The Cost of Freedom: Empowering the Sex Workers in Cyberpunk 2077 (Pisces)
SPOILER WARNING: The following contains plot reveals regarding Evelyn Parker and the Tyger Claws in Act 2.
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Game: Cyberpunk 2077
Side Job: Pisces
Location: Clouds, Megabuilding H8
Summary: After Mox member Judy Álvarez sets things in motion in Talkin' 'bout a Revolution, V infiltrates Hiromi Sato's penthouse suite while dolls-turned-vigilantes Tom Caldera and Roxanne Sumner emancipate his exclusive club (Clouds) from Tyger Claw muscle. Everything is going to plan until opportunist "ally" Maiko Maeda propositions Hiromi and his associates, demanding they hand over management to the "most qualified" candidate: Maiko herself. Will V throw a wrench in Judy's plan to turn Clouds over to the dolls and side with Maiko instead? This quest confronts the dilemma of raising the stakes to enact change or "play it safe" with the devil-they-know.
More information: Pisces | Cyberpunk Wiki | Fandom
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City of Dreams, City of Nightmares
If Night City had a heart, it would be the heart of a merc: A violent and chaotic playground that revels in the absence of conscience. Yet empathy and compassion still hold purpose in this increasingly isolationist world for the Judys, Rivers, and Panams around whose moral compass V gravitates, and their devotion to goodwill is a hopeful testament to those they aid and protect.
Along with the last straw outcome of Evelyn Parker's tragic arc, this is the guiding principle that fuels Judy's inspiration for a take-over of Night City's premier dollhouse. Angered by the treatment of its sex workers (especially by "Woodman" Oswald Forrest), she reprograms Tom and Roxanne's doll-chips with enhanced combat techniques to secure the club while V and Maiko lead negotiations. With Clouds held hostage, Judy hopes the strategic show of force will be enough to secure a victory. Maiko, of course, disagrees - the "wannabe corpo" isn't prepared to turn everything over to the dolls, and throws in a hefty bonus should V stand by her proposal to supplant Hiromi as Clouds' new boss.
As with any resistance, the risk to their cause is great. But the corps and gangs of NC want society to live in fear of enacting positive change while tossing scraps of minor policy adjustments for mass appeasement, a time-tested strategy. This is how bipartisan democracies and dictatorships sustain themselves and why Night City's thematic allusions resonate so brutally: Convince the public you're fighting their corner but always remind them of their place.
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Turn Clouds Over to Maiko
Why Maiko? Underhanded, overambitious, and artificial: Maiko possesses the cunning required to navigate a seedy sex industry that abandons its workers to the abuse of paying clients. This is perhaps what Clouds needs: A snake in the grass who knows when to hold its poise and when to rear its venomous head. Additionally, Maiko is willing to throw in a sum of eddies to sway V - a "scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" move to cement her position as Clouds suprema.
Maiko's extensive dealings with the Claws at Clouds has earned her respect among the gangsters, and her "foot-in-the-door" status and familiarity with staff make her well-equipped to deal with the challenges of running the operation. That her commitment to Clouds may be self-serving doesn't undermine her own experience as a doll before promotion; she understands the needs of the workers and how to advocate for their talents (her correspondence shows diligent note-keeping on their performance and requests for pay raises/benefits).
The most obvious justification for Maiko as manager is the sustainability of Clouds itself - without the full backing of the Mox (whose resources are tied up in their own enterprise), taking a stand against one of Night City's most ruthless gangs is a suicidal venture. The Tyger Claws are unlikely to "surrender" one of their most lucrative businesses alongside their reputation, just as Hiromi "losing face" leads to his abrupt disposal via the other two Tyger bosses present in the meeting. V refusing Maiko's offer could be perceived as disloyalty among the ranks and the Claws are swift to sense a weakness in potential rivals: The risk of retaliation runs high.
Will Maiko prove to be a benevolent ally to the dolls? Perhaps not from any ethical intent, but if V and Judy can persuade her to act in the best interests of the the club by showing what she stands to gain, her malleability (and lingering affection for Judy) will be an asset. Streetkid, nomad, and corpo alike understand one thing about Night City: In a world where the big wigs always win it's better to play them at their own game.
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Liberate Clouds and Serve a Cause
Maiko's offer is tempting, but temptation is a perilous path to walk; the "easy" way out is often the least effective. Conniving, manipulative, and power-hungry, Maiko thrusts V into a precarious position by staging her mini-coup before the Tyger Claw bosses and unintentionally revealing vulnerable flaws in the team's commitment to the cause (herself); Maiko has thought this through, but not thoroughly enough - her amateur tactics will not suffice in a cut-throat environment.
Her willingness to embrace a Machiavellian role so whole-heartedly is troubling. Sniffing change in the air with Woodman's "dismissal", Maiko sees Judy and V as little more than expendable brain and muscle to realise her ambitions. She is completely unremorseful in betraying the integrity of the cause. How can V entrust the wellbeing of Clouds' workers to one so quick to shift affiliation? There is no guarantee of Maiko's empathy towards the dolls despite her previous occupation, and she is more likely to step on the backs of those who worked beside her to rise through the ranks. The conditions within the club may improve, or may not - V mustn't presume that Maiko wouldn't exploit her employees if she felt it advantageous to do so, and how can we be certain that an Evelyn Parker situation - yet another faceless victim of NC's sordid pastimes - won't happen again? That alone is reason enough to spurn any kind of brokering with the Claws.
Then there is the integrity of the cause and the sentiment behind it. Judy's hard-earned trust will falter should V turn their heel and bolster Maiko, proving themselves to be yet another product of Night City cynicism and selfishness. Critics may decry Judy's push for progress as naive and delusional but this is a flat excuse for shirking activism. Her own personal journey is well-versed in the hard realities of the world, and she has seen tangible change with the Mox whose governing ethos is to protect minorities and workers. Lizzie's Bar (Mox stronghold and home to Judy's tech lab) is thriving proof of reclamation and empowerment for sex workers, serving as a precedent for revolutionary action while Maiko Maeda can only maintain a watered-down status quo.
Clouds has the opportunity to become another such legend, and if V truly wishes to leave a legacy behind them they must liberate the dolls and give them the autonomy they deserve: Respect, independence, and a safe space to practice their profession.
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Spoilers affecting choice:
Hindsight packs a cruel punch: If Maiko is established as Clouds' manager she will resume work with the Tyger Claws and the dolls' conditions continue to deteriorate (as indicated in correspondence from Tom and Roxanne). Judy will be unhappy with this scenario and sever ties if V accepts Maiko's bribe money.
Alternatively, the outcome of the dolls running the club at first holds promise, but the Tyger Claws soon seek vengeance. Clouds is shut down after they stage a horrific attack which leaves Tom dead and Roxanne traumatized; without a place of employment the remaining dolls face a dangerous life on the street. Distraught and disillusioned, it's the final straw for Judy who leaves Night City behind with a heart full of bitterness (note that Judy will always end up leaving no matter what).
- Lucy A.
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Sources:
Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red/CD Projekt); fandom.com
*A special thanks to Elvira for her thoughts on this quest.
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