Bad boys, Bad boys,

What‘ca gonna do when they come for you …….

 

 

Episode 19 – COPS: Sabha

 

 

The holy month of Muharram continues. Peace is maintained, even as the new government prepares for war. Walid uses his new diplomatic clout to wage war on the political front. International support for the Algerian ‘invaders’ begins to erode. No one doubts that an attack on the Ubari Lakes region is coming. The only question is when? Meanwhile, Ghost Team One is assigned to help train the Fezzan National Police and fend off a potential insurgency.

(GM Note: The Islamic or Hijri calendar is based on a lunar month of 29 to 30 days, with the day starting at sunset. Since it is based on the lunar cycle, the Islamic year is 10 or 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year. This means that Muslim months fall in different seasons. For example, Ramadan and Hajj can fall in the summer as well as in the winter. It takes about 33 years for the Islamic dates to rotate through the solar seasons.

Four of the twelve months (Rajab, Muharram, Dhul-Qi`dah, Dhul- Hijjah) are considered sacred. Fighting (killing) is prohibited during these sacred months except in self-defense. Rajab is the 7th month. The other three Dhu al-Qi’dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, and Muharram (the 11th, 12th, and 1st respectively) follow in succession. The attack on Fort Elena occurred just before the beginning of Dhul-Qi`dah. This proscribed (3 month) moratorium on fighting allowed the new Fezzan state time to consolidate its position and gain international backing. It also gave them a chance to prepare for the coming offensive in the Ubari Lakes region).

 

Background

War has erupted on the European Continent. The long running Czech Civil War exploded as the EU, who finally had enough of Poland’s support for the rebel Free Czech Army, sought a quick victory over the Polish nation in the spring of 2050. A resurgent Germany promised a quick victory, but the Blitzkrieg of 1939 was not repeated. The Polish Army resisted with fierceness and courage that surprised the EU forces. Russia and Belarus came to the defense of their Slavic brothers and sisters with ‘volunteers’ pouring in from those nations. The EU response was to attempt to destroy Russia’s warships of the Rocket Corps. The Komsomolsk and the Potemkin along with two large Russian transports were destroyed in orbit and the Russian space port in Kazakhstan was bombarded. The Gagarin in the asteroid belt was severely damaged, but still lurks out there. This brought Russian along with Belarus and Kazakhstan into the war officially. This attack caused the Scandinavian Bloc to declare neutrality and refuse to help in the EU war effort.

Ghost Team 1’s actions in the Czech Republic remain a secret from the EU. They have been transferred to Cyprus to work principally for the Bast Corporation’s main client in the region, Global Share. This Commonwealth NGO brings health services and modern infrastructure to developing third world nations. The Cyberpunk World is a dangerous place especially in these areas. It is the Bast Corporation’s job to protect this altruistic organization.

 

Dramatis Personae

Ghost Team One

Allison Cole (aka Hanna Woo) (Sergeant): 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. Her cover was Vlada Roslykova on the recent Mission to Prague.

Bishop Weyland (Corporal): He is a 28 year old ex-US Air Force para-rescue operative. After eight years of unblemished service, he fell afoul of a vindictive superior whose mistake he reported up the chain of command. The superior was reprimanded, but Bishop found himself out at the end of that term of service. He joined Bast Corporation’s para-military and his talents earned himself a nomination for Ghost Team training. He graduated first in his class.

Brandon Heath (Warrant Officer 2nd Class): A solo who 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 (Sergeant): 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 here is as Davir bin Dehad.

Natalie ‘Natty’ Lanikova (Lieutenant): ‘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. She is undercover in Sabha as Leila Amah Hasib, an Arab women and a member of the Daughters of Umarra.

Nip Lacey (Sergeant): This slightly crazy young woman is the result of a failed experiment to create a gestalt mind of several netrunners. This project also created Fred, a ferret looking creature that inhabits the NET that is fiercely loyal to Nip. While the girl is only 21, she has already earned advanced degrees in Computer Science and Robotics from Night City University. This has allowed her to create a physical body for Fred and a slew of small spider bots to assist her. She, Allison and Cat Vaduva went to high school together in Atlantic City.

Noah Michaels (Corporal): This 19 year old Thelas nomad (zip) joined the Bast para-military forces a little over two years ago with the recommendation of the late Mason Verge. This young man distinguished himself on the Pac Rim and earned him a test for Ghost Team training. Noah and his siblings spent almost a decade of their youths being raised by their maternal half Vietnamese grandmother. Noah fought with the nomad militia at the Battle of Petersen Point.

 

The NPCs

Abbullahi Ag Elmchdi is a Tuareg police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Abdella is the nom de guerre of one of the militia leader west of the local market.

Hassan al-Taib is an Arab police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Moctar Ag Mossa is a Tuareg police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Mohammad al-Badri is an Arab police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Mohan Abdul Fatah, a Toubou police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Oumar Humaydi is a dark skinned man who is clearly not an Arab and refuses to name any tribal identity. He calls himself a ‘Libyan’.

Wahali bin Hamid is an Arab police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Yves ‘Ed’ Rashid is a black African Muslim from Nigeria who has lived in Libya most of his life.

 

The Action

Friday, September 22, 2051 (17th of Muharram, 1474)

Taking on the job of training the Fezzan’s military and police forces has left the Bast Corporation’s resources spread thin. Everybody has been asked to step up and take on more responsibility.

Nip has been put in charge of overseeing drone operations for the city of Sabha. Though she prefers to pilot the remotes herself, the Net Runner actually has a group of operators under her command. The thought of having minions tickles her. Fred keeps Nip in check; vetoing her more outlandish commands (orders).

Units of the new Fezzan Army are being set up along ethnic lines. The goal for the National Police is to be a fully integrated force, with Arab, Toubou and Tuareg serving together. Bishop has been assigned as a floating medical liaison to the city’s two police precincts. Noah has been put in charge of the north precinct’s heavy weapons detachment. Brandon and Hanna are also being stationed in Sabha’s north police precinct, to work with and instruct a squad (10 police officers) of volunteers. As no current police force exists, this will be on-the-job training.

Their first lesson comes minutes after Brandon and Hanna arrive at the precinct. A difference of opinion between two recruits devolves into a fist fight in the walled courtyard of the police station. Other members of the new squad watch from the sidelines, egging the men on. Many of the recruits have been culled from militias within the city. Old animosities die hard.

The fighters and crowd are oblivious to Brandon’s presence, till he grabs the two men by the arm and physically separates them. They briefly struggle to get at each other, but cannot break his grasp. Both men are bloodied, but do not appear to be badly injured. Brandon calmly asks, “What is going on here?”

“You dare lay hands on me?” one of the fighters demands indignantly.

He is much fair skinned than his opponent; better dressed as well. The other man does not speak. His eyes are downcast. By his darker complexion and sun weathered skin, Brandon pegs him as being either Toubou or Tuareg. With no indogo head wrap or Takouba in sight, he’s leaning more towards Toubou.

The biomechanical releases their arms. “I don’t allow fighting in my squad. What are your names?”

The darker skinned man answers first. “Oumar Humaydi … sir.”

“And you?”

The other recruit draws himself up and states proudly, “Mohammed al-Badri” … as if the name should mean something to Brandon.

The biomechanical introduces himself and Hanna. He has the other recruits give their names. Duke arrives during this process and introduces himself as Davir bin Dehad (his cover identity of a failed shopkeeper from Sabha). Brandon tries to be inspiring, but most of the recruits don’t appear impressed.

Natty’s shows up later under the name of Leila Amah Hasib. Her cover identity is that of a devout Muslim of Arab descent. Being the Islamic holy day, she first stopped at the mosque for prayer, before reporting to the precinct. Leila (Natty) wears the ceremonial dagger of the Daughters of Umara strapped to her wrist.

(GM Note: Um ‘Umara was a woman of the Banu Najjar tribe of Arabia from the 7th century CE and one of the early followers of the Prophet Mohammed. She was a skilled warrior who fought alongside men in the early years of Islam. The Prophet himself observed that Umara was a better fighter than any man. Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had assembled a force of female bodyguards he called his ‘Amazons’. After his fall, there was no place for these unmarried warrior women in the fractured male dominated society of Libya. Many were raped and killed. The survivors formed an order of bodyguard / assassins dedicated to the teachings of Islam from its founding. They took the name of the Prophet’s favorite female warrior, Um ‘Umara. They are feared in North Africa and the Middle East. Members of the order serve in the households of important Muslim leaders. Khadije al Muskati (Episode 8) is the protector of Sheik Mansur’s daughter)

Leila (Natty) signs in and is assigned to bunk with Hanna Woo, the only other female in the precinct. She notices that Moctar, one of the other recruits in her squad, is staring at the ceremonial dagger on her wrist. He obviously knows what it means and doesn’t approve. All of the Muslim men stay away from both women.

***

 

Saturday, September 23, 2051, (18th of Muharram, 1474)

Brandon’s squad receives their first assignment, patrol the open air market down the street from the precinct. The weekly market is held in the walled yard of an old school that sits adjacent to a major intersection. It is also at the confluence of several neighborhoods. Two additional openings have been made in the wall to allow access to the market. A wooden kiosk near the center serves as a police substation. A short ladder within the structure leads to a platform which allows a view of the entire marketplace.

With four squads stationed at the precinct, there is usually a weekly rotation. The 10 man unit is typically broken down into to man teams. Teams are stationed at each gate and another at the substation. The last pair walks a foot patrol through the market. Brandon finds it too ‘convenient’ that his squad would be pulling duty this week.

He still hasn’t had a chance to feel them out. To avoid a repeat of yesterday’s fight, he breaks them into two man team by ethnic background. Abbullahi Ag Elmchdi and Moctar Ag Mossa, are both Tuareg. They take the north gate, as most of their tribesmen who use the market come from that direction. Wahali bin Harud and Mohammad al-Badri are both Arab. They take the west gate. Mohan Abdul Fatah is the only Toubou in the squad. Brandon is concerned there might be an issue, but Hassan al-Taib, (Arab) readily teams up with him. The two take the south gate.

Brandon pairs Hanna with Leila (Natty). It just seems prudent to put the two women together. He also wants people he can trust in the market if anything goes wrong. Since he and Hanna are working with the squad, they actually have enough people for a second foot patrol. He teams Oumar Humaydi with Davir bin Dehad (Duke). Brandon mans the substation with Yves ‘Ed’ Rashad. The Nigerian tries to make small talk as the market fills, but the biomechanical is focused on the mission.

The new National Police seem an unwelcome presence in the market. There is a wariness. Conversations stop as the foot patrols approach. Hanna and Leila (Natty) receive more than a few stares as they walk through the market. There is no overt hostility, but the looks are not friendly either.

From her vantage point high above, Nip spots a potential threat on the roof of an apartment block to the west of the market. The Bumblebee’s optics zoom in on 10 men, all armed, spread out along the eastern edge of the roof. At five stories the structure would provide a completely unobstructed view into the marketplace.

Nip’s opens the team’s tactical channel. “Brandon, contacts to your west … roof of the first apartment building. I’m sending you the image now.”

The biomechanical reviews the camera data. Though armed, the gunmen do not appear to be preparing to fire. They seem to be watching.

“It could be a local militia. Keep any eye on them. Warm up an attack drone just in case.”

“Roger.”

Hearing this exchange, the other members of Ghost Team One increase their vigilance. Leila (Natty) notices a boy lingering near the west gate. He looks to be about 11 or 12. Wahali bin Harud and Mohammad al-Badri pay him no heed. She quietly points him out to Hanna.

The prowler subvocalizes back, “he’s either sizing up a mark or a look out.”

When he is still there on their next pass, the two women walk over to confront him. The boy sees them coming and bolts through the gate. Rather than giving chase, Hanna keys the tactical channel.

She subvocalizes, “Nip, we have a runner; West Gate; track where he goes.”

“Roger.”

The boy is easy to spot. He runs directly to the apartment building across the street and disappears inside. Nip keeps watching. 98 seconds later, he emerges on the roof and jogs over to one of the gunmen. The position of the drone doesn’t allow her a clear shot of their faces, but is obvious they are talking.

“Target has moved to the roof across the street.”

The boy points toward the west gate. Nip has a moment of concern when the gunman raises his rifle and points it at the market.

“Possible shooter … roof top target west of your position. Wait one.”

Hanna and Leila (Natty) had lingered near the west gate, in case the boy returned. They now hug the wall. The canopy of a nearby stand gives some cover from the gunmen on the roof.

Nip notices the man adjust his scope as he pans the across the market. None of the other gunmen react to the raised weapon. After two passes he lowers the rifle and says something to the boy.

The youth points emphatically at the west gate. His persistence seems to anger the gunmen. Nip smiles to herself as the two argue. The humor comes out in her voice as she gives the all clear.

“Negative on the shooter; he was only taking a look-see.”

The boy eventually stalks away. He goes back down through the roof hatch. After several minutes, Nip picks him up as he exits the building, wearing a different shirt. He heads back to the market.

“Your lost boy is on his way back.”

Leila (Natty)quickly formulates a plan. “Let’s see where he goes. My guess is he will stay near the gate. When he settles in, I will get his attention. You stay hidden here. ”

Hanna looks confused. “Why do I have to hide?”

“In case he tries to run again. You cut him off.’

From overhead, Nip watches the boy pause outside the gate. “Target has stopped.”

He lingers near the gate, but doesn’t go in. Nip beings to wonder if he suspects something is up. The delay stretches past two minutes. The boy waits till a large group approaches the west gate.

“Target is on the move. He’s attached himself to a group of shoppers. They are moving into the market.”

Nip applauds his attempt to disappear into the crowd. It may have worked too, except the
Bumblebee’s sensors have a fix on him. She keeps the others updated on his movements.

“He’s circling back towards your position … second row of stalls (from the school).”

Leila (Natty)moves into position. She lets him to pass, so that if he runs, it will be towards the gate. “Hanna, do you see him?”

“Got him.”

The two women spring their trap. Leila (Natty)calls out, “Good day, little brother, may the blessings of Allah be upon you.”

The boy takes one look at her and bolts, but Hanna is there to cut off his escape. He spins around to flee into the marketplace, only to find Leila (Natty)right behind him. She grabs his arm and takes him to the ground. As Leila (Natty)holds him there, she calmly whispers in his ear, “I just want to have a little talk.”

