Episode 5 – Time to Rock & Roll!

 

 

The gloves come off as the Team joins the Free Czech Army in a full scale assault on Interpol’s Prague Headquarters to rescue Owen and others. This is not a just a raid, it is to make an example once and for all against the EU’s meddling in Czech affairs. After this they are off to extract Felix up in the north. A surprise waits them there as the Team comes face to face with the man who is lusting after their lives. There is success and failure as forces beyond anyone’s control start being unleashed.

 

Background

The Bast Corporation is a New Zealand security firm founded back in 2028 primarily to launder money to support the various Caitlin clones. Over the years the Collective has used it as a front in their operations and built the company into a small but successful operation in a number of Commonwealth countries and in the Martian Republic. After the events in the Burn Notice and the Fall of the Cotton Kingdoms Campaigns, Caitlin Prime (now calling herself Catherine Fisher Vaduva) decided to take over control of the company through her husband Kyle Vaduva. The Collective relinquished control but has lost little influence as Cat Vaduva is a loyal member of that organization.

In these past three years the company has branched out from providing personal security for executives and other small corporations to small mercenary paramilitary operations and global intelligence work. Kyle and Cat make sure the company doesn’t take jobs that are morally repugnant to them. They insist on being ‘the good guys’ as much as that is possible in the world of 2050. They have set up a training program to prepare teams of operatives that have the skills to operate as a group that can become anyone and operate in all the major hot spots around the world. These are called the ‘Ghost Teams‘.

One of their clients is Nathan Forrest, now Associate Deputy Director for the Central Intelligence Agency (and family friend). The mission to Prague is the first field operation for this client by the new ‘Ghost Team 1’.

 

Dramatis Personae

Player Characters

Ghost Team One:

Addison King: He is a 5th generation Nietzchean biogen and the first ever born naturally to Nietzchean parents. This has given him the nickname of ‘the Prince’. Addison is a graduate of the Sandhurst Military Academy and is a reserve officer in the New Zeeland Royal Marines Special Boat Service. He is an admirer of Maori culture.

Allison Cole (aka Vlada Roslykova): Grew up in the Burn Notice Campaign and remained with her best friend from school, Catherine ‘Cat’ (Fisher) Vaduva. She is a high level prowler and martial artist with extensive covert operations training.

Brandon Heath: A solo who serves on Frank Beiderbecke’s security staff. Brandon is an experimental Biomechanical (cyborg) with one of Doc Freeman’s ‘cyberbrains’. Brandon was originally Grave, a cyborg from the Fourth Corporate War, who was later (2026) convicted of authorizing the murder of a young hacker and his family. Grave was supposedly executed but the government put him in their Project Kill Switch Program (see Super Solo 2 Campaign for details). He recently served as head of security for the Petersen Point Resort.

Duke Strider (aka Luke Walker): He is an experimental dog/human biogenetic hybrid made by the Collective on commission by the Bast Corporation. The Caitlins, who own Bast Corporation plan to create males members of their race’ but decided to make another species of hybrid first to test the science. His cover ID is from Texas

Owen ‘Crank’ McGregor: A young, muscle bound former United States Deputy Marshal turned free-lance operative. Owen is the eldest son of Lars McGregor, a ‘law enforcement’ official in the Union City (NJ) and major domo for a member of the Consortium. Owen has steered clear of his father’s shady connections. He was with Brandon at the Petersen Point Resort. His cover was Crank, the Food and Beverage manager there.

The Faux Client:

Frank Beiderbecke: The man is a 43 year old former globetrotting salvage engineer that is making the move to become more of a roving independent Fixer. The Bast Corporation has recruited him to front the current mission for them. Besides the generous paycheck he will be making invaluable contacts through this assignment. Frank is from Pennsylvania and is an old time ‘good old boy’. He doesn’t smoke or drink as the first is bad for his health and he has learned though bitter experience that his personality changes when drinks and not for the better.

Bast Corp’s Resident Agent in Prague:

Natalie ‘Natty’ Lanikova: ‘Grew up’ at the Petersen Point Resort when Brandon and Owen were there. A covert operative who most believe is the daughter of the late Lt. Alina Lanikova formerly of the Czech Special Forces (601st SOG). She is actually one of the prototype (former) Biotechnica ‘Caitlin’ clones trained to operate in the Czech Republic.

 

The NPCs

Boris is a member of a major cell of the Free Czech Army in Prague. He is a huge brute and former member of Spetznaz.

Commander Quinn is the operational handler of Ghost Team One and Directory of Operations for Europe, Africa and the Mid-east for the Bast Corporation. He is an experienced operative with extensive an extensive military and covert ops background. He has the hard edge of a Michael Ironside character and the loyalty to his people of Admiral Reigart from Behind Enemy Lines.

Felix is a chemical engineer who worked on a secret chemical weapons project for General Skroup. He has information vital to the Free Czech Army.

General Skroup is the leader of the pro-EU government of the Czech Republic. After influencing the Czech parliament to authorize a brief and unsuccessful war with Poland in 2018, the resulting internal disorder gave him his chance for supreme power. His military coup in the early 2020’s forced the civilian government to flee to their former ‘enemy’, Poland. A simmering civil war has brewed for almost thirty years between Skroup’s forces back by the EU and the (so-called) Free Czech Army of the rump parliament sitting in Poland. The war is now a series of guerilla (or terrorist) actions (depending on your point of view) that target EU businesses and citizens (especially German ones). The Free Czech Army avoids targeting Czech citizens so the common policeman doesn’t work too hard against the rebels. Skroup, now in his late seventies, is losing his grip and fearful of being replaced by his EU masters.

Imre Pauk was a middle-aged Czech national that helped ‘Felix’ escape, but was tortured to death by German mercenaries in the pay of Germany’s GSG-9.

Korlea Sochor runs a number of clubs in Prague and is in charge of a human trafficking ring. He is also second in command of a major cell of the Free Czech Army in Prague.

Kyril Sochor is the commander of a major cell of the Free Czech Army in Prague.

Lars Albrecht is the leader of the airborne operations sub-group of the GSG-9.

Ulrich Albrecht is the leader of a group of German mercenaries and brother of Lars Albrecht. Ulrich tortured and murdered Imre Pauk. He was captured by the team in Episode 4 and turned over to Korlea Sochor.

 

The Action

Sunday, March 20, 2050:

About 10 pm Korlea arrives at the safe house in the barn’s cellar. The man is furious. Operatives of GSG-9 launched attacks all over Prague on any site they suspected the Free Czech Army was operating from. The Germans fired indiscriminately gunning down the innocent as well as sympathizers and off-duty members of the Free Czech Army. The local Czech authorities just stood aside. GSG-9 is using the Prague Interpol Headquarters as their base of operations. The Czech resistance leader has learned that they are holding about 50 of his people and sympathizers in one of the sub-basements of the building.

“There is more,” Korlea tells the Team. “They also have your man, Owen, in another level of that sub-basement.”

