The Screaming Sky - DM Downrightamazed

Game Master downrightamazed

"A screaming comes across the sky. It has happened before, but there is nothing to compare it to now." -- Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow


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Yeah, there's a one-hour window on edits/deletes. No worries, I knew it was you. :-)


John takes Alastair's hand and returns a firm handshake before taking a seat at the table. The pilot had the leadership skills to naturally take charge of the situation and keep everyone on-topic, that was quite an asset in their situation.

Quote:
"I had hoped we had more of an idea then that. Its obvious they aren't with NEG or else they wouldn't have worried about cutting off communications."

"I wouldn't be so quick to write off an NEG connection. Some of the things that get done with your tax money are so classified that even the congressmen who fund it don't know all the details. "Nyx" might be recruiting for a black-ops team through unconventional channels to minimize the number of people in the NEG who have any contact with her project." He states this next part quite calmly, "Also, it is almost certain that we are still under surveillance- either electronic or magical. It's what I would do if I'd approached someone like this; perhaps we should move to a more secure location?"


Male Nazzadi Sergeant Major

'I agree, unfortunately I don't know the local area very well, so I'm not really sure where "secure" is...' Devereux states, But I should imagine our rooms are all bugged.


For a brief moment he flirted with the thought of headbutting the Nazzadi who had identified himself as Viper.

"Good for you Tinman." He grit his teeth as he spat out the derogatory term for Mecha-pilot common to the rest of the armed forces.

"Its just you and your precious metal baby. You have an off-day, the bugs eat you. I get it glory boy. Just you and your shiny metal toy against the world. I screw up, I get a damn lot more of us killed than just my worthless ass..."

He locked eyes with Viper.

"You ever look into the pleading eyes of an infantryman and lie to him that help is coming when you know it isn't? You ever have to kick desperate refugees off your tank just so you can evacuate? You ever had to stand back and watch helplessly as the cultist munch your men so your stealth isn't blown? Every box that doesn't make it back is six Cruds and two tankers. My friends die in eights, Tinman."

"Every single damn box..."

Just as suddenly, the fire was gone again leaving the hollow shell.

With a defeated shrug, he let himself slump, half-supported by the chair, half-dangling from his shirt collar.

"Give me the gun, Viper. Just pass me the damn gun..."

--------------------------------

@ Kyra codename Viper XIII: Don't give him the gun. He just might do it. :-P

@ Everybody: The way I see it, inter-service rivalry will never go away. When I was serving, Mechanized Infantry patronized the standard footslogging Infantry (who in turn saw them as overrated Glory-Boys) and loathed Armor (who relied on 'crunchies' to do all the heavy lifting but took all the credit). I don't see that changing any time soon even in the face of an alien invasion. So let's see some interesting names for 'Shellheads'... :-)

Crud is also the BattleTech shorthand for Crusader.

And THIS TOO SHALL PASS.


Winston "Gatecrash" Chang wrote:

For a brief moment he flirted with the thought of headbutting the Nazzadi who had identified himself as Viper.

"Good for you Tinman." He grit his teeth as he spat out the derogatory term for Mecha-pilot common to the rest of the armed forces.

"Its just you and your precious metal baby. You have an off-day, the bugs eat you. I get it glory boy. Just you and your shiny metal toy against the world. I screw up, I get a damn lot more of us killed than just my worthless ass..."

He locked eyes with Viper.

"You ever look into the pleading eyes of an infantryman and lie to him that help is coming when you know it isn't? You ever have to kick desperate refugees off your tank just so you can evacuate? You ever had to stand back and watch helplessly as the cultist munch your men so your stealth isn't blown? Every box that doesn't make it back is six Cruds and two tankers. My friends die in eights, Tinman."

"Every single damn box..."

Just as suddenly, the fire was gone again leaving the hollow shell.

With a defeated shrug, he let himself slump, half-supported by the chair, half-dangling from his shirt collar.

"Give me the gun, Viper. Just pass me the damn gun..."

Kyra releases Winston's shirt collar with a sigh. "You really don't understand us engel pilots do you? We go through an operation that links our minds with a giant creature, just to save the lives of others... He stops for a moment as he puts his right hand on the table showing the tattoos along the forearm. "Do you know what these tattoos stand for? This one that connects into the crescent here means 'never forget.' I have never forgotten the lives of those I protect. See every person who dies on the battlefield when I'm there is a lose I could have prevented. And before I was an engel pilot I was a sundai pilot. Believe me I know what's it like to watch allies die for the sake of the mission. Were not here for glory, glory doesn't mean a damn thing.

Also an off day for me means the team can die not just my self. What makes you think its different for you than it is for me? Also I know Chasmals are a newer engel but their not shiny and I'd never call a sentient being a toy. Oh and for your last question sorry I don't have a gun I'm on vacation." Kyra says his eyes burning into Winston bit his natural flippant attitude couldn't help but come in at the end as he returns to his seat.


We've just gone through a stressful situation, all that adrenaline has to go somewhere... John figures, as he listens to Kyra and Winston bicker.