The boy doesn’t go quietly. He cries out, “Help! Help me! Save me from these women! I did nothing!”

His shouts draw stares. Leila (Natty) was prepared for this. She knows how this plays out. Local youth rousted by the police incites angry mob. The biogen palms a small handful of Euros and Commonwealth Pounds. While Hanna zip ties the boy’s hands, she turns out his pockets and ‘discovers’ the stash of bills.

“Thief!” She holds up the ‘evidence’ of his crime for the crowd to see. She angrily waves the stack of bills at the boy. “Do you think you can steal from these honest people? You are coming with us!”

Leila (Natty)and Hanna pull him to his feet. Each grabs an arm and they quickly march (drag) the boy to the substation. His continued protests still draw some looks, but his pleas of innocence now fall on deaf ears.

Even when surrounded by police officers, boy is not cowed. He accuses Leila (Natty)of framing him. She readily admits it.

“You were trying to incite a riot with no concern for the welfare of the people in the market. I was nothing but polite and respectful to you and you ran. That is the sign of a guilty person.”

The boy calls Leila (Natty)a string of very impolite names. Brandon can see that the kid is never going to willingly talk to her. He sends Leila (Natty)and Hanna back to their foot patrol and takes over the interview.

There is no mention of the drone hovering overhead, but the squad leader makes it clear that they are watching the gunmen of the apartment roof. There is fear in the boy’s eyes as Brandon begins to describe each and the weapon he is carrying. (He had been reviewing the footage from the Bumblebee) The biomechanical finishes with, “We also saw you up there. Are they friends of your?”

The boy still won’t give his name, but he admits to being a lookout for the neighborhood militia across the street. His visit to the apartment building had been to inform them about the two unescorted armed women patrolling the market.

Brandon points out, “They are members of the National Police.”

This distinction doesn’t seem to matter to the boy. Brandon thanks him for his time and releases him. The youth takes off like a shot. He runs back to the apartment building.

“Nip, can you task a drone to keep an eye on the militia? We need to know if this building is just a perch to watch the market or if it’s also their headquarters.”

“Sure thing,” she replies.

About a half hour later, Nip him back on the comm. “Your boy’s coming back and he’s bringing friends.”

“Show me.”

The NET runner transmits the live feed to Brandon’s HUD. The boy is backed by a dozen men.
They appear unarmed, but that’s no guarantee they aren’t carrying concealed weapons.

“Is there anyone still on the roof?”

There is a slight pause as Nip shifts to the other drone.

“Four subjects … armed, but not targeting the market.”

Brandon watches as the men enter through the west gate and head toward the substation. “They are heading for my position.”

Leila (Natty) and Hanna keep a low profile.

Heath contacts Oumar and Davir (Duke) by radio, “Head for the substation. We may need backup.”

Taking on a dozen men wouldn’t be a problem, but Brandon doesn’t want it to come to that. Hopefully a stronger police presence will make them think twice about resorting to violence.
The biomechanical stands outside of the substation waiting for the group to arrive.

“There!” The boy points an accusatory finger at Brandon. “He is the infidel in charge.”

The man, at the head of the group, holds out his hands to bring the others to a halt. He puts a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Stay here.”

The camera angle from the drone didn’t captures images of their faces, but this could be the man that the boy spoke with on the roof. He leaves the others behind and covers the remaining 10 meters to the substation alone.

Brandon quickly scans the rest of the group looking for indications of concealed weapons. He also captures images of their faces for later review.

The man stops three feet from Brandon. “Why did you arrest my son?”

“Your son was never under arrest. He isn’t even in our custody. Isn’t that him right behind you?” The squad leader points at the boy, standing with the rest of his group.

“You let two women lay their hands upon him and did nothing!” The man raises his voice, playing to the crowd.

Brandon remains unfazed. “Your son was acting suspiciously. Two officers brought him in for questioning. I spoke with him and then sent him on his way.”

The father demands that Hanna and Leila be immediately arrested. His tries to whip up the crowd. A few of his followers pull back their robes to show that they are indeed armed. They start a chant, demand justice, which is picked up by some of the people in the crowd. Brandon is not easily intimidated. He’s also backed up by officers armed with assault rifles.

The biomechanical lets the chant go on form a minute, so that he can scan the crowd and capture the faces of the militia’s sympathizers. Brandon finally responds to the militia leader’s demands, with the same calm tone he has maintained through the entire confrontation.

“I am sorry, but a will not arrest police officers for doing their job. Do you wish to file a complaint?”

The man looks shocked then indignant. “Yes, yes I would!”

Brandon holds up a hand as he slowly reaches into one of his pockets for a pad and pencil. Everyone is so twitchy. He doesn’t want to accidently cause a gun fight.

The biomechanical flips to an empty page, “Name?”

“How should I know what their names are?” The militia leader roars back.

He goes on to list the indignities (mostly imagined) that his son was subjected to. The man pauses, when he realizes Brandon isn’t writing any of it down.

“Why are you not writing? Is this police justice?”

“I wasn’t asking for the officer’s names. I was asking for yours.” The squad leader taps the pad with the pencil.

This catches the militia leader off guard. “Why do you need my name? … I am not the criminal. It is these women … they are the problem….” Shouts of support from his followers and the crowd help him find his footing. He returns to railing upon the immoralities brought about by foreign influence; how it undermines their way of life.

When he finally stops to take a breath, Brandon calmly reiterates, “I need a name for my report or we can’t proceed.”

Distrust fills the man’s face, but Brandon also reads uncertainty. He is too far in to back out now. To drop the matter now would mean losing the crowd.

“You may call me, Abdella.”

The squad leader studiously writes the name in his notebook. “So, what exactly happened?”

Abdella stares at him in disbelief. “Did you not hear anything I said?”

“No, I wasn’t really listening to your shouting. I can only take a report from someone who gives me their name. Until now your voice was just background noise.”

Brandon’s mask of professional indifference leaves the militia leader at a loss for words. Showing fear or anger would give him something to feed off of. The squad leader’s blasé attitude leaves him with nothing. As he falters, so does the chants and cries of moral outrage from the crowd.

The militia leader spins on his heel and stalks away, tossing back a litany of accusations and curses at the squad leader. Brandon takes them with the same practiced indifference. The man puts a guiding hand on his son’s shoulder and ushers him out of the market. His followers cover his, ‘retreat’. Their taunts and shouts are equally ineffective. Business in the market returns to normal.

(GM Note: This is a perfect example of what happens when an ‘unstoppable’ force meets an immovable or in this case indifferent object. Brandon has been a borg for a long time. He no longer experiences emotions the same way as a normal human. To function in ‘normal’ society, he has developed several simulated personalities (serious mode, party mode, cop mod, etc.) that he can switch between as needed. Cop Mode is mainly his normal unflappable demeanor coupled with a blasé attitude toward everything)

There are no further incidents in the market place, but the sounds of distant gunfire mar an otherwise peaceful afternoon.

Nip calls on the tactical channel, “Brandon, I need to pull the second drone (the one watching the militia).”

“What’s up?”

“One of the patrols ran into an ambush.”

“Ok, take it.”

Low thumps (grenades) punctate the continued sounds of automatic weapons fire. It goes on for ten minutes. Nip is able to pinpoint the enemy’s positions and provide fire support. The patrol escapes the ambush with minimum casualties; 1 dead, 2 wounded.

That evening, the precinct captain calls Brandon to his office.

“Good work today. Your level head saved lives.”

“Thank you sir”

“If I could offer one suggestion…”

“Sir?”

“It may be best, not to pair the women officers together.”

“Yes sir.”

After the altercation in the market, he had already considered making a change to the pairings. The problem would be finding someone else to partner with Leila (Natty). All of the Libyan men on the squad seem to avoid her. Davir (Duke) would partner with her if he asked, but that would complete defeat the reason for their being undercover. Yves is the only choice.

When asked, the Nigerian readily agrees, “Sure, no problem.”

Brandon pairs Hanna with Moctar. He leaves Davir (Duke) and Oumar together, but switches up the other two man teams to see how they work together. Abdulla is put with Hassan and Mohan with Wahali. That leaves Mohammed Ali-Badri. There has to be more to the fight this morning than tribal differences. Brandon hopes that by partnering with Mohammed, he might be able to find out what’s really going on.

***

 

Sunday, September 24, 2051 (19th of Muharram, 1474)

Squad 3’s (Brandon’s squad) patrol takes them to the same area where Squad 1 was ambushed the previous afternoon. Nip insists on piloting their drone support. With her team on the line, she doesn’t fuck around. Observation takes a back seat to firepower.

The sounds of gunfire greet them as they enter the neighborhood. It isn’t directed at the squad, but they proceed slowly. Nip zeroes in on the source. She directs them to a block of apartment buildings. The concrete façade on the structures is crumbling. Bullet holes pock the exterior. There are also larger craters; possibly left by heavier ordinance or explosives. The burnt and twisted remains of two vehicles are among the debris littering the area.

The wrecks and damage to the building doesn’t look new. Brandon still urges caution. A thermo scan of the structures shows four heat sources inside; three on the right (building 1) and one on the left (building 2). Those in building 2 are up and mobile. They appear to be on the third floor. The heat source in building 1 is stationary, possibly lying down on the second floor. It is also not as strong as the others.

There might be an intervening wall or some else masking the target’s heat signature. With all of the damage to the exterior of the buildings, there’s no telling what the inside will look like.
Brandon sends Davir (Duke) and Leila (Natty)forward to check the first floor. Building 2 is clear, but there is a claymore attached to a trip wire across the entrance to building 1. Leila (Natty)deactivates the mine. She signals the all clear.

The squad leader tries to break his men up into two teams before they move forward, but the recruits don’t understand his hand signals. (something they’ll need to work on) The biomechanical doesn’t want to break noise discipline, so he resorts to physically separating them. Hanna will take Moctar, Davir (Duke), Oumar, Mohan and Wahali into building two. He will lead the other half of the squad into building one.

Hanna’s team moves in. Mohan and Wahali are left to watch the first floor hallway, while the others ascend to the second floor to check out the heat signature. They find a man, on the floor. He gives no reaction when they enter the room. His hand is on a bulge by his stomach. Hanna eases over and moves his hand with the barrel of her gun. It falls lifelessly to the floor.

There is enough light in the room to see the large reddish brown stain on his suriyah. The prowler bends down to check for a pulse. His skin is still warm to the touch, but there are no signs of life. She has Davir (Duke) check the bulge.

The biogen kneels down to examine the body. He surreptitiously sniffs at the wound to check for explosive residue. There is only the strong smell of blood. Underneath the man’s suriyah is a mass of blood soaked cloth over a stomach wound. The binding around it, shows that someone tried to administer first aid. From the angle of the knot and the way it is wrapped, Davir (Duke) is pretty sure the dead man didn’t do it himself.

Brandon leads his team into building one. The clear the first floor and start up to the second. There is a body of a man near the landing. The corpse is stone cold. He isn’t a victim of the shooting the heard earlier. There is nothing else on the second floor.

Leila (Natty)points out a grenade booby trap on the stairs to the third floor. She quietly disarms it. Brandon eases up to peak over the landing. The interior walls on this level are missing, replaced by new construction. He can’t tell much from this angle, except that the wall is thermally baffled. There’s no telling what’s behind it.

They were able to see three heat signatures at the far end, near the exterior wall, so whatever this is doesn’t extend that far. Brandon creeps up to the ‘back’ wall. It meets a second that runs in the direction of the heat signatures. Judging by the length of the two walls, the space inside could be 10×20 feet. The biomechanical becomes aware of voices as he approaches the far end. He pulls out his snake cam and slips it around the corner, near the base of the wall.

There a four men. The three near the exterior wall are probably the heat signatures they saw earlier. Two of the men are armed with AK-74s. The third is on his knees between them. His hands appear to be bound behind his back. He looks local; the other two are definitely not from around here. They are facing the fourth man, who is standing in front of an opening in the ‘box’. He has the look of a solo and the FN-RAL to go with it.

Brandon returns to his team. They retreat down the stairs to plan their assault. The squad leader barely speaks above a whisper. “Abdulla, you and Hassan will watch cover the stairwell. I will take the one with FN-RAL. Leila, I want you behind me. Take out the two guarding the prisoner. Yves and Mohammad will follow and take down any survivors who haven’t surrendered. Understood?”

They all indicate they understand their roles. The four attackers move quietly into position. Brandon sprints around the corner. He was hoping for surprise, but his assessment of the gunman was correct. The solo turns and empties the FN-RAL into him before he can close.

The FN-RAL would be vicious against his poorly armored recruits. Dressed in heavy armor, backed up by his ‘natural’ biomechanical resilience, it doesn’t even slow him down. Brandon ignores the solo. The click of an empty magazine means he’ll be reloading or going for another weapon. He instead charges for the open doorway, surprising three men inside. One is fairly well dressed and is obviously in charge. The other two look like bodyguards. Brandon shoots their boss in the head and shouts, “Police! Drop your weapons!”

Back outside, Leila (Natty) comes around the corner shooting. She fires above waist level to avoid hitting the prisoner. The men guarding him go down. Yves and Mohammad shoot down the gunman with the empty FN-RAL.

(GM Note: The bodyguards inside of the ‘box’ did not immediately react to Brandon’s order. They had not seen him coming so he had complete surprise. Yelling something at the end of the combat round left them no time to react.

When I asked the player to roll initiative, for the next round, he got pissed, claiming that there should be no reason why they would fight to the death after he had taken out their boss. I explained the situation, he took it better. The player won initiative and held his action. When we reached the bodyguard’s initiative they promptly surrendered.)

The two gunmen inside the ‘box’ drop their rifles and raise their hands. Brandon keeps his gun leveled, while Leila (Natty)cuffs them. They are forced to kneel on the ground next to their former prisoner. Yves and Mohammad stand guard. The two recruits try to remain vigilant, but the horde of weapons in the shielded room keeps drawing their eyes.

Brandon takes a quick tally. Not counting the weapons the gunmen were carrying, there are 20 FN-RALs, 3 RPG-As, a couple of stinger missiles, crates of ammunition, grenades and a scattering of other small arms … Everything someone would need to start a small war. He’s relieved that they took down the arms dealer before these weapons hit the street.

