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Honor Among Thieves

My title may be trite, but it is quite apt to the shadows. Each and every one of us have a set of rules we follow (albeit with a varying degree of complexity), rules that direct our choices as we work toward our goals. For some, their rules consist of “do the job, get paid” or “do whatever necessary to survive.” I admit, I understand the comfort and security one can find in such simplicity.

Our instinct to survive is incredibly powerful (even in those who have been heavily modified) and the trappings of wealth are difficult to ignore (especially if one comes from poverty or has tasted luxury). Each of us has assuredly seen some of these most basic rules come into play when a run turned toward danger or an easy payday occurred, but some of us follow a stricter path.

Some runners do not see the value in keeping a code or sense of honor, mocking us as a threat to each job or being immature or unrealistic. I have been told codes can jeopardize a job, are unprofessional, are simply a risk to the lives of the team, and other similar criticism. I find most of those risks and warnings to be unrealistic and the others to be short-sighted in comparison to the value of following my code.

Clearly, this is a point of disagreement that has existed for time immemorial, but it would be a disservice to myself and all of you for me not to acknowledge it and to reiterate my stance on that very point. In a way this document is a method of explaining why those of us with codes think and act the way we do and, perhaps, encourage some of you to choose your own path of discipline. Little do they realize, almost every runner is only a few steps away from truly following a code.

Consider, as I mentioned above, how each of us follow a set of rules. Barring a few exceptions that generally end in not-so-untimely death, we all have rules that regulate our behavior. Some are mercenary (no free work), others professional (avoid harming bystanders), and still others selfish (avoid unnecessary risks).

Each of these are arguably pragmatic in origin, designed to increase survival, establish and enhance business relationships, mitigate risk from the authorities or other powerful entities, or in some other fashion. But each of us may value one pragmatic value over another while on a run. Self preservation is ignored in favor of an increased payout or a better relationship with a Johnson, indiscriminate weapons are used because it is too dangerous to reach the target directly, and so forth.

All of us have sacrificed profit or risk greater injury (or death). Once you can see and understand how you have made these “inefficient” choices, it is only a small step to fully embracing a code. Or, at least, give insight into some of us live.

My own code (or path as I have also called it) is what is popularly known as the Way of the Ronin, a path I have followed in some way shape or form for over a decade. How I entered the shadows may explain why I have taken to this path with such fervor and how it saved my life, sanity, and possibly soul. My parents were Yamatetsu employees - my Japanese mother a programmer and my Caucasian father an administrative assistant. My adept abilities manifested at a young age during Halley’s Comet’s passing.

My mother was delighted by this and it was a wonderful time to come into my abilities; it ended when my mother died in the Second Crash. My father, not a model employee, was unceremoniously stripped of citizenship and repatriated to Seattle with myself and my older sisters. Embittered, he turned to drugs and BTLs to escape his ruined life, bringing him into contact with far too many gangs and syndicates in Seattle. As I entered adolescence, I was thrust into a role of protecting my family from my father’s poor choices and I did it as a loyal son despite my disapproval.

Eventually, my father cut a deal with a local street doc: “experimental” technology would be implanted in me originally designed by Yamatetsu that would meld “perfectly” with my adept abilities to make me a better protector and my father would receive a new source of bleeding edge BTLs; in return, my sisters would be turned into bunraku dolls and sold into the market. Coming out of surgery left me traumatized and that alone would make anyone enraged, but when I had learned what exactly happened to my sisters at my father’s hands I could only see red. He refused to accept any responsibility for what happened, for his descent into addiction, for the loss of his family… I left instead of cutting him down where he stood.

I was lost in emotion when I struck out on my own, like a feral animal lashing out at any perceived threat in sight. Bitterness, pain, and even nihilism all but consumed me. My father, my family, my defacto daimyo had utterly betrayed me and my sisters. Every terrible choice I had made up to that point I justified by knowing it was to help my family, to honor my father’s wishes because he needed help to protect and cultivate us all. With his incompetence and selfishness completely unveiled, I had to confront the truth and it nearly broke me.

Consider how I could have reacted without a code to guide my hand. Callous disregard certainly was not an option, even to this day I still feel rage in recalling the events. My most basic instinct was to immediately kill my father, walk directly to the street doc’s location to kill him, and then slaughter everyone running a bunraku parlor (or had even a minimal connection) until I found my sisters; experience has taught us all the futility of that course of action.

Perhaps I could have bide my time, torturing each target as I worked my way up a chain of decision makers, ratcheting up the intensity until I got I wanted; but where would my life be after I succeeded, bereft of all compassion and desires after using all I am to reach a then accomplish goal? It was only when I reexamined my life and the eight virtues of Bushido did I find a way to cage and even harness my rage. But most importantly, it gave me purpose beyond my pain when I needed it most.

Purpose, more than anything else, is the true benefit of a code. They provide focus, a framework in which to harness raw emotion that can be distracting on their own. The choices and tasks I undertake each day are all made within the scope of my path.