Quote:
"Good for you Tinman." ... "You really don't understand us engel pilots do you?"

...and nobody *ever* thanks the spooks, he reflects somewhat bitterly.

He glances down at his PCPU to check whether the hotel has a suitably secure business suite available for use, and if not to look into renting one in the local area.


John Mcnaught wrote:
We've just gone through a stressful situation, all that adrenaline has to go somewhere... John figures, as he listens to Kyra and Winston bicker.
Quote:
"Good for you Tinman." ... "You really don't understand us engel pilots do you?"
...and nobody *ever* thanks the spooks, he reflects

If we thanked you your not a very a very good spook then are you :p


John only:
It takes you a matter of seconds to determine the networks here in the restaurant/lobby are completely insecure. You would guess they have private networks and secure rooms in the business suites, as most hotels do. Barring that, you think you have enough of a bead on how this town operates to find a place, if you can get a couple hours alone to work.


Airfix shakes her head at Kyra and Winston. "Come on, you guys. Stow it. We've got way bigger fish to fry." Her voice softens just a bit as she looks down at the seated Winston. "'Crash, hang with me buddy. I still need you, man. You're not here, I got no one to drive, see?" she chucks the despondent tanker on the shoulder in a friendly way, then looks back up at the lot of you. "So whadda we do? Just...go where these people want? I mean, what if they really do have our gear and mecha? How do we know this isn't all total BS?"


@DM:
OK, John will hook up his earpiece and throat mike and place a call to the resort's front desk to reserve the conference room. He hasn't had a chance to check the bank account number he was given, but he figures Nyx is good for it...

I don't want to take any liberties, let me know if something is available at the hotel

While everyone is swapping ideas and recriminations, John quietly places a call. "Yes sir, the Preston suite ... immediately if possible ... yes, that's fine ... no, no catering ..."


Cythery can feel her face burning as Krya goes on and on. Before she could stop herself her hand already walloped Kyra on the arm.
"My love," She gulps then says through gritted teeth,
"What on this bug infested earth are you doing?!?". She asks looking at him as if he had gone mad.
"I am sorry, my husband has a strange way of expressing himself sometimes. Don't worry, you are not going to get us killed. If you were so terrible, they wouldn't have picked you for whatever they had planned. If we stick together and work as a team, hopefully then no one gets hurt."
She then sighs and rubs her temples for a moment to regain her composure. Seeing the two going at it already has her a bit nervous.
"Listen, we all have lost someone at one point or another, failed a mission or at the very least witnessed a death while one one. There is no need to be at each others throats.
Cythery looks at Kyra for a moment.
Gatecrash, I do not know you yet but all I can do is trust in you as a team player."


With slow measured movements, Winston extracts himself from the disheveled heap Viper had left him in. As he took to his feet, he gently smoothed the fabric around his collar, gently working out the creases from the fabric.

He gives a slow nod to Cythery and Chelsea and exhales noisily.

"What the hell are you doing here Airfix... you should have been out there in a Claymore or Falcata commanding a Regiment, not saddled here with an aging washout like me..."

He sighs again.

"I can't speak for the idiots who thought I was worth recruiting, but since I'm not dead yet, we might as well see it through... I still say its in all your best interest to just shoot me and be done with it though... God knows who else we'll have to bury by the end of this."

He dumps the contents of the envelope onto the table, staring at contents of the package with a casual disdain.

--------------------------------

DM Downrightamazed:
Taking a closer look at the Bank Account Pin and any other data that might come with it. Generic vanilla corporate charging account? (If so, which corporation?) Any particular banking institute? (If identifiable, what are the bank's major investments in?) Government Business Invoice Account? (Unlikely to be identifiable if so, but hey, might be able to guess who is doing the tender.)

Business + Intellect
3d10 ⇒ (6, 4, 8) = 18
Keep 8. Total 8 + 6 = 14.

It's unlikely to be traceable unless Nyx got sloppy. Of course if you rule that this can't be done with 'Business' to begin with, then feel free to ignore this set of rolls.

--------------------

I haven't seen the outcome of the following blind rolls in the embedded spoiler box yet, but I may toss on some of the free Drama Point d10s for the Business Roll if you consider "Shrewd" a valid usable quality in this context (I remember it had something to do with business dealings but I don't have my book handy.)

If legal, I will make the first roll stopping if I score a straight, a double or a 9 or 10 and keeping the remaining point from Shrewd. If the above condition isn't met, I'll burn the second Shrewd roll. Will stop after the second point from Shrewd. If you rule Shrewd has nothing to do with the situation, I'll keep my existing 14.

Spoiler:
2d10 ⇒ (5, 4) = 9

Of course, if 14 is already a success or you rule that 'Business' is the wrong skill to use in this context, I'm keeping my Shrewd points.


John:
The receptionist confirms your reservation, and says "Well, sir, at the platinum level catering is provided free of charge, so we can leave it out if you wish, but it comes at no cost to you anyway. Will you require the usual security detail and communications array?"