“Hanna, what’s your status.”

“We’re heading for your position.”

Brandon can hear the tension in her voice. “No rush. It’s all over. What was in your building?”

“Just a dead local,” He was still cooling when we found him. Someone patched him up, but we did find them.”

Brandon looks at the local prisoner. “We have a local that was being held prisoner over here. Maybe it was him.”

Once the squad is together, Brandon lets them swap out their AK’s for the FN-RALs. He even turns a blind eye, when they dip into the grenades. The question becomes what to do with the rest of the haul.

“I guess we could go back to the station and get a truck to move all of this.”

Mohammad laughs, at Brandon’s suggestion. “If you leave this for even a few minutes it will disappear. The neighborhood will have heard the fight. They will come.”

Leila (Natty)speaks up “What about calling in the Army. Maybe we could make a deal with them … we can’t use all of this.”

Brandon likes the idea. He has Nip patch him through to the main barracks. Word of what they found quickly gets him to someone in charge. The military is sending vehicles. They will be there in about a half an hour.

Ten minutes into their wait, Nip calls on the team’s tactical channel’ “Guys, company coming your way; armed locals approaching your position.”

Being under cover Leila (Natty)and Davir (Duke) can’t react. Hanna looks to Brandon who says, “I’ve got this.”

The squad leader walks to one of the windows and allows himself to be seen, “This is a police! Please stay …..”

The locals immediately open fire.

Brandon ducks back into cover, his normal calm demeanor, momentarily ruffled. “Damn these people!”

The squad returns fire with their new FN-RALs. They are enthusiastic, but not tactically skilled.
Leila (Natty) takes command. She quickly organizes their defense. Even though most of the men in the unit resent her presence, they respond to her orders.

“Shoot to wound,” she calls out.

Davir (Duke) catches sight of a man with an RPG heading for a position on a roof across the street. He sub-vocalizes the position to Nip on the team’s tactical channel, “RPG on the roof … east southeast of our position.”

“I’m on it,” she replies.

The Bumblebee swoops in behind the man. She takes him out with the drone’s SMG. Nip continues to sweep the area looking for more heavy weapons. The local militia’s attack is disorganized. Though outnumbered the police squad is able to keep them out of the building.

The militia melts away at the sound of armored vehicles. The newly reconditioned and up-armored T-72 leads the column of military transports. Brandon cuts a quick deal. The police get the FN-RALS, three RPGs, some of the grenades (especially smoke and all the tear gas) and a cache of ammunition. The Army takes the rest. The split cash recovered down the middle. The gun dealer won’t need it anymore.

Brandon sends for a truck. Once everything is loaded, the armored column escorts them back to the south precinct. The squad is greeted with cheers. They have not only avenged their fallen comrades from yesterday, but also returned with booty. The remaining FN-RALs are distributed among the other squads. Each is also given an RPG-A and a handful of grenades.

Brandon questions the prisoners. The local is from the neighborhood where they found the cache of weapons. Though he won’t admit it, Brandon is certain the man is a member of the neighborhood militia. The biomechanical sees an opportunity to foster good will with at least one of the armed groups in the area. He releases the man and even gives him an AK-74. The tribesman is surprised by his generosity.

The two mercenaries are hired guns. They are turned over to the local prosecutor.

While the men celebrate in the rec room, Leila (Natty) goes out to the courtyard and kicks the soccer ball around alone. Women are not welcome in the rec room. Yves soon comes out to join her. Leila (Natty)is depressed.

“Don’t look so sad, partner. No one in the squad tried to kill you today. In fact everyone followed your orders during the fight.”

Yves attempt to cheer her up isn’t helping.

“Sure. I guess they’ll only accept me when the bullets are flying.”

“Could be worse,” the Nigerian counters.

“How?”

“You could be black like me.” He gives her a smile.

Leila (Natty) looks at her partner blankly for a moment and then bursts out laughing. Yves joins her and the two kick the ball around together.

***

 

Monday, September 25, 2051 (20th of Muharram Yawm al-Ithnain (Monday), 1474)

Armed with FN-RALs instead of AK-74s and packing grenades, the squad feels more confident as they head out on another patrol. There is the sound of sporadic gunfire, but it is far off. Their sector is quiet.

There is a surprise waiting when they return to base. The United States has given the new State of the Fezzan a gift of five reconditioned Arasaka Combat 10s. Two of these vehicles are assigned to the army for testing. The remaining three have been given to the National Police. The one for the north precinct came in today. There are a few HE rounds for its main gun, but it’s mainly meant to fire smoke and tear gas canisters. The mini-gun carries some lethal ammunition, but primarily rubber bullets. Killing the citizens they are sworn to protect doesn’t make for good community relations.

 

 

 

 

What‘ca gonna do when they come for you

Bad boys, Bad boys!

 

 

 

Episode 20 – Sharia COPS – Sabha

 

 

Ghost Team One’s stint at the north precinct continues. A raid to recover a downed drone has explosive repercussions. The team scrambles to correct a communications screw up, that could cause the death of an important ally. A speech by a representative of the Voice of the Wastes rouses popular support for Sharia Law in the Fezzan. Locals take it upon themselves to enforce the new moral code, while the governing council deliberates.

 

Background

War has erupted on the European Continent. The long running Czech Civil War exploded as the EU, who finally had enough of Poland’s support for the rebel Free Czech Army, sought a quick victory over the Polish nation in the spring of 2050. A resurgent Germany promised a quick victory, but the Blitzkrieg of 1939 was not repeated. The Polish Army resisted with fierceness and courage that surprised the EU forces. Russia and Belarus came to the defense of their Slavic brothers and sisters with ‘volunteers’ pouring in from those nations. The EU response was to attempt to destroy Russia’s warships of the Rocket Corps. The Komsomolsk and the Potemkin along with two large Russian transports were destroyed in orbit and the Russian space port in Kazakhstan was bombarded. The Gagarin in the asteroid belt was severely damaged, but still lurks out there. This brought Russian along with Belarus and Kazakhstan into the war officially. This attack caused the Scandinavian Bloc to declare neutrality and refuse to help in the EU war effort.

Ghost Team 1’s actions in the Czech Republic remain a secret from the EU. They have been transferred to Cyprus to work principally for the Bast Corporation’s main client in the region, Global Share. This Commonwealth NGO brings health services and modern infrastructure to developing third world nations. The Cyberpunk World is a dangerous place especially in these areas. It is the Bast Corporation’s job to protect this altruistic organization.

 

Dramatis Personae

Ghost Team One

Allison Cole (aka Hanna Woo) (Sergeant): 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. Her cover was Vlada Roslykova on the recent Mission to Prague.

Bishop Weyland (Corporal): He is a 28 year old ex-US Air Force para-rescue operative. After eight years of unblemished service, he fell afoul of a vindictive superior whose mistake he reported up the chain of command. The superior was reprimanded, but Bishop found himself out at the end of that term of service. He joined Bast Corporation’s para-military and his talents earned himself a nomination for Ghost Team training. He graduated first in his class.

Brandon Heath (Warrant Officer 2nd Class): A solo who 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 (Sergeant): 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 here is as Davir bin Dehad.

Natalie ‘Natty’ Lanikova (Lieutenant): ‘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. She is undercover in Sabha as Leila Amah Hasib, an Arab women and a member of the Daughters of Umarra.

Nip Lacey (Sergeant): This slightly crazy young woman is the result of a failed experiment to create a gestalt mind of several netrunners. This project also created Fred, a ferret looking creature that inhabits the NET that is fiercely loyal to Nip. While the girl is only 21, she has already earned advanced degrees in Computer Science and Robotics from Night City University. This has allowed her to create a physical body for Fred and a slew of small spider bots to assist her. She, Allison and Cat Vaduva went to high school together in Atlantic City.

Noah Michaels (Corporal): This 19 year old Thelas nomad (zip) joined the Bast para-military forces a little over two years ago with the recommendation of the late Mason Verge. This young man distinguished himself on the Pac Rim and earned him a test for Ghost Team training. Noah and his siblings spent almost a decade of their youths being raised by their maternal half Vietnamese grandmother. Noah fought with the nomad militia at the Battle of Petersen Point.

 

The NPCs

Abbullahi Ag Elmchdi is a Tuareg police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Abdella is the nom de guerre of one of the militia leader west of the local market.

Abu Hussein is a wealthy Arab merchant of some disrepute in Sabha.

Captain Holden Gates is the senior Bast Corporation military officer in Sabha and commander of the 2nd company of the AEM Battalion.

Gustavo Benaziz: A follower of the Voice of the Wastes and a known Islamic terrorist. He is the half-brother of Marcellana Barbieri, a Commonwealth media. He first appeared in the Rio de Janeiro part of the Burn Notice Campaign. He is now a close associate of Goren Kovac and Ivanka Balakov (Kyle and Cat Vaduva).

Hassan al-Taib is an Arab police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Jim Whittaker is an Info Comp agent on assignment in Sabha.

Moctar Ag Mossa is a Tuareg police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Mohammad al-Badri is an Arab police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Mohan Abdul Fatah, a Toubou police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Oumar Humaydi is a dark skinned man who is clearly not an Arab and refuses to name any tribal identity. He calls himself a ‘Libyan’.

Wahali bin Hamid is an Arab police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Yves ‘Ed’ Rashid is a black African Muslim from Nigeria who has lived in Libya most of his life.

 

The Action

Tuesday, September 26, 2051: (21st of Muharram, 1474)

Few in the squad look happy to be sitting in the briefing room. It’s early and today was supposed to be their day off. A call from the Fort (Elena) has changed that. Another patrol, another chance to be shot … being a biomechanical, Brandon is less concerned with such eventualities, but as squad leader he can appreciate (or is at least trying to) how his men feel.

“I have an announcement before we begin. Since we are going out today, the squad will have tomorrow off.”

The new appears to raise their spirits. He also hopes it enhances their attention to his briefing.
Before official word had come down, Nip called him with the details on the team’s tactical channel. An armed Bumblebee had gone down in the north sector of the city last night. The crash was not pilot error. Someone shot it down. Whoever it was had skill and help. The emergency locator beacon stopped transmitting 5 minutes after the crash. At the time it stopped, the drone, or at least the beacon was in motion.

Another nearby drone was dispatched to the crash site. It observed a pickup truck leaving the scene at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was tracked to a garage attached to a three story apartment building. At last report there has been no movement in or out of either building. Thermo scans are also inconclusive.

The only thing he holds back from the briefing are Nip’s speculations about their target. Tracking the drone thieves back to their hideout had been too easy. It takes a certain amount of skill to bring down a drone and then disable its locator beacon. The drone thieves must have known they had other drones in the air. It could be that they didn’t see the second drone…mini-bees are hard to spot, but to Nip, it smells like a trap.

(GM Note: The player had an insanely high roll to track the drone thieves’ vehicle. Nip’s view of what is easy is a bit skewed. Kudos to the player for staying in character and running with it)

Brandon trusts her judgment. Leila (Natty), Davir (Duke) and Hanna are also aware of Nip’s suspicions. He sees no reason to burden the rest of the squad with such knowledge. The squad leader brings up a map of the city.

“The target structure is in a residential neighborhood near the northern edge of the city. It’s situated in a row of houses along a quieter street. The neighborhood is ethnically mixed. If the latest intel is to be believed, it’s unaffiliated with any local militias.

Mohammad raises his hand.

“Yes?”

“We would have to pass through several hostile neighborhoods to reach the target.”

“We could take the Combat 10.” Hanna proposes.

Davir studies the map. “There are a lot of narrow streets. Good places for ambush. Would the armor stand up to an RPG?”

The combat 10 might survive a hit on its front or side. A shot at the top armor … Brandon answers with a definitive, “No.”

Armored vehicles don’t do well in urban environments without troop support. If the squad has to deploy to support the vehicle, what’s the point of bringing it in the first place? He is ready to dismiss the use of the Combat 10, when Leila offers a suggestion.

“We could take the main road out of the city and swing around to approach the drone from the east. The crew could park near the entrance to the alley.” She points to the narrow lane running behind the walled courtyards behind the houses. “The vehicle would have good field of vision and we would be able to approach the garage unobserved.”

“That might work … we’d be hull down to the target. At that range our AMS will have time to engage any incoming rockets.” Noah pauses to calculate the width of the alley … “it’s gonna be tight, but we should fit.”

“OK, then,” Brandon points to the end of the alley. “We will disembark here and proceed up the alley to the rear of the target structure. A drone will be on watch overhead to make sure the coast is clear. This doorway opening onto the alley will be out entry point. It’s in full view of the house, so I want shooters here and here to cover the breach team. Once at the garage, we kick in the back door and take down whoever is inside.”

“And then we leave?” Ed asks hopefully.

“Yes. When we have the drone, we follow the same path out.” Brandon points to the street in front of the house. The live feed shows a group of children playing in the street near the house. There will hopefully be enough noise from the front to cover our approach.”

The squad gears up and gathers at the Combat 10. None of them hang back. They are ready to go. Brandon takes it as a good sign. He can tell that some are afraid, but they haven’t let that fear make them hesitant. Now he has to ask them to do one of the hardest things to ask of a soldier before a battle … wait. Weyland is late.

“Check each other’s equipment. Make sure there is nothing that will give us away during our approach.”

The spot check takes about five minutes. As the delay drags towards the 10 minute mark, his men start to get antsy. Moctar speaks up for the group. “What are we waiting for?”

“Backup.”

Brandon doesn’t elaborate. He’s not sure how describe what’s coming. Nip had insisted on being part of the assault. She wanted a crack at whoever stole one of her ‘children’. He had been leery of the idea, but Nip had convinced him. She only had to mention the skill it had taken to disable the beacon and the fact that the thieves were clever enough to mask their IR signatures. If they encountered cameras or other remotes, having a NET runner along wouldn’t hurt. Brandon still worried about putting her in harm’s way. Nip promised that she had a solution for that.

