Cybercops SIOD: Oct 10 2025 Miscellany

The following are the new and interesting NPC's and features that the PC's encountered while investigating the Altima Heavy cargo shipment aboard the MV Cargomax Darwin. 

Deputy DA Marisol Ortega is a hard-edged, ambitious Latina in her early 40s who heads the Corporate Liaison Division of Southowilson’s sprawling prosecutor’s office; known for her cool command of both legal code and political maneuvering, she approved the players’ investigation into the Triad-linked cyberware smuggling case and later issued the arrest warrants that made it official, a move that shows her pragmatism—she’ll bend when survival demands it. Still, when the evidence is airtight, she won’t hesitate to bring down powerful enemies, making her a rare mix of ally, obstacle, and wildcard in the city’s tangled web of law and corporate influence.

Chief Evidence Custodian Frank “Rooster” Malloy is a short, muscular Caucasian in his late 50s, with a thick neck, quick temper, and the swagger of a banty rooster who refuses to be overlooked. Running Southowilson PD’s vehicle evidence yard like his personal fiefdom, he has absolute control over what comes in, what goes out, and how long it sits collecting dust. Malloy prides himself on tight paperwork and chain-of-custody, barking at cops half his age like they’re raw recruits, but everyone knows he can be flexible when it suits him — a small favor, a missing form, or a “lost” entry in the ledger if the right palms are greased. To the PCs, he’s the immovable gatekeeper of impounded rides, an obstacle or an ally depending on how they handle his ego.

Assistant District Attorney Dayne Kessler has carved out a niche as the city’s corporate liaison. This man keeps Southowilson PD’s cybercrimes division in legal alignment with megacorp contracts and statutes. Sharp-dressed and sharper-tongued, Kessler knows the law the way a street hustler knows the odds, and he’s quick to remind detectives that one wrong keystroke against a protected server can cost the city billions in damages. Most cases involving investigative hacking, sanctioned cyberdecks, or digital seizures cross his desk, and he treats each like a personal trial—balancing the city’s need for enforcement against the corps’ hunger for control. His reputation among the rank-and-file is that of a necessary evil: irritating, but indispensable when the paperwork clears a run. What complicates matters is his history with Detective Harper Rose Grey-Tran. Their brief relationship ended badly—ugly enough that the two can barely share a room without barbs flying. So when Grey-Tran and the unit’s decker came seeking clearance for a strike against Altima Heavy Corp, Kessler’s anger flared with a venom that surprised even him. Whether it was professional caution or personal spite was unclear, but the hostility lingered. For Grey-Tran, it was just another stormfront to ride through; for Kessler, the past still gnaws, no matter how deeply he buries it under contracts, statutes, and corpspeak.

Interesting Contents of the Crate: 

Components for Three War-Borgs: Not actual full borg chassis, but a lot of the hardware needed to complete one - the worky-bitz internals, not the sexy stuff like armor, weapons, or sensors.

Numerous  Individually Packed SACPA-Made Cybercomponents: Ranging from legal to blackware, but all without inspections, serial numbers, registration, etc. None of it is especially controversial, but it has considerable resale value on the black market. 

One Box of Amur-Era Missile Warheads: Eight warheads in a standardized 75mm design, common across most of the Amur warbots, capable of being fitted to all sorts of weapon systems. Three are marked with some obtuse QR code used by the robots, which looks somewhat scary, and five are standard thermobaric explosive warheads.

One Box With Robot Brain in Packing Foam: No idea what it is, as the tech is 60 years old yet still "cutting edge". Looks like a robot brain about the size of a 12-oz soda can in an armored shell. Several I/O ports of the standard Amur Concordat pattern.  

Four Shoeboxes Packed With Old Fashioned Opium: Yes, actual opium, little sticky brownish blocks the size of sticks of butter, carefully sealed in foil. Maybe worth... $15-25k total on the street? You had to chemscan it to recognize it, as this is -really- outdated stuff. Nobody uses natural opium for anything anymore, except connoisseurs, because the synthetics are cheaper and more potent. What the hell is this doing in here?