This is all totally cool, feel free to run with things like this. I'm generally a really permissive GM, and I want players to explore and impact the game world. I only put the smack down (such as it is) if people start to take advantage or metagame, etc.


Male Nazzadi Sergeant Major

Sighing, Devereux looks Winston squarely in the eyes, 'You think you are unique? Alone in this world? Well, you're not. I may be a Sergeant Major in the NEG, but there was a time many years ago when I was a commander in the Nazzadi fleet, I was young, reckless, and killed many of you humans for a cause I found out was a lie. I was forced to make a choice and saw my entire unit destroy one another over my decision.

Then I have to carve myself a new life amongst the very people I fought to destroy, with little hope for the future, and no past to cling onto. You don't think I sink down into the very bowels of depression at times??.'

He stands up and slams his fist on the table and barks, in true sergeant style, 'But I do keep fighting, because I have learned that the people of his earth are worth fighting for, worth carving myself that future I never had, worth making a place for my race and yours to live together in, and I'll be damned if some bugs are going to squash that dream. I don't know what is happening here, but I do know it's worth looking into, and we were all chosen, including you, so pull yourself together man, and show us what you're really made of.'

Sitting back down, and in a softer voice, he continues, 'Look, life is full of choices, and for people like us the wrong choice can destroy lives, but if we sit back and make no choices at all, risk nothing, we will loose this battle, this war, this world...'


Winston:
You recognize this type of account number; common amongst "onyx card" holding high-end players and CEOs of Global Corporations, the very very rich and elite. You can't trace it, but you feel a certain satisfaction in being smart enough to recognize that this kind of card can't be traced anyway, thus saving time and effort.


@DM:
I'll complete the reservation with security, comms, catering, etc. thrown in. We just ate, but it seems we might be at this for a while...

Noticing a lull in the conversations with Winston after Devereaux's dressing-down, John interjects "I've reserved a conference room- it's a far cry from what I'd consider secure but it is a damn sight better than the restaurant... I don't feel comfortable digging into that", he gestures at the pile of papers Winston dumped on the table, "on open networks. 4 days isn't much time to prepare for field work, we need to take full advantage of every hour- so if you're done *bickering*, please join me in the business suite.

With that John stands up, gives everyone a moment to gather their possessions, and starts walking toward the conference room.


Male Nazzadi Sergeant Major

Devereux stands, pours himself another cup of coffee, grabs his folder and follows John, sipping the cup of joe as he walks.


Winston stares down at the heap of documents before him for a moment, as the brain slowly processed the rest of the contents.

Letting loose an impressed whistle, he gathering up the package contents and shoving it back into the envelope while ensuring he hasn't left anything behind, he shuffles off after the Civil Defense Major, letting ideas percolate in his skull for a moment.

Whoever it was likely knew more about each of them than they knew about themselves. That was usually bad.

He lowered his voice so that it wouldn't be heard beyond the group. "This is serious stuff. Credit limits on accounts like this go way beyond the average kickback to somebody's little 'Entertainment' fund. A Vega Black account like this could easily fund the creation of a small private army."

He let a small amount of amusement bleed into his voice. "Such as we are."

"If this 'Nyx' knows what she's doing, this should be a fresh account meaning it'd have no purchase history and therefore be nigh impossible to trace... If we're even going to get any leads, it's likely they'll come from another source."

But... this could wait. First things first.

"Chel..." He gave her a concerned look, noting the shiver as she walked barefoot with them across the air-conditioned lounge of the hotel. "Easy there... We're not in such a rush that we need you to catch a chill. Take a moment. You know where to find us." He gestured to the lift lobby with his free hand.

"And I promise not to shoot myself while you're gone..." he added.

--------------------------------

@ Everybody: Business Knowledge checks for Gatecrash just came up with a dead end.

DM Downrightamazed:
As soon as we get the room, Winston is going to Google the train route on the tickets and get a rough approximation of the distance and then mess around with the net and see if he can find a public road network which roughly matches the route.

Probably take 7 on Research/Computer if rolls are necessary (13s).

Thinking of proposing that the group irritates the heck out of Nyx by going on a road trip and skipping the train ride altogether, since we have 4 days and depending on how fast we drive, we might actually make it to Abéché before the expected arrival date and do a little of our own site recce beforehand.


Alastair sometimes forgot how much time had passed. How many good men and women he had left behind, to die or worse, in his rise to his present status? His tattoo's didn't symbolize regret, they symbolized death and glorified the deaths of those he had killed so that any who came against him would know that they too could be added to his arm. The only memory that they lived at all would be an ink blotch.

He quietly sighs, thankful that they at least had some level heads among them and he wasn't going to have to crack a couple skulls to get people to calm the hell down. He gathers up his envelope and follows after the Civil Defense Major.


Airfix gives Winston a quick nod and leaves the elevator many floors before the rest of you, to head to her room and get into something more covering and -- let's just be frank -- less distracting.

