Contract #6: For Whom The Bell Tolls: Part I

[GM Nick]

The sky over Seattle is a canvas covered in spilled ink. What few stars burn bright enough to penetrate the dense layer of pollution are gobbled up in a mass of angry, pregnant clouds. A persistent rain assaults the Firestarter compound, each putrid droplet leaving a residue of corrosive chemicals on whatever surface it contacts. The din of a hundred million gallons upending on the city is punctuated by a rolling depth charge of thunder. Lightning illuminates the bleak horizon, the intermittent pulse of silver veins.

A lone figure slogs through the mud, his poncho-clad silhouette blazing in the fire of the perimeter flood lights. His presence is not a surprise. The newly installed radar array alerted the team to the movement of a Juggernaut drop ship several minutes prior. The visitor slips through the narrow gap created by the retracted front gate.

Had he glanced to either side of him while marching through the courtyard and had he been equipped with the means to see through the dark and the torrential sheets of acid rain, he might have seen the still forms of mechanized arachnid; little more than eight-legged machine guns with optical sensors. The perfect guard dog. To the spider-drones, the visitor is a green reticule moving across their patrol route, cleared for entry--no reason to engage.

The Firestarter team is assembled somewhat haphazardly underneath a concrete archway over the main entrance. Max rubs his oil-stained hands on the thighs of a pair of blue coveralls, having just finished a rigorous cleaning and inspection of his new shotgun. Sinjin stands placidly in the rear--masked in shadow--slurping a heaping of instant soy noodles from a Styrofoam cup. Tyros removes a pair of reading glasses and deftly pockets the arcane tome he was perusing. Val rubs his eyes, trying to erase the after-image of endless lines of code. Doc silently unsubscribes from one of the spider-drones, whose firmware he had just finished upgrading.

Approaching the group, the figure stops just underneath the shelter of the archway. He removes his hood and the trustworthy, mulatto face gleams underneath the overhead halogens. Major Clark's brow is furrowed and there are bags under his eyes. His gaze sweeps across the team, picking out each member individually, as if performing a head count.

"It's happened," says Clark. Tendrils of rain water course down his water-proof poncho and drip on to the concrete by his boots.

"Marcus Bell has invaded Portland."

[Elliott]

Tyros raises his eyebrow slowly as he digests Clark's words. Damn it, but the Mage was just getting to the meat of his book and a few more days would have seen him finish its study. This is book reading weather, not fighting weather after all. Yet the Troll knows the book will now have to wait, perhaps forever if this latest dance with death ends poorly. Oh well, such is the life he chose.

"How exactly has he done that, Major? I though he was crippled once we discovered and thwarted his plans."

[Drew Buddy]

Doc has to remember to drag his jaw closed. It was easier to imagine Bell as a distant foe, holed up in one secret lair or another.

But Portland? Out in the open like this?

"Frag me... Any word from the princes? They have to be having a drekfit right about now."

[GM Nick]

Clark's expression is grim.

"Legion has penetrated the outer veil, and they're fighting their way to the sanctum. The entire council has been destabilized. The Tir defense forces are being forced into political factions--they're not organized enough to hold out for much longer."

[Elliott]

"So when is the UCAS sending in the troops? Or are you considering a nuclear option..." Tyros words hang ominously in the air as the full implications of wiping Portland off the map settles onto the team.

[GM Nick]

"The political situation is ...touchy. The states are loathe to send our people in to die when it was the Tir that formed an alliance with Bell in the first place. On the other hand, the Tir is a terrifying strategic advantage for Bell. There's an emergency meeting of Congress to put the decision to a vote."

[Stephen]

Val grimaces in utter disgust.

"Fan-fragging-tastic. We're on the brink of war, and that closet full of empty suits will sit around and bitch at each other right up until Bell has them trussed up like hogs for the slaughter. And if Bell takes the sanctum, it may not be long before he accomplishes just that. He needs to be handled quickly, and Congress is in-fragging-capable of doing that."

Val sinks down a bit in his chair, his frown deepening as the true scope of the situation takes form in his mind. He wipes a hand down his exhausted visage.

"Frag me, 'manos. This is bad."

