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

 

 

After Prague, Ghost Team One is reassigned to the Bast Corporation’s base in Cyprus. They are integrated into the logistical and security contingent already supporting Global Share’s operations in the Middle East and Africa. Soon after arrival, the Team is tapped for a mission; escort one of the NGO’s negotiators to a meet with a local sheik. Such an operation is well within their capabilities. The only thing standing in their way is making it through the Commonwealth charity’s diversity and cultural sensitivity seminar. Attendance is mandatory!

 

Background

The long running Czech Civil War escalates. EU forces cross into Poland, with the stated objective of eliminating Free Czech Army camps near the border. The true goal is to punish the Poles for their continued support of a group that has labeled a terrorist organization by the EU. A resurgent Germany promises a swift victory, but the Blitzkrieg of 1939 can not be repeated.

The Polish Army resists with a fierceness and courage that surprises EU forces. ‘Volunteers’ from Russian and Belarus pour into Poland to aid, “their Slavic brothers and sisters.” While no official declaration of war is made by the Russian government, the EU responds to this provocation, by attacking the warships of Russia’s Rocket Corps. The Komsomolsk and the Potemkin along with two large transports are destroyed in orbit. EU orbital assets bombard the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Out in the asteroid belt, the Gagarin is severely damaged, but manages to disengage. In the wake of the attack, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan declare war on the European Union. The Scandinavian Bloc declares its neutrality; refusing to help 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 NGO is a Commonwealth charity championed by Queen Victoria II. Its mission is to assist with social and economic development, while promoting cultural tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Global Share’s original focus had been on the member states and territories of the revitalized Commonwealth of Nations, as part of the Commonwealth Free Trade Partnership. Their operations have since expanded.

The Cyberpunk World is a dangerous place. Good intentions provide no armor against bullets or the tyranny of evil men. Global Share has therefore contracted with the Bast Corporation to provide protection for its workers and volunteers in the field.

 

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.

Brandon Heath: 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 was Luke Walker from Texas during the recent Mission to Prague.

Mason Verge (Staff Sergeant): A former Marine Force Recon member turned freelance solo with a good relationship with the Thelas nomads. Mason came to the notice of the Bast Corporation while serving as a security officer at the Petersen Point Hotel during the Fall of the Cotton Kingdoms Campaign.

Natalie ‘Natty’ Lanikova (Warrant Officer 1st Class): ‘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.

Nip Lacey (Corporal): 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.

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

 

The NPCs

Adrian Baines is a physiological evaluator working for Global Share.

Brian Croyer is a facilitator (seminar leader) for Global Share.

Cole is a Global Share volunteer from New York City.

Commander Quinn: He is a retired British Navy commander from the Special Boat Service (SBS), who is in charge of all Bast Corporation para-military operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Damien Biggins is a Global Share volunteer from Australia.

James Ramsby is a Global Share volunteer from New Zealand.

Jerry Deegan is a Global Share volunteer from New York City.

Martin Atkins is the greeter for the seminars at Global Share and fond of loud Hawaiian shirts.

Zayd Bendoula: He is a negotiator for Global Share that the Team escorts to a meeting in the Libya Desert.

 

The Action

Monday, February 27, 2051:

The next stop for Ghost Team 1 is Cyprus. Officially, the operatives are there for HALO jump qualification. Bast Corporation has a facility at Kingsfield airstrip, in the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, that they use for jump training. Unofficially, the Team is being sent to the island, to disappear. Cyprus is an important business unit for the Bast Corporation. It represents a large investment in men and material…large enough to ‘lose’ seven operatives.

After completing their HALO training, without mishap, Ghost Team 1 is re-designated as the 1st Section, 2nd Platoon of the Support and Logistical Company and assigned to the Global Share contract. Working for a charity though is quite a departure from they’re use to. Take for instance their initial introduction to the new client.

The charity insists that all third party vendors, including security personnel, attend the same orientation seminars as their workers and volunteers. Continuity of message is important, as is the opportunity to personally evaluate those individuals who will be representing the NGO in the field. The dress code for the seminar was given as casual, but Hanna Woo and Duke Strider feel more comfortable going in their Bast Corporation military BDUs. Even though armored, neither brings a weapon. Brandon Heath and Mason Verge opted for professional attire. Both wear business suits with shoulder holstered .454 Nikitas. Mason brings his mono K-Bar as backup, in case they’re asked to check their firearms.

Natty by contrast, is dressed down. Her colorfully striped top works well with the cargo shorts and sandals. The shorts may be a little too oversized to be considered fashionable, but the baggy material breaks up the lines of her IMI Gamad and switchblade.

Nip and Owen won’t be attending the seminar with the others. They are otherwise occupied and will be attending another orientation seminar. Those team members that are going board a small bus for the drive to Global Share’s headquarters in Larnaca.

Martin Atkins greets them as they step off the bus in front of the main building. He is a powerfully built man with broad shoulders, standing just over six feet tall. From his looks, Atkins appears to be just this side of middle age, but most of them don’t see any of that. They don’t look past his loud Hawaiian shirt. It’s an interesting combination of ferns and other flora rendered in tans and greens that blend into his Kaki shorts.

Moving the clipboard to his off hand, he extends the right. Hanna and Brandon shake his meaty mitt, their own hands almost disappearing in his grasp. The others merely nod in greeting. Martin directs them inside, to the reception table where they can pick up their name tags and mingle with the other participants.

None of them has any interest in getting to know any of these people. They just want to get through the training and back to their own base. True to their fears, the lobby is filled with a rainbow of fresh eager faces, chatting away in a multitude of languages. It looks like a crowd waiting to get into a concert. Shorts and t-shirts are definitely the uniform of the day.

Brandon and Mason are noticeably overdressed. Their attire draws stares, as does that of Hanna and Duke. Feeling somewhat out of place the Team sticks together. As a group, they push towards the closed doors to the auditorium. Being first in should allow them to secure a row of seats. Rather than sitting in the same rows as the others, Duke instinctively sits directly behind Natty (to protect her from attacks).

A man bounds onto the stage and addresses the crowd, “Ready to start?”

There are nods and a couple of mumbled yeses, but most of the participants don’t look like they want to draw attention to themselves. “I can’t hear you.”

The response from the crowd is louder, if still a bit half hearted, but the man seems satisfied. “I am Brian Croyer. I will be your facilitator for this orientation session. Today we will be discussing Diversity.” He emphasizes the last word; then pauses to survey the audience. “Can anyone tell me what diversity means?”

There is murmuring from the crowd of participants. Duke raises his hand. Croyer points to him. “Variety,” is Duke’s answer.

“That’s good, but variety of what?”

Now that Duke has broken the ice, replies fly from the crowd. Brian nods and points to one raised hand after another. Each answer is added to a growing list, projected on a display at the back of the stage. To the right of the screen is a second man tapping away on an eBook. As the number of ‘guesses’ dwindle, Brian distills all the replies down into a single idea. “Thank you for all of the great answers. Like them, each of you is unique. The essence of diversity is to recognize the differences in each of us, but retain the ability to accept and value the culture and customs of others. To be able to accept another’s differences, it helps to identify things you have in common.”

“We’re going to be doing an exercise to help you learn more about your fellow volunteers. Please take a handout and pencil and pass the rest down the row.” Assistants from the back of the room begin to pass out the paper and pencils. When everyone has a handout, Croyer continues. “Take 5 minutes to fill out the form. Just write down whatever comes to mind. There are no wrong answers. Your time begins now.”

The handout has twelve questions:

1. Hobbies & Interests
2. Where were you born?
3. Favorite type of music
4. Favorite proverb or saying
5. Favorite Book
6. Favorite Movie
7. Hidden Talent
8. Favorite Food
9. Language(s) spoken
10. What do you value most
11. Favorite place to vacation
12. If you could be any place else today, where would that be?

Five minutes goes by fast. “Ok everyone, time.” Rather than having the participants pass their forms forward, Croyer asks them to stand. “Take the next twenty minutes to compare your answers colleagues.” Brian holds up a tote bag emblazoned with the Global Share logo. “The person with the most matches will win a prize from the swag bag.”

Hanna has no interest in ‘playing their game’. She climbs up on her chair to get everyone’s attention.

“Ok, I’m going to read off my list. If you have a match, raise your hand. Number one…Looking good. Two; I was born in Beijing. Any type of music is fine by me. My favorite saying,” she gives them all a wide grin, “Mine now.”

“Favorite book, War and Peace…movie, Thief; Hidden Talent,” Hanna pauses, gracing them with another smile, “Picking Pockets.”

None of the participants raise their hand. Well…that’s not exactly true. One tries to. His name tag reads ‘Jerry’. When Hanna gives her hidden talent, his hand starts to go up, but a guy standing next to him, grabs it and won’t let go. Jerry tries to stare down the hand grabber, but is the first to look away. No one other that Natty and possibly the man sitting at the back of the stage notices. Everyone else is listening to Hanna tick off the remaining items on her list.

“My favorite food is Sushi; languages…Mandarin and English obviously. The thing I value most, Money…and Hawaii for the last two. Satisfied that she’s ‘shocked the straights,’ Hanna hops down and takes her seat.

Brian ignores the young woman’s outburst and refocuses the others on the task at hand. “Ok everyone, you have twenty minutes.” There are no further outbursts.

Brandon finds he has a common interest with James Ramsby from New Zealand. Cole, the man who stopped Jerry from raising his hand, tries to convince the security operative, that being good with numbers is the same as knowing economics.

Duke meets Damien Biggins, from Australia, who shares his love for barbeque. The conversation transitions into a discussion of fast cars and the Aussie’s love for the classic Fast & Furious movies…”The one’s with Vin Diesel, not the crappy remakes.” Duke isn’t familiar with the movies, but his new friend’s enthusiasm, makes him want to check them out. The two spend most of the twenty minutes talking and not matching up their lists.

No one approaches Hanna. They know her answers.

Natty exudes a ‘do not fuck with me’ aura, which makes the volunteers avoid her as well. Even if they did talk to her they wouldn’t get much. For half of the questions, she answered ‘classified’. As for the last…she was brutally honest: anywhere but here!

(GM Note: The seminar was an opportunity to quickly introduce a large number of NPCs and give the players a crash course in the values and culture of the company they will be providing security for. Answering the handout also gave players an opportunity to flesh out their character’s back story or in some cases, the back story of their cover identities. The handout is from the Peace Corps’ new volunteer orientation seminar.)