As if on cue, the gates to the compound open up to admit two Bast Corporation Humvees. Bishop Weyland steps out of one, already in his medical armor. A huge military cyber (dire) wolf climbs out of the back of the other vehicle. The thing stands four feet tall, at the shoulder Sheathed in armor with teeth and claws of mono-carbide, there can be no doubt that this is a killing machine … well … maybe a sliver of doubt. Upon seeing Brandon and Hanna, the cyber wolf begins to wag its powerful tail and bounce around excitedly like a puppy … a big, dangerous puppy.

Nip calls over the team’s tactical channel. “Hey guys! Look what I got. It’s one of the new predator cyborg remotes!”

Of course the men in the squad hear none of this. Two even start to raise their weapons.

(GM Note: Hassan and Wahali failed their cool rolls. They didn’t see a happy puppy. To them it looked like a malfunctioning killing machine)

“Stand Down!” Brandon roars.

The squad leader’s barked order makes both men stop. The cyber wolf also ceases its antics and sits down obediently. Hassan and Wahali still look uncertain, but lower their weapons. ‘Knowing’ that the thing responds to Brandon’s voice commands seems to put the rest of the squad at ease.

(GM Note: Bishop’s player could not make the session. He was brought in for his medical skills, but would not be taking part in the assault).

“All right, mount up.”

Brandon has a private word with Bishop, while the squad loads into the Combat 10.

“Nip told you what we might be going into?”

The medical officer nods.

“Just in case … I want you to stay here and set up an infirmary.”

“You got it.”

Bishop waits to the Combat 10 pulls out before unloading his equipment from the Humvee. News of the infirmary travels fast through the precinct. In the process of setting up, he receives a few visits from officers with minor ailments and medical complaints.

The trip to the target is uneventful. Having a large armored cyber wolf loping along beside the Combat 10 seems to dissuade hostile actions. Drop-off goes without a hitch. The squad proceeds up the alley staying close to the wall to hide their approach. They reach the doorway, only to find it has been bricked over. The top of the wall is embedded with shards of broken glass. Going over it would be dangerous and time consuming. Brandon looks for another route. The wall next door is not topped with broken glass. They could slip into the neighbor’s yard. The partition wall between the two properties would give them cover to the garage.

The biomechanical calls on the drone operator watching over head, “Eagle one, entry is a no go. We need to reroute. What’s the situation in the yard to the left of our position?”

“Yard is clear. Looks like theirs laundry hanging from a wrack near the house, but no one’s in sight.”

Hanna jimmies the latch on the gate and leads the breach team through. The back wall of the neighboring yard is slightly higher. Leila (Natty) uses it as cover to sneak a peek at the target house. Her keen eyes catch movement on the second floor. She focuses in on an armed man. He appears to be watching the back yard from a fixed position set back from the window. If the breach team had gone over the wall they would have been sitting ducks. Luckily being back from the window, his field of vision to the neighboring yard should be limited.

The biogen pulls back. She quietly directs Ed, Abbullah and Hassan to collect debris from the alley to build a firing perch. Brandon had wanted two shooters watching the back of the house, but the second position is directly in the gunman’s line of site. Abbullah and Hassan instead take position to watch the far end of the alley. Ed crouches on one of the lower steps of their makeshift stairs. Leila slips the barrel of her rifle up to the corner and takes aim on the gunman watching the backyard. She looks and listens for any sign that the breach team has been discovered. The sounds of children playing carry from the street in front of the house.

The breach team makes it to the corner of the garage, but they still need to contend with the broken glass on the top of the wall.

Davir (Duke) sees a simple solution. “Give me a boost.”

With Brandon’s help, he grabs some on the cantilevered drying rack attached to the second floor of the neighboring house. The theft doesn’t go unnoticed. A man sticks his head out of the second floor window. His anger quickly turns to surprise. Hanna gives him a halfhearted wave. He disappears back inside.

“We’ve been spotted. We have to move now.”

It’s not as simple as laying the borrowed Jellabiya and trousers across the top of the wall. Some of the shards of glass sticking out of the top of the wall are over three inches long. Davir uses the fabric to muffle the sound of snapping glass. Brandon checks his internal chronometer. Clearing a path is taking too long.

“How much longer,” he subvocalizes to Davir.

“Almost there.”

A three foot gap is finally cleared. The breach team is boosted over the wall. Getting the cyber wolf over (quietly) poses another challenge.

Nip doesn’t see a problem. “I can easily clear the wall with a running start.”

“You will be seen by their lookout.” Davir points out.

For Brandon the answer is easy. “Leila, shoot the sentry as soon as the Predator clears the wall. I’ll kick in the back door as soon as I hear your shot. Nip, let me get out of the way and then you lead us into the garage.”

Mohammad, Moctar, Mohan and Wahali move up with their backs against the garage’s thick back wall. Brandon positions himself facing the door with Hanna at his side.

“Ok Nip.”

As the cyber wolf leaps over the wall, Leila takes her shot. Brandon’s kick is answered by a satisfying crack (cross bar splintering), but the door does not give way. There’s no time for a second kick. He rolls to his right as Nip’s armored killing machine barges past and straight through the closed door.

Sensory input momentarily overwhelms the NET runner as she (the drone) enters the garage. There are explosives present. The concentration of particulates must be high for her sensors to register it so quickly. Echolocation returns tells her that the second 55 gallon fuel drum, at the left of doorway into the apartment building, is only half full. The temperature within the garage is over 30 degrees Celsius. There are also elevated levels of CO and CO2. She counts six human contacts. IFF designates them as hostiles.

Two are standing by a work bench, near the open door to the apartment building. A second pair, are at a table setup near the front of the garage. They are working on the remains of the Bumblebee. Her vision momentarily zooms in on the grey compound they are packing into the drone’s housing. It looks like C-6. An onboard chemical analyzer kicks in to confirm her suspicion. The cyber wolf’s augmented senses begin to feed her a wealth of information about the two targets and explosives.

A threat indicator draws her attention away from “the horrible men defiling her baby” (the Bumblebee) to the two remaining hostiles. One is standing in the bed of a pickup truck, behind her Bumblebee’s SMG. It has been crudely attached to a swivel mount. The second, levels an AK-74 at her (the cyber wolf).

(GM Note: Nip was so eager to go after the people who had stolen ‘her’ drone, that she had taken the Predator into the field without customizing the data displays and sensor readouts. The wealth of information provided can cause sensory overload. This lack of filters becomes important later)

Nip yells, “Explosives!” on the tactical channel as she leaps towards the pickup. Rounds from SMG bounce harmlessly off her armored hide. Weapon and man are forced backwards as her full weight lands on top of them. The NET runner tears the SMG from the gunman’s hands and then disembowels him with her mono-carbide claws. His head crunches nicely in her jaws.

The fire from the AK-74 does negligible damage. One of the hostiles near the workbench makes a break for the apartment building. The other looks too shocked to move. Her threat indicator picks up an object flying through the air. She recognizes it as a grenade but cannot determine the model. Its trajectory is towards the doorway. She calls out, “Grenade!” on the team’s tactical channel, while turning to deal with the second gunman.

The claws of her left forelimb slice through his cheeks as she pins his head against the wall of the garage. Then everything goes white. Back at the airport, Nip involuntarily screams and passes out from the shock.

Thanks to Nip’s warning Brandon catches sight of the grenade as it flies in him. The throwers intent was probably to toss it into the yard beyond, but at the moment, his body is taking up most of the doorway. The biomechanical isn’t worried about himself. It wouldn’t be the first time someone threw a grenade at him. Even if the fragments were able to puncture his heavy armor, the effects on his structure would be minimal. The rest of the squad wouldn’t fare as well.

He has a moment of relief as the grenade misses the door. It bounces off the wall to his right and rolls back into the room. Brandon is aware of the grenade exploding as he steps forward into the garage. His foot never reaches the ground. A wall of flame bears down on him and, blows him backwards. His next sensation is of slamming into something hard. Status indicators flash crimson across the biomechanical’s HUD. Brandon lies still while diagnostic subroutines check the integrity of his structure. That was one hell of a grenade.

(GM Note: Ah, where to begin … We had a visitor to our game session. One of the player’s friends came by to hang out. So that he wasn’t sitting around doing nothing, I allowed him to roll the dice for the player’s opposition. He botched for the grenade throw and then rolled a 10 (catastrophic) for severity. Bad things happen when you start a firefight in a bomb maker’s workshop.

The grenade bounced off of the wall, skittered across the floor and came to rest between the two 55 gallon drums of fuel. The resulting explosion ruptured the drums, igniting the volatile fumes that had been building up in the one that was half empty. This set off the detonators and nearby C-6. The chain reaction of explosions vaporized everything in the room. Nip’s new predator remote was completely destroyed, as was the Bumblebee they were sent to recover.

Brandon was thrown to the back wall of the yard (by the alley). His body had partially shielded Hanna from the blast, but even though she was not directly in the doorway, the explosion threw her several meters and knocked her into Mortal 2.

The walls of the garage were fairly thick. There was a noticeable bowing in the back wall, after the explosion, but the devastation was on the first floor of the apartment building and out in the street. The open adjoining doorway provided an escape route for the shockwave. The guy who ran didn’t make it very far. As for out front, the flimsy, sheet metal garage doors couldn’t contain the overpressure. Being weaker than the surrounding walls, they gave out first. The flying shrapnel, debris, flames and concussive force killed 12 and left many others injured.)

Davir adjust his helmet. He subvocalizes back to Leila, “Say again.”

“What is your status?”

“I’m ok, but Brandon and Hanna are down. What happened?”

Davir remembers seeing a gout of flame shoot out the door and engulfed Brandon, but nothing after that. The wall behind him had heaved outward, nearly knocking him to the ground. The other members of the breach team were still picking themselves up. They look dazed.

“The explosives must have gone off,” the cat biogen suggests.

“How is Brandon?” asks Davir.

Leila looks over the wall, “Still smoking, but alive. Can you check on Hanna?”

Davir picks up a hint of worry in her voice. “Cover me.”

“Affirmative.”

A sharp pain in her side brings Hanna back to consciousness. There is the taste of copper in her mouth. She can feel someone running their hands down her arms. It hurts. An involuntary groan escapes her lips. She reflexively activates her endorphin surge chip. Everything is tinged red as Hanna opens her eyes. A face swims in front of her. It takes a minute for her to remember it’s Duke in disguise … what was his cover name? “Du … Du?”

(GM Note: There were several occasions where players forgot the name of Duke’s cover identity. In normal circumstances I would remind them. Under stressful situation or in this case it required an INT roll with all of the corresponding penalties)

“You’re going to be ok. Nothing appears to be broken. Can you stand?”

There’s a twinge in her neck when she nods, but slowly, the flow of endorphins smooth over all of the jagged edges. Brandon is back on his feet by the time Davir helps her up.

The orders come down to pull out. The breach team struggle back over the wall to join up with the rest of the squad in the alley. From there, they fall back to the Combat 10. The wounded ride inside, while the rest ride on top. Bishop meets them in the courtyard when the armored vehicle arrives back at the precinct.

It’s only later that they learn about Nip and the civilian casualties. The NET runner was shaken up, but will be fine. Those injured have been transported to Global Share’s hospital at the airport.

***

 

Wednesday, September 27, 2051:

The death toll from yesterday’s blast is believed to be 12. Of that number 5 were children. 23 people were transport to hospital for their injuries. There’s no angry mob at the precinct gates or anyone saying they were involved, but the members of Ghost Team One wait nervously for the other shoe to drop. During her more lucid moments, Hanna wonders how long it will be before the neighbor who saw them comes forward.

Even if they aren’t officially blamed, the squad members still feel guilt for what happened. The knowledge, that eliminating this bomb maker would probably save lives, in the long run, is little comfort.

Davir joins Leila and Yves in the recreation yard. The two partners are taking turns kicking a football (soccer ball) at the outline of a goal, painted on the back wall.

The Nigerian sees him coming. “Ah, have you come to play with us?”

Davir smiles, “I have come to take you both on.”

Yves smiles back and kicks him the ball.

(GM Note: Yves’ nickname is Ed. Duke’s player officially learned Yves nickname while they were playing soccer. The Nigerian told him, “Only my grandmother calls me Yves.” There was a story there that we never really got to during the campaign.)

***

 

Thursday, September 28, 2051:

The squad is still not back to full strength. Instead of going on patrol, those who are fit for duty are sent on a plain clothes assignment. HQ wants to know the mood on the street. They are being sent out in pairs, mostly to the neighborhood where the bombing occurred. The risk of being recognized is considered minimal, since the officers were wearing balaclavas during the assault.

Views in the neighborhood are mixed. Many blame the former warlord or his allies, but there are rumors circulating the National Police might have been involved. Tracking down the source of the rumors proves elusive.

Leila and Ed are sent to a nearby mosque. The biogen’s finely tuned sense of smell picks up traces of explosive residue. She surreptitiously uses her enhanced olfactory sense with is hooked to her implanted chemical analyzer. They have a pool of suspects, but finding the source without being obvious is impossible.

Ed thinks he recognizes one of the men. The two decide to track him. He leads them to a walled compound. The man’s instincts are good, as Leila picks up the scent on the suspect as he leaves.

“Of course … That is Abu Hussein … a merchant of some disrepute,” Ed informs Leila.

“What side is he on?”

“His own. See that large building?” Ed angles nods his head toward a large structure in the compound.

“Yeah.”

“That is where he keeps his goods.”

Leila gets to thinking.

While circulating amongst the locals, Davir passes a Toubou tribesman, who reeks of fertilizer. If it were the smell of manure he probably would have ignored it, but there is an underlying tang of ammonia. The ammonium nitrite in some fertilizers could be used as an oxidizing agent in an improvised explosive.

He signals Oumar. The two officers follow him discreetly. Their target enters a Toubou neighborhood. Davir and Oumar switch from Arabic to Tebu so as not to stand out. Their quarry leads them to a well-kept house. They note its location and circle back to the precinct.

Brandon comes up with an excuse to meet with Hanna, Davir (Duke) and Leila (Natty) away from the squad. The two biogens share their suspicions with the rest of their team.

“We must investigate these people.”

Leila can hear the eagerness in Davir’s voice. She can feel it too. For her it’s an in bred need to ferret out a secret. In the case of her fellow biogen … he has something to chase.

“Fine, which one first?”