The business suites are on the 39th floor, the top floor but one of this particular hotel. A pair of steak-necked bruisers are guarding the door of the one John reserved for you, and they open the onyx doors for you. Inside is a giant slab of a table, a stocked minibar and hospitality cart, bathrooms, an attached lounge with expensive leather furniture, the works. Everything is all subdued track lighting and creaking leather on polysteel frames. Alastair casts a coolly judgmental eye over everything, seeming to appraise it all, but says nothing.

John quickly checks out the netlink and reports that while it is not nearly as secure as it could be, it's secure enough for your immediate purposes.

Alastair only:
This is actually a reasonably well-appointed business suite, but it's still a distant and cheap copy of what you know a real high-powered business suite should be. But it'll do.

John only:
Your main concern about the data link is the open proxy ports. You recognize these are necessary for the hotel to be in compliance with certain Freedom of Information and audit standards, but they're also open doors. If you wish, you can do a DC15 Computers check to simply block those ports, which the hotel will be able to see if anyone is monitoring and actively remove your blocks, or a DC18 Computers check to do a passive block that is harder to find, or DC20 to do a Shitstorm which will feed the proxies gobs of fake data that will keep any audit apps happy, and will only be recognizable as a shunt by another human, and a very skilled one at that.

Winston only:
You are quickly able to map a road route over the north side of the lake on the new bypass; 14 hours direct travel time by car to get from N'Guigmi to Abeche.


@GM:
John will take his time in methodically putting together a program to block access from the proxy ports and feed them spoofed data (twice as long = +4 bonus): 6(attribute)+4(time)-1(pain)= 9+3d10 ⇒ (7, 4, 7) = 18. If my hacking specialization applies: 1d10 ⇒ 8. If he can't get it to work right, I'll settle for trying a simple block: 5+3d10 ⇒ (2, 4, 1) = 71d10 ⇒ 4 (specialization?) and offering a bribe to the hotel's admins if anyone calls about it.


Male Nazzadi Sergeant Major

Once everyone is seated Devereux turns to John, 'How long do we have here?'. He then looks around the room, 'I think it would be a good idea if we spent a few minutes highlighting a few of the skills we bring to the table, if we are working together it would be benificial to know what our strengths as a team are.

As I meantioned, I am a SM in the NEG, many years ago I was a commander in the Nazzadi fleet during the first invasion of Earth. I am at heart a foot soldier, good with hand to hand combat, stealth, and general gunsmanship. Although I was a commander, for personal reasons I have no interest in becoming an officer in the NEG.'


Winston continued to thumb across the map, scrolling through a list of vehicle rental firms and their inventories, trying to sort any particular standouts from the general dross. Slowly, he worked his way through a smorgasbord of vehicles, settling on a rugged Pioneer SUV.

Without looking up from his datapad, "Winston Chang. Currently... incompetent tanker... That much you know... Formerly Armorcorp Purchasing Manager, South-East Asia subdivision..."

He set his datapad down on the marble tabletop with an audible click.

"But that really isn't that important at the moment." He gestures to a point on the map.

"We're here." He stabs his finger at a point on the map. "Nyx wants us Carbon Based Lifeforms here." He gestures at a map point indicating Abeche.

"Train route is here." A highlighted line worms it's way across the landscape. "Land route is here." A secondary line, worms it's way across the landscape.

"It's 14 hours by land which roughly means a 28 hour round-trip."

"No sense blundering into a town blind on suspect intelligence from an untrustworthy source. We've got time. Why not use it to sneak a peek at the playing field for ourselves? Anyone up for a road-trip?" He asks casually, as the image of a Pioneer rental company flashes across the screen.

--------------------------------

DM Downrightamazed:

Pioneer SUV seats 7 comfortably. Just making a Appraisal roll to avoid getting ripped off by a bad rental firm.

Appraisal + Intellect
3d10 ⇒ (6, 9, 7) = 22
Keep 9. Total 9 + 6 = 15.


Alastair gave John props for getting the suite on such short notice, Nyx would be feeling a hole burning in her pocket before long, for now though it would do. He stands off to the side, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He gives winston a questioning look, raising an eyebrow when the tanker continues to insult himself. This man was going to be an issue if he continued to lack confidence and aimed to be self destructive. He did however have an interesting idea.

"I pilot a F-Gen, Seraph, Behemoth Class Engel. I specailize in a tetragrammaton fighting style, in short it is a duel pistol fighting style I have been trying to perfect for a few years. Comes in handy and has some various close combat skills involved as well in case I ever have to be on foot."

"Winstons Idea has merit and I support it, I suggest perhaps we split up and come at them from two directions. One known and one they least suspect. Despite their obvious how powered connections and sway, the least we can do is stretch their resources and make them work harder tracking our movements."


John only:
You are able to complete a small process bot that hands the proxies what they expect, even including a couple deft touches like natural language injectors to mimic web pages and info requests and the like.

John finishes doing something on his data tablet, and after a few keystrokes on his PCPU, he gives a satisfied nod and turns his attention back to the rest of you.

Winston does something similar, looking up from a rental transaction on his own data tablet.

