Creative Looting

"Loot the bodies !!!!!!!" – Mask ( after a firefight)

Creative Looting
By Mask

>>>>>Lesson 1.

Hoi chummers, if you are like most runners your idea of looting a body stops at his/her cred stick ,interesting chips , spell foci , weapons and maybe armor . But wait…. How about his shoes? "His shoes?" you may ask. Yeah, I answer, his shoes. I mean, why waste nuyen for the procurement of information from a squatter when a new pair of shoes will get you the same info and will earn ya the undying gratitude of a guy who’s feet are freezing from the lack of a good pair. Another plus is that it drives the Star crazy to find a stripped body. It also confuses the scene since the Star is sure that it must have stripped long after ya left. After all why would runners strip a body? But really, think what that Armani suit will bring in .(if ya haven’t shot it full of holes ) It may get ya a lot more that his Streetline Special.
And how about his watch? When was the last time ya saw some suit with a Timex? Uh uh…. not them. It’s Rolex all the way. When was the last time ya priced one of the suckers? Your fence is a handy guy for a lot more than just fencing weapons.

Ok, admittedly most of us will never have the leisure to do this and maybe not even the opportunity to strip a suit. But the point of this little exercise is to make ya think creatively .

For instance… your jandering down the street and ya hear a scream from the alley. Ya look in and ya see some slag get geeked. The ganger who mugged the guy runs off when he sees ya. What do ya do?
Well …..

1. Ya could just shrug and walk off.
2. Ya could call the Star and get hauled in for questioning (nah, not in this lifetime.)
3. Ya could take advantage of this opportunity that Raccoon has dropped in yer lap and make a few nuyen before placing a anonymous call to the Star. ( all of this supposing he doesn’t have a Doc Wagon screamer going off. If he does that is another lesson entirely.)

Me I choose 3. So how do ya loot a body efficiently ?

Very simply, ya think like a coon. If ya don’t have much time, go straight for the high nuyen items. Jewelry and credstick. Spell foci, if there is any, and of course any chips.

With more time comes more creativity and more nuyen.
First go through the pockets. Jewelry is next. Then weapons and armor. Finally , if ya have time, clothes and shoes. If your a real sick puppy, you could even think about cyberware. And a truly sick puppy might even consider a body cavity search. After all extremely sensitive data needs a good hiding place.( More on this is covered in Lesson 2) And there are always his gold fillings as well.

Start at the top and work down. Move quickly but thoroughly. Simple huh?

This should give the beginners something to think about for now. Check back later for Lesson 2. Where to look. <<<<< --Mask (12:05:27/ 11-06-57)

>>>>> Lesson 2.

Where to Look.

Ok chummer you say your ready to go on to the next lesson. Fine, here we go. Lesson 1 is fine for a runner in a hurry or one just looking to make a quick buck but for the truly discriminating it's just small change.

I mean really, no self respecting courier is going to hide information in his pocket. As one chummer of mine said "When I'm in a bad neighborhood for any length of time, my cash is in my sock. And that is where I would put any valuable data chip I was carrying , because robbed or dead NOBODY wants to spend any time with my bare feet."
The socks is just one place you could hide something. Taking a line from a very old flat screen show called Get Smart. How about stashing something in a hollow shoe heel. You could also put things in fingertip compartments, false tooth chip carriers, or a locket. Wanna get really wild ? How about encoding a strand of cyberhair. No, I wouldn’t expect ya to go checking everyone’s hair but you gotta admit that is thinking creatively.
A microdot is real small , can carry a lot of information, and can be hidden almost anywhere on the body. A really whiz courier I knew once use to hid microdots behind a beauty mark on her face. And only the creative runner would test the datajack on the corpse to see if it was a false cover or check the wristphone before lopping the guy's head off on the assumption that the data is in there.