Davir’s begins to answer Brandon’s question. “We should…”

Leila talks right over. “We know very little about the Toubou.” True to his habit, he falls silent and lets her take the lead. “Let’s find out more about him first. In the mean time I can sneak into Abu Hussein’s warehouse.”

“You’re going in alone?” asks Hanna. There is concern in her voice.

Leila would like nothing more than to have her friend with her, but she still isn’t fully healed.

“I’m just going in for a look. Duke will be right outside in case I need back up.”

Brandon gives the go ahead. The two sneak out of the precinct and into the city. Nip shadows them with a remote, in case they run into trouble. She scans the compound and warehouse for remotes, but both are dark (no NET Presence). Physical security is tight, but the lack of electronic security makes Nip suspicious.

“I’m not picking up any remotes. Check for a close circuit system.”

Neither biogen sees a hint of a camera. In a way, it makes sense to Leila. If you were involved in illicit trade, would you really want cameras around? Stocking up on guards and having a reputation for killing anyone who tries to steal from you would keep out the common thieves. Luckily, she is an exceptional thief. The merchant’s guards are watchful but not in her league. Leila glides right by them and easily bypasses the warehouse’s antiquated security system.

There are no guards inside, giving her the run of the place. She follows her nose to Abu Hussein’s cache of ‘less than legal goods’. Among the items are eight blocks (kilos) of C-6, with labels in French and nice assortment of firearms. Most of the weapons are high end; not the type of weapons militants would be able to afford. Leila grabs the C-6 and a demo kit. She sneaks back out and meets up with Davir. They return to the precinct without any trouble. The Team keeps Abu Hussein’s explosives.

***

 

Friday, September 29, 2051:

The squad is kept at the precinct that morning ready for deployment. Tension is growing in the city as the end of the month of Muharram approaches. Though negotiations are underway no one really believes there will be a peaceful solution. An attack on the Ubari Lakes region seems imminent. Rumors abound that there will be some sort of announcement at the mosques in the city today.

Brandon is asked to report to Fort Elena by the Bast Corporation’s government liaison. There is a sensitive matter that cannot be discussed over the radio. The Warrant Officer dutifully reports to the fortress. He is scanned for listening devices before being led to a secure room. Captain Holden Gates is already inside. There is no one else in the room. Brandon salutes the senior Bast Corporation officer in Sabha.

“Have a seat … We have a special mission for you and your squad today. At noon today, there will be a prayer service and sermon at the Great Sabha Mosque in your precinct. A representative from the Voice of the Wastes will be on hand,” Captain Holden begins. “His name is Gustavo Benaziz. At the moment, he is one of the most wanted terrorists in the world.”

“So, you want us to arrest him?” Brandon asks.

“God no! … He is here to endorse the State of the Fezzan on behalf of the Voice of the Wastes. You are to ensure that he makes it out of the city, safely, after his speech. Benaziz is a guest of the government. His people are very nervous that the French or Americans will try to grab him. Your squad will escort him to his rendezvous. Here are the details.”

Captain Gates hands him a chip. Brandon snaps a salute and leaves. The biomechanical isn’t sure how he feels about protecting a known terrorist. He contacts the rest of the team, on the way back to the precinct to let them know their mission.

“Is everyone on channel?”

The other members of Ghost Team One sound off.

“OK, we have a special assignment. At noon today, some guy named Gustavo Benaziz is going to speak at the Grand Mosque. He’s here to endorse Walid. We have to escort him out of the city after he’s done.”

There is silence on the tactical channel. Most of them have heard of Gustavo Benaziz. He is on the top ten most wanted list of nearly every nation in the Western World. The French have been actively hunting him. There is a large reward for information leading to his death or capture.

“Where are you? You’re not near the Green Zone are you?”

Leila’s question catches him off guard. “Uh … yeah … we’re going by it right now.”

The biogen’s groan carries across the open channel. “Do you see all those antennas?”

“Yeah?”

“Brandon … What do you think they’re for?”

“Oh, shit! I thought we were on an encrypted channel.”

“Why do you think they called to the Fort?” Hanna asks.

Brandon realizes he screwed up. He doesn’t need Hanna piling on.

Leila cuts him off before he can respond, “Everyone off channel. We’ll talk when you get back.”

Twenty minutes later the Team meets in private at the precinct. Leila uses her encrypted satellite phone to contact the Bast Corporation. After confirming her identity she lays out the situation.

“Call off visit; security compromised. We will have party crashers aware of surprise guest.”

“Understood; will contact you back in ten to confirm.” The call disconnects.

As the minutes tick away, Hanna tries to lighten the mood. “We may be getting worried over nothing. Even if one of their listening posts heard us, what are the odds that they would be able to decrypt our conversation?”

“We’re talking about top intercept and decryption teams from the GRU, Interpol, C.I.A., DSGE and god knows who else.” Bishop shakes his head. “Sabha is spy central.”

Noah gives a little laugh. “Yeah, we’re fucked.”

The Sat-Phone beeps. Leila answers it. “Go ahead.”

“No joy … repeat … no joy. Surprise guest still on route; protect him as best you can.” The call disconnects.

“We need a plan, now,” Hanna says.

No one immediately responds to her statement, so she puts forward one of her own. “What if we set up a perimeter around the mosque … a block out in all directions? We could intercept him on the way there.”

“The sharpshooters and assassins mobilizing in the Green Zone will be thinking the same thing,” Leila counters.

“Why not just put a wall of bodies between the target and any hitters they send?” Noah suggests.

This suggestion draws an ironic laugh from Bishop. “Yeah, then we can all die in a drone strike.”

“We can blow up the mosque.” Davir’s (Duke’s) suggestion stops everyone. They stare at him in stunned silence. He tries to explain his reasoning. “Well … if it was destroyed … there would be no reason to go there … Right?”

Leila’s brow furrows. It’s actually not a bad idea. Well, blowing up the mosque is, but setting off a bomb might cause them to cancel the service.

“Duke, you may be on to something,” she says.

The dog biogen brightens at her praise.

“What!” Hanna’s voice comes out as a high pitched shriek.

“We don’t need to bomb the mosque,” Leila explains. “A small explosion by one of the side doors should be sufficient. There is no way Gustavo’s security will let him near the place after that.”

“That might work.” Brandon thinks a moment then adds, “They’re sure to investigate.”

Leila already has an answer for that. “We recently liberate some French military grade C-6. Why not use that? Nobody around here likes the French anyway.”

With Brandon’s approval, she prepares a low yield charge, designed to produce a lot of noise and smoke. Leila plants the device during their security sweep. The explosion has the desired effect. Gustavo doesn’t make his appearance at the mosque. The Voice of the Wastes endorsement is instead broadcast over the radio. In his speech Benaziz refers to the country as ‘The Islamic State of the Fezzan’. Rumors abound that he met with Walid and Sheik Mansur before leaving the Fezzan. The grand tribal council convened soon after, to deliberate the adoption of Sharia law.

(GM Note: A little meta-plot here. After Rio de Janeiro, Kyle and Cat kept up their connections to Gustavo by warning him and his sister of their impending arrest. Goren Kovac and Ivanka Balakov have moved up high in the jihadist circles. Kyle Vaduva (as Goren Kovac) is in the region now working his contacts to get Walid and his new state endorsed by the Voice of the Wastes. The two lovers are playing with fire.

By the way, Brandon’s transmission was intercepted. Encrypted radio traffic isn’t that high in the region. The keywords Gustavo Benaziz generated an alert. Shooters were sent by both the French and Americans. Someone even whistled up a drone strike…just to be sure.)

***

 

Saturday, September 30, 2051:

That morning, the air is electric. The explosion outside the Grand Mosque has many outraged. Benaziz’s speech only adds fuel to the fire. There is no patrol. The squad is kept at the precinct as a reaction force. A call comes in around 11 am. There is trouble in a neighborhood to the north. It’s a mixed community, with a large population of Nigerians. A mob is attacking a local bokha bar. The squad rolls out in the Combat 10.

GM Note: Bokha is a Libyan home brew alcoholic beverage. As with most homemade hooch, people have been known to go blind or die from drinking a bad batch)

The riot is in full swing by the time they arrive. It has spilled out of the bar and onto the street.  Noah loads the mini-gun with rubber bullets. Brandon deploys Hanna and Moctar to guard the rear of the Combat 10. The rest of the squad forms a line across the road.

The squad leader has the vehicle’s commander patch him through on the loud speaker. “Everyone stop fighting and clear the street!”

His order draws a hail of rocks from the crowd.

The squad leader shouts to his men. “Shoulder your rifles and draw your batons.” The officers quickly follow his order.

The biomechanical shouts to the crowd, “This is your last chance! Disperse!”

Brandon gives the crowd 10 seconds. When they don’t comply he calls Noah on the tactical channel. “Break them up.”

“Gladly,” he relies.

The nomad fires bursts of rubber rounds into the largest groupings of rioters. As they begin to falter, the squad charges in. Leila can’t wipe the smile off her face as she moves through the crowd knocking down rioters and subduing them. The bar patrons retreat back inside. They are followed by the police who begin to round up everyone inside.

Brandon spots someone trying to rob the till. He grabs the man and slams him onto the bar top. The barkeep (and owner) tries to slip out the back, but Leila chases after him. She drags him back inside to join the other detainees.

The bar is a shambles. Among their prisoners are an American and a Frenchman. The European is battered and bloody. He tried to resist and the officers were only too happy to beat him down.

“You are under arrest for drinking alcohol,” Brandon tells them.

The American looks up as Brandon explains why they are being held and declares, “I haven’t had a thing to drink.”

Leila quickly moves over to him. She leans forward and smells his breath. There is no hint of alcohol. Davir confirms it.

Brandon is prepared to let him go, but the man pauses and holds out his hand. “I’m Jim Whittaker, from Info Comp. I was hoping we could work something out with regards to my foolish friend here.” He nods towards the Frenchman.

Making a friend of the local Info Comp agent could be helpful. Brandon shakes his hand.
“Come with us back to the precinct. Maybe we can work something out.”

Though the riot has been broken, the local have regrouped further down the street. A cry goes up as the bar’s own is led outside. “Kill the bokha peddler!” “Murderer”

Brandon walks forward alone. He approaches the crowd, pulling out his pad and pencil. It catches them of guard, allowing him to get to the facts. It turns out the owner sold a bad batch of alcohol. Several people died. The squad leader dutifully collects the names of the dead. He promises to turn the owner over to the local Sharia Court. This draws a chorus of voices from people willing to testify.

The squad leader rewards their cooperation. He lets them, under police supervision, destroy the bars remaining inventory. The crowd actually cheers for the squad as they take the prisoners away. It’s a good feeling.

The bokha bar’s owner is sent to the Fort. James Whittaker trades the location of a storage facility for the release of his ‘friends’.

“It’s a chemical weapons depot, from back before the meltdown. They stored some nasty shit there; mustard gas, sarin and who knows what else,” Whittaker reveals.

Brandon wonders if the InfoComp agent is being intentionally ambiguous about the facilities contents. The sarin gas would have gone inert a long time ago, but they can’t risk something dangerous still being there, especially if the Algerians are actively occupying the facility like Whittaker claims. Still this is good intel. The young Frenchman is released without the embarrassment of having to call his embassy and explain what he was doing having a meeting with an Info Comp agent.

The squad settles down. The unit is proud that they finally did something good and a den of sin out of operation.

***

 

Sunday, October 1, 2051: (26th of Muharram, 1474)

The squad has the day off, but no one leaves the police compound. Tensions in the city are still running high. This coming Friday will be the end of the religiously mandated peace. Although both sides continue to look for diplomatic solution, many think war is imminent. The question is who will intervene, if anyone, when the fighting breaks out?

Even though the squad has to stay cooped up in the precinct, the mood among the men is upbeat. The cheers of yesterday’s crowd seem to have been the shot in the arm they needed.
None of the men in the squad ‘remember’ to scowl at Leila today. Davir and his partner, Oumar even join Leila and Ed for a little football (soccer).

 

 

 

 

 

Episode 21 – Bet You Didn’t See That One Coming

 

 

 

Walid begins his offensive against the Ubari Lakes region, while back in Sabha, the insurgency continues to grow. Opposition forces try to undermine support for the government and turn the populous against the National Police. Their efforts are aided by local militias, who have appointed themselves as the mutaween (religious police) for the new Islamic State of the Fezzan. The team faces the unenviable task of stopping the extremists, while still upholding sharia law. ‘Sins’ of the past come to light. The Bast Corporation’s operations in the Fezzan are threatened.

 

Background

War has erupted on the European Continent. The long running Czech Civil War exploded as the EU, who finally had enough of Poland’s support for the rebel Free Czech Army, sought a quick victory over the Polish nation in the spring of 2050. A resurgent Germany promised a quick victory, but the Blitzkrieg of 1939 was not repeated. The Polish Army resisted with fierceness and courage that surprised the EU forces. Russia and Belarus came to the defense of their Slavic brothers and sisters with ‘volunteers’ pouring in from those nations. The EU response was to attempt to destroy Russia’s warships of the Rocket Corps. The Komsomolsk and the Potemkin along with two large Russian transports were destroyed in orbit and the Russian space port in Kazakhstan was bombarded. The Gagarin in the asteroid belt was severely damaged, but still lurks out there. This brought Russian along with Belarus and Kazakhstan into the war officially. This attack caused the Scandinavian Bloc to declare neutrality and refuse to help in the EU war effort.

Ghost Team 1’s actions in the Czech Republic remain a secret from the EU. They have been transferred to Cyprus to work principally for the Bast Corporation’s main client in the region, Global Share. This Commonwealth NGO brings health services and modern infrastructure to developing third world nations. The Cyberpunk World is a dangerous place especially in these areas. It is the Bast Corporation’s job to protect this altruistic organization.

 

Dramatis Personae

Ghost Team One

Allison Cole (aka Hanna Woo) (Sergeant): 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. Her cover was Vlada Roslykova on the recent Mission to Prague.

Bishop Weyland (Corporal): He is a 28 year old ex-US Air Force para-rescue operative. After eight years of unblemished service, he fell afoul of a vindictive superior whose mistake he reported up the chain of command. The superior was reprimanded, but Bishop found himself out at the end of that term of service. He joined Bast Corporation’s para-military and his talents earned himself a nomination for Ghost Team training. He graduated first in his class.