Brian lets the group go a little over the twenty minutes but eventually calls them back to their seats. After letting the winner come up to the stage and pick her prize from the tote, Croyer explains the significance of the exercise. The seminar continues for another hour and a half, accompanied by several more handouts and group exercises.

(GM: Cue boring meeting montage. We went cinematic here. I didn’t make the players suffer through any more group exercises. Once may have been fun, but if I made them play out the entire meeting they would have probably strung me up.)

During a scheduled break, Croyer approaches Hanna and asks if she wouldn’t mind staying after the seminar to speak with one of his colleagues.

Natty overhears him and intervenes immediately. “Hanna is an employee of the Bast Corporation and a member of my Team. There will be no interviews without me present.”

The facilitator remains non-confrontational. “That’s not a problem. Is after the seminar good for you?”

“Yes that’s fine.”

Croyer excuses himself. He walks away to speak with some of the other participants. Natty wants to talk to her friend privately, but they are interrupted.

“Hi! My name is Jerry, Jerry Deegan.” The smiling young man seems to only have eyes for Hanna.

Her smile appears genuine, but inwardly Hanna sees an opportunity to have more fun. “Nice to meet you…Jack.”

Jerry doesn’t seem to notice she called him by the wrong name. His attention is fixed at chest level. “What are you doing later,” he asks expectantly.

“Hmmm, I don’t know. I like to keep my hands busy.” She waggles her fingers suggestively, but it doesn’t break his focus.

The eager young New Yorker invites her to a beach party in Larnaca, tomorrow night.

Hanna accepts. Cole approaches from behind Jerry. He once again grabs the smaller man’s wrist, causing him to wince. “Let’s go.”

The sudden pain seems to break the hypnotic effect of Hanna’s breasts. Jerry looks into her eyes for the first time, “See ya tomorrow night then?”

“Sure.” Her answer comes out as a purr. Jerry looks happy as he walks away, rubbing his wrist. Hanna smiles to herself. She has no intention of meeting him tomorrow or any other night.

The seminar finally ends. Brian Croyer takes Hanna, escorted by Natty, to meet the man sitting at the back of the stage. As they approach, he stands up and introduces himself, “Adrian Baines.” Hanna forces herself to shake his hand.

The man gets right to the point. “Ms. Wu, we have some concerns about the larcenous activity you chose to list as your hidden talent.

Hanna dismisses their fears. She explains that her answers and actions were only meant to generate interest and interaction in the spirit of the seminar, not to be a disruption. Her explanation is succinct, correct and a surprise to not only Adrian and Brian, but Natty too. They thank the young woman for her time and let her leave. The [i]Bast operatives take the bus back to their base housing.

(GM Note: Global Share is very careful with whom they let represent them. The orientation seminars are also an evaluation process. They don’t want to put anyone in the field who might jeopardize their reputation or endanger their workers. Since Hanna’s player had gone out of his way to ‘mess with the straights’, I wasn’t going to let him get out of it with a simple Persuasion / Fast Talk roll. The player was actually very eloquent in his explanation. It was a nice surprise. My rendition (above) doesn’t do it justice. His explanation was a total seat of the pants line of BS that came off perfectly for the situation at hand. Sadly I wasn’t writing it down as he said it.)

Early that evening, Commander Quinn calls Natty. “Have your Team assemble in the briefing room at 20:00 hours.”

The Commander is already in the room with another man when they arrive. Natty doesn’t recognize him. By their expressions neither does the rest of the team. He looks to be middle-eastern. Sun damaged makes it hard to judge age. Sitting next to Quinn in his crisp uniform makes the man’s casual shirt and pants look all the more shabby.

When they are all seated, the commander begins. “Sorry for the short notice, but we have an important mission in North Africa. You leave tomorrow. Plan to be in the field for up to two weeks.” Quinn motions to their guest, “this is Zayd Bendoula from Global Share. I will let him give you the details.”

“Thank you commander…” Zayd stands and addresses the team. “Global Share has the opportunity to open a dialog with an important local leader. He has invited a representative to visit his settlement and discuss terms of access. I will be handling the negotiations. Your team will be accompanying me to protect the incentives package I am taking to the sheik.”

Zayd nods to the commander and sits down.

Quinn picks up the briefing. “Tomorrow afternoon, your team will board a Global Share supply flight to Khartoum.” Touching a button in the tabletop, brings up a map on the display behind the commander. It shows the southern half of Libya and northwest corner of the Sudan.

“The C-130 will be here just before sunset.” Quinn points to a location inside the Sudan, near the border with Libya. “Insertion will be by parachute. In addition to yourselves and Mr. Bendoula, we will be dropping ground transport. Each of you is being issued a Honda R400 electric bike modified for desert travel. In order to accommodate the package, Mr. Bendoula will be driving a four wheel ATV.

To minimize detection, you will travel at night and rest during the day. This arrangement will also give you ample opportunity to recharge your bikes from the collapsible solar cells provided in your mission kit. The people you are going to meet are of the Toubou, so all team members will be issued language and culture chips.

Your will escort Mr. Bedoula to his rendezvous. The coordinates are in your briefing package. If the initial meet is successful, you will accompany him to the settlement. When negotiations are complete, contact will be established through narrow beam satellite communication. Are there any questions?”

Hanna asks, “Isn’t Libya…kind of radioactive?”

“No direct strikes hit the region you’ll be traveling through. Prevailing winds, for the time, put it outside projected fallout patterns. Some irradiated dust has filtered into the area, but levels should be tolerable, especially for your team. All of you have received therapy that has improved your resistance to radiation. It’s part of the reason you were selected for this mission. We have also included a Geiger counter and radiation badges, in your mission kit. These will allow you to avoid hot spots and monitor your exposure. The true hazard of the radiation is its affect on communications and navigation.”

Hanna isn’t satisfied. “So how are we supposed to know where we are?”

“Section leader Lanikova will guide you. GPS is not the only method of navigation Ms. Wu. Now…are there any more questions?”

Quinn looks around the table. No one says anything. “Well then. I’ll leave you to it. Your flight departs at 11:00 hours tomorrow.”

Hanna sighs. She conspiratorially whispers to Natty, “Well it looks like I won’t be making the beach party.”

***

 

Tuesday, February 28, 2051:

The flight to their ‘jump off point’ is uneventful, but long; plenty of time for Natty to consider what might go wrong. She hopes there won’t be any Sudanese or American forces near the drop zone. The Sudan’s northern border is porous, but there are still patrols. Explaining their presence would be hard, if they were even given the opportunity. Such concerns are quickly pushed aside, at the signal from the loadmaster, “Five Minutes.”

The mission gear is packed into two pallets. They go out the rear cargo door first, followed soon after by the team and Zayd. Twilight grows as they descend. Natty spots a light source on the ground to the northwest. It’s hard to judge size or distance, but she’s fairly certain it’s on the other side of the border, in Libya. The drop goes off without mishap. After unpacking the equipment, they break down the pallets and bury them with the chutes.

Mason volunteers to take point. Natty indulges him, but warns of the light she saw on the way down. Most of the team members had undergone nano-reconstruction to see better at night. For biogens like Natty and Duke night-vision is part of their genetic makeup. There is enough ambient light for the team to navigate in the darkness.

Near midnight Natty halts the column to check their course. The sky is clear so she uses a sextant and astronomical chart to locate their position. They’re still on course. While Natty studies the chart, Duke’s heightened bio-enhanced olfactory senses pick up a scent he doesn’t recognize. It’s an animal or group of animals off to the southwest. He strains with his other senses for more information. There is definitely more than one. They are roughly a half mile away. He informs Natty who passes the information to Mason. Whatever is out there does not approach as the team heads off into the night.

***

 

Wednesday, March 1, 2051:

The Team travels for a few more hours till Mason brings them to a halt. “There’s something ahead.”

While the others wait, Duke and Natty stalk forward. Shifting air currents carry the hint of a pungent odor…similar, but subtly different from those at their last stop. These are definitely the same kind of animal, but not the same ones as before. Shining eyes stare at them from the darkness as the two draw close.

Natty’s eyes are keener than Duke’s. The biogen can make out silhouettes of at least three individuals. “Hyenas,” She sub-vocalizes the word into her communicator, while signaling Duke to pull back. They make their way back to the bikes. The beasts don’t seem inclined to follow.

Since they are already stopped, Natty uses the opportunity to take another sighting with her sextant. The column is still heading in the right direction.

They push on till the horizon starts to brighten from the coming dawn. Zayd points to a rocky outcrop in the distance. “There’s our destination.” In the growing light, the darker basalt stands out against the surrounding expanse of sand and gravel. It’s a natural landmark in this stark environment.

The rendezvous is tomorrow, which gives them ample opportunity to check out the site. Natty stops the column about a half a kilometer away, behind a small rise in the terrain. A scan of the area with binoculars and tele-optics reveals nothing out of the ordinary. Mason volunteers to go forward, but Natty declines the offer.

Mason is eager to prove his worth, but he rode point all night. She decides to send Hanna and Duke. “The two of you crawl forward and reconnoiter the rocks. Mason, stay with me. Zayd stay under cover. Brandon, fall back and watch our six.” Natty sets up her M-90, to provide covering fire, if needed.

The sun is beginning to rise by the time they reach the rocks. The two split up. Duke circles to the left while Hanna goes right. The outcropping bulges outward in her direction causing her to have to traverse twice the distance. Duke is therefore slightly ahead and sees that camp on the far side first. His voice comes over the ear bud. “Hold up,”

Natty asks, “What do you see?” Whatever caused him to stop is beyond her field of vision, even through the scope.

There is a natural break in the rock on the leeward side. Duke can’t tell how far back it goes, but there are five figures sheltering in its mouth. Close to hand are at least two assault rifles…possibly AK-47s, propped against the rock face. Just in front of the windbreak are five camels laying down in the sand. The biogen isn’t that familiar with desert nomads, but he doesn’t think they would double up to ride long distances. The five he spotted may be the only ones here.

Hanna asks, “Could they be Zayd’s contacts?”

Something doesn’t feel right to Natty. “Are they wearing head wraps?”

“Yes?” Duke isn’t sure what that will tell her.

“What color?”

“Blue.”

“Those are Tuareg, not Toubou.” Natty says it with such certainty, that none of them question her, but it is a surprise. None of them are aware that she was trained to impersonate Ivanka Balakov or of her recent dealings with several terrorist groups, while in the guise of the notorious Bulgarian terrorist (see Episodes 28 & 29 of the Burn Notice Campaign for information on Ivanka Balakov). As part of that training, Natty was schooled in the Tuareg language and culture.