When looting bodies you should take a moment to think about where YOU would hid information or items of value. Get creative in your thinking. It really pays off in the long run. <<<<< --Mask (09:15:17/ 12-20-57)

>>>>>Lesson 3 :

More of where to look:

Looting skills are particularly useful when dealing with dead smugglers or couriers. I've found gems in cigarette packs, cred sticks in knife handles and brush handles , and diamonds frozen in ice cream. ( the Tasty Freeze guy was a smuggler, it was cool. Chocolate AND pretty sparkles!! A girl’s two best friends. :-) This I do not recommend for sensitive electronics though , cause when you let the magic smoke out they stop working , or so my friend Vixen tells me.

I have also seen cyberlimbs with built in compartments as well as the more well known hidden linings in clothes , suitcases etc. Be sure not to overlook pocket litter. I found 1/2 movie ticket stub once which was matched by a courier's contact- numbered matchbook. ( Played a hunch on that one. ) You never know what might be a key to get you into some little hiddie hole. Keys could be a whole lesson in and of itself. I have seen rings that form circuits for opening safe doors , cell phones that broadcast key tones for recognition , encrypted pocket secretaries and all kinds of ingenious ways to keep people out of stuff and just as many ways to get into it.

Another area to think about is the use of magic for looting. Discovery magic is an exhaustive subject and is far beyond the scoop of this article but here are a few ideas to tickle your thinking. A hearth spirit is very handy to search for hidden objects in an area, spells can be crafted to illuminate and reveal hidden goodies , and an astral search can also reveal things like hidden compartments in floors and walls. A good mage or shaman should be use to looking at things from a perspective of " what you see ( at first) is not always what you get."

Bodies are not the only things with which to practice your new found looting skills. You should also spend time going over your own doss with an eye for not only where to hide things but where to look. Also remember that the van that the other team was driving , the drones that the dead rigger won't ever use again, and all of that tech is going to be picked up by the reclaimators unless you grab it.

Learn and practice diligently these skills and they will serve you for life. <<<<< --Mask (10:46:37/ 03-06-58)

Lesson 4

Essential Equipment.

Always carry a hammer. I can’t stress this enough. This is one of your most invaluable tools. This is a very handy item, good for prying up incourteously nailed down things and it is also quite acceptable for the whacking of impolite individuals who refuse to share.

A glass cutter is another indispensable tool. This small tool can be used for a variety of jobs. While it is primarily used to cut glass and knock it out, in a pinch it too can be used as a weapon or to extend your reach in a variety of ways.

A good set of lockpicks and a small electronics kit are obviously needed to help the inquisitive to satisfy their curiosity as to what is behind door number 3. A well equipped runner must realize that even though maglocks are the lock of choice today there are a few souls who still embrace a more old fashion view and with a good set of lockpicks you will be prepared.

To round out your kit I suggest that you include, pliers, wire clippers, duck tape, twine and fish hooks, screwdrivers of various sizes , a vial of liquid soap and a small vial of acid. ( please exercise due caution with this item.) Also handy is a dentist mirror, which can help you see things that are a little out of the way. I liketo include a swiss army knife which has several tools and a sharp blade. . Of course, if you can find a maglock passcard or some of that uh..catalyst spray that turns walls into bubble gum, that's great too. And, of course, I like to have superglue and superglue remover. You never know when you might find this stuff useful. This will give an amateur a fairly basic kit for the satisfying of curiosity. <<<<< --Mask (01:13:22/ 03-14-58)

Thats it for now. <<<<< -- Mask (03:35:56/ 03-14-58)

Back to Aurora’s page: Aurora's Shadowrun Page

A special Thank you to "Incognito ", my beta reader for proof reading this and for the feedback. As always, mon ami, you make me think and that helps me write better. ( Incognito is a pseudonym to protect the unbearably shy beta reader who refuses to let me give credit where credit is due and instead insists on remaing Anonymous.{ Though I must admit that he does have good reasons.} { you know who you are. ;-P } )

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