Brandon Heath (Warrant Officer 2nd Class): A solo who 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 (Sergeant): 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 here is as Davir bin Dehad.

Natalie ‘Natty’ Lanikova (Lieutenant): ‘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. She is undercover in Sabha as Leila Amah Hasib, an Arab women and a member of the Daughters of Umarra.

Nip Lacey (Sergeant): This slightly crazy young woman is the result of a failed experiment to create a gestalt mind of several netrunners. This project also created Fred, a ferret looking creature that inhabits the NET that is fiercely loyal to Nip. While the girl is only 21, she has already earned advanced degrees in Computer Science and Robotics from Night City University. This has allowed her to create a physical body for Fred and a slew of small spider bots to assist her. She, Allison and Cat Vaduva went to high school together in Atlantic City.

Noah Michaels (Corporal): This 19 year old Thelas nomad (zip) joined the Bast para-military forces a little over two years ago with the recommendation of the late Mason Verge. This young man distinguished himself on the Pac Rim and earned him a test for Ghost Team training. Noah and his siblings spent almost a decade of their youths being raised by their maternal half Vietnamese grandmother. Noah fought with the nomad militia at the Battle of Petersen Point.

 

The NPCs

Abbullahi Ag Elmchdi is a Tuareg police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Adolph Bruner is an Interpol agent Brandon, Duke and Natty met in Episode 4. The Interpol agent set the Team up for extraction by GSG-9. The Germans botched the extraction and lost four men. The Free Czech Army later overran Interpol’s headquarters in Prague. (See Episode 5) Bruner’s entire Team was killed. He has never bought the EU’s official report and continues to search for proof that Brandon and his people were involved in the attack that killed his team mates and friends.

David Kaban is a volunteer of Global Share the Team met at the Hoof and Bray Club and went to a party with on Lady’s Mile beach in Cyprus (Episode 10).

Hassan al-Taib is an Arab police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Isadore Kostopoulis is also a volunteer of Global Share the Team met at the Hoof and Bray Club and went to a party with on Lady’s Mile beach in Cyprus (Episode 10).

Moctar Ag Mossa is a Tuareg police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Mohammad al-Badri is an Arab police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Mohan Abdul Fatah, a Toubou police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Oumar Humaydi is a dark skinned man who is clearly not an Arab and refuses to name any tribal identity. He calls himself a ‘Libyan’.

James Whittaker is an Info Comp agent on assignment in Sabha.

Squadron Leader Ileana Morel is in reality Cat Vaduva in one of her old identities. She is named overall commander of Bast’s forces in the Fezzan.

Wahali bin Hamid is an Arab police recruit in Brandon’s squad at the north precinct of Sabha.

Yves ‘Ed’ Rashid is a black African Muslim from Nigeria who has lived in Libya most of his life.

 

The Action

Monday, October 2, 2051: (27th of Muharram, 1474)

The end of Muharram approaches. Fear of a heightened insurgency leads to a change in tactics for the police. The idea of rapid response units is institutionalized and added to the normal squad rotation. The overall number of patrols is reduced, but each precinct now has a ready force that can be quickly deployed to hot spots around the city.

The change actually increases morale. Hanging back at the precinct on ready status is almost like having another day off. There is the risk of having to ride into trouble, but that seems less of a certainty to the men, than something happening on patrol.

Brandon’s squad pulls the duty today. They have a front row seat as protestors begin to gather outside of the northern precinct. The crowd’s chants target the corrupting influence of foreign infidels. Any good will that was built, with the incident at the bokha bar, seems to have evaporated.

The rants of one particular firebrand hit close to home. He claims the Bast Corporation was complicit in the bombing at the mosque. It had happened on their watch and it was only by the will of Allah … blah, blah, blah … Brandon stops listening. At least they’re yelling about the mosque and not the raid on the bomb maker’s workshop. The protest is peaceful so the police don’t interfere. The precinct is however on full alert.

While the crowd chants and yells outside, Noah has a private meeting with the precinct’s captain.

“Captain, I would like to do something to improve the morale of the men.”

The captain nods his head. “An admirable desire … what do you have in mind?”

“I would like your permission to put together a still, sir.”

Laughter wasn’t the response Noah was expecting. He doesn’t see what’s so funny.

The captain’s laughter trails off. As he looks at Noah, his amused expression becomes one of concern. “You’re joking, right?”

“No sir.”

The captain stands. Any hint of humor is gone. “Production of alcohol for human consumption is illegal in the Islamic State of the Fezzan. You should know that. Not only is permission denied … if I find you going against my orders, I promise, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Do I make myself clear?”

Noah hesitates, but finally responds, “Yes sir.” The corporal turns and leaves.

(GM Note: I have no idea what the player was thinking when he made this request.)

Leila (Natty) keeps watch for troublemakers, as the demonstration drags on. So far it’s stayed peaceful, but things have a way of changing quickly in this town. She scans the nearby structures with a set of binoculars looking for anything out of the ordinary. Her glasses alight upon a lone gunman. He is on the top floor of one of the apartment buildings in the neighborhood west of the market place.

It’s not that unusual a sight. The neighborhood is home to one of the local militias. What she finds odd is that there is only one of them. The biogen scans the other buildings just to make sure. There are no other contacts.

Leila calls it in to the command center. “Lone shooter … top floor of apartment building, west of market.”

Relations with the militia weren’t good even before the incident in the market (see Episode 19).
It still seems improbable that they would choose this moment to take a shot at the police. A large number of the protestors out front are from their neighborhood. Leila starts to wonder if the protest is just a ruse to place gunmen within striking distance of the precinct. She scans the apartment blocks one more time to make sure she didn’t miss something.

There are other people moving around with weapons, but they appear to be going about their daily business. The gunman on the top floor is the only one actively watching the police precinct and protest.

To be safe, the captain sends out the rapid response unit in the Combat 10. Leila stays behind with Ed to keep eyes on the target. With Mohammad injured in the fight at the bokha bar (two day ago) they are left another man down. Brandon breaks the remaining squad member up into two teams. He will take Hassan al-Taib, Davir and Oumar to check out the sniper. Hanna, Moctar, Mohan and Wahali will stay behind to protect the Combat 10.

The armored vehicle exists through the back gate of the compound, to avoid the protestors. It heads west and parks at the intersection just south of the market. The intervening apartment buildings put them out of sight of the shooter. Noah, loads the mini-gun for combat; no rubber bullets this time. They are 110 meters from the apartment complex, with a clear field of view.

Hanna deploys her team to the rear of the Combat 10. Brandon takes his into the neighborhood. They run into five local militiamen before reaching their objective.

“What are you doing here?”

Brandon recognizes the man from the incident at the market. He had been among the crowd that had come down to confront him about Hanna and Leila. The squad leader had downloaded the faces, for his men to study. It pays to be familiar with the players in the neighborhood.

“There is a man pointing a rifle in the direction of the demonstration. He is on the top floor of that structure.” The squad leader points at their objective. “We were concerned that he might fire upon the crowd.”

The speaker for the militia members appears unmoved, but Brandon notes looks of surprise on the faces of at least two of the men behind him. He continues to watch the four police men, while his ‘colleagues’ huddle together to confer. The man stares at Brandon with disdain.

“Innocent people die wherever you go.”

Brandon wonders what he knows (or thinks he knows). Either way, it gives him an opening to break up the militia men’s little confab.

“We don’t target civilians … and if that sniper kills anyone, it will be on you.”

Brandon can tell that struck a nerve. Now he’s probably picturing a friend or family member, out in the crowd, being shot…

“One of us will escort you up to the room. The rest of us will wait here. If any of our people are gunned down, none of you will leave that building.”

The squad leader agrees to the terms. Their guide looks to be the youngest member of the quintet. He doesn’t look happy to be going off with for cops, but the others convince him.

Brandon slips his snake camera under the apartment door. He sweeps it around to check the whole room. There is only one occupant, standing near a table by the window; no weapon in sight. As the squad leader watches, the man leans down over the table.

The door is flimsy. It would be easy to break down, though the militia would probably give him grief for doing so. Brandon checks the door latch. It’s surprisingly unlocked. He positions his team then quietly raises the latch. The police rush the room. They shout at the man to surrender, which he does, readily.

Set up on the table, facing out the window is a scoped rifle on a bipod. Brandon looks down the scope. It is sighted on the crowd. He subvocalizes on the tactical channel, “shooter in custody.”

While he checks out the gun, the man protests his innocence to the other officers. “What right do you have to come into my house? Why are you cuffing my hands … I have committed no crime. ”

Brandon turns to their guide, “Is this man from your tribe?”

“I don’t recognize him. Perhaps someone down stairs will.”

The guide leads them back downstairs. Davir and Oumar walk in front of the prisoner. Brandon brings up the rear with Hassan. If the gunman tries to make a break for it he won’t get far. Thankfully, he doesn’t put up a fight … he almost seems resigned to his fate.

There is no one waiting for them on the bottom floor. This seems to surprise their guide. His fellow militia men are nowhere in sight. Brandon prods their prisoner down the final steps, but the man runs into the back Davir who has stopped at the bottom of the landing. The biogen is standing rigid, scanning the entrance hall.

Davir’s posture sets off warning bells in Brandon’s head. “What’s up?”

“I smell blood.” The biogen turns towards the first floor corridor.

Brandon sticks his snake camera under the first door off of the entryway and finds the missing militia men. Their prisoner tries to make a break for it, but is dragged down by Oumar. He pins him to the floor, while Brandon opens the door to examine the bodies. Two have had their throats cut. The other two were shot at close range. He searches the rest of the apartment, but there is no one inside.

The squad leader rejoins the rest of his team in the hallway, “Time to leave.”

Oumar drags the prisoner to his feet. Brandon leads them out of the building. As he glances back to make sure the others are following, there is a whistle crack as something zips past his left ear. Hassan’s head snap back violently. The biomechanical registers the sound of a second rifle shot. Brandon grabs the stricken officer by the armored vest, before his body has a chance to hit the ground.

More shooters open up as he drags Hassan back inside. They pour a torrent of automatic weapons fire into the building’s entrance. Brandon is hit by a few rounds, but none penetrate his armor. A rocket propelled grenade hisses past him as he makes for cover. It hits near the stairs and detonates. The biomechanical is able to keep his feet, though he loses his grip on Hassan. Status indicators on his HUD stay in the green.

The sounds of gunfire fade. Their attackers must be waiting for the smoke to clear or repositioning. He quickly assesses the status of his team. Hassan is down and not moving. By the way his head snapped back, it must have been a head shot. Brandon sees no need to pull off the officer’s helmet and balaclava to confirm the killing shot. Davir waves him off as he approaches. The biogen climbs gingerly to his feet under his own power.

Brandon moves to help Oumar, who is struggling to get out from under the prisoner. The officer’s movements are feeble and uncoordinated. Even with the dead body moved off of him, Oumar has trouble sitting up. His eyes are unfocused. Brandon checks his ears. There are thin trails of blood coming out of both off them. When they make it out of this, he’s definitely going to request that the Bast Corporation spring for level dampening earplugs.

What remains of their guide is over near the stairs. The teenager had been running towards the steps before the blast. Brandon looks at the path of the rocket. From the angle, the shooter would have had to have been low, probably on the ground or second floor of the apartment block across from them. The squad leader doesn’t want to stick his head out, for fear of drawing another rocket. He shares his suspicions on the tactical channel.

Nip can’t confirm the floor, but the smoke contrail left by the rocket definitely came from the building directly west of their position.

Leila has almost no shot from her perch. She can see one window on the side facing towards the pinned down team. Even if she had a target, it would be at extreme range. Firing now wouldn’t be a good idea anyway. The protestors began to scatter as soon as the shooting started. If she were to take a shot and someone in the crowd died, the police might be blamed.

The biogen knows this, but when a target presents itself, she fires anyway. Her friends are in danger. The round falls short, hitting just below the window sill. Even though it missed, her shot has the desired effect. The gunman disappears from the window without firing.

The Combat 10 has no direct shot either. That doesn’t stop Noah from spraying the second floor with the 7.62 mini-gun. He reasons that the concentrated firepower might be able to tear through the interior and at least frighten (if not kill) the gunmen. An alarm sounds as the armored vehicle’s AMS burps out a wall of lead to intercept a rocket fired from the upper floors of the building. Noah puts a 40mm shell through the window that the RPG was fired from. He continues to rake the second floor with fire from the mini-gun.

Oumar is in no condition to walk. Even if he was, there is no way that he could match their speed. Brandon picks up the officer and places him over his left shoulder. He grabs Hassan’s body and slings it over the right. The biomechanical tests the load, to make sure both are secure.

(GM Note: There was not even a discussion of leaving Hassan’s body behind)

“Are you ready?”

Davir nods.

Brandon calls across the tactical channel, “We’re coming out.”

The biogen races out of the entrance at full speed. Their attackers had been waiting for a breakout attempt, but not for someone moving inhumanly fast. Bullets zip around him as the ambushers try to compensate. Davir comes out five seconds later.

Instead of following Brandon, he rushes the building where the shooters are hiding. The biogen is nearly to the entrance, when his sensitive hearing catches a distinctive click-clack. Davir tries to dive for the ground … Twin explosions race at him from either side of the doorway…

His next conscious thought is “I’m still alive.” It’s unexpected. He can feel bone rubbing on bone, but the flood of endorphins coursing through his system hide the pain. It’s a saving grace that he had to activate his endorphin surge chip earlier. Davir doesn’t have time to think about his wounds. The biogen rolls to his feet, picks up his FN-RAL and moves into the buildings entrance hall.

(GM Note: Usually two Claymores would be all she wrote, but the damage for one was abysmal. Duke’s player had activated his endorphin surge chip due to the damage taken from the RPG. If he had to lie there for a round waiting for the chip to kick, he would have been a sitting duck).

There is an overturned table set up by the stairs. A man pokes his head up and Davir shoots him. The first floor hallway is empty, so he heads for the stairwell. The biogen picks up the sound of something bouncing down the steps. He vaults the table and takes cover. Hot metal fragments thunk into the thick wood. Davir holds his position on the opposite side and listens for any more grenades.

Outside, the Combat 10’s AMS intercepts another inbound rocket. Noah sends another 40mm response.