“We should call the American Embassy,” Frank suggests.

“Officially GSG-9 isn’t in the Czech Republic,” Korlea says. “Our contacts tell us that they are using all their medical skills to bring Owen up to full health.”

“That’s good,” Vlada remarks.

“No,” Korlea corrects her. “They want him healthy so they can survive the torture they will use to ring information out of him. Since he isn’t officially being held, your government can do nothing. When they break him, they’ll have enough to order all of your executions.”

“We have to get Owen out,” Natty replies.

“Yes, and it has to be done with 48 hours or he will probably be dead,” Korlea tells everyone. “As for us, we intend to launch a full scale attack on the Interpol Headquarters before dawn.”

The Bast Team looks around at each other. Their eyes meet and all agree. Addison turns to Korlea, “We’re going in with you.”

“Do we have a plan?” Natty asks.

“Yes, I’ve called up every remaining operative we have in the Prague area,” the Czech leader says as he pulls out a rolled set of plans. “We’ve had these for a while. They are the building plans for the Interpol Headquarters. They aren’t complete. We don’t know their security alarm system, but that won’t matter. When we strike, there will be diversionary attacks all over the city.”

“How will we get in?” Luke asks.

“Boris will lead the attack on the ground floor with thirty troops. They will use explosives and RPGs to breach. They will sweep in and up to the roof top. At this time of the night there will be maybe a dozen Interpol agents.”

“What about GSG-9?” Brandon asks.

“They are primarily in sub-basements 1 and 2. Most are off with Lars in the north searching for Felix. They only know his general location, but we’ve cracked the lap top and know where he will be on Monday. After we are done here, we will head north and extract him.”

“Where is Owen?” Natty inquires.

“Your man is in the medical bay here on sub-level 1. Our people are a floor below on sub-level 2. There are two utility access tunnels that run along each of the target sub-basements. We will blow holes in the walls simultaneously. I will lead a team to rescue our people. Your Team will clear sub-level 1. We will meet in the stairwell and move upstairs. Boris will have cleared the way to the roof where our AVs will pick up the basement strike teams. From there we will fly north to extract Felix.”

“We’ll need arms,” Brandon tells the Czech leader.

“We have Militech softshell armor for you and most any kind of weapon you need plus all your gear from the safe house. It’s up in the barn above. We’re almost ready to go and just waiting for the explosives expert that command is sending.”

“No, need to wait,” Frank tells Korlea. “I can make the breaching charges.”

The Team looked at Frank quizzically.

“Hey, it’s what I do,” the fixer tells them.

With the plans made, the Team selects their gear. Frank gets to work on the breaching charges. Soon, city maintenance vehicles arrive and bring the assault teams to the entrance to the underground. Tonight the City of Prague is going to rock!

***

 

Monday, March 21, 2050:

By 4 am the Team is in position at the wall running along the sub-basement of the Interpol Headquarters. Frank sets the shaped breaching charge to blow a hole into what they hope is a store room on that level. The attack commences with Boris’s assault group hitting the ground floor. Beiderbecke hits the detonator and the tunnel rocks with the impact of the explosion. Addison and Brandon rush the newly created hole with Vlada and Natty right behind. Duke and Frank take up the rear. This first room is an empty storeroom. Natty leads Vlada out the door. The corridor has a door on both the left and right about three meters down with another hall branching of to the left two meters after that. This corridor continues another four meters with a door on the right leading to the medical bay where Owen is being held.

Natty stops at the junction of the left hand corridor and takes up an over watch position looking left. Vlada stops by the first two doors and waits guarding them. Addison and Brandon run to the medical bay and kick in the door. Inside three armed men are cut down by the Team members. Owen is unconscious in one of the beds. Duke and Frank follow up and clear the two rooms that Vlada is watching. After the first room is checked (it’s empty), Vlada rejoins Natty and the two sweep down the corridor to the next corner which turns right. There is a door on the left hand wall at that junction. Vlada stands over watch as Natty enters an empty room. The new corridor on the right makes a quick left hand turn with another door on the right hand wall of the new junction. Natty relieves Vlada on over watch. The pseudo-Russian gets ready at the next door when it opens. The young woman shoots the surprised man in the head killing him instantly. She then steps into the room and kills the second (and last man) in that room.

By now, Brandon is coming up from behind with Frank and Duke carrying the unconscious Owen. Addison is taking up the rear guard position. The group dashes down the next short hall and enters the room with the staircase off it. They hunker down and wait for Korlea’s team coming up from the floor below. There are sounds of fighting both above and below them. The occasion explosion from above rocks the old building. Within a minute, the Free Czech Army team is coming up the stairs with their evacuees and all head to the ground level. The first floor is torn apart with bodies of Interpol operatives strewn everywhere. Boris and the assault group have done their job all too well. Many of the FCA prisoners are hustled out the front door into waiting transports while the Team and Owen are waved upstairs to the waiting AVs on the roof. As they move through the lobby the Team sees that a grizzly trophy has been placed prominently on the main desk in the lobby. It is the head of Ulrich Albrecht, brother to Lars Albrecht the leader of the division of GSG-9 operating in the Czech Republic. The Sochor brothers are sending their own message.

The Free Czech Army has cleared the way to the roof AV pad. The way is littered with the corpses of both Interpol officers and GSG-9 troopers. There just weren’t enough defenders there on a Sunday night to stop such a well-armed attack of this magnitude. On the roof both the Team along with Korlea’s group is quickly loaded on waiting AVs. The crafts streak low over the city. There are fires illuminating the darkness here and there. Natty knows these are at locations of important EU political and business facilities. The long simmering civil war has never struck the capital of Prague this hard since General Skroup’s coup almost 30 years ago. The craft tree hops over the landscape northward and eventually land on a country road where a group of trucks wait to take them all to a new safe house. There FCA doctors examine Owen.  The Team rests a bit in preparation for the extraction of Felix later on today.

Later that morning Kyril comes in and briefs the Team. “Felix was a research scientist working in one of General Skroup’s chemical weapons laboratories, but he quit and dropped off the grid. He contacted the underground and told us that he has information of vital importance to the Free Czech Army.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” Frank remarks.

“No, it doesn’t,” Kyril replies. “He will give up the information if we can get him over the border into Poland.”

“Where is he now?” Brandon asks.

“Imre Pauk got him a job as a lab assistant at Liberec Pharmaceuticals on the outskirts of that city,” Kyril explains. “We have a way in for four people this afternoon, but they will need to impersonate the cleaning crew of two men and two women. It has to be today. Lars Albrecht is in the area with his men looking for Felix too.”

The Team looks at the photos of the four and, yes, Natty, Vlada, Luke & Brandon are the right heights and weights.

“Do you have recordings of their voices?” Natty asks.

“We can do better,” Kyril replies. “You can talk with them. The four are sympathizers. They realize how important this is.”

