Pork 5 Ways-Hellish Kitchen!

In Frankfurt, Germany, Mr. Black enjoyed eating at The Singapore-a Chinese restaurant (the ONLY one in Frankfurt!) that served a dish called Pork Five Ways-3 types of pork and 2 types of ham in a mild sauce. This new column is similar-a single element or Run concept, served up multiple ways. So heads up chummer, Mr. Black promises you at least 5 ways to pork, but there may be more. This time we have a star chef, a single recipe, and an adventure worth 3 stars (Mr. Black prefers the Michelin grading system.) How many ways can you serve it up?

1. Mr. Johnson needs to stay on the cutting edge. The cutting edge of food and catering that is. He wants the Crew to get the recipe for Chef Solon Greene's Soya Puffs with Krill and Tomato. Solon Greene is the head chef of the Depository on 6th Street, one of the hottest restaurant's in Seattle. There is a tight deadline, as Mr. J's client hoped to have Greene cater a party. Greene is otherwised booked, and the client wants no harm to come to Greene; the client plans on eating at The Depository on 6th Street many times in the future. But the soya puffs are someone's favorite, promises have been made, money talks and so a recipe is needed. Can the Crew break into Solon Greene's test kitchen and pry the recipe free without hurting the chef?

   

   so he is that kind of chef...

2. Uh oh! After successfully getting the recipe, the reason for amazing taste of the dish comes to light. A rare ingredient makes Chef Greene's puff sing. Purple-ribbed fern may be that ingredient. Mr. Johnson is back, and he needs the Crew to go into Ork Sinesereach to get some-and traipsing through Orc held Tribal lands won't be easy, especially with a now even tighter time table. How quickly did the Crew finish the last job? Well, that's how much time is left, and plenty of NuYen rides on a successful outcome. 
3. Mr. Johnson is not taking no for an answer. Solon Greene will be catering the party, whether he wants to or not. The Crew will have to extract Greene, escort him to party location, and keep him there. Keeping a gun to a cook's head is not ideal for turning out 3-star food, but the Crew is going to do what they have to do to make sure Soya Puffs with Krill and Tomato happen for 200 people.
   
4. Mr. Johnson needs a softer touch. He wants the other booking disrupted. Chef Greene is catering at NuFoods Seattle 2075 at the Marriott that weekend. The Crew will need to completely disrupt one of Seattle's premier food events. A single bomb threat ain't going to do it. Disrupting ProteanArtes LLC might; they are the host corp for Nufoods. Vaping their Matrix capabilities, sabotaging their offices, etc. might suffice. Sadly their offices are in Atlanta. That leaves hitting the venue hard, and on target. Doing anything to the hotel too early will just result in a change of venue. Too late and the chef will still be unavailable, and risks excessive collateral damage. Mr. Johnson is definitely NOT paying if most of the better chefs in Seattle end up dead! Can the Crew disrupt/sabotage an entire hotel at around Saturday at 3am?
5. Mr. Johnson needs Chef Solon Greene available for a catering event. Chef Solon is otherwised booked. So Mr. Johnson wants the crew to intervene with the other event's coordinator-and make them an offer they can't refuse. While the CEO of ProteanArtes LLC, Adrienne Brodier, could be the target, there are others lower down the totem pole who actually do the bookings and run the NuFoods tours. Hit too low and the target won't be able to do anything. Hit too high up the totem pole and the Crew will invite superior security and retribution.  Can the Crew convince Adrienne (or one of her agents) that Solon Greene needs firing?
6. There is another way to free up Chef Greene. It is slightly dangerous to both his reputation, and potentially the dinner party Mr. Johnson wants the chef to attend. And that is to sabotage The Dispensary on 6th Street, resulting in a massive food poisoning outbreak, ideally the week of the event. When several hundred people are in the hospital (or dead) NuFoods Seattle is bound to cancel Chef Solon's appearance, freeing him up for Mr. Johnson's event. Can the Crew stomach the potential deaths needed to pull this off?
7. Of course any GM worth his salt (Fleur del Sel of course) can add some spice by creating small “requests”. Perhaps a key guest is allergic to an ingredient, and the Crew has to help find a replacement. Or the wine selection is subpar, and a last minute replacement is needed. Better, there is an agent provocateur at the party, and the Crew must go undercover as servers to find and stop the agent!
8. And some GM's will need to put the heat on. There are several additional adversaries that can show up. Perhaps the Client's arch-nemesis, Trudy Beekman, agent provocateur of the pushy, showy 1%,  decides to send a runner team to get Solon Greene first, and bring the chef to Beekman's rival party scheduled for the same night. Perhaps protesters show up at the NuFoods Seattle show, getting in the way. Or at either party, chanting and waving signs and getting in the way. Or providing a cover for Runner Team Beekman. And as restaurants are always bad investements, perhaps Solon got creative with his financing. So any of the big OCO's can show up-the Mafia, Vory, Triads, Yakuza and more are in play. Don't be afraid to have a contact in your chosen crime family call his Runner friend and remind him/her that hitting The Depository on 6th Street will not go down well with the Family. Or the families of those poisoned hire some muscle/Runners to get revenge. Really need to stick the knife in? Make the Client or their spouse a retired Runner. Think Bull and his many, many friends, with years of gear, experience, and more contacts than your players could ever dream of.