“Let me move up to support you.” Hanna still can’t see the camp from her position. In her rush to catch up with Duke, she is spotted.

(GM Note: In actuality, I can’t blame this one on the player. She would have had to be invisible for the Taureg not to see her. I rolled two 10s in a row for their Awareness/Notice)

One of the Tuaregs shouts a warning and reaches for his weapon. Hanna squeezes off a single shot from her Militech M-52 assault rifle. At 50 meters, she can’t tell where it hit, but the man’s shout has turned to a scream. He disappears from view. Bright crimson paints the rock face behind where he was standing.

Duke fires on a second nomad, but misses (the player rolled a botch, but the result was only a miss). The Tauregs grab cover.

Natty has no shot. She yells to Brandon, “sit on the package,” and runs for the bikes. Mason is close behind. The two race towards the rocks to support Hanna and Duke.

A long barreled rifle slides up over the back of one of the camels. The weapon roars. A gout of sand and dust erupts from the 15mm round’s impact, a foot and a half in from of Duke. The biogen ignores the grit in his face and returns fire. He lets off a snap shot at the gunners head, peeking around the bulk of the camel. There is no second shot.

Hanna flips to 3 round burst and cuts another nomad down. One of the two remaining Tuareg shoots back at her. Three rounds from the AK-47 hit, but cannot penetrate her armored BDU and inserts. The prowler drops him with her next burst.

Duke moves forward to engage the last gunman. The Tuareg is ready and opens up on full auto. He fires wildly, missing the biogen completely. Duke flips the selector on his own to full auto. He pours 35 rounds into the terrified desert warrior from less than ten feet. The high powered DP rounds tear through the lightly armored nomad, reducing him to a pulpy mass of blood and bone.

Hanna moves forward to help sweep the camp. She approaches her first target. He is lying face down in the sand. His right arm looks to be detached, only held in place by his clothing. The man moans as she flips him over. Hanna reflexive shoots him in the head from point blank range.

Duke is shocked by her callousness. He eyes her cautiously while moving to check the other four Taureg. None of them are alive.

When Mason and Natty roll up, it’s clear to the section leader that something is amiss. Noting the bloody mess that use to be a human being and another shot in the head at close range, she asks, “What happened?”

Hanna’s reply is emotionless. “He moved.”

Natty is outraged. Executing wounded is not something she wants to be known for. More importantly, now they can’t interrogate him. “I wonder…was this band just passing through or were they here to ambush the meeting?”

The question is rhetorical, but Hanna answers it anyway. “Don’t know”

Natty’s anger boils over. She screams at her friend. “And now we never will! You shot the only one left who could tell us!”

Hanna insists that she felt his continued existence was a threat to her.

The camels, although hobbled, have started to wander off. Still angry with Hanna, Natty sends her to round them up. She gives Brandon the all clear and sends Mason to sweep the rest of the rocky outcrop on the way back to the bikes.

The section leader, with Duke’s help, begins a thorough search of the camp. Calmer after her outburst, Natty notes the familiar aroma of hashish in the air. The Taureg had a hookah set up. Natty smiles to herself. It could explain how the tribesman missed Duke at such close range. She douses the pipe then rummages around looking for the rest of the hash, which she puts in her own pack.

The Czech recognizes the clan symbols on the dead men’s tent and taboka swords. Duke busies himself collecting the fallen warrior’s weapons. He finds a battered PA MAS G1, the old standard pistol of the French Foreign Legion, an old Browning Model 1911, three AK-47s and a 15mm long rifle.

Hanna for her part is finding difficult to collect the camels. She has no animal handling skills and is physically repulsed by them. They smell awful. The prowler manages to grab the reins of one, but when she tries to drag it back to the rocks the camel promptly lies down. Her continued tugging aggravates the animal, which spits at her. A huge smelly glob of frothy camel spit soaks into the back of her BDUs. The smell almost makes her gag. Tired and frustrated she lets go of the reins and plops down in the sand, glaring at the ornery beast. The camel ignores her.

Once the team’s equipment has been moved to the camp, Natty and Duke go after the remaining four camels. Being hobbled, they haven’t been able to make it too far. Duke instinctively goes for rein and neck, but he is approaching from up wind. To the camel, the canid biogen smells like a predator. It’s not willing to go without a fight.

Natty has better luck. Though also a biogen, her training in the Tuareg language gives her an advantage. She knows the words used by the handlers to direct their animals and the proper technique for using the short camel whip to goad them into action. After collecting the other three, she helps Duke and finally Hanna with theirs.

Back at camp, it is impossible not to notice the stench emanating from Hanna’s back. Duke and Natty’s heightened senses make the odor that much more intolerable. For her own sake and the moral of the rest of the team, she takes her friend aside. “Take off your top and scrape off as much of the mess as you can. Rub it in the sand. After that, use this.” The biogen hands over a sponge impregnated with nano-cleaners.

“Before you do that though, I have a job for you.” Natty’s anger may have passed, but she still can’t condone what Hanna did. The section leader assigns her friend to dig the graves for the five dead Tuareg. It might make her think twice about executing prisoners. For now at least, it gets the stink out of camp.

After the graves have been dug, Natty makes sure that the men are buried according to Tuareg custom. Duke takes one of the AK-47s for himself. The section leader gives Mason the Colt Model 1911 as a peace offering. As their resident pistoleer, she hopes he’ll appreciate it. She keeps two Tabokas and their sheaths for herself. The rest of the arms are kept together.

They move the bikes and ATV into the windbreak and set up their solar chargers. As a consolation to her friend, Natty lets Hanna use some of their precious water to wash herself. Fresh sand is spread over the blood stains to discourage insects and to make the camp presentable.

***

 

Thursday, March 2, 2051:

At little after 10 am, a group of men mounted on camels approach the team’s position from the northwest. Zayd goes forward to meet them. Mason positions himself in the rocks and Hanna and Natty stay out of sight close by. The riders dismount. One steps forward to speak with Zayd. The wind is wrong for Natty to catch what they are saying, but these appear to be the people they were waiting for.

The Toubou set up camp next to the Team. They are guarded, but not hostile. More than anything, they are curious; about the camels and the five freshly filled in holes. Zayed tells the tribesmen of their run-in with a Taureg raiding party. He presents the two remaining AK-47s, PA MAS G1 and the long rifle as gifts.

Negotiations commence and after a few hours Zayd calls for the large case, holding the incentives package, to be brought forward. When the Toubou’s chief negotiator opens it for inspection, the team members catch a glimpse inside. It is filled with stacks of crisp Commonwealth pound notes.

With the initial negotiations complete, Zayd informs the team they will be departing at nightfall and travel with their hosts back to their settlement. At Natty’s suggestion Zayd presents the five camels as an additional gift to the Toubou. The tribesmen’s initial suspicion is replaced by a more relaxed mood.

As the two groups prepare to move out Mason asks Natty, “Should I trail the column and watch are rear?”

“No,” Zayd says. “We are now under their protection and that might look like we don’t trust them.”

***

 

Friday, March 3, 2051:

The group travels throughout the night. By dawn they reach a flat black landscape. It looks like nothing could live her, but over a small rise they find themselves staring down into an impossibly lush valley in the middle of the desert. A dark black mound rises in the center, surrounded by three lakes of varying hue. Bugs swarm around them as they head toward the central hill.

No one appears alarmed by their presence. In fact, they are greeted warmly and shown to a place where they can set up their tents. Zayd suggest that they make camp and wait to be summoned by the sheik. Not all of the residents are as welcoming of the new comers. Natty identifies at least eight individuals. While they don’t appear hostile, they watch the team intently.

(GM Note: The team has arrived at Waw an Namus or the Valley of Mosquitoes. It is the caldera of an extremely ancient extinct volcano, roughly 2 miles long by 1 ½ miles wide.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Episode 8 – Rescue in Seguedine

 

 

Zayd has his audience with Sheikh Mansur. Everyone is on their best behavior as the team tries to settle in at Waw an Namus. Duke wins over the local children. The team finds out, they are not the only foreign guests of the sheik. Two are cautiously friendly; the third actively avoids contact.

A brewing hostage crisis sends the team south into Niger. The Bast Corporation opts for a surgical strike to recover its plane and personnel. Enemy forces outnumber the team 3 to 1, but confidence is high. Then they learn the rules of engagement.

 

Background

The long running Czech Civil War escalates. EU forces cross into Poland, with the stated objective of eliminating Free Czech Army camps near the border. The true goal is to punish the Poles for their continued support of a group that has labeled a terrorist organization by the EU. A resurgent Germany promises a swift victory, but the Blitzkrieg of 1939 can’t be repeated.

The Polish Army resists with a fierceness and courage that surprises EU forces. ‘Volunteers’ from Russian and Belarus pour into Poland to aid, “their Slavic brothers and sisters.” While no official declaration of war is made by the Russian government, the EU responds to this provocation, by attacking the warships of Russia’s Rocket Corps. The Komsomolsk and the Potemkin along with two large transports are destroyed in orbit. EU orbital assets bombard the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Out in the asteroid belt, the Gagarin is severely damaged, but manages to disengage. In the wake of the attack, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan declare war on the European Union. The Scandinavian Bloc declares its neutrality; refusing to help 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 NGO is a Commonwealth charity championed by Queen Victoria II. Its mission is to assist with social and economic development, while promoting cultural tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Global Share’s original focus had been on the member states and territories of the revitalized Commonwealth of Nations, as part of the Commonwealth Free Trade Partnership. Their operations have since expanded.

The Cyberpunk World is a dangerous place. Good intentions provide no armor against bullets or the tyranny of evil men. Global Share has therefore contracted with the Bast Corporation to provide protection for its workers and volunteers in the field.

 

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.

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 was Luke Walker from Texas during the recent Mission to Prague.

Mason Verge (Staff Sergeant): A former Marine Force Recon member turned freelance solo with a good relationship with the Thelas nomads. Mason came to the notice of the Bast Corporation while serving as a security officer at the Petersen Point Hotel during the Fall of the Cotton Kingdoms Campaign.

Natalie ‘Natty’ Lanikova (Warrant Officer 1st Class): ‘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.

Nip Lacey (Corporal): 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.

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

 

The NPCs

Ahlam Majid: The daughter of Sheikh Mansur and his wife, Samar Majid.

Ali al Makhtum: He is cousin and advisor to Sheik Mansur of Waw an Namus.

Commander Quinn: He is a retired British Navy commander from the Special Boat Service (SBS), who is in charge of all Bast Corporation para-military operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Edward Bentham: The pilot for one of the Bast Corporation’s C-23 Sherpas.