The cool, dry air being pumped into the business suite keeps up a soft susurrus of sound, blocking any external noise the soundproofed walls of the executive suite do not. Frankly, this is the coolest, quietest place any of you have been since you got here.


"I commune with a N-Gen Chasmal. Behemoth Class Engel. I specialize in Neg Military Kendo. For when I'm on foot."


Male Nazzadi Sergeant Major

'I agree with Winstons idea too, it doesn't hurt to be prepared. We may be on the same team as them, but I'd rather know more about what team it is we're actually on.' He shivers slightly, the cool of the aircon a welcome change to the sweltering heat outside, 'I must admit to being a bit curious about these items they want us to search for'


Winston manages a inside smirk at Kyra's somewhat stilted attempt to one-up Alastair's introduction with one of his own.

Seems like you aren't the only one with a self-image problem... He chuckled inwardly, while making a mental note to avoid straying anywhere between the two Engel jocks and their private war.

Turning back to the matter at hand, he thought for a moment...

"Atkinson has the right of it. We don't know who Nyx is, or whatever she's after, and the fact that she has..." He inhaled sharply and swallowed squeezing the thought out of the way, "material relevant to each of us... is... problematic."

Understatement of the week.

"She referred to us as 'sentient carbon-based lifeforms like yourself'."

Winston figured he wasn't the only one to catch it. That was a heck of a tell if there ever was one...

"What the hell have we just been blackmailed into doing...? And more importantly, by what...?"


"That's exactly what I was wondering. They have the power to move our equipment, which we can't even do as engels are very very expensive and difficult to produce. So the military doesn't let us do anything with out permission. Hell I'm surprised they let us work on our engels when not in combat." Kyra says as he sets the bag of clubs down and pulls a wakizashi out of the bag. He pulls the blade from the sheath with a nearly silent hiss of metal on wood. He begins to sharpen and polish the blade as he thinks.

"So who should take the 'official' route and who's going to take the scenic route?"


Male Nazzadi Sergeant Major

'I'm happy to take the scenic route, but I'm easy with either.'


While waiting for consensus on whatever the rest of the motley crew decides, Winston stepped aside , physically removing himself from the discussion momentarily.

"Major Mcnaught. Moment of your time, Sir."

Inwardly he kicked himself for so rapidly making the transition back to what he had nicknamed 'Boardroom Mode'.

Once a corporate, always a corporate...

--------------------------------

@ John Mcnaught:

Winston positions himself such that his voice will carry what he is about to say away from the rest of the group.

"Major." He brandishes the rank like an honorific.

"If I might be so bold, Sir... you didn't climb the ladder to Major from doing time in 'Dad's Army'." He let the casual nickname for the Civil Defence hang in the air for a moment.

"I'm not even going to try to guess exactly where you're from, but you're probably not one of us..." He gestures to the rest of the military staff gathered in the room. "Which means you're also probably the best man in the room to ask what the hell is going on at the moment."

"But that isn't exactly why I'm currently annoying the hell out of you. Beyond the basics, my knowledge of Computers extends into the realm of Jack and Squat, and I'm fairly sure it's the same with the rest of the Combat Kiddies over there. You seem to have a fair hand with the Tech on this side... Think it'd be possible to hook up something approximating a secure private network frequency for our PCPUs if we take this rolling circus onto the road?"

"Sir." He adds for effect, leaving the request hanging.

--------------------------------

If the group splits up, could it be possible to wire up something that will keep us in communication with each other that is a bit more secure than the average phonecall?

@ DM Downrightamazed:
Please read the spoiler box addressed to John Mcnaught.

I have ranks in Bureaucracy too. :-P

Major is usually a pretty worrying rank to the average grunt, since in most army engagements historically, Captains were typically the highest ranking 'Field' officer. Beyond that, you fell into the realm of Command Staff who are usually invisible to boots on the ground except when things have gone FUBAR.

Assuming the NEG works the same way as most modern militaries (which it looks like it does), I'm surprised nobody else is getting twitchy about John's presence.


Deveraux wrote:
'I think it would be a good idea if we spent a few minutes highlighting a few of the skills we bring to the table, if we are working together it would be beneficial to know what our strengths as a team are.

At the beginning of their impromptu meeting, John offers a bit of information about himself, "I'm an Intelligence officer in the reserves. I've been out of the field for a while, so I'm not sure what Nyx meant when she said my mech is being moved... I did some of the initial field testing back when the Whisper class was still a classified prototype- they call them Saber class now- and I've kept up my refresher training in Centurions but I don't have anything assigned to me at the moment, this has been my weapon system for the past few years..." (he pats his PCPU absently)

After introductions are complete and Winston brings up his idea... I don't like the idea of traveling separately, I don't like the idea of cutting into our preparation time, and I'm not sure I like the idea of taxing their resources; whoever they are, they're the only support we have for this operation. Usually there would be a dedicated support team and overwatch for something like this; maybe there is and we just haven't met them yet," he waves his had at the list of five names, "but we have a lot of angles to cover and only a little over 100 hours to get everything ready- and we lose a day of that just getting everyone properly warded (assuming I can find a reputable sorcerer around here). I know I sure as hell didn't pack for a mission, I have a lot of shopping to do. Logistics isn't my strong suit, but we should put together a list of the gear we want on-hand and I'll see what we can acquire before we head out.