The Team gets to meet the four. They are relatively new employees and janitors so no one knows them well. The cleaners tell the Team about the few connections they have made and give the Team their work shift routes. The laboratory has armed security and a fence, but the check point is at the building entrance. The parking lot has only cameras watching. The facility does low level research on industrial cleaning products. The Team works on their disguises and installs recordings of the four janitor’s voices for their voice synthesizers. The plan will be to find Felix and plant a small tracker on him. When he gets out of work they will be able to find him and whisk him off. By 2 pm the four Team members are waved through security. Each has an H&K 624 handgun hidden in their cleaning cart and a tracking bug. Natty takes a back-up breaching charge Frank made for the assault on the Interpol Headquarters. They begin looking for Felix.

It takes only an hour and Vlada finds their target in one of the labs where she is picking up the trash. It is a simple matter for the prowler to plant the homing device on the chemical engineer. She signals the Team it is done. However at that moment Luke spies a face he recognizes from Kyril’s briefing. It is Lars Albrecht, the GSG-9 leader with two of his top operatives. They are checking the various laboratories. Natty gets to the corridor leading to where Felix is. Brandon and Luke head that way together and Vlada also moves in that direction.

Lars and his two men enter a long hall 2nd floor corridor where Natty is ‘cleaning’ a water fountain. The two GSG-9 operatives eye her carefully but she ignores them. At that moment Brandon and Luke enter the hall at the other end pushing their carts. This draws the two bodyguards’ attention, who increase their speed slightly to put themselves between Lars and the two male ‘janitors’. As Lars passes the slightly built Natty, she spins and delivers a double punch to Albrecht’s head. Blood flies everywhere as a pair of wolvers extends from her hands. The GSG-9 leader’s head is torn right from his body. Luke and Brandon yank their pistols from the cleaning carts. The two guards are momentarily stunned by the spray of blood from the decapitation of their leader, but a moment is all the Ghost Team needs. Each bodyguard takes two rounds in the head and drops.

Off in the security room a facility guard sitting back watching the security monitors lurches forward spilling his coffee all over his shirt. He pounds the emergency alarm a few seconds after the GSG-9 men hit the floor. Brandon and Luke shoot out the security cameras in the hall and Vlada then enters. All four now have their pistols out. Natty pulls a plastic trash bag off her cart and tosses Lars Albrecht’s severed head into it.

“We need to get downstairs to the service exit,” Brandon says.

“No,” Natty replies. She enters a door off the corridor, “This way.”

Inside the girl looks and there is no camera in this room. She runs to the window picking up a heavy chair along the way. The biogen swings and the chair bounces right off. It’s armor glass! Natty then runs back to her cart outside the door and gets the left over breaching charge. She places it on the window. The blast sends a shower of glass and smoke into the room and out of the building.

“Quick, jump out through the smoke,” Natty tells her teammates.

The four easily make the drop to the ground. Everywhere people are scrambling out of the buildings in panic. The Team joins the rush to the parking lot and they drive off. Inside, security concentrates their initial efforts on the people attempting to leave by the first floor doors. It takes them three minutes to secure the grounds, but by then the Team is gone. They meet their contact at a pre-designated safe house and the Free Czech Army gets them out of the city. Back out at their temporary headquarters in the forest the four meet up with Korlea and Kyril.

“What the hell happened?” Korlea asks.

Natty pulls out Lars Albrecht’s head and puts it on the table in front of him. The two Czech rebel leaders are briefly surprised, but both smile. Korlea meets Natty’s eyes. This is his kind of girl!

“And I put the bell around Felix’s neck,” Vlada tells everyone. “You should be able to track him now.”

“Yes, good job,” Kyril tells the group. “We’ve a team on him right now. Get some rest. You all deserve it.”

The group looks in on Owen. Addison and Frank are with him, but he is not yet awake. The FCA doctors are letting him sleep off the drugs he was given. They say he will wake up late tonight or tomorrow morning.

Four hours later the Team is called into the command center. There is a news broadcast. It reports that GSG-9 has killed a group of Czech Free Army terrorists and ‘rescued’ a scientist that they had kidnapped. They watch as Felix is led away and put in a car. What is most disturbing is that in the background is Lars Albrecht!

“I killed him,” Natty states, “unless he was just a double.”

“You’re close,” Korlea tells her. “That man on the screen is the double. GSG-9 is covering up his death. Losing someone like Albrecht is not something they’ll want to admit.”

“The authorities will probably announce his tragic death in an automobile accident in a week or so back in Germany,” Kyril adds.

“So it was all for nothing then,” Brandon says.

“No,’ Kyril responds. “The tracker is still working. We have followed it to an old Soviet base in the hills north of here. GSG-9 has occupied it. They have Felix there. They plan to move him in forty eight hours. That’s how much time we have.”

“I’ve summoned about a full company to assemble here by tomorrow morning. We have drones and ground forces reconning the base now. We should be ready to strike tomorrow night.” Korlea says. “You all get some rest. Tomorrow will be a tough day.”

Everyone heads of to their sleeping areas. Natty lingers as Kyril and Korlea talk. Kyril sees the young woman by the door and smiles to his brother. “Well, I need to look after a few things. Why don’t you get some rest too.”

After he leaves Korlea walks up to the biogen and brushes back her hair. “Will you be leaving after we recapture Felix?”

“Probably,” she replies. “My usefulness here may compromised by now.”

“Stay with me tonight then,” he asks and she does.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Episode 6 – Extracting Felix

 

 

The Team locates Felix again at an old abandoned Cold War military base held by GSG-9. They along with the Free Czech Army prepare to attack the facility to free their target. A complication arises as they learn Korlea’s young teenage daughter has been kidnapped by the rogue German counter-terrorist unit and is also being held there. Success also brings sorrow as a team member falls in battle. Natty and Korlea’s growing relationship comes to the attention of the Bast Corporation which moves to end it.

 

Background

The Bast Corporation is a New Zealand security firm founded back in 2028 primarily to launder money to support the various Caitlin clones. Over the years the Collective has used it as a front for their operations and built the company into a small but successful operation in a number of Commonwealth countries and in the Martian Republic. After the events in the Burn Notice and the Fall of the Cotton Kingdoms Campaigns, Caitlin Prime (now calling herself Catherine Fisher Vaduva) decided to take over control of the company through her husband Kyle Vaduva. The Collective relinquished control but has lost little influence as Cat Vaduva is a loyal member of that organization.

In these past three years the company has branched out from providing personal security for executives and other small corporations to small mercenary paramilitary operations and global intelligence work. Kyle and Cat make sure the company doesn’t take jobs that are morally repugnant to them. They insist on being ‘the good guys’ as much as that is possible in the world of 2050. They have set up a training program to prepare teams of operatives that have the skills to operate as a group that can become anyone and operate in all the major hot spots around the world. These are called the ‘Ghost Teams’.

One of their clients is Nathan Forrest, now Associate Deputy Director for the Central Intelligence Agency (and family friend). The mission to Prague is the first field operation for this client by the new ‘Ghost Team 1’.