Pork 5 Ways - Monster Hunting

In Frankfurt, Germany, Mr. Black enjoyed eating at The Singapore-a Chinese restaurant (the ONLY one in Frankfurt!) that served a dish called Pork Five Ways-3 types of pork and 2 types of ham in a mild sauce. This new column is similar-a single element or Run concept, served up multiple ways. So heads up chummer, Mr. Black promises you at least 5 ways to pork, but there may be more. Today we look at monster hunting. A group of Merrows attacked a ferry in Puget Sound (twice in a month!) and the Governor has called for action! A price has been put on their heads, and the Characters can collect! So look through the permutations, find the hook that works best for your players (and your dirty, evil plans for them), and let Mr. Johnson do the talking.

1. Straight Up Bounty Hunt-The Governor of Seattle has placed a 100,000 NuYen bounty on the destruction or capture of the Merrows. A good boat, maybe a submarine or a sea sled and a Crew comfortable with scuba gear are ideal for this. Head out to sea and whack some monster butt!
2. Perhaps Governor Brackhaven didn't put up the money - grieving family members did. Can crying children incentivize your players where Brackhaven's bounty failed? This can be a Mr. Johnson-led effort, or a committee-led affair (The Western Ferry Atrocity Families and Survivors Committee? WFAFSAC?!?)

   

   Merrow fishing, 2075-style

3. Or perhaps the Merrows attacked near the NAN side of the Sound. Does your Crew have ties across the Sound or in the Salish Tribe? No? Then are they ready to take on the Salish Sea Patrol for that bounty?
4. Does your Crew have close ties with the SSC? Instead of a bounty hunt, the Tribes wish to relocate the Merrow, to the western side of Salish territory. This is going to take more effort, and need more equipment than just sailing along and shooting things. But it should pay off big time with those tribal contacts.
5. Of course, any of the Big Ten (and quite a few of the A/AA firms) might want the Merrows for their own nefarious needs. And of course they are hiring your Crew to do it. They will be claiming the bounty of course, but that is why they are out-sourcing this. That, and they have the gear (like a boat) to loan to their bought team. That boat is just sitting there, accumulating maintenance cycle fees. Fees that bounty will cover. This is pure cost analysis for a big corp, just like it should be.
6. Need more shenanigans in any of the above? Add in protesters, ala Green Peace/PETA, trying to stop the hunts by driving their boats in the way. Are your players ready to sink some Sentience/Animal Rights Activists to make their payday?
7. Merrows aren't the only sea-going monster out in the Sound. Grab any sea-beastie or flying threat you like out of the creature section and sic 'em on the Crew. Can you say "Thunderbirds skimming low over the water, at our 5 O-Clock"? Mr. Black knew you could...
8. Of course, any GM worth their salt (sea salt in this case) will add some competitors to the mix. Rednecks in zodiac boats with hunting rifles, fishermen using nets, sport fishing boats loaded with weekend warriors, charter boats full of licensed hunters, yachts with dabbling playboys/grrls and their $5000 hunting express rifles, UCAS Navy Ensigns and Ratings out on pass from Everett Base, competing Runner teams with all their tricks, Salish tribesmen in war canoes, Vory mobsters riding the waves with AK-97's, Dwarf Surf crews on Jet Ski's, anyone and everyone should be getting in the Crew's way.

9. 

   This, but with guns...

   Of course rivals, beasties and well-intentioned but interfering activists are not the only spice in this dish. Perhaps the Corps want in. And they have such wonderful toys...
10. Or the Corp are looking for a bunch of blood-thirsty sea-going guards for one of the underwater projects/arcologies in Outremer. So they hire the Crew to relocate/kidnap the Merrows. Bonus pay if the Corp can collect that bounty as well as get new guardians.
11. And if you really want to step up the pain, make those Merrows beholden to the Sea Dragon. Nothing like a GREAT dragon to rain on the party's plans...