Khadije al Muskati: A female member of Sheik Mansur’s inner circle. She is armed with a sword in the sheik’s presence and an obvious warrior.

Maurice Abosi: The cargo master for one of the Bast Corporation’s C-23 Sherpas.

Mukhtar Mohammed Bahir: He is member of the Sheikh’s entourage.

Sheikh Mansur Abdel Majid: The leader of the Toubou tribe occupying Waw an Namus.

Hwang Shin-Cho: An Asian man at the waterhole of Waw an Namus and guest of the sheik.

Samar Majid: She is the wife of Sheik Mansur.

Tommy Hughes: The co-pilot for one of the Bast Corporation’s C-23 Sherpas.

Troy: A Caucasian male at the waterhole of Waw an Namus and guest of the sheikh.

Corporal Thomas Archer: He is in command of 2nd section, 2nd platoon of the logistics and supply company.

Zayd Bendoula: He is a negotiator for Global Share that the Team escorts to a meeting in the Libya Desert.

 

The Action

Friday, March 3, 2051:

The inhabitants of Waw an Namus number around eighty. Since the team arrived they have been treated with polite reserve by the locals. As the sheikh’s guests, hospitality demands no less. But their leader has yet to meet with these new arrivals, leading many to adopt a wait and see attitude. The team cools their heels in the shade, waiting.

An invitation finally comes. Duke stays behind to watch their camp while the rest of the team accompanies Zayd. Brandon is put in charge of minding Global Share’s bribe. At Zayd’s behest, he remains outside with the case instead of following the others into the tent. None of them are not searched or asked to hand over their weapons. They are simply escorted into the sheikh’s presence.

The inside of the tent is spacious. It could comfortably accommodate fifteen to twenty people. Currently there are only six; three men and three women. Natty recognizes Ali al Makhtum, from the rendezvous. He stands and greets Zayd, then formally presents the Global Share negotiator to his cousin Sheikh Mansur Abdel Majid.

Like Ali, he rises and shakes hands with Zayd. “Welcome to my humble home…please, sit.” Once both have settled themselves, the sheikh introduces the rest of his household. “It is my pleasure to introduce my wife, Samar and daughter Ahlam. He gestures to the woman standing behind them. “This is Khadije al Muskati.”

With a long knife at her hip and a smaller blade strapped to her forearm, she is obviously a warrior…possibly a bodyguard for the sheikh or his family. It is not unusual for Toubou women to have important positions within their tribe, but female warriors are a rarity. Khadije’s skin is much lighter than the others. Hawkish features accentuate deep piercing eyes. She nods in acknowledgement.

Lastly, Mansur introduces his “good friend” Mukhtar Mohammed Bahir. His broad nose flares out into a thick shrub of a mustache that flows into a full beard. The bottom half of his face is completely hidden behind the mass of hair, making it hard to read his expression. It is a concern for Natty. Before his introduction the man’s attention had been centered on Hanna and herself.

Mukhtar leans over to shake the negotiator’s hand.

The sheikh looks expectantly towards the team members behind Zayd. It’s an unspoken question; are these people I should know or just hired muscle? The negotiator introduces his companions, who are asked to sit and partake of refreshments with the others.

None of the team considers fermented goat’s milk refreshing, but they steel themselves and drink it, so as not to offend their host. It’s sweet, but with an underlying sourness; like drinking watery yogurt. Hanna gags a bit, but keeps it down. The beverage is definitely an acquired taste.

The sheikh asks about their trip. He seems in no hurry to begin negotiations. Zayd indulges the tribal leader, regaling him with the tail of their plunge from the sky and trek across the desert. The run-in with the Tuareg ‘raiders’ is edited to cast the team in the best light.

Mansur offers his thanks for the weapons and camels. Zayd seizes upon the opportunity. He thanks the sheikh for his hospitality and indirectly mentions the ‘other’ gift they have for him. Natty sends Mason to collect Brandon and the case. The men re-enter the tent, carrying the strongbox between them. They set it down in front of Zayd. Natty dismisses them with a wave. She wants to make it clear that she is in charge of the security detail. Both men bow to the sheikh and leave the tent. Zayd opens the chest with a flourish. The stacks of Commonwealth pound notes draw a smile from the sheikh.

Over the next 2 hours, they work out terms of access, both for Global Share personnel and a security contingent from the Bast Corporation. As a symbol of this accord, the team is invited to move their camp up to the central cone. This will put closer to the sheikh’s encampment. It has the added benefit of moving them farther away from the lakes and the ever present insects.

News of the agreement quickly filters through the settlement. The previous reserve is gone; replaced by open smiles and offers of assistance. No longer admonished by their parents to stay away from the foreigners, a swarm of children descends upon the team. Bright eyed and curious, they can at times be a nuisances.

Duke revels in the attention. He is more than willing to answer their questions or play a pickup game of football (soccer). Natty makes sure to give him plenty of time to indulge in these activities. Getting in good with the kids could help them win over the parents.

Mason picks out three other foreigners at the settlement. He spots two of them while moving the team’s equipment. One looks to be Asian; the other is a white male. Both keep their distance from the team and it appears from each other. The third is almost at their camp before Mason realizes he’s not a local.

He is dressed like a native, but even with a deep tan, his skin isn’t the right complexion to be Toubou. The man makes a bee line for Hanna. Instead of coming up on her unawares, he announces his presence calling loudly “Hey, how’s it going?”

The prowler had noted his approach and stops what she’s doing. Hanna turns to confront him before he gets to near. Her response is blunt. “Fine…why?”

“I just stopped by to welcome you to the neighborhood and bring by a housewarming gift.”
The sleeve of the man’s rode slides down his arm as he holds up a canteen. Mason notes the tattoo on his right forearm; crossed swords inside a diamond.

Hanna allows him to walk up and hand over the small container. She gives it a small shake. The liquid inside sloshes around; it’s probably about a third full. The man leans close and whispers conspiratorially “It’s pretty strong stuff. We make it ourselves.”

Hanna unscrews the cap to take a whiff. The vapors are strong. It smells more like paint thinner that alcohol. Resealing the canteen she offers him a dispassionate, “Thanks,”

Their self-appointed welcome wagon doesn’t give up easy. “My name’s Troy. What’s yours? Where are you from?”

Hanna gives him a practiced smile. “I’m Hanna…from Peiping.”

Duke walks up to join the conversation. Troy doesn’t appear put-off by the biogen’s interruption. If anything, he appears genuinely happy to have someone to speak English with. Duke finally gets around to asking, “So, where are you from?”

“The United States…and you?”

“New Zealand,” the biogen tells him in his best Kiwi accent.

Mason continues to study the man who talks with his teammates. At his hip is a blade, like those worn by the Taureg, they killed at the rocks. Beneath his robes are fatigue pants and combat boots. They could be the remnants of a uniform, but Mason can’t place them.

The conversation begins to wind down, but before leaving, Troy finally gets around to the real reason for his visit. “Oh, if any of you are leaving soon, I would love to get a ride out of here.”

Hanna maintains her false smile, “I’ll ask.”

Mason and Natty approach the two after Troy’s departure.

The section leader inquires, “What’s in the canteen?”

“Some kind of moonshine,” is Hanna’s answer.

“Pour it out.”

“Why?” It probably tastes awful, but to just dump it seems like a waste to Hanna.

Natty doesn’t like having her order questioned, but she explains her reasoning. “This is a Muslim tribe. Alcohol is forbidden. Being caught with it could get you in a lot of trouble,”

The prowler pours out the ‘welcome’ gift with a sigh.

At sunset, Natty once again charts their position with her sextant. Using the previous sightings, she is able to calculate the angle to a Bast communications satellite and establish a comlink. The section leader and Global share negotiator make their reports.

As night begins to fall, Mason questions Natty about setting watch.

The section leader decides against it. “No, we are safe here. We also don’t want the sheikh or his people to think we don’t trust them.

The Team beds down for the night, under the protection of the Toubou tribesmen.

***

 

Saturday, March 4, 2051:

While the other team members are field stripping the transports Hanna goes in search of Troy, with Duke in tow. Returning the empty canteen should be a one person job, but Natty advises against walking around alone. There’s another reason the section leader sends her fellow biogen. This is the perfect opportunity to learn more about Troy. Duke’s keen senses might let him pick up something Hanna might miss.

They find him in his tent, with one of the other foreigner’s, playing cards. Troy introduces the Asian man as Shin. He invites the two to sit and ‘play a couple hands’. Troy picks up the conversation from yesterday, happily conversing in English. Shin isn’t very talkative. Duke suspects he may not be following the conversation. Some of his responses have been in French, so the biogen switches languages.

The attempt draws an immediate response. Shin’s face brightens. His French is heavily accented, but quite good. He introduces himself as Hwang Shin-Cho. The two begin to converse in French. Troy joins in, but there are obvious gaps in his knowledge of the language.

While the three are engaged, Hanna glances around the tent. Near the back, she catches sight of a crate half hidden under some discarded clothes. There’s writing on the side. Though obscured it could be the French word for grenade. Something else catches her notice. Among the cloths thrown over the case is a tattered uniform. She recognizes the insignia on the shoulder; French Foreign Legion. Hanna keeps this knowledge to herself.

Duke continues his spirited banter with Shin, finally asking in French, “So, what do you do when you’re not sitting in a tent in the Sahara?”

“I am an engineer.” The man’s face suddenly sobers. It’s clear he feels he said something he shouldn’t have. Shin quickly excuses himself, “I have to go check the still.” He walks out of the ten without further word. Hanna and Duke excuse themselves a few minutes later. They head back to the encampment to make their report. The intel only increases Natty and Mason’s suspicious.

With the heat of the noon day sun passed, Zayd meets again with the sheikh, to secure landing rights near the encampment. Natty accompanies the negotiator to provide technical support. She offers her knowledge on what would be needed to construct a serviceable landing strip, but otherwise remains silent. Sheik Mansur gives his consent. The remainder of the day is spent marking out and clearing a landing strip on the black volcanic hard pack outside the caldera. Zayd reports their progress on the satellite laser uplink. The first flight should land tomorrow.

***

 

Sunday, March 5, 2051:

A Bast Corporation C-130 lands in the early afternoon. On board are medical and technical personnel from Global Share that are accompanied by the 2nd section of Bast’s Logistical and Support platoon (not a Ghost Team). The remaining members of Ghost Team 1 (Owen McGregor and Nip Lacy) are also on board.