 

Dramatis Personae

Player Characters

Ghost Team One:

Addison King: He is a 5th generation Nietzchean biogen and the first ever born naturally to Nietzchean parents. This has given him the nickname of ‘the Prince’. Addison is a graduate of the Sandhurst Military Academy and is a reserve officer in the New Zeeland Royal Marines Special Boat Service. He is an admirer of Maori culture.

Allison Cole (aka Vlada Roslykova): Grew up in the Burn Notice Campaign and remained with her best friend from school, Catherine ‘Cat’ (Fisher) Vaduva. She is a high level prowler and martial artist with extensive covert operations training.

Brandon Heath: A solo who serves on Frank Beiderbecke’s security staff. Brandon is an experimental Biomechanical (cyborg) with one of Doc Freeman’s ‘cyberbrains’. Brandon was originally Grave, a cyborg from the Fourth Corporate War, who was later (2026) convicted of authorizing the murder of a young hacker and his family. Grave was supposedly executed but the government put him in their Project Kill Switch Program (see Super Solo 2 Campaign for details). He recently served as head of security for the Petersen Point Resort.

Duke Strider (aka Luke Walker): He is an experimental dog/human biogenetic hybrid made by the Collective on commission by the Bast Corporation. The Caitlins, who own Bast Corporation plan to create males members of their race’ but decided to make another species of hybrid first to test the science. His cover ID is from Texas

Owen ‘Crank’ McGregor: A young, muscle bound former United States Deputy Marshal turned free-lance operative. Owen is the eldest son of Lars McGregor, a ‘law enforcement’ official in the Union City (NJ) and major domo for a member of the Consortium. Owen has steered clear of his father’s shady connections. He was with Brandon at the Petersen Point Resort. His cover was Crank, the Food and Beverage manager there.

The Faux Client:

Frank Beiderbecke: The man is a 43 year old former globetrotting salvage engineer that is making the move to become more of a roving independent Fixer. The Bast Corporation has recruited him to front the current mission for them. Besides the generous paycheck he will be making invaluable contacts through this assignment. Frank is from Pennsylvania and is an old time ‘good old boy’. He doesn’t smoke or drink as the first is bad for his health and he has learned though bitter experience that his personality changes when drinks and not for the better.

Bast Corp’s Resident Agent in Prague:

Natalie ‘Natty’ Lanikova: ‘Grew up’ at the Petersen Point Resort when Brandon and Owen were there. A covert operative who most believe is the daughter of the late Lt. Alina Lanikova formerly of the Czech Special Forces (601st SOG). She is actually one of the prototype (former) Biotechnica ‘Caitlin’ clones trained to operate in the Czech Republic.

 

The NPCs

Boris is a member of a major cell of the Free Czech Army in Prague. He is a huge brute and former member of Spetznaz.

Commander Quinn is the operational handler of Ghost Team One and Directory of Operations for Europe, Africa and the Mid-east for the Bast Corporation. He is an experienced operative with extensive an extensive military and covert ops background. He has the hard edge of a Michael Ironside character and the loyalty to his people of Admiral Reigart from Behind Enemy Lines.

Felix is a chemical engineer who worked on a secret chemical weapons project for General Skroup. He has information vital to the Free Czech Army

Korlea Sochor runs a number of clubs in Prague and is in charge of a human trafficking ring. He is also second in command of a major cell of the Free Czech Army in Prague.

Kyril Sochor is the commander of a major cell of the Free Czech Army in Prague.

Kyra Sochor is the 15 year old daughter of Korlea Sochor.

Lars Albrecht was the leader of the airborne operations sub-group of the GSG-9 operating illegally in the Czech Republic.

 

The Action

Tuesday, March 22, 2050:

Owen wakes up far from the ruins of the medieval church where GSG 9 shot him down with rubber bullets. Looking down on him is a red haired young woman in a Free Czech Army uniform. She asks him if he’s feeling better in heavily accented English. Others are in the room. Crank recognizes Frank Beiderbecke, Luke Walker and Vlada (Allison). He doesn’t recognize the other white man (Brandon) sitting there or the black African male (Addison) sitting next to him. The two have changed their appearance with their cybernetic (Nano-tech actually) disguise feature. He tells the nurse he’s feeling much better and her voice changes to that of Natty as she laughs and tells him they’re all glad. The Team quickly brings Owen up to speed on the situation.

Lars Albrecht, the commander of the GSG-9 troops in the Czech Republic is dead, killed by Natty. The German counter-terror organization is for now covering up his death. The Free Czech Army successfully followed the tracker and extracted Felix for the research facility but a squad of GSG-9 intercepted their allies and took the target back. Fortunately, they didn’t find the tracker, so they have been able to follow them. The Germans have occupied an old formally abandoned Soviet Cold War base near the Polish border. The FCA has it under surveillance both on the ground and by aerial drones. The base is built against the bottom of a thirty meter cliff that runs north to south. A three meter brick and mortar wall arcs in a half moon shape around the buildings with a two hundred meter kill zone stretching to some woods off to the east. The structures inside the wall are of cheap wooden construction. Four look like barracks with three of them being rectangular and the last being ‘L’ shaped. This last building is on the north half of the base along with one of the regular barracks. Two of these standard barracks are on the south side. Two have rounded roofs similar to an old ‘Quonset’ hut and make be motor pools or hangers. One is on each half of the old base. There is a smaller square building on the north side of the base near one of the ‘motor pool’ buildings. All of these structures are one story. In the center of the base is the only two story building. The second floor is just half the size of the first giving it a large porch facing east. Felix’s tracker signal is coming from that building. There are two watch towers one on each half of the compound near the wall. So far the FCA has detected no electronic frontier except for a few hastily erected cameras facing easterly. The cliff provides a firm defense to the west with three manned gun pits running along the top and a mobile patrol. A sniper team was seen earlier up there, but the Czech rebels have lost sight of them. All in all there are about 40 heavily armed men defending the compound. Kyril has assembled a full company of rebels for the assault.

Owen is by now only lightly wounded and his reflexes are impaired by the speedheals given to him by GSG-9. Still, Crank declares he is ready to fight. It is time for payback. The decision is made to attack just after midnight. Radio intercepts have alerted the FCA that within 24 to 48 hours Felix will be flown back to Germany and then all chance of retrieving him will be lost.

Natty contacts Commander Quinn and informs him. The Bast executive says he will have some fast AVs ready to speed in over the border to pick up the Team and Felix to take them to Poland. As to her request for arms, he has arranged a drop this afternoon by stealth craft. It is then that Korlea comes in with more bad news. Last night, after the death of Lars Albrecht, GSG-9 kidnapped Korlea’s fiftteen year old daughter, Kyra. This is clearly a personal attack on him. He has always kept his distance from his beloved child to keep her safe. She also may be being held at the base. Kyra is made the secondary target of the extraction. If she is there, they will not leave without her.

