Synthetic Substrate, Session 3: NuHarvest Farm 14

Scene Setup

Countdown check
(D8): (6) => Countdown Event happens
Countdown Even roll
(D12): (4) => Development. New evidence, another victim, witness comes forward
Cipher Table roll
2x(D6 + D12): (1 + 10) + (2 + 2) => conceal + connection
Fate question: is Wallace trying to hide the black op?
(D10): (6) => yes

Scene check
(D8): (2) => Challenging. Requires one or more skill rolls to proceed. E.G.: The witness is reluctant to answer your questions, or their answers are evasive; the crime scene is a mess, and requires a careful and lengthy search; finding the data you seek can be done remotely, but requires a TECH roll
My interpretation: Wallace Corp is trying to bury the black op at the farm, and/or Wozniak calls to threaten me.

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Playing the scene

Time to look at the crime scenes. I’ll start with the generator closest to the supposed black op site.
I’m halfway out of the administration offices when a clerk calls after me.

Clerk: “Mr. Locke? There’s a Vid-Phon call for you from Wallace Corp. You can take it in office three. It’s empty right now.”

Huh. News travels fast around here. Is there anyone in this city who doesn’t know I’m here?
I step into office three and take the call. A face fills the screen.

Wozniak: “Mr. Locke. Haru Wozniak. I believe you already know who I am, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

Locke: “Please do.”

W: “I’m sure Deputy Chief Holden has already told you that the situation at Farm 14 is… delicate. It needs to be handled with the utmost speed and discretion.”

I don’t answer. Wasn’t he getting straight to the point? Then get to the damn point.

W: “To spare us both a waste of time and effort, let me be clear: your investigation concerns the generator sabotage. Nothing else at the farm is of any importance to you.”

L: “I’ll be the judge of that, if you don’t mind.”

W: “I do mind, Mr. Locke. And I believe you know that one call from me is all it takes to have you removed from this case, should your attention wander to… irrelevant details.”

I don’t respond well to threats, so I say nothing. I just stare at him. “A real asshole,” Holden said. Holden was right.

W: “Come now, Mr. Locke. We’re on the same side. We both want to catch the Underground agents behind this incident. There’s no reason we can’t help each other.”

L: “Fine. Then help me. Tell me why you’re so sure the Replicant Underground is involved.”

Fate question: does he provide details?
(D10): (4) => no

W: “I’m afraid that’s classified Wallace Corp information. You’ll have to take my word for it: we have definite proof of Underground involvement.”

Opposed Manipulation roll: Locke Manipulations vs Wozniak Insight
Wozniak skill roll. (D8): (7) => Experienced (B/B)
Locke roll: (D12 + D10): (4 + 8) => 1 success
Wozniak roll: (D10 + D10): (10 + 2) => 2 successes
Wozniak wins

L: “So much for helping each other out. I guess I’ll have to find out for myself.”

Wozniak laughs. He isn’t worried in the slightest that I might stumble onto the black op. He must have the full weight of Wallace Corp behind him, and no limit on how far he can go to contain the damage.

W: “As I said, Mr. Locke. One call.”

L: “Is there anything at all you can tell me that might point me in the… ‘right direction’, Mr. Wozniak?”**

Fate question: does he provide any additional info?
(D10): (4) => no

W: “I’ve already told you everything you need to know.”

L: “Then I suppose we’re done here. Goodbye, Mr. Wozniak.”

I cut the call.
What was the point of that? A show of power, to scare me away from the black op? Maybe. Or maybe something else.
Then it hits me. He called just as I was heading out to inspect the black op site. The call was a stall, buying time for Wallace Security to clean up the evidence.

I bolt out of the admin offices and run for the northern generator.

Mobility Check with disadvantage because of distraction
(D10): (3) => failure

Too late. I get there just in time to watch a Wallace armored spinner lift off into the haze. Damn. I can only hope they got sloppy in their hurry.
The generator was a huge wind turbine that once towered over the whole complex. When the explosion hit, one of the blades sheared off and came down straight onto a nearby building, tearing it open.

Observation Check with disadvantage because crime scene was cleaned up
(D10): (5) => failure

No such luck. Wallace Security did a thorough job. Almost nothing is left inside the damaged building, and what little remains looks like an ordinary mushroom greenhouse.
Of the turbine itself, only the lower half of the main pylon still stands. The electronics are burnt to slag. Nothing worth salvaging.

I won’t find any new evidence here.

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Scene bookkeeping

Hypotheses

Hypotheses 1 strengthened by Wallace corp intervention to hide evidence.

1- (D8): NuHarvest Substrate Farm 14 is a Wallace Corp black op site. Pentecost is involved. The Replicant Underground somehow found out what Wallace is doing and tried to stop it, altering Beck’s programming to have inside support.