I tend to my bonsai trees, hone my calligraphy and ikebana arrangements, and study various topics to enhance my ability to give rei. I help my neighbors and fellow runners where I can as a manifestation of jin. And my home is kept clean by my own hands and I maintain peak physical condition to remain worthy of gi. This may appear tedious to some, but it highlights the depth of the codes that some of us follow. We do not merely follow slightly stricter rules whenever working in the shadows, we embrace our paths and they shape our lives.

Socializing aside, how these codes can affect a run is what I believe most of you want to know. Indeed, most codes can complicate runs. I have made no secret of the restrictions my own path provides: I will not abide the killing of enemies from surprise or treachery, nor can my word or the word of my team be broken.

These restrictions do not apply only to me - I will not turn a blind eye to my teammates violating these basic guidelines, thus why I share them openly. I am not ignorant or shortsighted regarding how difficult my restrictions can be at times. I know exactly how much simpler it would be to eliminate a target with a sniper rifle from an extreme range or to merely tell an extraction target what they want to hear so they will come along without a struggle.

But for me to take those actions, or knowingly allow them to occur, would be anathema to what has become apart of my core being, no matter the value of pragmatism in the moment. Such violations can shake one down to oneself’s core.

Of course, codes are not all doom and gloom or extreme detriments to a team of runners. In fact, there is a degree of reliability and consistency one brings to a team if one follows a code, if the rest of the team understands the code’s tenants.

For example my teams have known I say what I mean and my word is my bond - they have never needed to doubt that I will do what I say I will do. And while my disapproval of some tactics may appear squeamish or naive, my dedication to seeing something through to the bitter end has been established on plenty occasions. Is not being assured of the professionalism of a teammate worth reasonable limitations on tactics? How much can one trust someone who will do absolutely anything to satisfy the base instinct to survive or gather profit?

There are some common elements found in the various codes followed in the shadows and some of them do carry pragmatic value. Many codes restrict murder and lethal force, either the methods used (as it relates to my makato) or targets (such as innocent bystanders), which has its own practical value. Not all of our jobs bring us to Zero-Zero zones where the opposition will assuredly kill us and we are irrevocably stained as dishonorable actors.

Many jobs will bring us into contact with security guards who are not authorized or capable of lethal force or extreme violence is counterproductive to the job. Relying upon indiscriminate killing only establishes us as dangerous and a threat to the overall order; it provides the corporations and governments the justification of killing us out of hand instead of using gentler means that allow us to live another day. All of us are aware of colleagues who disappeared (willingly or not) after committing large scale violence.

Further, opportunities can be found in keeping to such restrictions in lethal actions. Avoiding innocent casualties can force your team to be more precise in planning a job, perhaps by using more subtle tactics or forcing the target onto a particular battlefield.Unless the job calls for something in complete opposition to one’s code, maintaining the discipline of one’s restrictions merely encourages creativity, thoughtfulness, and precision in planning a job.

Keeping one’s word is a common element in some codes as well. For me, I strive to be mindful of each moment in time, knowing exactly what I am promising to do with my statements. Following a restriction like this helps give your Johnsons the confidence you will not double cross them and assure your teammates of your loyalty and reliability relative to the specific job and what you have promised to do.

This also means you may have severe complications if the team decides to double-cross the Johnson in a pre-emptive fashion or if promises are made to incidental persons that become untenable to maintain (such as promising to not kill someone’s brother before you learn he has become an uncontrolled toxic shaman). Some codes are not quite as strict regarding the absolute bond of a promise but do require honorable behavior in all dealings. One would think the value in such a restriction is obvious even in the face of a disrespectful Johnson.

There are many other somewhat less common but shared restrictions found in the various codes followed by runners. Some codes followed by various criminal syndicates forbid speaking with law enforcement or, in extreme cases, even accepting anything of value from the authorities (including using items stolen from the government).

Other codes forbid the harming or exploiting the weak and innocent (clearly that would conflict with some of our jobs). Still others regulate how one interacts with spirits or the dead. I am not an expert in any of these codes, merely an amateur student of philosophy and ethics and those who follow these codes would do a far better job than I in describing the nuances of their path.

All of this may seem overwhelming, especially considering the variety and sometimes contradicting codes and restrictions; however, there are a few simple things every runner can do to avoid complications relating to a code. Ask whether your teammates strictly follow a code and be open about your own code.

The limits of what we are willing to do are just as important to share as what we are capable of doing, if not more so. Do not criticize or extol the virtues of codes. While I hope others fully understood my path and would follow it, all I truly require is for the team to respect my path and the team only requires knowing what I will and will not do as opposed to why.

Do not attempt to go around your teammate’s back to circumvent a code. Doing so will only ensure your teammate’s ire and is the equivalent of betraying the team in our eyes.

Mutual trust and understanding are the key to effective runner teams; dealing with a runner’s code is merely just one aspect of maintaining effective relationships with your team. It also means sometimes some of us are not a good fit for a job (I have turned down offers before instead of forcing the issue), but that could be said of nearly every runner (alive and dead).

I hope this file will give everyone further insight into those of us who follow codes and help prevent any future conflicts. And as always, I am available through our VPN’s messaging system if you wish to discuss things further with me.

• Ōgi

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