@Winston:
John looks up from his tablet as Winston approaches and asks his question then replies, "I'm shopping around for a solution to that. I found a bunch of COTS CRMs to tie together in a VPAP..." noting Winston's expression at the use of technical Jargon, John clarifies "I'm putting together a system that will be secure and resistant to jamming. It will take a few days to get everything set up and tested, but I should have something ready by the time we leave. He is silent about the first part of Winston's address and the implied questions...

@DM:
John needs to wrap up that call to Arlette before she gets too suspicious. Hopefully she'll have information to him, but if not he'll make his report to her. He's not ready to go to his superiors with everything that has happened yet, especially about the pictures in the envelope. Instead, he will phone it in as a counter-intelligence report stating that he believes he was under surveillance and describing the men in pinstripe suits, the sedan, and the eye. He also has a piece of paper that he would like to submit for fingerprinting. Finally, he'll check with both Arlette and his superior in the militia as to whether there have been any changes to his vacation orders/status. If not he'll be putting in for an extension to his leave...

Oh, and are trains powered by D-engines? Just a random thought...


Male Nazzadi Sergeant Major

'Cloak and dagger has never been my strong suit, and John makes a good point. Perhaps we are best not to split up, however I still think Winstons idea of heading up early to scope out the place is with merit.'

He leans back and scratches his head absently, 'I was on holidays, but I did bring along my armor and a light firearm, never hurts to be prepared. But I've got no other equipment on me, I'll make up a list of what I'll want for you.'


Sidestepped the bait entirely... Cagey... Collected...

I'm impressed.

Winston manages a calm nod as he turns back to the group. The man was right of course. Time was ticking.

"The Major has a point..." He began.

"But if, and only IF, we are on the same team. Someone has gone to a lot of effort to bring a group of us specialists here. We've got a..." He looks back at John, raises an eyebrow and shrugs, "Armor Crew, an Infantry Spec and a trio of Engel Pilots being pulled off the front lines in a war where assets like you are so valuable that if I was your Commanding Officer, I'd have you all bubble-wrapped in cotton wool and packing foam and shipped back to the front by air-mail if it meant getting you back into the field an hour earlier."

"What I'm saying is that I trust this... Nyx, about as far as I can throw her." He pauses to let the point sink in, using his diminutive height for emphasis. "I don't have any clue what was in your respective packages, but until convinced otherwise, this Carbon Based Lifeform will continue to conclude that he is an unwilling participant being blackmailed into participation."

And I will damn well act the part.

Time for the bomb. "And as Chelsea so nicely put while I was contemplating giving my head a handgun enema, 'How do we know this isn't all total BS?'

"As anyone who's been assigned guard duty can tell you, there are folks ones who insist on running our blockades and heading off into Migou and Rapine Storm held territory. Half of them are cultists of course. The rest are the crazies and spelunkers who will hare off into the wilds at the slightest hint of a 'lost temple' or 'artifact'. And they're a lot cheaper to find and hire than trying to buy-out a trio of Engels and their jocks. Soldiers like Devereux and myself are a dime a dozen." He hated acknowledging the fact, but it was true. "The fact that the Engel project has just gotten involved can mean only one damn thing. They expect this place to be hot."

"Or she's a cultist who wants to easily whack off a couple of pilots outside their Engels on vacation. There's also that alternative."

"Does any of you know what we're running into in Abeche? Road conditions, topography, foot traffic, vehicular traffic, building density...? Any clues on what we're looking for? Local legends, areas of supernatural ill repute, places of ancient worship? Because I do NOT want to be fleeing for my life down a street and find my Ranger's escape rout cut off by an impromptu street market or parade. Unlikely as it might be, we could be wandering into another warzone for all we know."

"As the Major has pointed out, we've got somewhere in the vicinity of a hundred hours. And unless you want to raises suspicions by having some of us go AWOL when it comes to taking the train, 28 of those hours are gone already to road time."

"The window is narrowing continuously, Ladies and Gents. It's your call."


"I'll check and see if some of my...less morally inclined contacts know of anything going on in Abeche. Kyra says as he pulls out his pcpu and starts checking the underbelly or society that he became so in tune with as a child.

streetwise1d10 ⇒ 11d10 ⇒ 85 = 5 Essentially trying to see if any one Kyra might have known as a teenager is currently working in Abeche or has a contact there. In Kyra's background he was in an all Nazzadi gang called The Lost.

computers1d10 ⇒ 81d10 ⇒ 85 = 5 Looking up the most detailed maps of the city and traffic conditions, depending on the check I'd like to see if I fan get into police records of any cult activity that may be related to artifacts.


Winston:
w/r/t John's rank; due to how isolated and insular the Engel "community" is, most Engel Pilots (of which you have three, of course) are only dimly aware of the workings of other branches of the military. They tend only to see other Engels in combat, and only interface with officers and arcanotechs outside of combat. Anytime they see infantry or armor it's usually just a rescue.