Kyril arranges for the arms to be picked up in the afternoon. The drones aloft keep watch, but can’t get too much detail as they are kept at a distance so as to not alert GSG-9 that they are under such detailed scrutiny. Natty, Korlea and Vlada go to the area for a personal close recon. Korlea looks for signs of his daughter. Natty tries to figure out where their sniper team might set up. Her original training by Biotechnica was as a bodyguard and as such was trained for this. Her subsequent instruction as a sniper honed these skills. Still, it is a long shot as the GSG-9 Team is world class. She selects two locations and the three spend the afternoon watching. A little after 4 pm a small mistake by one of the GSG-9 team reveals their location on a low ridge extending to the north from the cliff that curls around to the east. Vlada spots them.

(GM Notes: This was only done by the roll of a 2 by the GSG-9 spotter and three tens plus some luck by Vlada. Still see only saw him by 2!)

That evening the plan of attack is finalized. Two platoons of the Free Czech Army will move into the woods east of the base and wait for the signal to move forward. Luke and Vlada will move up behind the sniper’s nest to the north to take them out. Vlada knows their relative position and Luke should be able to pin point it in the dark with his biogenetically enhanced sense of smell. On the cliff the northernmost gun pit will be taken out by Kyril, Korlea and Boris. The southernmost will be assaulted by Brandon, Owen and Addison. Natty will take on the center position alone. There will be a small GSG-9 patrol watching for an attack from the west. Whoever encounters the first will take them out. After the cliff defenses are taken out, a third platoon will come up and hold the cliff positions. The seven that comprised the stealth assault on the cliff defenses will then do a vertical assault down the cliffs with specially prepared repelling gear that will allow them to run. A CFA sniper team on the cliff will cover the south watchtower and Luke and Vlada will cover the north one. If the man in either tower blinks, they will take them out (hopefully) with silenced shots. Surveillance has revealed that they rarely look around at the cliff face. If the alarm has not been raised, Addison, Brandon and Owen will enter the first barracks and attempt to quietly take out the residents. Otherwise their entry will be loud and hard. Natty, Korlea, Kyril and Boris will do the same with the two story structure. From then on it will be sweep and clear. When the alarm goes off, the two platoons in the woods to the east will begin their assault. The Free Czech Army has brought up their best ECM assets and will attempt to jam any call for help. The fourth platoon of the FCA company will be held in reserve.

After the sun goes down, the attacking force moves into position. They wait till 01:00 hours.

***

 

Wednesday, March 23, 2050:

Zero hour arrives and the seven stealthily advance on GSG-9’s positions on the crest of the cliff. Addison, Brandon and Owen spot the five man patrol moving at the rear of the gun pits. They wait until the Germans are out of sight of those positions and use silenced pistol fire to put them down quietly. Natty is moving on the central gun pit when she notices a second sniper team ten meters to the south of the central gun pit. She pulls out her (relatively) silenced 14mm pistols and kills them both before moving up to the back of the central gun pit. FCA spotters inform the stealth team when the two in the watchtowers are facing away from the cliff. All three groups quickly kill the GSG-9 troops manning those machine gun positions.

To the north Vlada leads Luke to the area where the other sniper team is set up. The biogen’s olfactory sense locates their exact position. When the attack signal is given, the two achieve total surprise but both botch their attacks!  Fortunately, the result is both shots are a miss. Vlada and Luke win the initiative and silence their targets before they can radio they are under attack. Back up on the cliff, the FCA platoon moves up to occupy the German positions. They bring the specialized repelling gear. Dressed in Militech soft shell armor the assault squad runs down the cliff face when signaled that the tower guards are looking east towards the woods and no one is walking the compound. Once on the ground they divide into the two sections.

The Team section of Addison, Brandon and Owen move to the first southern barracks. A check with thermographic vision reveals ten bodies horizontal apparently sleeping. The door is unlocked and the three enter. Owen watches for anyone who stirs as Addison and Brandon move down the row of beds shooting the sleeping men in the head. That group then quickly moves to the next barracks where they find ten more sleeping Germans. They repeat the exercise. Here one German stirs but is killed by Owen before he can raise the alarm.

The other section moves on the two story building. Natty runs and jumps up to the 2nd floor porch while Kyril, Korlea and Boris scan the 1st floor for heat signatures. Natty runs a snake camera under her door and sees one man at a communications console. She steps through the door and shoots him in the head. On the first floor the Czech Free Army trio enters and quietly kills three troops drinking coffee. Natty comes down from the second floor. Felix is nowhere to be seen, but there is a staircase down. The biogenetic cat/human creeps down those stairs and finds a GSG-9 operator watching a man sleeping in bed. She kills the guard quietly. Yes, the man in the bed is a grateful Felix.

“Primary target secured,” she reports over the com link.

Kyril decides they will try the ‘L’ shaped barracks just to their north. Unfortunately, there is now a trio GSG-9 troops outside at one of the corners at the boot of the ‘L’. These three are smoking cigarettes. The problem is the door they came from is around the corner and out of sight. The spotters on the cliff believe that four came out the door, and if the forth is around the corner he will see the other three being shot down. They decide that the fastest, Natty, will charge and each FCA soldier will target one of the smokers. This will surely be seen by one of the guard towers so they will be silenced as this attack begins. Two FCA snipers on the cliff target the southern tower while Luke and Vlada target the north tower. On Kyril’s signal, Natty charges. All the tower guards are shot down and the three surprised smokers are dropped by silenced shots. With her speed she reaches the corner in time to see the fourth trooper start to raise his weapon. She beats him to the shot and kills him. The rest of her section moves up quickly with Felix in tow. Thermograghic scans show four men in the main room of that building and two in the ‘boot’; one of those is horizontal; probably sleeping. The four Czechs move quickly through the door. The GSG-9 troops are awake, but not at the ready. When the door opens they are expecting their comrades. This expectation costs them their lives.

There are two doors in the south wall and a staircase near the north wall going down. Kyril waits upstairs with Felix as Korlea and Boris move downstairs. Natty goes to one of the southern doors that looks like it leads to the room where the two other heat signatures are. The young Czech woman steps through the door and turns to where the vertical heat signature stands. There is a GSG-9 soldier wearing just his pants. She shoots him in the head and turns her other pistol towards the bed. There she sees that the mattress has been torn off and a naked figure lies tied to the frame. Natty moves up and sees a beaten and bloody girl who is barely conscious. The biogen takes off her helmet and the stench of blood and semen assaults her senses. There is a battery on the floor attached to a set of cables with one lead hooked to the metal frame and the other hanging in the air. Natty quickly cuts the girl free and pulls a discarded blanket around her before whispering in her mic, “Secondary target secured.”

Kyra’s uncle, Kyril, rushes into the room and stops. His face twists at the horror before his eyes. He then quickly moves to his niece. Downstairs Korlea and Boris have found an empty basement, but head back upstairs at Natty’s announcement. The biogen hears her lover coming and moves to intercept him at the door. She stops him and says, “She’s alive, but is very hurt. You must be strong.”

