Editing Cyberpunk RED Hooks (section)

== Preferred Vendor ==
From https://desuarchive.org/tg/thread/76198116/#q76293265 and https://desuarchive.org/tg/thread/76294439/#q76294489

PCs are a corporate fix-it team, basically their job is to shore up relations with other Corps, perform drop-offs, opening negotiations etc. Preferably the party consists of at least one Executive (could be GMPC but PC is always preferred), a Solo (muscle), a Fixer (accountant-like), and a Nomad (driver), but as usual any combination should be fine. The exact corporation the PCs work for isn’t terribly important, but probably should be low-level or start-up (even a subsidiary of a larger corp is fine, let’s call them Ararat Technical for now).

Marching orders come in from up high – the PCs are to head into Watson (Kabuki) and meet a corporate fixer (insert name here) to hand-off some information to (let’s call them Bartholomew Incorporated for now). And what a coincidence, the fixer is a past friend one of the PCs hasn’t seen for some time. Looks like smooth sailing ahead. So into the business-provided fleet vehicle (appropriate for the size of the corp) the PCs go and it’s off to Watson, crossing over the north-bridge and into what is rapidly becoming New Asia-town. The meeting is due to take place at an Izakaya (informal bar) which looks to have been pre-fabbed and only recently built (much of Watson is undergoing rapid expansion as the population blew up after the 4th Corp-War, so these pre-fab 3D-printed bars, restaurants, cafes and the like are commonplace). Heading on in the joint is mostly empty – just a lonely patron at the bar and a bartender, and in a booth over in the back corner stands (a number of NPCs equal to Party-2, preferably a couple of Solos and a Tech or a Nomad). The booth has one of those privacy curtains which ends at about table-height (so just covering the upper bodies of those sitting). The Solos will only allow one person to enter the booth (should probably be the PC Executive).

Sitting in the booth is the Fixer the PCs are due to meet, but there’s a problem. Remember how one of the PCs knew this guy in a past life? Well they look nothing like they did, and not just from augements. The build is all wrong, so are the mannerisms and features. The PC who knew this Fixer should get a glimpse of them as the curtain is drawn back, or should be able to hear their voice and know something is off (to keep it simple the Executive could be the one who knew them). The Solos look nervous too, inching towards their holstered guns and getting flustered or angry at any questions. Sooner or later it’s gonna pop-off; either the PCs get a bad feeling and jump in first, or the Fixer and his Solos feel the jig is up and draw on the PCs. Either way, it’s time for a good old-fashioned bar-room shootout.

But what’s this? The barkeep and the lonely patron are in on it too and draw their guns. What a shambles. So after the shooty-bang-bang is all done the PCs have either won or ran away (or died, in which case, sorry?). Assuming they win, it’s time to interrogate (or forensic, depending on if any of the bad-guys survived or not). The PCs can learn that these imposters jumped the actual Fixer and their team (who’re being held captive nearby), taking their place and hoping to get this apparently juicy information. Who hired them, you ask? Well that’s the mystery, isn’t it? The imposters don’t know, just that they got a job through the usual channels.

Encourage your PCs to go after the actual Fixer, which through either interrogation or hacking of the imposter’s Agents, can be found just a short journey to port-side at an old warehouse partially destroyed by the rising seas. There’s no security (save for some NET Architecture which needs hacking to access the building, or you know, explosives will work too…). Inside is the real Fixer, which despite the years past is obviously the old-acquaintance to one of the PCs. They can tell the PCs that the imposters work for (insert middle-executive of Capricorn Holdings, a rival Corp to Bartholomew Incorporated) and they they’re seeking that information out to knock Bart. Inc. out of the game. Well no problem now as the PCs can make the hand-off to the Fixer and be done for the day, or so they think.

Back to the office it is, but there’s some bad news waiting for them. New orders from up high. Capricorn Holdings have made a better offer for the information, and the boss is going with them. It’s now the PCs job to get back to the Fixer before he can return to Bart. Inc. with the information. Exactly HOW they do this is up to your Players. Maybe they race back across town and intercept the Fixer. Maybe they plead their case with him at Bart. Inc. offices. Maybe they stage a covert break-in and steal back the information before wiping the servers clean. This is the time to let the PCs off the rail-road and really run wild with a wicked-nasty plan of their own devices.

Assuming they actually pull this off, the boss is very happy with them and they get their bonuses for the month. Job’s done.

=== Alternatively ===

There was also a suggestion from another anon about dumping the Corp angle and just having the PCs working for a powerful fixer instead, which is a grimier angle to take.