Devereux, if anybody, would be concerned, since he's a noncom and infantry, but it could be that due to the relative recentness of his conversion to the NEG, he doesn't quite know enough yet to know that he should be concerned.


John:
With the bit of hacking you did, you could easily make a secure call over the business lines here, or just call in as you did before. The bigger question, I suppose, is how much you trust the others in this room. If you don't want to talk to your home office in front of them, you'll have to either wait until you leave, or step into the lounge area that is attached to this conference room, and which has a door you can close for some modicum of privacy.

I'm hoping to RP that call with you (I'll run Arlette as an NPC, obviously), but if you'd rather handwave it, I can just give you the results of your queries and requests. Just let me know what you'd prefer.


Kyra:
It takes you only minutes to locate one of The Lost in Abeche, which is now apparently quite the bustling city, rich with an influx of new citizens seeking safety deep inside Africa, where so few of humanity's various new enemies have ventured. Primary industries seem to be technology, universities, other white-collar types of businesses. The member of The Lost calls himself Mettle. Last you heard he was in South Carolina, but that was three years ago.

You quickly bypass the flimsy excuse for a firewall the Abeche police are using, but can find nothing about cults or artifacts, much less cases that include both.


Just as Winston finishes talking, the door clicks softly open and Airfix walks in, now clad more sensibly and less distractingly in jeans and a concert t-shirt. There is a brief break while you bring her up to speed, then everyone turns again to the issues of transportation and equipment.

It seems likely, given that Nyx is (or says she is) having your mecha transported to Abeche, that she probably has all the rest of your standard equipment being moved as well, and if the train is not a popular option, Winston's negotiating skills have landed you a sweet rental ride.

Alastair, who seems to have an eye for this sort of thing, points out that your train tickets are for a suite car, meaning you lot will have a single car all to yourselves, with catered meals, sleeping accommodations, and possibly even a bartender. It is the way only the very rich travel, in Africa.


"I'd still like to find out how the hell she's doing it. I mean, I've seen an Engel..." He shuddered as his mind wandered back to the twitchy gaunt thing that bent and unnatural angles that had half staggered, half fallen through the hanger door to safety during the great China evacuation, most of it's armored surfaces ruined to reveal pallid unnatural flesh beneath. "Those things take some real specialized support to keep them running... You can chuck a Tank in a barn and call it hidden. I get that. But there are likely only so many places you can hide a 60 foot Engel gantry, even in an Arcology. Let alone three."

"Until we can rule out that Nyx isn't out here to whack herself a bunch of Engel pilots, I recommend you three staying at the hotel for the moment..." He gestures towards Cythery, Kyra and Alastair. "Where's it's safe."

He said the words and almost immediately felt stupid for saying them...

The NEG press had always portrayed them as near superhuman beings and the Engel jocks he'd met were some of the toughest soldiers he'd had the honor of fighting alongside. These three didn't seem much different from the basic mold... but outside their Tinmen, he couldn't help but feel nervous at how similar they were to himself.

Similar, and fragile...

Then there was that whole problem of what exactly counted as safe when their 'ally' could come and go as needed and possessed an impressive level of black ops experience.

It was a migraine inducing conundrum that he didn't have the answers for.

"I'll go dredge out my old business cards, put on a suit and wander around with a camera like a lost Chinese businessman. Grease a few palms, get some ground level intel and build up some local knowledge." He exhaled slowly.

"If Nyx is on the level, which I doubt, it's a wasted trip. If she isn't... then worst come to worst... I run afoul of the wrong people and they leave me floating face down in a storm drain. Upon which the rest of you will be able adjust your plans accordingly."

"What's to lose?"


"I need to check in on a few things with my commander, see what the Colonel has to say about all this. I should just be a few minutes..." John grabs a sandwich and steps into the nearby lounge, closing the door behind him.

@GM:
I'm fine with handling the call either way. If you prefer RP, let's do it!
I am still curious about trains, are they powered by D-engines?


As his PCPU successfully loads the new number and flashes a momentary, 'successful entry', across his HUD screen, he looks to Winston and shakes his head momentarily. He paused before speaking and acknowledged Airfixes return with a nod before looking back at everyone gathered in the business suite.

"I doubt they wanted to take us out, if they had it would have been far too easy. We all came here alone or in pairs and they had the advantage of numbers and surprise, it would have been far too easy for them to ghost us. So trust me when I say this isn't bullsh**, what they want is at least real to them and they're moving us into place to get what they seek, obviously. So lets focus on this mission being real with an achievable goal." Why are they interested... This has to be something big for them to get involved and send me orders...

He didn't like Winston's tone, nor his words. He gives him a level stare as he speaks, his tone never changing from its normal calm.

"I don't know what the word is about us Engel pilots, but unlike some I won't stand on the side lines, nor cower in some corner because of my value. Especially not because of her, or anyone for that matter. Call it foolish pride or whatever you want but i've outlasted fools like her before and will do so again."