Korlea hears her and Natty lets him pass. The FCA officer goes towards his daughter, but stops as he comes near. For seemingly endless seconds he stares at the broken body that is the love of his life. He then turns towards the body of the fallen GSG-9 trooper, draws his combat knife and stats to dismember the corpse. Only the sounds of a wounded and enraged animal come from his lips. Boris looks into the room and even his usually stoic expression falls as he turns away.

Natty goes to her lover, grasps his shoulders and whispers, “Stop, please stop.”

Korlea does not as he pulls the man’s insides out from the hole he has torn in his abdomen.

The biogen forces the grieving father to turn his head towards his daughter and tells him, “Kyra needs you now. She shouldn’t see this. Go to her, revenge can wait, she can’t.”

His lover’s words reach the enraged Czech as he stops and goes to weeping child. Kyril steps back. His face is now grimmer and devoid of pity as he says, “Let us go finish off the rest of these German dogs.”

Felix comes up to Korlea and says, “I am also a doctor, let me help.”

Korlea lets the man examine his daughter. Kyril, Boris and Natty head to the outside door.

By now the other section has cleared the southern building that is indeed a motor pool. No one is in there. With all the buildings on the southern half cleared the three head to the remaining barracks to the north. Again thermographic vision reveals ten sleeping figures. The trio repeats the tactic they use from the first two barracks. Addison and Brandon walk down the line of bunks and shoot the troopers. Owen kills the two that stir as their friends are slaughtered. The three then moves to the northern building that they believe is a possible motor pool. They enter the door at the end of the building, and find themselves in a kitchen. This is the mess hall. They move across the darkened room and spy light coming from under two doors on the opposite wall. Owen runs a snake camera under one of them. The room takes up the rest of the building and is filled with long tables and chairs. Four GSG-9 men are sitting at one talking with their weapons at their sides. The Team decides to take them. Brandon and Owen will come through the right hand door and each will target one of the closest two. Addison will come through the other door and kill the remaining two. They achieve complete surprise. Owen cuts his target down with a pair of head shots. Addison blows one of his target’s head to red mist. He also succeeds in hitting the other’s head twice. Brandon puts four 14mm slugs into his target’s head, but both his and Addison’s second target merely recoil from the hit. The stare back with their pseudo flesh torn off and their metal skull’s exposed. Brandon shouts over the com, “Borgs!”

Meanwhile Natty, Kyril and Boris move from the ‘L’ shaped barracks to the last unsearched building on the base as the other Team enters the kitchen. This building has thicker walls and their thermographic scans show nothing. The Czech girl slips her snake camera under the door. Two men sit inside. They are surrounded by weapons and ammunition. This is the armory. As the three make their plans, over the com they hear, “Borgs!”

Natty says, “Stay here,” and she runs to the backdoor of the nearby building. On her way she drops her pistols and readies her Arasaka Light 20.

Inside the mess hall it is initiative. Brandon rolls highest, followed by Addison and four tics later the Borgs. Owen is dead last. Heath puts four more 14mm rounds into his target’s head which is barely enough to bring him down. The biomechanical cyborg’s pistols’ slides slam back after the last shots. He needs to reload. The Nietzschean charges the other borg firing four 14mm rounds into that cyborg’s head. The damage is large, but not enough. The metal man levels his 10mm H&K assault rifle and pours over 30 rounds at his charging foe. Eighteen hit. One of them pierces Addison’s helmet armor and when all is counted 14 points get through. This biogen has an endo-steel skeleton and it does take more point than a normal human to destroy a limb. But that magic number is also 14 and Addison falls to the ground dead. This leaves Owen, who also closes with that cyborg. He figures he might survive a round or two longer in hand to hand as he is a top level martial artist. At range that assault rifle will cut him to pieces. At point blank range the ex-marshal might be able to knock the barrel aside (block). The next round the GS-9 cyborg prepares to finish off Owen as Brandon reloads. Before the German can fire, Natty comes through the door behind him and puts a round from her Arasaka Light 20 into the cyborg’s head. This damage is barely enough to shut him down. Owen finishes the job.

Outside the two remaining GSG-9 operators run out towards the gunfire and are cut down by Boris and Kyril. The base is now secure. The two platoons from the woods are already on the move and occupy the old Cold War facility. Natty has the CFA communications team patch her through to Commander Quinn in Poland and gives the success code. The pickup team is on the way. She also asks if a Nietzschean genetic sampler is available. The answer is yes, one of their doctor’s is with incoming team. The biogen then examines Addison. As the Team watches, she removes his helmet. The damage to his brain is fatal, but appears not to be too extensive. She has the FCA electronic warfare group shut down their radio jamming. Ten seconds later Addison’s body goes into violent spasms for a few seconds. Then vile yellow goo starts to pour from his ears and mouth. This makes Natty smile. The rest of the team is too shocked by this sight to ask.

(GM Note: The dropping of the radio jamming allowed Addison’s ‘cylon’ implant and nanite angels to download his consciousness back to a Collective computer. Natty smiled, but there might not be enough to transfer into a coned body due to the amount of head damage he took. Only time will tell. What even Natty doesn’t know is the greatest secret of the Nietzscheans. A properly prepared genetic sample (of any Super Solo) can be implanted into the womb of a 2nd generation female (those originally constructed by Arasaka and Biotechnica) and it will grow into a full memory clone of the original. This is only known to the members of the 2nd generation and handful of their key allies. Eventually it is decided NOT to risk cloning Addison and transferring his possibly damaged memory engrams from the computer. Mallory Knox, one of the leaders of the 2nd generation (and Addison’s martial arts master), volunteers and is implanted with his genetic ‘egg’. However, this process of rebirth takes years for the recipient to achieve maturity so Addison is effectively gone for at least seven years at best.)

Within twenty minutes an AV-9 transport and an AV-8 gunship arrives from the Bast Corporation. First off is Commander Quinn himself. Frank Beiderbecke comes up from the rear and joins the Team. The Free Czech Army is already looting the base of the arms and ammunition. Korlea has stripped the dead GSG-9 troopers of their gear and hung up their mutilated corpses to vent his rage. Quinn agrees to take Korlea and his daughter back to Poland where the girl can get proper treatment. No alarm has gone up, but still they quickly pack Felix, Korlea, Kyra and the Team into the AV-9. With ten minutes they are over the Polish border.

The Team sits at one end of the AV as Felix treats Kyra with Korlea hovering at her side. Owen says quietly to the team, “I still want to kill him (Korlea).”

Natty turns to him, “Why?”

“He’s just a criminal and a white slaver,” he replies. “How can you stand to be with him?”

Natty thinks for a moment before responding. “You don’t really know him. This war has been going on for almost 30 years. We are outnumbered and outgunned. Sometimes you have to do things you find personally repugnant to survive and free your people.”

Owen just shakes his head. From the murmurs of her teammates they agree with the ex-marshal. She looks at the FCA officer staring down at his wounded daughter and realizes that although she entered into their relationship only to win his cooperation, she is starting to care.