[Drew Buddy]

A feeling of dread slowly sneaks up on Doc. The situation has gone to drek, and Clark isn't making a social call.

He lets out a long exhale.

"So. What do you need us to do?"

[GM Nick]

"I'll be damned if I'm about to let Bell usurp a nation-state while I'm still breathing. When the order comes down, I'm going to need the circumstances to be right for a full counter-assault. Now, I can't move my troops without attracting attention. I need an assault force that can go in and take objectives--one that's small enough to avoid raising the attention of the entire Legion army.

[Stephen]

It doesn't take a genius to see where Bell is going with his overture. On the surface, his logic in sending in a small preliminary strike force to avoid attracting the attention of the entire Legion army is sound. He looks around at the hard, somber faces of his teammates, and knows that if Clark's got objectives he needs taken, Firestarter could take them. If history is any indication, however, they won't do it without attracting the ire of the whole of Legion. Still, it's a contract, and one that's bound to pay better than the last. God knows the firm could use a financial boost after their last round of facility upgrades. Val looks up, locking his own tired gaze onto that of Clark.

"So what exactly is it you'd have us do, Major?"

[GM Nick]

"We haven't a moment to spare. Grab your gear and hop on board the Juggernaut and we'll set off at once. I'll brief you in-flight."

[Drew Buddy]

Adams pauses for a second.

"Unless the UCAS is kindly lending us a vehicle, are you expecting us to do this mission without aerial support?" He points his thumb in the approximate direction of the helicopter pad outside. "We have a perfectly serviceable stealth attack chopper right out there."

[GM Nick]

Clark shakes his head.

"You haven't heard of the halo, have you? The elves set up a perimeter of magnetic field generators to protect the Tir's airspace. It'll be in continuous operation for the duration of the attack. We've only got one shot at getting you in the city, and it's not going to be by air."

[John]

Max rubs his stubble absent-mindedly, taking in the gravity of the unfolding situation and smearing grease across his lips and chin. The finger streaks of gun oil look like warpaint. The elf looks up at the sky and lets the drop of water beat against his cheeks for a moment, and recalls a movie he used to watch with his father as a young boy. "A strong man likes the feel of nature on his face," reports the Chinese man in his memory. Max blinks away the water collecting in the sallow pits around his eyes, turns his attention back to Clark, and says, "So it's a halo jump, right? You'll have to give me a clearer idea of what exactly we're doing. I don't have any military background, and I've only ever heard of this type of drek in the movies and the odd passing mention in security manuals."

[GM Nick]

"The Tir airspace is impenetrable. If you did somehow manage to make it through the halo without having your cyberware ripped out of your body, you'd be blown to bits by the anti-aircraft guns. Halo is really the only thing keeping Bell out at this point. No, we have one shot at insertion and that's through the waterways right into Portland harbor."

[John]

Max nods,

"That's good. I've never been a huge fan of falling from orbit. Explain these waterways."

[GM Nick]

"The UCAS Kerouac is an Apollo-class submarine. She'll take you most of the way, skimming the bottom of the salt-water channels that connect the Pacific with Portland. Once in range, you'll be released through the torpedo tubes and--with the assistance of some submersible vehicles--make your way to the harbor."

[John]

Max grins not with amusement but with doubt, and says,

"Well that sounds like a great time on a Friday night. What can we expect once we reach the harbor? Bell used to be one of yours. If you can think of this, he can think of this."

[GM Nick]

"Bell will be committing the bulk of his forces to breaking through the outer defenses. He simply doesn't have the resources to detect a small group moving underwater."

[John]

Max's eyes search Clark's face, but find no answers in its stony visage. "Can we expect any help from the local forces once inside?"

[GM Nick]

Clark's countenance confers little other than the wizened hesitation of a career military man.

"This isn't officially sanctioned by the UCAS, so Tir forces may not go out of their way to help you, but they're certainly allies."

[John]

Max doesn't respond to this, and instead asks,

"Pay?"

[Elliott]

Tyros gives Max a quick look before leaning back against the wall, "Why would we do this? I mean, sneaking into a war zone sounds like a nice holiday and all, but what can we really accomplish? Put me within claymore distance of Bell and the world will be shorter one madman, but I don't see that happening in the middle of a battle."