There is an explosion upstairs (from the 40mm shell) followed soon after by the sound of several pairs of feet running down the stairs. Alone and badly injured, Davir isn’t sure if he can survive another firefight. He slips back out the entrance and high-tails it back to the Combat 10. Any thought of his cover identity is forgotten. He runs as fast as his legs will carry him. (Inhumanly fast)

The neighborhood militia begins to mount a response. They ignore the police and instead engage their attackers. Noah stops firing so as not to hit the militia. Brandon orders everyone to mount up. The Combat 10 backs out of range and returns to the precinct.

Bishop sees to Oumar and Davir. Hassan is beyond hope. Many of the demonstrators fled into the abandoned school and empty market place during the firefight. When the shooting stops, some filter back to continue their protest, but most seem to have lost the stomach for it.

The militia eventually sends a messenger to the precinct. He is taken to the captain. They speak in private for about 10 minutes. Once the messenger has left, the captain calls the rapid response unit to the briefing room. His expression is grim.

“We have some news about your attackers. It looks like they were allies of the previous warlord. He’s hold up at the Ubari Lakes but still making trouble for us here.”

Brandon can’t make sense of it. “What did they hope to accomplish? Even with a high powered rifle, their sniper was at extreme range.”

“It appears he was a diversion, meant to draw our attention. Their initial plan was thrown off, when we didn’t go out to break up the protest. They had people in the crowd. It was their hope to start a war between the police and the militia. They wanted us to send people into the neighborhood.

“Where did they come by this information?” Leila asks.

“A few of the gunmen were captured.”

“We should interrogate those prisoners ourselves.”

The captain looks at her for a long moment. “None survived their wounds … that apartment building wasn’t entirely empty when they took it over. They killed a lot of innocent people setting up that ambush.

“Then justice has been served,” Abbullah states.

***

 

Tuesday, October 3, 2051:

The death of Officer Hassan al-Taib hits the squad hard. He is their first fatality. Abbullah is especially devastated by the death of his partner. He doesn’t even try to hold back his tears. Leila (Natty) finds a small bit of comfort in the fact that before this squad came together a Tuareg would never consider shedding a tear for a dead Arab in Sabha. Its progress, but at what cost?

***

 

Wednesday, October 4, 2051:

Orders come down from the city’s police commander that the Northern Precinct will plan and take part in a raid. The Nigerian bar owner they arrested rolled over on his supplier. It’s a large operation, guarded by a private militia. The city officials want to make an example of this bokha producer. As his operation is within city limits, it falls to the police to shut it down. Using the army would send the wrong message. There are also no troops to spare. Most have been mobilized to attack the Ubari Lakes region.

The squad pours over the photo recon shots and live drone feeds.

“There are an awful lot of armed men watching the perimeter.”

Bishop’s observation doesn’t tell them anything they can’t already see. Noah scans the photos and offers an idea.

“We could slip a few of our stealthier people inside to take out the sentries. Then we rush in with the Combat 10 and overwhelm them.”

“It will still be a massive firefight,” Oumar warns. He speaks louder than he would normally need to; his hearing still not fully recovered. It’s a reminder of the squad’s last gun battle, where they lost Hassan.

Brandon tries to break the mood by pointing out, “We won’t be on our own. We can call in other squads to help in the attack.”

“The thermo imaging shows nobody in these buildings,” Leila points to the surrounding structures. “Does anyone live there?”

“No,” Wahali answers. “They have all been driven out by the liquor dealers, or at least that is the rumor on the street.”

“Do we have access to multiple drones?” Leila asks.

“I’ve been told this is a priority mission.” Brandon isn’t sure where she is going with this.

“Then I say we call in a half dozen drone strikes and blast the place from the air. With the compound in flames we sweep in during the confusion and take them down.”

Mohammad al-Badri smiles at Leila. (For the first time) “I like this plan … less danger for us; more chance of sending these criminals straight to hell.”

The squad prepares a strike proposal, with lookout points, storage warehouse and possible locations of the stills marked as targets. Brandon kicks their plan upstairs where it is quickly approved. By afternoon the police are in position and the drones commence their attack. The camera feed from an observation drone is routed to the Combat 10.

As the first missiles are in bound a group of men rush out of the compound’s main building. They run towards two waiting cars. The lookouts on the north side are hit first, followed by the stills and warehouse. There is a bright flash that expands into an enormous fireball. The shockwave buffets the side of the Combat 10.

Noah can’t contain his excitement. “Wow! That’s some blast. How high do you think that fireball is? “

Looking at it through a camera, it would be hard to judge, but Nip has other sensors at her disposal. “72.3 meters, my friend,” she proudly announces it over the Combat 10’s internal comm.

Moctar yells excitedly, “did you see what happened to the cars? Did they escape?”

The NET runner lets out an evil giggle, “Nope. They almost made it to the back gate, but that fireball cooked ‘em up good!”

After the secondary explosions cease, the police roll in. There are a few badly burned survivors, but little else. The compound is destroyed. It takes a few hours to clean up. During that time techs from the Bast Corporation come to take samples from the area. The explosions were much bigger than anyone had anticipated.

***

 

Thursday, October 5, 2051:

The precinct captain calls Brandon into his office.

“We are going to have a visitor from Interpol.”

The squad leader hides his surprise. “When are they coming?”

“Today; I was notified 20 minutes ago.”

Brandon remains silent and waits for the commander to continue.

“It’s a spot check. Normally I don’t like having people looking over my shoulder, but orders are orders.”

“How can I help?” the Heath inquires.

“I want you to show this man around … In fact, you were requested by name.”

Brandon avoids the captain’s questioning stare. The biomechanical maintains a calm exterior, but inside his mind is racing. “I am at your disposal sir.”

He can tell the captain has more questions, but to his credit, he doesn’t ask them. “Our visitor should be here by noon. Please have your squad on hand to greet him properly … dismissed.”

The squad leader salutes and leaves.

A Renault Sherpa enters the compound a little after 12 pm. Brandon has his squad lined up for inspection. They snap to attention as the door opens and Agent Adolf Bruner steps out of the vehicle.

(GM Note: Brandon met Adolf Bruner in Prague last year. The Interpol agent was, at the time, working with Germany’s GSG-9. He set the Team up. GSG-9 botched the extraction. They lost four men. On the team’s side, only Owen McGregor was critically injured. (See Episode 4 for details). The Free Czech Army later overran Interpol’s headquarters in Prague. (See Episode 5) His entire Team was killed. Bruner only escaped death because he had travelled to Bratislava. He was there to interview Natty Lanikova (actually one of her ‘clone’ sisters) about the GSG-9 attack on the Team. He has never bought the EU’s official report. Bruner continues to search for proof that Brandon and his people were involved in the attack that killed his team mates and friends)

Agent Bruner makes his inspection of the precinct then asks for a private word with Brandon. The biomechanical meets with him since it would be suspicious not to.

After the exchange of some hollow pleasantries, the Interpol agent asks, “Do you know where I can find Frank Beiderbecke … or how I could reach him?”

“No, I haven’t seen him in over a year.”

Bruner tries again. “I just have a few questions to ask Mr. Beiderbecke, but I can’t seem to find him.”

“You should contact the Law Enforcement Division of the C.I.A., I’m sure they could help.”

“I may do that.”

Brandon keeps his face is an impassive mask. He can tell that Bruner is getting frustrated.
The agent changes to another line of questioning.

“I understand that Natalie Lanikova is here with you.”

“No, she was transferred a couple of months ago.”

“Hmm … You wouldn’t happen to know how long she will be ‘on assignment’, do you?”

“I don’t know. As long as the job takes I guess.”

Bruner stares at him. “Do you know where anyone from your old Team is now?”

“No.”

The Interpol agent puts on an insincere smile. “Well, it’s been good catching up with you, Mr. Heath. We’ll see each other again, I’m sure.”

Brandon doesn’t respond. He stands, walks to the door and opens it for Bruner. The biomechanical silently accompanies the Interpol agent back to his vehicle. He doesn’t relax till the precinct gates close.

***

 

Friday, October 6, 2051: (1st of Safar, Yawm al-Juma, 1474)

Muharram ends quietly. The city wakes to a peaceful Sabbath, but tensions run high. Tomorrow could bring war. The squad patrols in the eastern quadrant of the city.

That evening the Fezzan state radio station announces the seizure of a large quantity of sarin gas, north of the city. The property owner is now in custody. His name is mentioned several times, as are his ties to the Algerians and old regime.

(GM Note: The announcer fails to mention that only a small amount of the precursors are still viable. The property owner’s association with the old regime is also tenuous at best. The government is making it an issue, because the loyalty of his tribe is in doubt)

***

 

Saturday, October 7, 2051:

The predawn stillness is broken by the sound of thunder from the west. Walid’s offensive has begun. Bast troops and armored vehicles take over positions normally held by the Fezzan Army. Police units are out in force. There is sporadic gunfire, but violence is minimal. The city seems to be holding its breath, waiting for news from the front.

Divided into small bands, the Algerian fighters put up a spirited if disorganized defense. The Fezzan Army advances cautiously. They wait for word on the corporate troops guarding the oil fields. When they fail to mobilize, Walid sends in the tanks. Abandoned by their allies, and facing three reconditioned T-72s, the remaining groups of fighters are picked apart.

(GM Note: During the months of prohibition, Walid brokered a deal to continue the deliveries of water after their victory, if the corporation would withhold their assistance. The Algerian migrants were little more than roving gangs; a necessary evil. The Chinese and EU were willing to sell out these allies of convenience to stay on the good side of the new government)

***

 

Sunday, October 8, 2051:

The fighting in the west continues into a second day. Armed resistance ends by late morning.
The offices of the French Consul step in at one o’clock to prevent a slaughter of the civilians. A cease fire is negotiated.

Walid astounds his enemies (and allies) by offering a general amnesty for any Libyan fighter. He declares that the Fezzan is for all Libyans, regardless of tribe. Past actions and affiliations will be forgiven for any who are willing to swear allegiance to the new Fezzan State. Many accept his offer. The Algerian migrants are given 72 hours to leave the country. Walid makes it clear they are not welcome in the Fezzan.

(GM Note: The Army can force the Algerians out of the Ubari Lakes region, but they don’t control the territory to the west. Walid’s declaration is a statement of his goal to restore the historical borders of the Fezzan)

The announcement of the general amnesty has a calming effect on Sabha … which lasts till a French owned news service streams a special report. The commentator is a local, working out of the company’s Sabha office. He looks sternly into the camera.

“My friends, we have been lied to. These foreign mercenaries are sending evil and immoral people to lead our people astray.” Behind the commentator is a picture of Sergeant Hanna Woo laughing candidly in her uniform. “They claim to be here to help us … to train our police. I ask you, what are they teaching them?

The image of the commentator is replaced by one on Hanna Woo in a micro-bikini. He continues to speak in voice over.

“Is this the new government’s idea of a return to true Islamic morality?”

The picture of Hanna is not a single image, but the beginning of a video. It shows her in a beach setting being ogled by young men swim suits. Hanna’s sensuous walk would be considers salacious by itself, but the action becomes more heated as the video continues.

Natty enters the frame. She walks up to Hanna and gives her a long and sensuous kiss which the other woman returns enthusiastically. Natty is shown licking her lips afterwards. The two women walk off arm in arm.

The rec room at the North Precinct is silent. Reactions among the men range from stunned silence to vocal outrage. Leila (Natty) doesn’t have to act. She is as shocked as everyone else. There are some suspicious glances in her direction. Sharing a room with Hanna has suddenly become a liability.

(GM Note: The video is from the Team’s visit to Lady’s Mile Beach, back in Episode 10. Owen McGregor captured it on his smart phone and later posted it to a social networking site. (MyFace) Hanna wanted the two men in the video (Dave and Isadore) to stop hitting on her, so Natty laid a lip lock on her friend to discourage them. Natalie is also openly bi-sexual and doesn’t give a shit what anyone thinks about it.

The EU has been trying to drive a wedge between the new Fezzan State and the Bast Corporation. Their investigation of the Team turned up this little gem. If the EU knew that Leila was actually Natty, they would have also used Velvet Blue’s music videos)

The precinct captain enters the room. Leila knows she has to act quickly.

“Captain, I wish to request a change of room.” She peaks loud enough for the other officer’s to overhear. “I cannot share quarters with someone of such loose and evil morals (Hanna).”

“There will be no need of that, Officer Hasib. Sergeant Woo is leaving at this very moment. She is being expelled from the country.”

Leila can feel the stares of her fellow officers. She walks outside to be alone with her thoughts.

“Heads up partner!”

Ed tosses her the football (soccer ball). His smile is reassuring.

“Come on. We have a game to finish.”

They had been playing a pickup match against Davir and Oumar, when word of the video had drawn everyone to the rec room. Leila doesn’t know what will happen, but she’s happy to know she still has at least one friend in the squad.

***

 

Monday, October 9, 2051:

An angry mob marches on the North Precinct at first light. They demand Hanna Woo be turned over to face justice. Leila is given the day off and asked to stay in her quarters. The precinct captain tries to calm the crowd. He tells them that Hanna has been expelled from the country. Finding out that she is beyond their reach only seems to fuel their anger. The mob refuses to disperse. Members of the media arrive to capture every lurid detail. Leila keeps her head buried under her pillow, so she won’t hear their hate filled chants.

The Bast Corporation releases a statement that afternoon. It announces the firing of Hanna Woo and gives a vaguely worded apology to the government and people of the Fezzan. The corporate flak goes on to emphasize the company’s commitment to the new state and its values.

The precinct captain has the entirety of the statement piped through the load speakers, so that the mob outside can hear. A video report of Hanna landing in Cyprus is also streamed on the NET, lying to rest any rumors that she might still be in the country.

(GM Note: Hanna Woo is actually the cover identity of Allison Cole. After leaving Cyprus in disgrace as Hanna, the prowler sheds the cover identity and pops up in Rio de Janeiro as herself for some fun in the sun)

The people’s attention quickly returns to the victory at the Ubari Lakes. A not so subtle threat to shut down the French television station in Sabha also helps to bury the story.