Around half of the settlement’s inhabitants turn out to watch the landing. There is a round of applause when the aircraft touches down. Many appear impressed by its size. Less than a handful have probably ever seen a plane this close up. That number includes Troy and Shin, who are in the crowd. The third foreigner at the sheikh’s settlement is nowhere to be seen.

Nip bounds off the plane followed by Owen. They are now at full strength. Corporal Thomas Archer of 2nd section deplanes with his team and a load of gear. Natty puts Brandon in charge of getting them squared away at the Bast bivouac and briefing them on the current situation. Zayd takes charge of the Global Share personnel. The unloading is treated like a holiday by the locals.

Troy and Shin stick around to watch the offloading. When the process looks to be nearing its end, he leaves Shin behind and walks over to Natty. “You appear to be the one in charge.”

“Yes,” she replies, eyeing him.

“I was wondering if I could get a ride out of here.”

Natty appraises Troy. “…I’ll talk to the crew. Wait here.”

The section leader enters the plane and asks the pilot, “Does anyone on your crew have a camera?”

The loadmaster overhears her question. “I’ve got a camera eye.”

“Good. I am going to walk off the plane and walk up to a man waiting outside. Give me a about a 5 second head start, then follow me out. Be subtle, but I need a good picture of his face.”

The section leader returns to Troy, but instead of giving him an answer, she has some questions. “Just how did you get here?”

“I was found wandering in the desert.”

It’s not a satisfactory answer. Natty pushes the issue. “Why were you wandering out here?”

“Oh, I was with some people from an energy corporation doing some exploration.”

“That’s funny,” Natty gives him pleasant smile. “I thought you were with the French Foreign Legion.”

Troy’s expression breaks for a brief second.

“Aww, you know, it’s not good to lie when you’re asking for something.” She jokingly scolds. “Still, I’ll pass your request on to corporate.” The section leader turns on her heal and walks back to camp.

For the team, the rest of the day is spent helping 2nd section set up their camp and introducing them to the community. Duke spends his time playing football (soccer) with the local children. The cargo master downloads the pics of Troy and gives them to Natty. She sends them to Quinn along with the man’s request for a ‘ride out’.

Natty has a concern. They’d been able to gather intel on two of the outsiders, but they still didn’t know anything about the third. And now he could be in the wind. No one had seen him since the plane landed. She fears that he might be planning something. Natty uses a sleep inducer to grab a couple of hours sleep. She plans to baby-sit the plane to guard against possible sabotage. It is a very quiet and uneventful night.

***

 

Monday, March 6, 2051:

When the Team first arrived, Natty used the Geiger counter in the mission kit to take a reading. Levels were elevated, but still within safe limits; just as Quinn promised in the briefing. The Global Share research team deploys sensors, to map residual radiation levels in the area.

Owen is assigned to watch the camp, while Brandon, Mason and Nip assist Corporal Archer and his section. Duke continues his campaign of good will with the local children. Natty assigns Hanna to find the tent of their mysterious ‘third man’. They need to assess if he’s a threat.

Poking around in the tents and structures of the settlement might arouse suspicion or possibly even offend the locals. Hanna makes several circuits through the camp looking for her target. It takes several hours, but he finally pops out of his shelter. After answering the call of nature he returns to the tent. The prowler shadows him at a safe distance. He makes two more forays from his hiding place, each time with Hanna close behind.

Natty is called to the C-130. Commander Quinn is on a secure line. He has an emergency mission for her section.

“One of our supply transports is being held at the Oasis of Seguedine in Niger. The C-23 Sherpa was delivering supplies to a Global Share project operating in the country. Two trucks picked up the supplies and took them south. The plane should have left immediately, but mechanical difficulties delayed takeoff. While affecting repairs, the crew was grabbed by Taureg raiders. The plane and crew are being held at the airstrip. The Tuareg claim our flight tried to leave without paying the field fees. We’ve received a demand for 500,000 Commonwealth Pounds. They can call it whatever they want. The corporation has no intention of paying. To do so, would only encourage others. This is a sensitive situation. The north of the country has been all but abandoned by Niger’s military. Most of their forces are concentrated to the south. Intelligence indicates that the Tuareg and local tribesman are on good terms, but from what we can tell the indigenous population was not involved in the attack. Involving the Nigerien military could cause a bloodbath. Alienating these people could jeopardize Global Share’s operations in Niger.”

The Team’s assignment is to head south, cross into Niger and free the plane and crew. They have 72 hours to complete the mission. Intel puts the number of raiders at around 20. If possible use of deadly force is to be kept to a minimum. Commander Quinn also advises Natty to be careful when crossing the border. “The area is riddled with land mines.”

Natty assures Quinn, “We’ll get it done.”

The commander sends her a data packet containing photo reconnaissance of the airstrip and oasis, maps of the surrounding area and headshot of the three man flight crew. Written beneath each picture is the man’s name and position; Edward Bentham – Pilot, Tommy Hughes – Co-pilot, Maurice Aborsi – Loadmaster.

Upon her return to camp, the section leader calls for an immediate team meeting. The directive to minimize enemy casualties is unpopular.

Mason is the most vocal. “How are we supposed to do this with minimum to no enemy casualties? We don’t have any non-lethal weapons.”

“We could have them flown in on the next supply flight.” suggests Owen.

Natty shakes her head. “There’s no time for that.”

“I’ve got a pair of paintball pistols,” Nip offers brightly.

Mason’s voice drips with sarcasm as he belittles the netrunner’s sidearms. “Are you going to splatter them with paint and hope they pass out from laughter?”

“No, silly,” the cybergoth cheerfully chirps back. “They’re loaded with sleep poison.”

“I have a needle gun with sleep darts.” Brandon pulls out the weapon to show the others.

“Well, that’s three,” Duke adds. Mason wonders if this is a jibe at his earlier statement.

Three was more than Natty was expecting. It might be enough, but if things turn south, she won’t jeopardize her team for political niceties. “We’ll make do.” Her statement ends further discussion. “I’ll borrow the ATV from Zayd so we can carry enough water and supplies. Get ready as quietly as possible. I don’t want anyone to know where we are going or even that we are leaving.”

The Team has their marching orders and begins preparations. Natty returns to the C-130. She opens a coded channel back to Cyprus to inform Commander Quinn that they will be jumping off tonight. Since the plane is preparing to leave, the section leader also inquires about Troy’s request.

“It’s under consideration.” He assures. “We would just like to know a little more about him first.”

Natty shares what Hanna and Duke learned. “He could be an active or former member of the French Foreign Legion.”

Quinn tells her he will look into it. Having an active member of the Foreign Legion at Waw an Namus could be problematic. It may earn him a seat on a later flight, but not this one. A crowd turns out to watch the C-130 take off.

Troy wanders over to Natty as the transport taxis to the end of the runway. “So, I guess I didn’t get my ticket,” he says with a sad smile.

“My company is still considering your request.” She tries to reassure him. “There will be other flights.”

An hour and a half before sunset, the team rides out of Waw an Namus, heading southeast. After four miles, they turn southwest on their true heading. The electric bikes are nearly silent. All that can be heard is the crunch of gravel under the tires as they move across the hardpan. Natty calls a stop at 21:00 hours to take a star reading. By her calculation, they are on course and ahead of schedule.

***

 

Tuesday, March 7, 2051:

The team keeps on the move, pausing only briefly around 2 am for a second sighting. They cross into Niger a couple of hours before dawn and press on. As the sky lightens in the pre-dawn, Mason, points out a rocky outcropping rising from the desert floor. Natty calls a halt. She sends Duke and Mason to scout the formation.

The sun is nearly up by the time they signal the all clear. There are no signs of human presence. Natty directs the rest of the team to hide the bikes and setup camp, while she backtracks to hide any trace of their passing.

At nightfall, the column resumes its trek towards Seguedine. Pushing south carries them beyond the blanketing interference in the radioactive north. GPS navigation once again becomes available.

***

 

Wednesday, March 8, 2051:

At 03:20 hours, the Team reaches a row of hills, three kilometers to the north of the airport. They find a spot to hide their bikes. Leaving the vehicles to recharge, the team spreads out to encircle the town and watch. They need to find out the size of the enemy force and locate the flight crew.

Identifying the Taureg is easier than expected. Their traditional blue cheches give them away. The raiders don’t stray far from the airstrip. Most of their activity seems to be concentrated in and around the walled compound of the old garrison, just west of the control tower. Two Tuareg stand guard outside the sole hanger. Since the aircraft is nowhere in sight, in must be inside.

A third raider is positioned on the open walkway at the top of the control tower. He’s manning a M2 machine gun. The .50 Caliber MA Deuce is lashed to a homemade pintle mount that allows it to cover the entire runway or fire on anything approaching from the south. This would include anything coming up the packed dirt track that serves as the main road into Seguedine.

A trio of horsemen leaves the garrison around noon. They ride south down the dirt road, away from the oasis. A second team of riders appears 10 minutes later. They ride into the garrison, dismount and lead their horses into one of the larger structures within the compound.

Natty leaves the others to continue observing. She works her way south in search of the Tuareg horsemen. They need to know if this was just the changing of the guard at some southern picket or the hint of a larger force camped outside the oasis. The count is already at 19. If they find many more Tuareg, staying non-lethal could be an issue.

The raiders may be experts at using the desert terrain, but Natty has an unfair advantage. She can smell their mounts. The biogen tracks the scent of the horses back to their owners. She finds all three, positioned along a narrow wash, running perpendicular to the road. They’re far enough apart that taking out all three, before one could fire a warning shot, would be difficult.

Natty pulls back without engaging. She’s learned all she needed. There won’t be a surprise second force counterattacking from the south.

The section leader slips back into position. Mason briefs Natty on recent developments at the garrison. Throughout the morning, the team observed little to no interaction between the local inhabitants and Tuareg. That changed at about half past noon. A group of local tribesmen delivered food to the garrison. Some of it was taken to a small hut within the compound. The team had previously noted the guard, stationed outside the structure. It had been pegged as a possible location where the Tuareg could be holding the crew. The delivery of food seems to clinch it.

As the afternoon drags on, the guards at the hanger go inside and don’t come out. The gunner at the top of the tower is relieved by another man. No one entered the structure before the shift change, so they add another one to the count. If there’s no more ‘hiding’ inside, this puts their number at 20.

As the sun begins to set, the Team pulls back and regroups to plan the assault. Natty sees no reason to delay. They’ll attack tonight. She stresses the need to minimize enemy casualties. “Global Share has too many operations in Tuareg areas to risk starting a blood feud.”

Mason feels the need to once again register his feelings on the subject. “We don’t have any non-lethal ammunition’.