***

 

Thursday, March 24, 2050:

The Team is debriefed in the morning and told they will be in Poland for a week or more to rest and recuperate. Kyra is physically recovering but will need serious psychological help. Korlea must return to the Czech Republic and his unit within the week. The man is beside himself in regard to what to do about his daughter. Natty uses her influence with the Collective to have Kyra come to New Zealand to recover and remain protected from GSG-9 and Interpol. For this Korlea is very grateful. In the evening, however, the Team’s orders change. They are to fly out tomorrow for New Zealand. Natty sneaks out to spend one last night with Korlea. They make love like there is no tomorrow, and for them there isn’t. The biogen thinks that their relationship is the real reason for her change in orders.

As the lover’s bodies lay entwined together Korlea whispers in her ear, “Come back with me.”

Natty looks at him shocked at first, but in truth she has considered just this.

“Your country needs fighters like you,” Korlea continues. “And …. I want you by my side. We are good together. I’ve never met anyone like you and I don’t want to lose you.”

Natty’s heart begins to race for she wants to stay, but then memories begin to flow into her mind. Everyone she has ever loved; from the President of Biotecnica that freed her and her sisters, to her mother Alina, Steve and Paris have all died …. because of her. At that moment she knew what she has always suspected. Anyone she truly loves is cursed to die. She can’t let her feelings for Korlea grow any more.

“I …. I can’t,” she replies. “My company would never let me go and if I did leave what would that say about me?”

The two talk quietly, but Natty will not be moved. She promises to make sure Kyra is cared for. For that Korlea is grateful, but tells her he will find a way to bring Natty back with the Bast Corporation’s approval. The two fall asleep in each other’s arms.

 

 

 

 

 

in•ter•reg•num {ɪn tərˈrɛg nəm (in-ter-reg-nuh )} noun, plural in•ter•reg•nums, in•ter•reg•na
1. an interval of time between the close of a sovereign’s reign and the accession of his or her normal or legitimate successor.
2. any period during which a state has no ruler or only a temporary executive.
3. any period of freedom from the usual authority.
4. any pause or interruption in continuity.
5. or in this case the interval of time between one GM finishing his part of the story and another GM taking over the ‘reigns’.
Origin: 1570–80; < Latin, equivalent to inter- inter- + regnum reign – Definition by Dictionary .com

 

First Interregnum

 

 

Who Is Felix and Why Was He So Important?

The civil war in the Czech Republic has been dragging on for almost thirty years with no end in sight. In some ways it could be compared to the situation in Northern Ireland except the Free Czech Army rarely targets Czech citizens or businesses. Even those businesses that favor General Skroup are generally left alone so as not to kill local workers. Only the most egregious collaborators of the business classes were ever targeted and then only by surgical assassination. Of course accidents happened from time to time, but the average Czech citizen isn’t bothered by the Free Czech Army’s campaign of terror against the EU. Also, almost all strikes were carried out in the Czech Republic and Germany. Even in that EU country the FCA is careful not to kill ordinary Germans. In the Czech Republic, however, any EU citizen involved with business or inside the various EU control zones is a target. Czech national police and military personnel are ‘encouraged’ not to interfere with FCA operations. Those that turn a blind eye are never bothered; those that pursue the rebels are hunted. More and more Interpol got involved in the fight with the FCA. This just turned an increasing number of Czechs to the side of the rebels. From across the border in their sanctuaries in Poland the rebels just get stronger. General Skroup is now in his seventies. He heard the whispers that his EU masters are thinking of replacing him with someone who can finally end the simmering civil war. Those whispers also suggest solutions, but some really didn’t have his best interests at heart. In fact some wish to plunge the world into a devastating war that would bring down the entire world’s order. From the ashes they will rebuild it according to their vision.

As explained previously, Felix was a bio-chemical engineer working on a secret government project for the General Skroup. The scientist believed he was working on an antidote and cure for a particularly nasty bio-toxin the Free Czech Army was developing. He soon found out that it was General Skroup who had authorized the development and production of that bio-weapon. Another scientist on the project, a classmate of Felix’s from the university, confessed to him about his role in the bio-toxin’s development in a drunken haze the day before he killed himself. Felix’s friend’s suicide was prompted by his learning that Skroup planned to use the bio-toxin in Prague and a few other cities then frame the Free Czech Army. The government of Poland would be implicated when an ‘accident’ at a factory where this ‘poison’ was supposedly made would release the bio-toxin in the Polish city of Wroclaw. The cure would be given to the Germans and those Czechs who were loyal to the Skroup government. The others and the Poles of Wroclaw would be left to die. Of course the EU would have no choice but to put down the ‘rabid dogs’ of the Free Czech Army and their Polish masters. Before Felix fled from the laboratories where the bio-toxin was being manufactured he was able to download enough information and acquire enough evidence to prove this conspiracy. Of course this operation was not approved by the EU Council or any on the Secretariat. Its supporters were in place on the various commissions that run the European Union and shadowy organizations both official and informal that cluster around those in power. Of these groups one name kept appearing: Wildfire.

Felix didn’t know who to trust except for his friend Imre Pauk, who started to make arrangements for the scientist to flee to Poland and go over to the Free Czech Army. Imre spirited Felix away from the government laboratory, but the defection of such an important scientist and the computer security breach that got the ‘evidence’ set organizations and agencies in motion. What followed were the past six episodes.

Events spiraled out of control as they tend to do. The death of Ulrich Albrecht enraged Lars Albrecht, his brother. The GSG-9 leader struck hard at Kyril’s Free Czech Army cell in Prague. The FCA responded with strikes all EU facilities all over Prague including the destruction of Interpol’s headquarters. The Team’s escape from the attempted extraction at the ruined church outside Prague and the casualties inflicted on his GSG-9 troopers was of little consequence in the larger scheme of things. Korlea’s leaving of Ulrich’s head on the front desk of Interpol headquarters and Natty’s killing of Lars Albrecht led to the ravaging of Korlea’s daughter. By now it was personal. The extraction of Felix and the loss of so many GSG-9 operatives in the Czech Republic put the Germans in the mood for more blood.

In the weeks following the end of this chronicle the Free Czech Army and Poland expose General Skroup’s plot. Of course some believe it and others don’t. The German and regular Czech Army commence their spring maneuvers on the Polish border. The Poles counter with an announced partial mobilization for exercises of their own. (In fact the whole Polish military mobilizes.) Russia supplies Poland with vital satellite reconnaissance. No really knows who fires the first shots, but the EU and Czech forces move to extinguish the sanctuaries of the Free Czech Army in Silesia. The German High Command expects to brush through the Poles as they did in 1939. What they encounter is a motivated and well led Polish Army that stops them cold. The EU commits more troops. Volunteers from Russia and Belarus pour into Poland to help their Slavic brothers and sisters. No one will back down. War has come to Europe.

 

As For Ghost Team One?