***

 

Tuesday, October 10, 2051:

The demonstrators are gone from the precinct’s gates, but the looks from her fellow officers persist. It’s always sideways glances when they think she’s not looking. Otherwise, they treat her like she’s invisible. Ed, Davir and Oumar remain friendly, but the rest of the squad members consciously avoid her.

The squad pulls night shift. Leila is asked to remain in the command room and not patrol the walls. She protests but the captain is insistent. The night passes quietly.

***

 

Wednesday, October 11, 2051:

The squad has the day off. Leila is called into the captain’s office.

“Congratulations, Officer Hasib. You have been promoted.”

“Promoted? To where?” This is the first she’s hearing about.

“You are being reassigned to the Foreign Ministry … the Office of State Security. Pack your gear.” The captain hands her a paper with her new orders. “I would pack quickly. A vehicle is on the way to pick you up; dismissed.”

Natty is stunned. She gives him a halfhearted salute and walks to her room on autopilot. The biogen packs her meager belongings and heads out to the courtyard. No one stops to ask why she is standing out there with her bags. She doesn’t want to tell anyone either. Natty fights to exude an air calm. Inside, she is in turmoil. A surprise promotion can’t be good. Did anyone else on the Team know about this? Is her life in danger?

A Bast Corporation Humvee arrives. Leila dutifully loads her bags and climbs in. At Fort Elena, she is directed to a small side office on the first floor of the keep. Leila is surprised to find ‘sister’ waiting for her. She had of course known that Cat (Catherine Vaduva) was in the country masquerading as Squadron Commander Ileana Morel, but to meet in private … whatever it is can’t be good

“What’s going on?”

“Sit down, Natalie.”

She used her real name … Natty’s heart sinks. She slumps into a chair.

“I’m going to have to pull you out of Libya. In fact, you are going to be reassigned away from the Cyprus command.”

“What? … Why? … Is it because of that video? No one knows that’s me.”

“Walid does.”

“So?” Natty can feel her anger rising. “Is he going to rat me out? He has much to lose…”

Ileana cuts her off. “We can’t take the risk that our enemies will put it together. There are a lot of people trying to find out where you are. The cover story about you being in Niger is unraveling. The Nigerien government has expressed concern about you operating within their borders. It is a predominately Muslim country.”

The young biogen’s anger dissolves into tears. “It’s not fair … I didn’t do anything wrong,”

“I know, hon, but fairness doesn’t enter into it.” Cat gives her a hug. “Walid is in a difficult position. It’s a very sensitive time for him and the Fezzan. He is insisting that we take some kind of public action in the wake of this scandal.”

Natty stiffens. “My attack plan put that pompous ass on his god damned throne! He owes me ….us. What does he want, a public apology?”

“No, as I said, you will be transferred. There is a transport waiting at the airport to take you back to Cyprus.”

“So that’s it? I get the bum rush out of the country?”

“No. You will also be reduced one grade in rank to 2nd lieutenant for conduct unbecoming an officer.”

Natty can feel her hackles rise. (If she had a tail, it would be straight up in the air and fully puffed out) “You can’t do that!”

“I’m not; the corporation’s review board is doing it. There will be a hearing when you get back to Cyprus and it will be made official. I’m so sorry.”

“No … you can’t penalize me for conduct unbecoming … I wasn’t even an officer then!”

‘Please Natty … don’t make this any more difficult than it already is.”

Tears of rage fill Natty’s eyes. She looks around for something to destroy. The only things close at hand are a pen and some papers. A new plan enters her mind. She the pen and begins to scribble furiously on one of the sheets of paper.

When finished, she jumps out of her chair and tosses the paper at her sister.

“What is this?” Ileana/i> asks.

“That’s my resignation.” Natty shrieks; body rigid, fists clenched at her sides. “You can take that and shove it up Walid’s ass! I’m going home!”

The biogen spins on her heal and storms towards the door. She wants to slam it so hard when she leaves that the sound reverberates through the entire keep.

“And where is home?” Ileana asks quietly.

The question stops Natty in her tracks. The rage melts away. Her hands unclench and shoulders slump. She honestly has no idea. After a long moment Natty looks back at her sister and says meekly, “Blackwater.”

She doesn’t slam the door. If feels too heavy. Her whole body feels like lead. She feels tired … and alone. Natty pulls out her ear bud and walks to the waiting Humvee.

Ileana picks up her encrypted satellite phone and makes a call.

The voice on the other end is her husband, Kyle, “What’s up.”

“I just talked to Natty.”

“Oh, how did she take it?”

Cat sighs. “She resigned and stormed out.”

“What did she think about the operation we have planned for her?”

“The conversation didn’t get that far … I think we need to give her a little time before we broach the subject.”

“OK,” her husband responds. “We can give her a little time. In fact this might work out for the best. She no longer has any official connection to the Bast Corporation. This upcoming mission is very important and the fewer ties we have to it the better.”

“Yes, you’re probably right … still, I feel her pain. I hope she’s ready for this. It’s too important to a lot of people.”

Cat says goodbye and hangs up the call. Tears run down here face. Since their longevity issues were resolved the clones have been growing more distinct and independent. Even so, a hurt to one is felt by all; maybe not physically but emotionally.

 

 

 

 

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 (mostly)

 

 

 

Second Interregnum

 

The original team has been shattered. Ghost Team One will go on but its duties will keep it on the ground in Libya in a support and training/intelligence role. Thus ends Part Two of our Prelude to War Campaign. We now shift our attention to the Unites States of America. Tensions between the EU and the US grow strained as the Europeans charge that America is helping the Russo-Polish forces. These charges, which the US denies, are highly inflated. There is large amount of humanitarian aid coming through on the submerged Bering Sea maglev. Of course there is also a lot of cooperation on matters of intelligence. It is the Republic of Mars that turns over some choice pieces of their military superior hardware to the Russians. The Second Battle of Warsaw that occurs in January 2052 sees the Eastern Forces use the first ground based orbital laser weapons to damage and drive off the EU Fleet. The siege of the Polish capital is broken and the loss of life is horrific. This time it is the EU forces who take a drubbing.

Feeling betrayed by his country, Charlie Bibbliodoc, the inventor of the weapon system that drives off the EU Fleet, sold the prototype in the Republic of Mars. This prototype fired only once and proved more powerful than the nomad weapons maker anticipated. Mars weapons laboratories improved the design and gave it to Russia after the war broke out. Later European analysis of the laser’s particle stream matches the firing of a smaller American test weapon on Monday, June 10, 2047, which occurred when rogue elements in the US government tried to eliminate Charlie Bibbliodoc.

This is why the EU blames the US for their defeat. Russia claims they developed it themselves and Mars remains mum.

Against this backdrop, Richard Roman, an American billionaire and philanthropist, looks to hire a world class team. The man has a sterling reputation as a benefactor to the poor and less fortunate. Mr. Roman is also an acquaintance of Dr. Gordon Freeman, the inventor of the cyberbrain. In fact the billionaire was one of Doc Freeman’s first patients. The Doc decides to put together a Team for Richard Roman which the doctor joins himself. First, he recruits a young fixer, Geoffrey Stark who he has known since the young man was in high school. (See Burn Notice Campaign / Atlantic City for information on Geoff Stark.

Doc Freeman also asks two of his major contacts for personnel for his new team. The Collective sends a male and female Nietzschean warrior. The ‘mad scientist’ also asks Kyle and Cat Vaduva for some recommendations. This is the job Cat wanted to talk to Natty about before the younger Caitlin resigned and stormed out of her office. Natty is eventually convinced to take the job. Her price is that Walid, the new leader of the Fezzan, issue her a diplomatic courier passport in Leila Amah Hasib’s name. This will (hopefully) act as a one-time ‘get out of jail free’ card. Cat also sends Duke to ‘keep an eye on her’. When Natty learns that Duke is coming she insists he get a passport too as Davir. Walid reluctantly agrees.

 

As For Ghost Team One?

Allison Cole, as stated in Episode 21, sheds her identity as Hanna Woo and heads to Rio de Janeiro to continue her life as a rich, pampered young socialite. A new mission will come along eventually when she gets bored of finding rich sugar daddies to finance her lifestyle.

Bishop Weyland, the 28 year old ex-US Air Force para-rescue operative, is promoted to sergeant. He continues working with Ghost Team One and its training project with the Islamic State of the Fezzan’s National Police.

Brandon Heath continues in command of Ghost Team One and the training program at the North Precinct in Sabha of the Fezzan National Police.

Duke Strider, the experimental dog/human biogenetic hybrid, continues for a couple of months with his cover ID as Fezzan police officer Davir bin Dehad in Sabha. Officially he is transferred to the Fezzan Foreign Ministry’s Office of State Security. Cat Vaduva pulls him to help Natty with her new mission (and keep an eye on the young Caitlin biogen).

Natalie ‘Natty’ Lanikova returns to Blackwater, Florida, and rents a room from her old friend, Ty Saint Claire. She spends a couple of months hanging out with him and his new band along with Sandy Zelinsky and his family. Cat Vaduva gives her space, but eventually convinces her to take this new job with Team Freeman as a way of burnishing her tarnished reputation (and making a shitload of money).

Nip Lacey is promoted to Warrant Officer 2nd Class as the Bast Corporation’s drone program in the Fezzan expands. She keeps in touch with Natty.

Noah Michaels is also promoted to sergeant and continues as a member of Ghost Team One in Libya.

Four new Ghost Team operatives are assigned to Team One and serve under Brandon Heath in the Fezzan.

 

Team Freeman

Doc Freeman is rich beyond the dreams of most edgerunners and has no need to work, but it is in his blood so he jumps at the chance to form a team to work for Richard Roman. The Collective decides to loan the doctor a couple of their operatives primarily since they are very curious about what this billionaire philanthropist is up too. The biogens of the Collective have a low opinion of humanity. They give secret instructions to the two they send: 1) Protect Doc Freeman at all costs; and 2) Find out what Richard Roman is up to. This group also convinces Cat to give instruction #2 to her two operatives.

Cat Vaduva finds out that Geoffrey Stark will be on this team. Cat and Geoff used to date when they were in high school together in Atlantic City. The two have maintained their friendship over the years. She calls him to say that two of the operatives he will be working with are her people and they can be trusted. Cat also asks Natty and Duke to keep Geoff safe.

Team Freeman is as follows:

Doc Freeman: Former professor at UNLV, former assistant coroner and (formally) disgraced cyber researcher. He is the inventor of the “cyberbrain” with which he claims to have cured death itself. Four years ago the Republic of Mars legalized his cyberbrain and he was honored by the Martian Academy of Science. A number of Earth’s nations have followed suit and now courts around the world are now looking into ramifications of his work. The man is now rich beyond his wildest dreams. Many religious leaders have roundly condemned his work, which has earned him at least three fatwas calling for his death from major Islamic religious leaders. Many fanatical Christian groups have also called for his execution.

Duke Strider (aka Rex Greenwood): 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. Cat has asked him to keep an eye on Natty. Rex and AJ Greenwood will be cousins from a small island off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada.

Geoff Stark: A sharp young fixer from Atlantic City first introduced as a 14 year old during the Atlantic City episodes of the Burn Notice Campaign. It was there he met Doc Freeman and infuriated the late Sam Fisher by dating his ‘daughter’, Cat. He is now 24 and a major player supplying Edgerunner Team with their needed gear in addition to running the production, distribution and sale of brain dance pornography in the Atlantic City area.

Natalie ‘Natty’ Lanikova (aka AJ Greenwood): 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 Biotechnica ‘Caitlin’ clones trained to operate in the Czech Republic. She resigned her position in the Bast Corporation’s Ghost Teams in protest after being disciplined over her affair with Allison Cole (aka Hanna Woo). AJ and Rex Greenwood will be cousins from a small island off the coast of Newfoundland in Canada.

Priest (or S-0002134.7): He is a newly grown and trained fourth generation Nietzschean warrior on his first mission for the Collective. Priest is a stealth/assassin model, but is being hired as a combat solo for the team.

Sylvania Kelevra (or N-0038592.6): She is a fourth generation Nietzschean warrior who has spent the past twenty four years guarding the sheep flocks in the high pastures of New Zealand and producing three children of the fifth generation. These duties were the result of her initial disastrous mission back in 2027. (See Super Solo 2 Campaign for details). She is coming as an American Cherokee Indian, Wayah Hyawasee (Wolf in Meadow)

The new Team Freeman is to meet on January 8, 2052 in Atlantic City, New Jersey for their first assignment. There they will meet each other for the first time and have a meeting with their new employer, Richard Roman.

Destecado is handing over the GM reins to one of the founders of our group who hasn’t run since the Super Solo 2 Campaign four years ago.

This promises to be a high end adventure worthy of the final chapter of our Prelude to War Campaign. The payday promises to be big with danger commensurate to with the rewards. Our GM for this is known for his tough but fair gameplay. Clever and intelligent play is rewarded, but stupidity is shown no mercy. His plots are always interesting and layered with the history of both our Cyberpunk universe and the original canon. We are all looking forward to this!

 

Timeline to Episode 22

While Ghost Team One is in North Africa the war in Europe continues:

2051

May: Slovakia invaded and almost completely overrun by EU forces trying to outflank Slavic forces. Massed EU attacks try to crush the Russo-Polish forces.

June: The EU starts using orbital bombardment within 50 miles of the front lines.

July: After a couple of “pirate” raids on JAB facilities in the Belt, the Japanese Carrier Zuikaku sets out for there.

August: Warsaw is surrounded and a siege begins. The People’s Republic of China invades the Russian Asiatic areas. Despite enormous casualties the Slavic forces hold.

 

2052

January: The EUS Bernadotte (Murat Class destroyer) is launched from the EU space docks. A Russo-Polish Winter Offensive breaks encirclement of Warsaw with the first five days. The EU ground forces don’t fall back and regroup. They call in their space fleet to commence orbital bombardment and open up a counteroffensive. EU space superiority is offset by improved Adkis Lasers (courtesy of Martian Republic & designed by Charlie (Adkis) Bibbliodoc) deployed to protect offensive area. These new weapons can reach into low Earth orbit. The EUS Tirpitz is heavily damaged. Others ships take light damage, and the warships are forced to pull out of orbit. By end of month, an EU army corps is encircled and wiped out.

 

 

 

Next: Episode 22 – Richard Roman and their First Assignment