Brandon and Nip remind him that they have three non-lethal weapons. Owen adds to the list by mentioning, “Some of us have flash-bangs.” It’s a good bet that these desert raiders don’t have the benefit of level dampeners or anti-dazzle protection.

Natty breaks off the discussion. “I need a volunteer to take out the tower quietly.”

Mason raises his hand. “I’ll do it, but I’ll need one of the non-lethal handguns.”

Nip pulls out one of her multi-colored neon pistols and proudly presents it to him. Mason eyes it dubiously. The netrunner follows his look. “Oh. …one minute.” She plugs into the weapon. The colors begin to darken and merge. Within ten seconds, the pistol is a uniform matte black.

Nip offers him the pistol again, adding cheerily, “Here ya go.”

Mason takes the weapon. He even manages to smile in gratitude.

Natty indirectly asks for another volunteer. “Someone has to take down the two raiders in the hanger. They’re probably guarding the C-23. Someone with technical experience would be preferable.”

“Oh! Me, me, me!” Nip waves her hand back and forth excitedly. The section leader sighs. Crazy as she may be, the netrunner is the best choice. Natty gives her the assignment, then moves on to the primary assault.

“Brandon, I want you to lead the rest of the Team into the garrison. Given the odds, we’re going to keep this a stealth attack for as long as we can. The best point of entry is here.” Natty points to the far corner of the compound closest to the town of Seguedine. “These trees overhang the outer wall. They will give you cover and ease of access.

“Mason will silence the tower first; Nip will then take out, the raiders in the hanger,” she continues. “Hopefully, there are only two. By then everyone else should be over the wall. The flight crew is probably in this small building. Take down any guards you see with the needle gun, secure the hostages and flash-bang the barracks. I’ll cover everyone and the road south with my sniper rifle. Keep your channels open and call if you need backup.”

The cat biogen looks around to make sure everyone understands their assignments. They all nod. They’re as ready as they can be. “Synchronize your watches. We go in two hours. Let’s get into position.”

The Team slowly work their way forward. They approach unobserved. At Natty’s signal Mason moves to the door at the base of the tower. He carefully tests the doorknob. It’s unlocked. Easing the door open, he steps inside. One of the Taureg is sacked out on a couch. Two shots from the paintball pistol ensure he won’t wake up any time soon. Just in case, the ex-Force Recon operator binds the man’s arms and legs.

Leaving the first raider trussed up below, Mason quietly climbs the stairs to the upper level. There are windows all the way around the control room offering unobstructed views. He can see the back of his target, through the glass. The door to the walkway is on the opposite side of the room. Mason stays low, keeping to the shadows.

The gunner’s focus is to the south. Mason is able to make it onto the walkway before the man realizes he’s there. The first paintball breaks on the Tuareg’s indigo head wrap, but the second splatters on exposed flesh. Nip’s pistol packs a potent tranquilizer that brings down the gunner. As Mason drags the man back inside, he reports in, “Tower cleared.” The solo uses cables torn from the control equipment to tie up the second raider. He then sets about disabling the radar.

Natty signals Nip. “Go.”

The cybergoth is already at the back door of the hanger. She grasps the handle and presses down on the thumb lever. It does not give. Nip presses a little harder, but there is no movement. The door is either jammed or locked from the inside. “I can’t get in…I’ll have to go around the front.” The netrunner hugs the hanger wall as she moves forward.

Natty sends Mason to back up Nip, but knows they can’t wait for two to sweep the building. The section leader orders Brandon to go.

Nip sneaks across the front of the hanger towards the office. Light glows through the window set in the door. The netrunner peaks inside. There is a single occupant, sitting in a chair with his feet propped up on the desk. He has an assault rifle cradled in his lap. There is no sign of the second guard.

The netrunner reaches out and tries the door handle. It’s locked, like the back door. Nip knows she doesn’t have the tools or skill to open it, but she is very sneaky. “I’m going to knock,” the cybergoth announces over the com.

Before anyone can stop her, she reaches and raps on the glass. The netrunner pulls back into the shadows of the hanger doors and waits for the raider to come out and investigate. Natty swings her rifle to cover the entrance to the office, but Nip is too close. A stray shot could hit the netrunner.

The barrel of an AK-47 pokes through the cautiously opened door. Nip spring from the shadows. She knocks aside the rifle barrel and fires two shots from her pistol. The splatter of the paint balls contacts exposed skin. It’s enough to drop the gunman, but he doesn’t go down quietly. The raider’s finger had been at the ready when he opened the door. Violently knocking the rifle caused him to fire off a burst.

By the time the gun goes off Brandon and his team are well into the compound. After slipping over the wall, they pause in the shadows of the trees to look for sentries. There’s still a guard stationed outside the ‘prisoner’ shack, as well as two more by the front gate. An IR scan of the structure they’ve designated ‘the barracks’ show ten prone heat signatures. None of the three guards appear that attentive. The two by the gate are actually carrying on a quite conversation.

Both men look in the direction of the airstrip, at the AK-47’s distinctive report. They also become aware of the team. Brandon fires on the gate guards, hitting each with a sleep dart from his needler. One goes down almost immediately. The second fights against the effects of the sleep toxin, but finally succumbs.

(GM Note: The first one rolled a 10 on his stun save. The other guard just barely failed.)

The guard at the shack jumps up, knocking over his improvised seat. Duke fires at him with a silenced .454 Nikita. He aims for the man’s brace arm. The bullet tears through the lightly armored limb, crippling it. The raider keels over. While Duke and Brandon engage the guards, Owen and Hanna charge ‘the barracks’.

The heat signatures inside are no longer prone. Charging in blind could get them both killed, so they opt to soften up the opposition with some flashbangs. Owen and Hanna throw their stun grenades through windows at opposite ends of structure. Three seconds after the grenades go off, they make their breach. Brandon follows in their wake.

Duke moves towards the ‘prisoner’ shack. He kicks the assault rifle away from the downed guard. The man feebly raises his good arm in surrender. One powerful kick breaks in the door. He finds the entire flight crew inside.

At the sound of the assault rifle, Mason began running towards the hanger. He is still some distance away, when Nip steps over crumpled form in the doorway and inside.

A row of windows set in the partitioning wall between the office and hanger provides unobstructed views into the space beyond. The netrunner can easily see the C-23 and the second gunman exiting its rear cargo hatch. Nip drops down behind the half-wall as the Tuareg cuts loose at full auto. Firing blind, he only hits her once. The thin metal wall does little to slow the round, but the metal shelving behind it and Nip’s armored BDUs are proof against any damage.

She keeps low, making for the open door leading into the hanger. The netrunner stops at the edge of the door frame, waiting for the gunman to approach. He instead empties his remainder of his clip right into her position. Nip is hit, but thanks to her armor, the damage is minimal.

An audible “click,” tells her his gun is empty. Wearing a happy smile, she stands and fires. The two paint balls splatter on his clothing. Instead of going down, he ducks back into the plane. Nip chases after him, not wanting to give the Tuareg a chance to reload. She risks a glance inside cargo bay. Rather than catching the gunman in the middle reloading or staring down of his AK-47, she finds the man sprawled on the floor of the plane. The drugs did their job.

Nip’s shadow gave her away. The light was behind her and she cast a shadow on the floor in the open doorway. As for the second gunman who ducked back into the plane, he helped knock himself out. Paintballs, especially ones filled with tranquilizers, are not something he’d encountered before. By trying to wipe the mess off his head wrap, the gunman inadvertently spread it all over his hand.>

Mason makes it to the hanger and helps Nip sweep the structure. They report in. “Hanger secure.”

Over at the garrison the Bast team uses zip-tie cuffs to secure their prisoners. There are papers strewn across the floor; possibly scattered by the stun grenade’s pressure. Most appear to be written reports, but Brandon spots a map. He stoops down to gather up the documents.

Duke introduces himself to the flight crew. The men are grateful, but urge haste. Flying Officer Bentham, the pilot, speaks for all three, “We have to get to the plane as soon as possible. There are more of them on the way.”

Duke doesn’t have to be told who he means by ‘them’. Maurice states the he overheard their captors talking. Another 50 Tuareg are expected to arrive at the Oasis in the next couple of days. That was a day and a half a half ago, and even though the team has sprung them, they still can’t go anywhere. The crew was captured before they could finish the repairs on the aircraft.

“How long do they need?” Natty doesn’t hear the response. The gallop of hooves draws her attention. Two Tuareg horsemen race up the road toward the garrison and airstrip. She doesn’t see any others coming up behind them, so hopefully it’s not the 50. More likely they’re from the southern picket, drawn by the gunfire and explosions.

Instead of shooting the men, she sights in on their mounts. The first rider flies over the head of his horse as its front legs give out. He hits the ground face first. The second Tuareg is thrown from his saddle but is able to roll away and get back to his feet quickly. Natty shoots him in the arm when he tries to pick up his rifle.

The bullet tears through an artery causing rapid blood loss. He is beyond help by the time Natty reaches him. The other raider is still alive, but badly injured. He has a broken nose and probable concussion. Natty administers first-aid before carrying the man back to the garrison. Barely conscious, he offers no resistance.

The Tuareg raiders captured in the control tower and hanger are also moved over to the garrison. With all of the raiders secured in the ‘barracks’ Natty redeploys her team. Nip assists with the repairs to the plane’s front landing gear. If there aren’t any complications, it should be done within thirty minutes. The remainder of the section takes up defensive positions, in case the Tuareg reinforcements arrive sooner than that.

Mason mans the .50 cal at the top of the tower. Owen volunteers to watch the prisoners. Brandon backs him up. He checks and loads several of the raiders’ assault rifles, propping them against the wall next to his firing position. No one has said it aloud, but if fifty horsemen show up, the cyborg assumes the rules of engagement go out the window. He doesn’t want to end up re-enacting the last stand at the Alamo.

Flying Officer Bentham begins the pre-flight check.

Natty reads over the Tuareg papers. One is a hand drawn map to a weapons cache in the country of Burkina Faso. It’s a useful piece of intel, but not important to their current situation. A tactical map of northern Niger is what holds the section leader’s interest. The Taureg ‘raiders’ were not at Seguedine by chance. They are part of a much larger force crossing through northern Niger. Instead of moving in a single formation, the Tuareg force broke into smaller units to hide their true numbers. There are what could be muster points near the border with Mali. Scrawled symbols seem to indicate the general positions of other units. Most disturbing of all is the unit marker eight to ten miles south of their current position.

