest of my fathers recruits, and you may well end up running the show.
So if anyone wants to leave go ahead. If not, I have something i need you to do.

[Spoilers="There is a Long Pause"]
There is a long pause. I'm still making assumptions here (as no ones background should give them reason to challenge Brendan's authority, and I'm pretty sure you want to stay in the game. If you have questions that would be dropped here..state them. If they are answered in teh upcoming text, assume your answer is "I'll tell you that in a moment."
[/Spoiler]

The meeting last night was intended to inform you of an organization known as the Spider. The spider is a network of various crime families, that is not just the families of Chicago, but an international network of excellent resources. Due to the history that gives Chicago such a strong organzied crime presense, we have reason to believe much of the network is headquartered in both here and New York. Following the wake of Capone's arrest a few years ago, they have instilled a new kind of fear in the underworld. We believe they have known enemies Frank Costello of New York, and William "Ghost" Gehrling of Chicago cooperating, as well as fostering some cooperation with the former Capone group. But they are bigger than that.
We believe they have their hands on some governements, and are using government ties to add to thier resources here, as well as aiding the war effort in Germany's behalf. Though there ties are not strong here, that could change, and that is what concerns us.

Tempest managed to rescue my father's file on Spider. He believed that senator Jack Houston has been bought and paid for by members of the Spider, and has his sights set on presidential canidacy. We don't have enough evidence of this to be absolutely certain, so we must proceed with caution.

The file reveals 4 locations that are pottential Spider headquarters. Sadly they are privately owned, and we can't exactly go in with any destruction in mind.. Still it might give us places to watch. I'll have lesser agents watching those location, most of which are simple offices and the like.

Meanwhile there are serious questions about what happened to my father.
Somehow someone managed to get a package up to my fathers penthouse door. We don't know how they got there, and have not had time to do much questioning. We also don't know who it was addressed to exactly, that would cause Pierre to have opened it. Something is amiss. We don't know why Pierre opened a package that was probably not addressed to him. It is not in character for him to do so, though some reports say he had been acting stressed lately, most attribute it to the public light he had found himself in.

Arsenal has Idendtified the explosives Tempest found as english make, but the date and power of the devices indicate they are part of a cache stolen a few months ago. Our sources indicate that the theft was probably the work of German spies.

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Knowledge Check, Explosives 18+3 (int) +5 (Level)+ 2 (circumstance) = 28
Just perfect to learn the origin of where it was stolen from.

 If you are willing, I need you to find out how that package got in the building, why Pierre opened it, and see if you can find out how those exposives got into this country.
I can supply you with equipment if you need it. This warehouse is well stocked, which is why I chose it for our meeting. I will be concentrating on rebuilding, but I need to tell the press something about my fathers murder, so it's important you find out information quickly. If we don't find out who's targeting us, Public Justice will be over before it starts.

Any questions?

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Objectives:
Discover how the package of explosives got into the building.
Discover how they got into the country, and presumably who sent them.
Discover why Pierre opened the package,
Discover why Justice was still in his office instead of the meeting.


Secondary objectives:
Any information you discover about Spider, it's members, it's connections to organized crime, or to Jack Houston would be helpful.

Any one who feels like helping Brendan with the press is free to do so.

Caliber: 3
Threat level: 8
Active Subplots: Enigma, Arsenal, White Rose. Others may become active if appropriate.

Here is a partial list of organized crime figures in the city. Much of the city is still in dispute, despite the powerful Capone having been arrested years ago. Until 1936, he was still running things from prison. At that point he moved to Alcatraz, and things became rather unfocused.

William "(the)" Gardner - Head of the former capone Syndicate
William "Sonny" Sheetz - Operater of "The Big House" In Lake County, just outside of Chicago.
Harry Hymes - Most succesful bookie in Chicago
Paul "Bean" Rica - Head of the newly formed "Adonis" family, former member of  the Capone organization.
Vincent Carlos - Enforcer and loan shark operations. Operates seperately from other families. Son of the deceased Dominic Carlos.
William "Ghost" Gilhelm Called the ghost becuase despite his rather powerful enterprise, few people ever see him. He is the hardest to locate and prosecute of all the crime leaders. It is believed that at least one mercenary has targeted and damaged his operations lately.

