Runner's Companion.pdf - Free

Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9survival tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Because the tracks (and sometimes stations) are owned bydifferent corps, ticket prices don’t always correspond to the actualdistance traveled. Seattle to New York costs about the same asSeattle to LA. On the other side of the pond, we face the samepricing inequities with it costing more to go from Paris Nord toLondon, than Paris Est to Prague. Many foreigners use the EuRailsystem for package pricing. Locals, and those who can fake it, cantake advantage of the frequent traveler accounts to find cheaperfares.Compared to the airports, train stations have minimal security.Chemsniffers are present in cargo holds to detect bombs, butthey are generally far enough apart to not detect small quantities ofammunition. Passenger trains also have cameras and Panicbuttonsavailable to alert the conductor to a problem.> Budget cuts in the transportation field have led companies to automatethe train systems, so the conductor is probably a pilot program.There’s a rigger in a station over a hundred kilometers away in caseof emergencies. They can lock doors, but immediate response toproblems is rare. If you can’t get past a locked door, you shouldn’tbe here.> MikaGround TransportationHere, the folks in North America have the upper hand overthe Europeans. Buses are primarily cattle-cars for the disenfranchisedand down on their luck in the New World. Similar to themaglevs, security in bus stations is minimal. Even cheaper andslower than the trains, buses are almost entirely automated withautomatic debits from passenger accounts for matrix usage orconvenience items.> The Vory began taking an interest in smuggling on board buses afew years back, following the mafia’s lead with the Teamsters. If yousee a couple no-neck mouth breathers on board, it’s probably a goodsign that the cargo area has something illegal inside.> Red AnyaOf course, buses aren’t the only things driving on the superhighways.RVs, semi-trucks, and automobiles all move peoplearound. Though cross-country driving takes longer and has just asmany hassles with border crossing as the train, some folks still do it.Hidden panels and smuggler’s compartments can make this a lucrative,if slow-going, proposal. Make sure that the appearance matches,though—the border patrol starts asking questions if the vehicle isweighed down with a few hundred kilos of weight that isn’t visible.Within the cities, automobiles are present, but, with thecongestion levels and narrow streets, sub-compacts and PMVs—personal mobility vehicles—are more common. The police forcesin several of the metroplexes have taken to patrolling on armoredPMVs, providing an edge against criminals who are on-foot or invehicles that become caught up in traffic.ShipsWhile not a common form of transportation by any means,cruise ships have their place. For socially amenable smugglers,cruise liners actually serve as excellent smuggling vessels. They areslow and have a limited number of ports of call, but the securitylevels are comparable to trains. This means that if you have cargothat needs to cross an ocean without getting on board a sub-orbital,a boat is a good way to do it.If dancing the mamba and never ending buffets aren’t yourstyle, fishing trawlers and cargo vessels provide excellent cover.These both visit many of the same ports that the cruise liners do, aswell as stopping off at areas that don’t interest the tourists. Steerageis generally available for purchase if you don’t have the skills towork as one of the crew. Additionally, with the larger cargo vessels,the size of the ship means that you can stow-away and never see aliving person if you stick to the hold.Smugglers can be hired to put you down in a dinghy alongthe coastline. Almost every ship captain knows of a half dozeninlets where a boat with a ruthenium tarp or concealing spirit canset down. Smaller vessels can even move up river ways, droppingoff passengers well past border patrols and customs agents.> The Vory in Vladivostok do most of their smuggling underwater.Sergei Byelmodin established a power base built on the combinedmight of his men and several key figures in the Russian Navy. Severalsubmarines have been decommissioned and now move cargo.> Red AnyaBypassing the ManLet’s be honest. Sometimes, that troll on your team, with hismove by wire system, doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.Maybe, you are that troll. I’ll go over some of the tried and truemethods to get past the border patrol or airport security.The simplest way is to leave the gear behind. Fixers and smugglersoften know people around the world, and if you can grabthe gear at the other end, it a) makes getting through securitymuch easier and b) makes it harder to trace the job back to you.Sometimes, though, the gear you need is unavailable or can’t beleft behind, like your cyber. If you plan on doing any work outsideyour hometown, make friends with a good forger.Forgery is part and parcel of smuggling. Whether it is yourbig brother’s ID to get in a nightclub or a wholly fake SIN forthose of us born in the slums, false identification has been usedin all walks of life. Skilled forgers can insert data across a series ofdatabases, bypassing the Web of Trust authentication systems usedby most airports. For a fake ID to get past more secure systemsand checkpoints, you will need biometric data from retinal scansto DNA sequencing added onto the ID.> The best outfits I know for fake IDs are based out of Calcutta.Rumor has it that a few virtuakinetics from the slums have signedon to great effect. Drop me a line for an introduction.> Smiling Bandit> When possible, use someone else’s biometrics. Having a friend at themorgue that can nab you samples from a John Doe is a huge asset. Alittle bit of blood and some creative cosmetics can give you the properfingerprints and DNA samples to clear all but the best scanners.> Ma’fanIf a new name, rank, and serial number won’t cover you,a new face sometimes can. Advances in genetech and cosmeticsurgery mean that procedures, which used to take months toRunner’s Companion