It could represent to fifty man force their prisoners were expecting. If the third horseman, from the picket, rode south, they could have less time than they think. Natty realizes they probably don’t have the time to recover their bikes from the hills and load them into the plane. They also can’t abandon them.

She informs the others over the com link. “Change of plans; gather all the water you can. We will cover the plane till it takes off; then fall back to our vehicles. We’ll head back to Waw an Namus. Mason, keep an eye out. We may have company from the south.”

With repairs completed on schedule, the C-23 taxies out to the end of the runway. Twin turboprops roar as the plane gains speed. There are no riders in sight as the Sherpa safely lifts off.

Natty tells Mason to dismount the .50 cal. They’re going to take the heavy machine gun. She doesn’t want leave such a dangerous and useful weapon in the hands of the enemy, especially if the Tuareg decide to chase them. The section stacks the rest of the enemy’s weapons, in the ‘prisoner shack’. Natty knows, to defeat the Tuareg is one thing, but to humiliate them (by taking their weapons) would be an insult that demands satisfaction. She does, however, rig a flash-bang on door to the tower and order the team to scatter the Tuareg’s horses. Both should hopefully delay any pursuit.

The Team falls back to the hills, mounts up and heads back north towards Libya. Mason once again volunteers to take point.

***

 

Thursday, March 9, 2051:

The Team speeds north towards the Libyan border, trying to put as much distance between them and the Oasis of Seguedine. They want to get out of Niger before dawn, but only make it to the rock outcropping they camped at on Tuesday night. Duke and Mason scout out the formation before the team makes camp. It’s unoccupied. There are no signs that anyone else has been there. Natty doubles back to cover their trail.

Mason and Natty take the opportunity to clean and inspect their weapons. The former Marine force recon solo notices that no one else seems inclined to follow their example. He makes a mental note to bring it up with Natty after their return to Waw an Namus.

The trip back to the settlement is long and dusty, but otherwise uneventful.

***

 

Friday, March 10, 2051:

The Team continues through the night following roughly the same course they came by. They loop south so that anyone watching would see them arrive at Waw an Namus from the southeast. Instead of riding right up to the caldera, the team stops at a safe distance and signals the Bast security force they left behind before entering. The camp is just beginning to stir, as the team members crawl into their tents. Mason and Natty utilize sleep inducers. The others simply collapse in exhaustion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Episode 9 – The Hoof and Bray Club

 

 

Natty speaks with Waw an Namus’ ‘mystery man’; neither Global Share nor the Bast Corporation is happy when they learn his identity. Troy is transported out on the next flight; right into the arms of the French Foreign Legion. Three members of the team are sent on a special assignment. The rest anticipate a week off, but their plans are sidelined by another Global Share seminar.

Global Share sponsors a ‘voluntary’ social gathering / team building exercise, at the Hoof & Bray Club. The watering hole offers a wealth of information about the island’s history and a popular local sport. Natty lets down her guard and meets Nelson. Hanna spends her time trying to avoid Jerry Deegan.

An invite to a cookout at the corporate barracks introduces the team to more of Bast’s personnel stationed on the island. Natty submits a request to Commander Quinn that the Team may not like.

 

Background

The long running Czech Civil War escalates. EU forces cross into Poland, with the stated objective of eliminating Free Czech Army camps near the border. The true goal is to punish the Poles for their continued support of a group that has labeled a terrorist organization by the EU. A resurgent Germany promises a swift victory, but the Blitzkrieg of 1939 can’t be repeated.

The Polish Army resists with a fierceness and courage that surprises EU forces. ‘Volunteers’ from Russian and Belarus pour into Poland to aid, “their Slavic brothers and sisters.” While no official declaration of war is made by the Russian government, the EU responds to this provocation, by attacking the warships of Russia’s Rocket Corps. The Komsomolsk and the Potemkin along with two large transports are destroyed in orbit. EU orbital assets bombard the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Out in the asteroid belt, the Gagarin is severely damaged, but manages to disengage. In the wake of the attack, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan declare war on the European Union. The Scandinavian Bloc declares its neutrality; refusing to help 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 NGO is a Commonwealth charity championed by Queen Victoria II. Its mission is to assist with social and economic development, while promoting cultural tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Global Share’s original focus had been on the member states and territories of the revitalized Commonwealth of Nations, as part of the Commonwealth Free Trade Partnership. Their operations have since expanded.

The Cyberpunk World is a dangerous place. Good intentions provide no armor against bullets or the tyranny of evil men. Global Share has therefore contracted with the Bast Corporation to provide protection for its workers and volunteers in the field.

 

Dramatis Personae

 

The NPCs

Brian Croyer is a seminar leader for Global Share.

Cole is a Global Share volunteer from New York City. He is a small time fixer from New York City. He and Brandon struck up an initial friendship.

Commander Quinn: He is a retired British Navy commander from the Special Boat Service (SBS), who is in charge of all Bast Corporation para-military operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Corporal Thomas Archer: He is in command of 2nd section, 2nd platoon of the logistics and supply company.

David Kaban is a volunteer of Global Share on Cyprus going to Niger as a medical tech.

Gia is a Bast Corporation mercenary trooper.

Harold Dent is a ground crewman for the Bast Corporation’s transport wing on Cyprus.

Hwang Shin-Cho: An Asian man at the waterhole of Waw an Namus and guest of the sheik.

Isadore Kostopoulis is a volunteer of Global Share on Cyprus.

Jerry Deegan is a Global Share volunteer from New York City. He is a pickpocket and has the hots for Hanna, who continually blows him off and calls him Jack.

Kenny Pagnazzi is working for the Bast Corporation on its base in Cyprus with the defense company. He is a six year veteran of the Trenton, New Jersey Police Department.

Lance Corporal Pace: A Bast Corporation trooper Mason meets in Cyprus.

Lance Corporal Farid Dashkar: He is second in command of 2nd section, 2nd platoon of the logistics and supply company.

Martin Atkins is the greeter for the seminars at Global Share and fond of loud Hawaiian shirts.

Martin Chase is a ground crewman for the Bast Corporation’s transport wing on Cyprus.

Nelson: A volunteer for Global Share who attends a seminar with the Team.

Sean Kennon: A professor of Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh, writer and foe of First World neo-colonialism in Africa.

Sergeant Morris: A Bast Corporation trooper Mason meets in Cyprus.

Sheik Mansur Abdel Majid: The leader of the Toubou tribe occupying Waw an Namus.

Troy: A Caucasian male at the waterhole of Waw an Namus and guest of the sheikh.

Walid Abdel Majid: The son of the sheik and warlord of the tribe of Toubou at Waw an Namus.

Zayd Bendoula: He is a negotiator for Global Share that the Team escorted to a meeting in the Libya Desert.

 

The Action

Friday, March 10, 2051:

Thanks to their sleep inducers, Natty and Mason are up before anyone else, giving them ample time to clean their weapons and kit. The biogen cuts her cleaning regimen short. She goes to see the sheikh’s mysterious guest, who seems to be avoiding them. Instead of heading directly to the tent Hanna identified as being his, the section leader makes a circuit through the settlement. Natty keeps her pace slow, to make it look like she’s just out for a walk. She wants to make sure he’s in the tent before approaching. Back a camp, Mason works out a trade with some of the local kids; fresh water for items from his personal hygiene kit.

Into her second circuit, the man leaves his tent. After collecting some fresh water, he returns to the shelter. Natty saunters up and knocks on his tent pole. There is a resigned look on the man’s face as he appears at the flap. “Well, I was expecting one of you would come around eventually.”

Natty smiles politely, “And here I am.”

He regards her critically. The biogen doesn’t cut an intimidating figure, even when sporting a pair of hip slung electro-thermal .44 automags. Her fatigue pants and khaki t-shirt, hardly look militaristic, especially when topped off with a wide brimmed boonie hat.

The man holds back the tent flap. “Would you like to come in for some tea?”

“I’d love too.”

The biogen’s eyes adjust quickly to the dim interior. She takes a look around, while her host busies himself with clearing a seat and scaring up a second tea cup. The furniture inside is sparse. A collapsible cot at the back is fronted by a camp table and two folding chairs, one of which is stacked with a mixture of clothing and papers. The table top is similarly cluttered. More papers and scattered data chips fight for space with a weathered laptop, gurgling hot pot and bright blue plastic mug.

The papers and clothes from the chair are tossed on the bed. A second blue mug is retrieved from a box under the cot. The man wipes it out, before filling it with tea from the hot pot.

Natty accepts the cup with a, “Thank you.” She takes a sip of the steaming beverage before continuing. “By the way, my name is Natalie Lanikova.”

“I’m Sean Kennon. You’ve probably heard of me.”

“No, can’t say I have.”

The biogen has trouble reading human emotions, but she recognizes disappointment. There’s a hint of frustration in Sean’s voice when he asks, “Then why did you come over here?”

Natty grins. “Well, I’m in charge of Global Share’s security. I had to assess if you might be a threat.”

He looks shocked by her candor, but manages to recover. “Your honesty is … refreshing.” Sean tries to cover his surprise by commenting on her accent. “You don’t sound British. I’d say East European?”

“Czech.”

“Ah.” He waits for her to say more.

It’s obvious that her host is trying to change the subject. Natty decides to play along. She looks down at her cup. “It’s kind of messy there right now; what with the war and all.”

The cat biogen swirls her tea as the pause draws out. Sean offers no comment. The game doesn’t appear to be working, so Natty switches to the direct approach. Her eyes shift to lock with those of her host. “So … why are you here?” The biogen’s voice is calm, but her gaze is disconcerting. It compels an answer.

“I’m a professor of Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh. I’m doing research for my new book.”

“What’s it about?” she asks with genuine curiosity.

Professor Kennon explains that he is a social anthropologist. His research focuses on the indigenous populations of the Sahara, North Africa and Sahel region, with an emphasis on the detrimental effects of European and First World neo-colonialism. “My current book examines the role of NGOs and how they may be helping to subvert the natural development of native cultures. Such organizations accumulate massive amounts of empirical data that could be exploited by governments or corporations. Some share this data willingly. Others are unwitting pawns…”

Natty listens politely without interruption. Now that he has a head of steam, and a willing audience, Sean appears ready to carry on at length. In the spirit of full disclosure, he lets the section leader know that Global Share is one of the ‘suspect’ NGOs. Natty informs him that she takes no offense, so he continues.

“Several years ago a Toubou leader attempted to reconstitute the Libyan state. He was able to convince the remaining tribal elders to meet in the Town of Zelten just over the Tunisian border. Word of their meeting leaked out and they were ambushed by Algerian ‘mercenaries’. Everyone was slaughtered.”