At the moment Natty is tearing off the head of Lars Albrecht, her clone ‘sister’ (looking exactly like her) is in the New Zealand interests section of the Commonwealth Embassy in Bratislava, Slovakia giving an interview to Interpol describing her escape she ran and hide from the fight at the ruined church outside Prague two days previous before heading to Bratislava alone. Everyone else (except Owen) has a stamp on their passport having them outside of the Czech Republic by then. The Bast Corporation, the governments of New Zealand and the United States file formal protests with the EU over Interpol’s actions and the Czech government for their complicity in the attack at the church. Owen is ‘returned by the Free Czech Army’ to American custody. With everything else that’s going on no one wants to touch this minor incident. Germany doesn’t want to admit they were operating unlawfully in the Czech Republic. Interpol doesn’t want to admit that the German faction of their organization ‘hijacked’ their operations in that country. Interpol ‘apologies’ for any misunderstandings (unofficially) to the Bast Corporation and other governments involved. They don’t want to bring Kyle Vaduva and his company into the conflict on the other side. Officially,Frank Beiderbecke and his people were caught in an unfortunate crossfire. Ulrich Albrecht is killed by the Free Czech Army (true), and his brother Lars dies in an automobile accident on the autobahn in early April. Everyone involved from the Bast Corporation is considered innocent of any wrong doing in the Czech Republic. Still, no one is going to visit Europe soon.

Frank Beiderbecke gets his boodle of cash and a solid contact in the Bast Corporation. The Collective fears that the ‘download’ from Addison’s death is corrupted by the head trauma he suffered. Instead of being cloned, Mallory Knox, one of 2nd generation Nietzchean leaders volunteers to birth him again. This ability of the original Arasaka/Biotechnica constructs allows an ‘embryo’ specially prepared from the fresh DNA of another Nietzchean to be implanted in one of the original females which will grow the resulting ‘child’ into a full memory clone. It is an eleven month gestation period but the resulting ‘offspring’ grows quickly to maturity. It was this along with the originals’ ability to produce full memory clones of themselves that led to Arasaka and Biotechnica closing down their ‘Super Solo Project” and attempting to exterminate the original group. Addison could well be back, but not until at least seven years pass.

The Bast Corporation decides that Ghost Team One will stay away from, but still close to Europe and they are sent around to various training camps. Finally they are transferred to Cyprus and the British Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area. The corporation’s headquarters for operations in Africa, Europe and the Middle East is located there. The company avoids the ban on corporate activity in this area by helping train the new army of reunited Cyprus. Bast also runs a parachute training school that teaches HALO skills and maintains the Kingsfield airstrip. The company doesn’t want to risk sending Natty back to the Czech Republic, so she is assigned to Ghost Team One. And yes, the reason she and the team were quickly pulled from Poland was due to her relationship with Korlea Sochor. Kyle and Cat became convinced that he and his brother, Kyril, never really left the service of Russia or Spetznaz and if they did they probably just moved over to the GRU. Natty isn’t known for her good choices in men.

The Team is assigned a new cover. They are to be 1st section, 2nd platoon of the Logistical and Support Company of the Bast AEM Battalion (Africa, Europe and the Middle East). As such they are assigned ranks. Since they are actually Special Forces personnel they are ranked higher than people would normally be in a unit of that kind. The Bast Corporation uses New Zealand military rank structure. Natty uses her pull (as a Caitlin she owns 10% of the Bast Corporation after all) to be put in command as a Warrant Officer 1st Class. Brandon Heath is made second in command as a Warrant Officer 2nd Class. Both Mason Verge and Owen McGregor are made Staff Sergeants. Duke Strider (now using his real identity) and Allison Cole receive the rank of Sergeant. Allison drops the identity of Vlada Roslykova and becomes Hanna Woo from a small town just outside Peiping. A new member of the Team joins. She is a friend of Cat Vaduva and Allison (aka Hanna) from Atlantic City as well as being Kyle Vaduva’s niece. Nip Lacey (along with Fred, the NET ferret) finishes her training as an operative. Nip was sent to the Collective after a nervous breakdown in 2045 in Rio de Janeiro. Since then she has come to grips with her unique ‘creation’, completed a bachelor degree and a double Masters in Computer Science and Robotics at Night City University. She could ‘write her own ticket’ but instead choose to become a Ghost Team member. Crazy is as crazy does! Nip is made a corporal.

Everyone’s pay remains the same. Only Brandon, Duke, Natty and Nip (all members of the Collective) are aware of each other’s actual nature. Owen and Mason are surprised that Natty is put in command, but both respect her skills and recent actions in the Czech Republic. As of yet they don’t suspect her true nature since they have known her for years. Cat Vaduva doesn’t tell Allison about her ‘sister’ since she feels that’s up to Natty. Allison and Natty are growing closer and have quietly become occasional ‘friends with benefits’. Life is complicated sometimes.

By the end of February, 2051, the 1st section of the 2nd logistics and support platoon (Ghost Team One) is ready for their first assignment: working with Global Share, a Commonwealth charitable NGO. But what has been happening with the war in Europe you ask?

 

Timeline to Episode 7

2050

March: There is another crisis in the Czech Republic. The Free Czech Army attacks the Prague Interpol headquarters and destroys it claiming it is being used as a staging area for the illegal presence of Germany’s GSG-9. A Czech chemical weapons researcher appears in Poland claiming that the EU planned to launch chemical weapons attacks on the Czech people and blame the FCA and their Polish supporters. The EU denies it, but his evidence is compelling. When the Polish people hear of the plot, riots break out against EU interests in Poland.

April: A series of terrorist strikes explode across Europe. The EU accuses Poland with aggression but can produce no credible evidence to support charges. They insist on having Interpol enter Poland to pursue the ‘terrorists’. Poland refuses. The EU invades using their spring maneuvers to mass troops on Poland’s border. They hope to take it out Poland quickly, but the Polish Army is ready thanks to intelligence provided by Russian orbital assets. ‘Volunteers’ from Russia and Belarus come to Poland’s aid.

June: World War III commences in orbit with the EU Home Fleet (EUS Napoleon Bonaparte, EUS Tirpitz, EUS Graf Zeppelin, EUS Marat, EUS Count di Cavour and the EUS Orleans) along with many new deltas destroys the Russian Space Fleet and their orbital docks. The EU loses only their new carrier the EUS Graf Zeppelin.

August: An EU Fleet consisting of EUS Napoleon Bonaparte, EUS Bismarck, EUS Marat, EUS Count di Cavour and two small corporate transports heads to the asteroid Belt. After a couple of months the fleets is on a mediocre trajectory to some EU manufacturing facilities in the Belt, but is on an optimum course for the Galileo cylinder and Mars. It is going to be a long war.

September: Construction on the EUS Garibaldi (Bismarck class) is started

2051

March: The ‘Year of Blood’ commences on the Polish front.

April: Commonwealth and United States protest the violence and try to mediate a peaceful solution The almost moribund United Nations now sitting in Geneva is used as a forum for the meetings but even finding a truce proves in vain.

 

 

Next: Episode 7 – From Cyprus to North Africa: The Heat is On