[Mister Andersen]

The woman identifying herself as Liberty Smith steeples her fingers together. "As I understand the laws of the western world, you are asking us to act outside them, yes?" Her accent is neither American nor British, but something closer to what one might expect from someone raised in one of the asiatic colonies of that fading empire by one of its scions.

[NezMaster]

Brendan looks confused for a moment as Liberty speaks.

"No. I'm not sure what's given you that impression. We are freelanced as a private investigation group. I want you to find out what's going on. I'm not asking you to take action, and the laws are exactly why we can't just raid suspected spider lairs."

"I won't ask you to break laws. If you choose to do so, i won't want to know about it. That being said, the greater good sometime calls for drastic action."

Brendand tries to remove the look from his face, feeling as if he feels he has committed a great offense. "Oh yes, Liberty, I'm sorry. I forgot to mention, I know my father didn't want you to be a field agent, but I feel he was mistaken in this. I would like you to join the organization, despite my father's misgivings. I hope it's alright that I invited you here. I know he was trying to protect you, but I think your more than capable."

[Mister Andersen]

Liberty cocks her head. "I... understand," she nods in a considered fashion. "However, though not in the manner you believe he meant, I believe your father was correct. I should not be a part of... Public Liberty. Nor should the White Rose."

She turns to face the white clad woman across the table from her. "I doubt that a legitimate enterprise, facing the sort of scrutiny Minister Justice told me this group would be subject to, can afford to be openly associated with a known vigilante such as yourself. You and I should operate in a more clandestine capacity, resurrecting like the Phoenix the aspect of this enterprise once known as Secret Liberty."

[Falkus]

"You make a compelling point," White Rose acknowledged, with a tilt of her head. As Brendan had talked, she had been disassembling and reassembling one of her Colts. A habit that she'd picked up some time ago. She snapped a magazine into the gun, and the slipped into back into her holster. "Especially given that I am wanted for a several counts of murder by the Chicago police. Staying out of the public eye would be ideal for both me, and this organization."

[NezMaster]

Brandon considers the women's points.

"Well ideally, there would be no public eye. Remember, we were secret libery first. But that option was taken from us. If any of you can stay out of the public eye, great. You have my permission to handle your media exposure or lack thereof however you see fit, at least until I can appoint an advisor for that.

As far as vigilantism, I do know that dad had gone on record personally condoning vigilante justice, or as he called it, 'Taking personal action at home' In that we agree. To many people just sit by and do nothng, while terrible things are happening around them, for fear of offending. We need to be proactive.

So again, how you handle your individual media attention is up to you. Who is a member and who isn't is still relatavely well kept under wraps, which is why most of you are using code names. So is that acceptable?"

Brendan looks concerned. He sighs, wondering if he should be more decisive. Ah hell, now he's being indecisive about being indecisive. He takes a deep drink of water as his fathers voice plays in his head. "Part of leading is not leading. Find good people and let them make good choices. Advise, don't lead, except by example.'.

He smiles suddendly and sits up straight again. "I trust you to make the right choices. You were all picked for good reasons. Your the best, but remember, that applies to all of you. work as a team, learn each others strengths and cover each others weaknesses. I'm sure you'll figure out how to handle the press, and any other obstacles in your way."

[Mister Andersen]

Liberty flourishes her right hand. "Mister Justice, on one hand you counsel against taking action and abiding by the laws that prevent Public Liberty raidings suspected Spider lairs." She flourishes her left. "Yet in your next breath, you tell us that we must be pro-active and take personal action. We cannot be casual about this."

Her fingers drum against each other. "Your free press, I am told, put paid to Minister Justice's plans for covert action and forced him into the open. Without the protection of secrecy, the group's only protection was your father's influence, but that protection has fallen with him. Now we are exposed to the scrutiny of the public and those in power, any and all of whom may fall under the direct sway of our enemies or those who seek their own safety in appeasing them, and who will attempt to move the Bureaucracy against us."

