Editing John Jackson (section)

==== Skills ====
* '''Acting:''' ''Crank is shocked - '''shocked''' - to hear that some might think he's anything but an honest straight-shooter.  He thought he had gotten to all of 'em...''
** '''Con:''' ''Why offer nuyen to someone when you can sucker them outright and keep the money?  Crank's study of confidence tricks and scams was difficult to put into practice... but the results speak for themselves.''
*** Rating 6
* '''Close Combat:''' ''Crank Caller's philosophy is that if an active enemy is within arm's reach, then something is very wrong.  Still, it can occur often enough that a prepared runner should have a plan for such lamentable circumstances.''
** '''Clubs:''' ''If Crank doesn't manage to avoid combat and there's no <del>meat shields</del> allies around, he's reasonably capable with his trusty stun baton.''
*** Rating 6
* '''Cracking:''' ''In order to go about his business on the Matrix, the various tiresome security measures and boring guardians need to be taken care of, and Crank is quite good at doing so.''
** '''Cybercombat:''' ''The matching of wits, the thrust and parry of imagination - never does Crank feel more alive than when engaged in combat on the Matrix.''
*** Rating 6
** '''Electronic Warfare:''' ''Information is king, but how that information moves is a faithful steward.  Which Crank Caller has already suborned.''
*** Rating 6
** '''Hacking:''' ''Crank Caller has an instinct for unusual turns of logic, and this serves him well when he attempts to find what a programmer has neglected to harden.''
*** Rating 6
* '''Electronics:''' ''Crank Caller's recent Awakening has left him with less interest in the actual materials he works with, but he's still quite knowledgeable about the 'real' functionalities of computer systems.''
** '''Computer:''' ''If Crank was ignorant about computers, then he'd hardly be the Matrix god he <del>believes himself to be</del> clearly is.''
*** Rating 4
** '''Hardware:''' ''A decker who truly values his cyberdeck (and Crank was indeed one, once upon a time) is capable of cleaning, repairing and customizing it.''
*** Rating 4
** '''Software:''' ''Crank is quite capable of writing some decent apps on the fly, or to sell a custom module for someone with the nuyen to offer.''
*** Rating 4
* '''Firearms:''' ''Guns, guns, guns; shiny, often loud and unsubtle, but always somewhere in the area.''
** '''Pistols:''' ''A gun is almost a requirement for a criminal in the Sixth World, and Crank has little reason to doubt conventional wisdom.  Still, he's not exactly an expert marksman...''
*** Rating 4
* '''Influence:''' ''Even though he's an anti-social bastard in person, Crank knows the value of <del>suckers</del> friends; he's actually quite good at soothing ruffled feathers and haggling over prices.  People are indeed puzzles - and he's always been good with those.''
** '''Etiquette:''' ''Everyone is a little rough around the edges, and Crank knows just how to smooth those edges out.  A mixture of close observation and quick calculations allows him to select and implement the courtesies of most types of people he encounters.''
*** Rating 6
** '''Negotiation:''' ''The art of the deal is really quite enjoyable for Crank; partially because it's a break from more adrenalin-filled moments, but also because it usually signals more numbers on his credsticks.''
*** Rating 6
* '''Stealth:''' ''<del>Sore losers</del> Adversaries have an unfortunate tendency to look for Crank in meat-space; he prefers that they don't find him.  At least until they cool down.''
** '''Sneaking:''' ''Many companies and facilities, upon anticipating a Matrix assault, may go so far as to try to 'air-gap' their networks... or at least as much as they can in the interwoven Grids of the Matrix.  Crank Caller is fine with that; that leads to complacency, and they don't suspect a physical intrusion...''
*** Rating 6
* '''Other:'''
** '''Perception:''' ''Whether in the virtual environment or out of it, a smart criminal learns to pay attention to '''everything''', from the ever-present rodents to the smell of the air.  Dumb criminals tend not to last in a world of omniscient camera networks.''
*** Rating 6
** '''Forgery:''' ''A skilled Matrix resident should be experienced with computers and interfaces, but this is... was... Crank Caller's bread and butter.  Or at least put them on the table for him.  Combined with his Matrix capabilities, he's able to forge not just the fake itself, but online confirmation and even extensive records, if necessary.''
*** Rating 6