((Assisting the negotiation roll))

[GM Nick]

"Our top analysts have compiled a list of strategic objectives. Compensation will be provided for each completed objective. You can choose when and how to accomplish each objective, and prioritize on the fly. Skip an objective if you need to, or if it doesn't seem feasible--or tackle them all sequentially. What matters in the end is completing as many objectives as possible. That's a win for both of us."

Clark turns to Tyros.

"I'm not expecting you boys to wipe Legion off the battle-field. That responsibility falls on the Tir defense and inevitably, my men. I need you to slip in and create a number of vulnerabilities that will allow us to effectively flank Legion when the time comes."

[Drew Buddy]

Adams presses his lips together before speaking,

"Okay, we'll need a list of the targets, expected payout per target, and some idea of the targets' priority."

[John]

Max smiles at Clark, and says,

"Like a treasure hunt for nuyen. Like Doc said," the elf cocks a thumb in the direction of the war veteran, and continues, "we're going to need to see those objectives and what we're pulling down from each one before we commit to anything, though. I'd like to kick Bell and his outfit in their collective balls more than just about anybody out there, but this assignment is about as high risk as they come. We need to look out for ourselves, as I'm sure you'll understand."

[GM Nick]

"The most pressing objectives involve extracting Prince Kelseth from the area where the fighting is thickest and disabling the Legion forward armor that's pushing down on the outer sectors. Other objectives include uncovering moles in the upper echelons of Tir military, clearing the service tunnels used by the halo, repairing a damaged communications array and helping the Tir defend some strategic targets. Max--I'll put you in touch with my Lieutenant, who can help negotiate your rates. I can provide some initial briefing on each objective, but a lot will be improvisation."

[John]

The elf shifts, wiping his hands again on the overalls, and says,

"Let's have the briefing, then. It sounds like the sooner we get under way-- assuming we take the job-- the better."

[GM Nick]

Clark shouts against the rain and the reverberations of the Juggernaut's engines.

"Prince Kelseth is--somewhat ironically--also the defense minister. Intelligence suggests that he's pinned down somewhere in the outer sectors. If Legion managed to capture or kill him, it would destabilize what's left of the council. We have his bodyguard's commlink frequency, but you'll need to be in close proximity to contact him on a sub-channel."

[Drew Buddy]

Adams taps the back of his heel against one of the two spider drones he''d grabbed off the FRSR walls on his way out. Two of the ink grenades from the UCAS storage unit lay tucked in his pack.

We ARE going in via the water.

"Do we have any idea of how many men he has left defending him? Or how large the forces attacking him are?"

[GM Nick]

"Kelseth had a diplomatic entourage, which generally consists of two awakened attaches. Worst case scenario? Assume it's just three--counting his bodyguard. The last transmission we intercepted had reports of multiple Legion squads and at least two assault vehicles."

Clark raises his arm and swings his fist in a circular motion. In response, the Juggernaut lurches into launch position and fires up its' pilot boosters.

[Drew Buddy]

Adams looks at Clark incredulously.

"Oh, good."

He thinks for a minute, and then asks,

"Once we get there, how are we moving around? I'm assuming our other objectives aren't all in the same place. And Portland ain't exactly a small city."

[GM Nick]

"That's up to you. You may want to commandeer a vehicle. Blend in."

[GM Nick]

Clark glances at the team, his face illuminated in the Juggernaut's landing floods. Steam from the boosters collects around his ankles.

"Go ahead and grab your gear. Remember that you'll be limited to what you can fit inside a torpedo tube. Pack light."

[Drew Buddy]

Doc nudges val in the ribs.

"It'll be just like old times. Except maybe we can snag a vehicle while we're not being shot at."

(( Aside from my gear, I'll be bringing two ink grenades, one Arbalest II MAW (to be stored in whatever vehicle we commandeer), and a pair of the spider drones (which are basically the size of the guns themselves, plus legs that I imagine can fold up pretty well). Anyone want to bring a Sonic rifle for crowd control, or the flamethrower for lols? ))