MEDIC! - Trauma-Team Quest: A Cyberpunk 2020 MedTech Adventure

You have one pot of tea with Dr. Lee, then another. Then a third. You switch between Cantonese and English - Lee Sr. is actually rather fluent, and the temperament of a teacher explaining the way of the world to a bright but curious student.

You used to work for Trauma Team. Will that pose a problem when dealing with Madame Butterfly and the Tongs?

You're not sure if you'll be able to keep operating thanks to the dearth of regular patients during non-emergency situations. Any advice on how to change that?

"What you have to understand, Dr. Baudin, is that Little China is locked in a struggle for it's identity. Some more zealous hardliners would go so far as to say we are at war. A war which you, at least from surface appearance, would seem to personify."

"I'm sorry? I don't follow."

"A bit of a history lesson, then. Our neighborhood is old. There are some citizens and a great many buildings who remember a time before Robert Night, when the city was still known as Del Coronado. Over time, however, that has changed. The engines of progress demand growth and expansion, and our drab little dilapidated part of the city, with it's poor residents and it's history, could not keep out the tides of progress."

"We could not stop the NCPD from building their prison and courthouse on our doorstep. We could only watch as buildings close to the corporate center were slated for demolition by the urban renewal programs of mayor after mayor. It took a city-wide gang war for the urban planners to leave our district alone..."

The Mafia Wars. You remember those days - the Italian Crime families found themselves under assault by both the Russians and the Cartel-backed Valentinos, and the City was practically on fire for several months. You shiver. Widge and you worked a lot of overtime back then.

"Now they are back. Building offices. Condos. 'Raising the property value.'" The elderly gentleman leans forward in his chair, meeting your eyes. "And Dr. Baudin, you look just like them: Western. Euro. Affluent enough to buy a building nobody else wanted to turn it into something more meaningful. The Tongs, the Chinese, they look at you and they see an Outsider, A colonizer. That is not an easy thing to overcome."

"So what can I do?" You knew it wouldn't be easy, but the prospect of your clinic staying nearly as empty as it had brought out the bitterness in your tea.

"Pay your dues. I will speak for you, and my word carries some weight in the community. You would do well to meet with other community leaders - not just the Four Brothers. Malcolm Allister - a westerner like yourself - oversees the Night Market with his wife, Tsuan Ma. He probably has some advice to share. Beyond that, continue to help the community. Do some pro-bono consultations, perhaps. Make housecalls. Show your face at the market, socialize. Over time, the situation will change. I'm sorry I cannot give you a better answer."

"As for your relationship with your former employer, that's your business. A sign of skill, perhaps, but TraumaTeam is supposed to be neutral - and even the gangs respect that. People might make presumptions on your skill, especially if you're asking for favors, but I don't see it impacting your dealings with Madame Butterfly or the Brothers."

You're a stranger to dealing with Madame Butterfly and the Tongs. What etiquette should you observe to avoid offending them?

Can he give us a basic rundown of the various organizations within the Tongs who'd be interested in Grey Street and our clinic?

"Right. Do you have any advice when I'm dealing with them? With the Tongs in general? How are they structured?"

"Madame Butterfly is a high-level street fixer for Mr. Po - the "Eldest" of the Four Brothers, and the Kingpin to outsiders. She owns a gaming parlor, but mostly serves as Po's fingers into the shadow community. She has a thing about proper decorum, and likes to needle her guests to see how much she can get away with. Be polite, be on time, keep your cool, and I am sure you and she can come to an arrangement."

"As for the bosses... well, I hope you never have to meet them. As of yet, none have made any moves on Grey Street. But if you are seeking a deeper connection with the community, you will meet them eventually. David Ling Po is the nominal head, as I've said. The Eldest Brother. His Weng Fang is the umbrella under which the others shelter - the man is frequently away on "business" in Hong Kong and all over the Pacific Coast. His trade is people - the pipeline to the Homeland and back, the indentured contracts, debt and loan-sharking and other... unpleasantness." Dr. Lee says nothing more, just a meaningful look and a sip of tea, as if to wash something unpleasant away. "Do not cross him if you can help it."

"Madame Tsung is the Elder Sister - the only woman among the Brothers. She has a hand in nearly every Mahjong Parlor and betting house from I16 to 22nd street. She also manages the "Red Bathhouses" for the others. My understanding is she has her own Ripper to tend to her charges. But a trauma specialist like yourself might one day become an unfortunate necessity for some of her girls."

"Kia Jin is a street-Tong. He's an enforcer. His gang takes protection money from those in the Night Market not protected by other patrons or who've seen to their own security. His primary industry is theft, and smuggling - lifting high quality cars or Night CIty luxury goods and shipping them back home to buyers in Hong Kong or Taiwan. Hardware is his focus - Your odds of encountering him are high if you visit the Night Market enough."