She stabs a finger down onto the table. "Public Liberty must become both our new shield and our stalking horse. It must be seen to be abiding by the laws of the West, to act with honour and dignity. It must distract attention from the... necessarily red work... of Secret Liberty and be seen as seperate from the clandestine and illegal actions required to burn the Spider in its web."

[Gatac]

"A newsman has to eat, too," Arsenal says, a new cigarette in his mouth. "We don't pump iron too much, we grease some wheels, it'll be eggs in coffee. How do ya think the families work?"

[Mister Andersen]

"Fear," Liberty answers simply. "Fear attracts the fearful. the strong, the weak, the innocent, the corrupt. Fear is their ally, and we should make it ours."

[NezMaster]

"A newsman has to eat, too," Arsenal says, a new cigarette in his mouth. "We don't pump iron too much, we grease some wheels, it'll be eggs in coffee. How do ya think the families work?"

"Right now the families are still sepearted, still competeing, still trying to see who is strongest. Spider hopes to be the new Capone, only on a larger scale, uniting them again, yes through fear, and mutual interest."

[NezMaster]

"What you propose Liberty is happening after a fashion. But your presense in this core visible group is essential. We have other agents. You are not the whole of the agency. However, whatever your popularity may be, you serve well the functions of this larger more obvious group. I'm not saying you all need to be in the public limelight. Only that I think it would work best if you each work together, particualarly as most of you don't have that much straight field experience per say, nor are you used to working as a team. That's precisely why I think you need to.

"We have other agents that may get things done. I doubt they will get much attention, and like you, much of what they do will be hands off, letting them make thier own decisions. I am not ready at any juncture to recomend actions to any agent, covert or otherwise, that is likely to get us in trouble. Hands off seems teh best approach for deniability.

"I would like, if you would be willing, for you to work with this larger possibly more visible group, at least for now. Both you and White Rose would be getting attention no maatter where we put you. You because of both your nationality, and a rather flashy MO, and White Rose because of recent actions of her choice.
As I said, this group was chosen because they are the best of the best. we have other resources though. You will not be operating in a vaccuum."

"So are you willing to be part of this team, however visible they may be?"

[Mister Andersen]

"The Rose and I share the goals of Minister Justice, but our public association with the group would be detrimental to it and ourselves. What happens to the group if it is revealed you are actively harbouring and abetting a mass murderer? You must either surrender them to your government, or be forced into infamy and outlawry."

She shakes her head, her golden eyes intense. "I know what it is to be part of such a rebel organisation: your desire for socially accomodating outcomes will not be met. I mean you no offence, Mister Justice, but I suspect your father was in recruiting the Rose and myself expressing his desire for an element upon which the necessary excesses of his agenda might be hung and co-ordinated.. Liberty favours each of the gathered individuals with a single sweeping glance, though her gaze lingers on the slender figure of Tempest seated there amongst his fellows.  "Why else bring such discordant women as ourselves into this enterprise of men?

"Logically, had Minister Justice wished a completely open membership, would he not have compelled the Rose to appear without her obfuscating heraldry, as an individual not so obviously associated with her crimes?"

[Sludig]

"Whether aboveboard or underground, we're here to do a job.  Some of us don't have stellar reputations, in fact, Rose isn't the only one with a criminal record."

[foproy]

ladies and gentlemen why are we talking about how to take action, when we should be talking about what action to take. we have enough questions as it is to go off creating more. what i want to know is did anyone one see the man delivering this package?

[MDL]

Tempest shifts uncomfortably in response to Liberty's scrutiny, before responding to Sheppard's comment, "The remnants on the roof were the first I saw of the package."

Turning to Justice, she asks, "Can we get a list of everyone who was supposed to be in the building yesterday...  Someone may have seen the delivery.  For that matter, finding out the last people to see Pierre or your father might help..."