He stood up then and rubbed his chin as he contemplated what to do next. Calling on his contacts would only open his hand to Nyx and her ilk and he didn't want to see any good men and women get demoted for 'unknown' circumstances. Best to start from the bottom and work up.

"I will make some calls and see what I can dig up, Kyra, Cythera I suggest you make sure your permits are in order and carry your weapons for your personal protection. That goes for the rest of you as well. I don't care much about Nyx nor her lackeys but I am sure she has her own enemies, which are now ours as well. Lets continue to go about our business as if nothing changed. We don't need to draw more attention to ourselves. As for the cross country recon, I don't care either way. The train or the rental is fine, either way they'll will probably be tracking us. " He taps his PCPU to emphasize his point before smiling slightly. "I wouldn't be surprise if our PCPU's and datapads have been bugged... God I love tech." He says this with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.


Winston gave a cynical chuckle at the mention of an "achievable goal".

Like China. That had been 'achievable' all right.

He shrugged inwardly, meeting Alastair's stare with an impassive expression as the group continued to flip-flop over the final decision of what to do. His instincts continued to warn him that he was making a mistake throwing in with anyone, but it made little difference to him at this point. He'd done his due diligence. It was also more likely than not that they'd all wind up dead anyway. Whether they listened beyond this point was no longer his concern.

He felt a momentary pang of regret, and glanced towards Airfix, wishing that he wouldn't be the one ultimately responsible for her demise. She was his friend and part of his crew, and therefore, his responsibility.

But he was damned already, so what was being responsible for taking one more life?

Such was the life of Winston Chang.

He straightened visibly and stretched himself into a seat realizing that he was probably no longer of much use to the rest of them. Placing his PCPU on the table, he casually, he thumbed through the list of documents that had been provided in the manila envelope and began methodically conducting a background check on each of them, carefully annotating each in detail with new information neatly written with a careful hand.

--------------------------------

DM Downrightamazed:

Doing some detailed reading up on Abeche, the surrounding region and whatever information I can scrounge up on the area. Particular areas of interest are topographical maps and geographical data (I will NOT have a tank 'turn turtle' because of loose soil or unforeseen incline changes.) Also, city maps and Google Earth style "Street Level" images are very welcome. If we're not doing a Boots-on-Ground recon, I'd at least like to have an academic idea of what I'm jumping into.

Research + Perception
1d10 ⇒ 10
Keep: 10. Total: 10 + 8 = 18.

@ Everyone: Winston may be a depressive fatalist, but he's professional enough to do his job and do it well. He'll come around eventually.


"Haha turns out one of the members of my gang has sets up shop in Abeche. I'm not sure what he is running down there but I'm sure he owes me a favor or two I might be able to get us all the info about the town we need. Also I agree with Alastair its not going to help anything if we hide ourself while you guys go out and search. Just cause were engel pilots doesn't mean we didn't go through the same combatives training that you guys did."


John:
You check your PCPU and the secure call link and, once satisfied things are as secure as you can make them, you call back to Arlette in Chicago.

"Hello John." answers a mild, male voice. "Enjoying your vacation?" It takes a second, but you recognize the speaker; it is that not of Arletter, or of your boss or even your boss's boss, but one of the highest-up figures in the agency, known only by his code name: Lokapala.


GM:
John has been around far too long to be intimidated by rank... "At the moment, I'm wishing I'd packed for warmer weather. What is going on? Is this an Agency job?"


Winston and Kyra:
Since you're both asking me for the same stuff about Abeche, I'll give you a little OOC rundown here. The city is very flat. Terrain to the south is hardpack and hogbacks, mostly, but to the north is true desert, with harsh conditions and soft sand. The city is remarkably safe for Africa, but still has a few ghettos and shantytowns attached to it. Crime rate is more-or-less average, and resources are generally pretty solid in terms of supplies, tech, weapons, etc. There is a large NEG base to the south, but the location you are supposed to go to is north of the city, and when you zoom in on the coordinates, there is nothing there but sand, and nothing to indicate something else is or ever was there.


John:
A soft chuckle. "Somewhat, yes. You could call this a 'joint venture'."

Re: trains. Like with any new tech, humans are busy cramming D-engines into anything they can. However, this being Africa, there is a lot of old infrastructure left hanging around, and while there are some newer trains equipped with new tech, the majority of rail traffic is old-fashioned diesel or biofuel from the mid-century. So in all likelihood, you'll end up one of those older trains, but you'll kind of just have to wait and see.


GM:
He sighs and considers his options, "Right, what do I need to know?"

If it would be convenient we could conduct the conversation via IM... I don't have any particular preference for clients, Skype and windows messenger are the only ones I use with any frequency though.


John:
Sure, that works! You can find me on AIM as downrightamazed or MSN/Windows as downrightamazed@hotmail.com. Note that I don't actually use that email address, it's just purely so I can use MSN messenger. Ping me on either one of those, I'm online right now. I use Digsby so I have AIM, MSN, and I think Yahoo! all up at once. I should be online for another hour+

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