"Lastly, there's Ling Husan - indirect competition to your line of work. Ling Husan is a chemist - legal and illegal synthetic drugs are his specialty and monopoly. He keeps the bruisers and cyborgs in anti-rejection meds and everyone else in stims and Lotus, so they're happy enough to leave him alone. When his interests are threatened however, he ruthlessly protects his business interests, and has" he pauses. "Allegedly arranged for several very public poisonings and other accidents. He's the type to hold a grudge and not easily let go."

You feel like you should be taking notes. You have the gist though, and Lee is confident that the sharks won't start circling right away.

"Your best chance, unless you wish to become involved with the Tong-" and Lee Senior makes it clear what he thinks of that sentiment "-your best option is to be upfront, and business like. Make it clear that you want to operate cleanly, and you've a good chance that they'll respect it. They may ask for tribute eventually - I'd pay it, if you want to avoid complications. I wish you the best of luck, Dr. Baudin, and I do not envy you your position."

You thank Lee, and while he refuses any sort of payment or obligation ("Just remember what I said, Mrs. Jeanne,") you make it clear to him that if he or his family need anything from you, they need only ask.

Gain +1 Streetwise - You've a sense of the local criminal geography now, whose toes you might risk stepping on over time.

A brief phone call, and the meeting is set. An hour from now, at Cio-Cio-San's Parlor, just a quick jaunt through the Night Market away.

Vote: Who are you taking to meet with Madame Butterfly?
[ ] [Plus One] Candy - Candy's comfortable on the streets, and her frank and blunt attitude could keep negotiations on track. You'll just need to remind her to mind her manners.
[ ] [Plus One] Widge - Always by your side, like you said in your vows. This is a touch closer to "Edgerunner bullshit" in her words than perhaps she's comfortable with, but the clinic is in need.
[ ] [Plus One] Yourself, Alone - Minimizing how much the Tong's know about you and your operation might be wise. Show up alone and make a show of how little they intimidate you.

Background: Edgerunner Trigger! Special Option Unlocked!

[ ] [Plus One] Bring an Edgerunner: You've accumulated a fair few favors over the years. Call one in - just in case. Didn't Tama say something about a Missus B he's done work for in the past?


You're met outside your office by that media, the cameraman. And as bad as it feels, it takes a few seconds for your to remember his name

Osiris, as in the Egyptian Lord of the Dead. A morbid thought , as he stands in a hallway full of the dead and injured. He seemed the least rattled by the carnage out of all his ambulance-chasing buddies. The career embedded senses at the back of your head tell you there's probably something to that. Why was he outside your office anyways?

"Dr. Baudin." He tips his head, ever polite. The smile is as boilerplate as it gets, though. A consummate businessman.

"What?" you reply, a little more irritable than intended. Your legs ache and your mind races as you return from your rounds. You lost another patient this round, and a second seems soon to follow. Besides, you pegged this vulture as the eavesdropping type.

The reporter-slash-cameraman holds up his hands palms out in surrender. He's got a Flashbulb™ Less-Than-Lethal Crowd-Controller embedded in his palm with the safety shutters rolled closed. "Easy, Doc." he says. "Just a quick pitch for ya, and I'll be out of your hair."

"...I've got two minutes." The cooler part of your head tells you to listen. They helped you negotiate with TT, you can give him two minutes of your time if it keeps him from asking for more later.

"Nova. You've got a BD recorder, right? Standard kit, logs surgeon activities as part of malpractice insurance?"
What? You do, obviously. Like he says, it's standard kit to keep any ripper out of legal battles, but you're just a bit too tired to see where he's going with this.

"I do..." you confirm, guarded.

He nods. "And when did you start recording?"

"When the first casualties reached the clinic. Maybe a little before. Why?"

His grin widens. "Would you be willing to copy that recording? Action City News - scratch that - I would be willing to pay for it."

Ah. You see what's happening now.

"Why would you even-" You start, but it seems he has an answer already, line and verse. It's a good hustle. You had him pegged as a media, but he's doing a pretty good impression of some of your corporate contacts over the years.
"Nothing would be published until your sayso. Anything violating patient privacy would be edited out, and you'd see the cut before we went to print. If you don't like what we made, or you think I'm jerking you around, we scrap it."

The number he names is... more reasonable than you'd expect.

"You identified SV-11 before anyone else did. You got it out over the air. People are going to want to know who you are, Doc. You've a chance to show them. Best to strike while the iron is hot."

You frown. It's certainly a good pitch. But good enough? And what would that do for your rep that you'd let this star on the 'nightly?

Vote: Accept Osiris's Offer?

[ ] [Offer] Go All In - Agree to give him the recording, and an interview alongside that - provided it doesn't take any time away from patients who need it. Make sure you get a chance to sell your side of the story.
[ ] [Offer] Recording Only - Sell the recording, stick to the terms of the deal as presented. They seem fair, and Osiris seems a good enough guy.
[ ] [Offer] Demure - You don't know this reporter from Adam. Say you'll think about it, then do some digging when you have time. Osiris says waiting will lessen the impact of the story somewhat, but you'd rather be safe than screwed over.