The Yakuza Connection

Cypher comes within a hair's-breadth of triggering a major complex-wide alarm while trying to crack the rooftop terminal. Oe, pressed for time, begs Shadow and company for assistance defusing tensions at a intra-clan meeting at a local club. Balor has pressing business and Doug attempts to follow, worried for the wellbeing of his new companion. The mood in Chapeau's private room is tense. The representatives of major clans, the Kanada, Amkeda, and Fuagawa, all suspect one another of sabotage. A simple courier job the Kanada contracted the Fuagawa went pear-shaped when the couriers were hit in Yakuza territory. The hit bears all the hallmarks of Fuagawa handiwork. The Amkeda accuse the Kanada and Fuagawa clans of conspiring to undermine their position. The Fuagawa clan believe the hit was staged to cast aspersions on the aspiring clan. Both accuse the Kanada of manipulating them to exert shadow influence among the larger clans. With some help from Thea and Shadow, the three clans allow the runners to investigate the hit as a neutral party. They are to gather evidence and submit it during the next gathering in three days. Otherwise, the clans will battle it out internally. Sensing a way with which the party can ingratiate themselves in the Yakuza clans and gain access to their comms room, they agree. Meanwhile, Balor visits the Bronze Man at the light freighter Nostromo docked in Japantown's wharf. Iosef extracts the chip he loaned Balor for his last trial, and gives him a new neuralstim codenamed Ballerino. This implant allows the user to execute a series of pre-programmed movements. Useful for martial arts, the fine arts, and impersonation. The Bronze Man tasks Balor with using Ballerino to infiltrate a BioTechnica facility where an operative of theirs has gone missing. The details of the op have been given to Balor on a datashard which will activate in 2 days. Doug arrives, soaked to the bone and quite fragrant after a dip in Night City's harbor. Iosef's goons are taken completely aback that such a specimen could follow Balor and infiltrate their ship without a trace. Such is the mystery of Doug... The runners convene at Chapeau to debrief, and they decide to visit the alley the ambush took place at in the morning...