Sean believes that the French were behind the attack.

“The man who tried to organize that meeting was Sheikh Mansur’s older brother. If the French suspect this settlement is another attempt to remake Libya, everyone here could be at risk. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen. Actually, I thought you might be here to kill me.”

“No. My company doesn’t do that sort of thing.”

There is conviction in her voice, but Sean remains skeptical. “I find that hard to believe.”

Now it’s Natty turn to change the subject. “So what is Troy’s and Shin’s story?”

“They are proof of my suspicions. Both were part of an expedition from Algeria; Chinese oil workers guarded by legionnaires from the 2nd REI. They were sent to assess conditions at the old oil fields. A Tuareg war party attacked their convoy. Those that weren’t killed scattered. The sheikh’s son, found them near the Anay Pass. Troy was severely injured. Both were suffering from dehydration. Walid brought them to his father.

It has come to my attention that Troy has approached you about securing transport out of Wan an Namus. Granting his request could prove dangerous.”

Natty finishes her tea. She thanks Sean, telling him, “You’ve given me a lot to think about.” The biogen promises to read one of his books when she gets back to Cyprus.

(GM Note: The NPC Sean Kennon is based on of the real life British social anthropologist Jeremy Keenan. He is a professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London.)

Upon returning to base camp, Corporal Thomas Archer approaches Natty with a request. “Second section has erected an electronic frontier around the caldera, but we could use a hand deploying the solar arrays.

Owen rouses from his tent. The big man grumbles, “I’ve got sand in places, I didn’t know it could get to.”

The rest of Ghost Team 1 begins to wake as well, but rather than easing into their first day back at Wan an Namus, Natty sends them off to assist Archer and his men. The only one excluded is Duke. She sends him off to continue his work, winning the ‘hearts and minds’ of the local children.

They are engaged in an energetic game of football (soccer) when fifteen horsemen ride into camp. There was no alarm to announce their approach. Judging by the waves and cheers from the locals they appear to be friendlies. One of the riders dismounts and walks directly towards the sheikh’s tent. He is met outside by the sheikh’s mystery guest (Sean Kennon). The two share a friendly embrace, before entering the tent.

Duke asks among the children, “Who was that?”

“That is Walid.”

Zayd and Natty are soon summoned to an audience with the sheik. The section leader brings along Brandon and Archer. Natty knows they’ll be leaving soon. If the purpose of this meeting is to introduce them to the sheik’s son and heir, it only makes sense that he should meet the section leader of the team that will be replacing them.

Walid is polite, but cool. He makes little effort to hide his displeasure at their presence. The interview is brief and the four are soon dismissed. Sean nods to Natty as he walks in the opposite direction. The trio of Bast operatives head back towards their base camp. They are still close enough to hear raised voices erupt from inside the Sheikh’s tent. Natty’s sensitive ears allow her to catch part of the angry exchange between father and son.

“This is a mistake,” Walid shouts. “He is my prisoner and should not be allowed to leave!”

Mansur roars back. “Who is sheik here? He is my guest!”

Work continues on the new power system throughout the day. Natty makes a report to Cyprus. She details her conversation with Sean Kennon and the arrival of Walid and his men.

***

 

Saturday, March 11, 2051:

Work on the solar array continues. The workers from Global Share and security personnel from the Bast Corporation continue to be an object of curiosity, but both are quickly gaining acceptance from the local tribesmen.

Commander Quinn sends a message to Natty. “The Legion verified that Troy is one of theirs. He was listed as missing in action. They’re anxious for his return. A cargo flight will be arriving tomorrow. The C-130 will carry your team back to Cyprus. Please make sure their man is on board.”

Natty takes Hanna along, when she goes to give Troy the good news. He is understandably elated and breaks out some moonshine to celebrate. Hanna accepts a drink, but Natty politely declines. She is more interested in speaking with Troy’s tent-mate. The section leader addresses Shin in French. Natty makes it clear, that she knows why he came to Libya and who he works for.

Surprisingly, he seems relieved that she knows.

“If you want to get out of here, I could arrange passage on one of our flights.”

Shin gives her offer serious consideration, but decides that he happy where he is. “Before I came here, I was just another faceless worker; another interchangeable part to be replaced like any other piece of equipment. Here, my engineering skills mean something. What I do matters.”

Troy chuckles and shakes his head, but Shin’s mind is made up. “I am good here.”

***

 

Sunday, March 12, 2051:

Life at Waw an Namus continues at its leisurely pace. Walid and his riders make preparations to leave the watering hole. Sean Kennon is packed and appears to be going with them. Natty’s fairly certain it’s all a show for Troy, but since her team will be gone by the time they return, she says her goodbyes to the Scottish professor. The horsemen ride south.

Once the riders are at a safe distant Troy approaches the section leader. “You know, he’s (Sean) nothing more than a troublemaker.”

Natty smiles at that. “In my experience those are the best kind of people.”

As the afternoon heat starts to dissipate, the corporate transport comes in for a landing. Instead of flying at night, the plane will leave for Cyprus in the morning.

***

 

Monday, March 13, 2051:

A throng of children turn out to wave good-bye to Duke, as Ghost Team 1 boards the C-130. Shin is there to see off Troy. The legionnaire tosses a salute to his former tent-mate as he walks up the cargo ramp. The plane lifts from the desert floor and heads east on a course for the Sudanese border.

About an hour from landing, Natty approaches Troy. “You might want to put your uniform.”

“Why?” The legionnaire looks perplexed.

She can appreciate his confusion. If he knew what’s waiting for him on Cyprus, it would be clear why arriving in Toubou robes might not be the best idea. Natty doesn’t leave him in the dark.

“My company contacted the French government to verify your story. There will be two representatives from the Legion waiting to meet you at the airport.”

The man’s face falls. With a heavy sigh, he opens his pack and pulls out his tattered fatigues. The uniform is patched and bloody. A roughly stitched slash on the right pant-leg, runs from mid thigh down to the knee. There is a matching scar on Troy’s leg. Natty notes that most of the damage is to the front of the uniform. To her, that should count for something.

Once finished changing, he returns to his seat. Natty sits down next to him. “I’m really sorry about this.”

“It’s OK.” He sounds defeated.

The section leader actually feels bad. “Look … we had a run in with the Tuareg while we were in Libya. I’m going to tell your people, you advised us on tactics before we went out and that your advice helped us with our operation. I’m also going to put that in my final report to my company. That should help take some heat off you.”

A bit of a smile returns to Troy’s face. “Thanks.”

Natty shares her plan with the rest of the Team. They all agree to support this minor modification to the official report.

Two grim face legionnaires meet them on the tarmac as they deplane. The Team says their good-byes to Troy, as they would to a battle comrade. Natty personally walks him over to the waiting pair. She snaps them a crisp salute. “On behalf of my unit, I would like to offer our thanks to the Legion. This man’s tactical advice was instrumental in our recent success against Tuareg raiders.”

The two Legionnaires look mildly surprised. They return her salute and graciously accept the compliment. Their attitude towards Troy also seems to change. Natty’s words have turned him from a suspected deserter to a returning brother-in-arms.

After seeing off Troy, the team adjourns to the briefing room to meet with Commander Quinn. Natty gives a verbal summary of her after action report. As always Mason has to add his two cents. In this case, he feels a need to address, the overall lack of care, certain team members have shown towards their equipment. The former marine doesn’t name names, but his glance stops on particular individuals as he speaks.

Quinn is complimentary. “Good job everyone. Duke, Nip and Owen please stay. The rest of you are dismissed. You have the rest of the week off except for Wednesday. There is another Global Share seminar you will be required to attend.”

There is a combined groan.

“So…” Owen asks, “We don’t have to attend this Global Share bullshit?”

“No, you three will be on special assignment. Report here at 06:00 tomorrow; dismissed.”

The Team returns to their duplex. Most are happy to just wash off the desert sand and turn in early, but Mason wants to get something to eat. “Brandon, I’m heading over to the mess hall. Do you want to come along?”

“No. I’m just going to sit out back and relax.”

Mason goes it alone. Setting his tray down at a table, he notices two men in suits sitting nearby. Something makes him watch the pair as they sip their coffee. They seem … out of place. The one on the left pulls out a pack of cigarettes and lights up.

A mess attendant walks over. “Sorry sir, there’s no smoking in the mess hall.”

After taking a long puff, the cigarette smoking man tells him to, “Fuck off.”

The attendant goes to his superior who takes one look at the two and tells him to forget the matter. Mason watches the entire exchange. The former marine finishes his meal then heads back to the house to report the incident. It takes several rings of the bell before Hanna opens the door to the girl’s side of the duplex.

Mason doesn’t bother to apologize for waking her or offer a greeting. “I need to speak with Natty.”

Hanna doesn’t move to let him in. “She’s sleeping.” Her tone brooks no argument.

“OK, tell her I need to talk to her when she gets up.”

“Sure.” She swings the door shut, closing it in his face.

***

 

Tuesday, March 14, 2051:

Mason wakes early for his morning PT, while the rest of the team sleeps in. Time off is time off. After working out, the former Marine heads to the mess for breakfast. The dining hall is fairly empty. Mason is enjoying a quiet meal till two men approach and ask to sit down. Both are dressed in Bast corporate fatigues, so he gestures to the chairs on the opposite side of the table.

The two introduce themselves as Lance Corporal Pace and Sergeant Morris. They try to strike up a conversation, but end up carrying most of it. Mason keeps his answers short, mostly a “yes” or “no’, between bites of food. When his plate is empty, he abruptly stands. “Well I’ll see you later.”

Morris calls after the former marine, “Some of us are having a cookout on Friday down by the range. Why don’t you come by?”

Mason manages a smile. “Sure. I’ll bring some beer.”

Pace has his own suggestion. “Hey, you’ve got a couple of hot chicks in your unit. Why don’t you bring them along?”

“Sure, mind if my other section members come?”

Neither Morris nor Pace sees a problem with that, so long as they bring more beer.

Instead of leaving as he intended, Mason sits back down after bussing his tray. The two might be worth getting to know. “So have you guys seen any action yet?”

Pace stops in mid bite; both stare at him strangely. Morris offers a cryptic, “Yeah.” The conversation cools after that. The two finish their food and leave soon after.

Mason isn’t sure what he said. He decides to stay at the mess hall for a while and look for the ‘suspicious suits’ from last night. Neither puts in a repeat appearance.

Natty finally gets out of bed. After showering, she cooks breakfast for herself and Hanna.

The prowler off-handedly mentions their nighttime visitor. “Oh, the ‘Big Guy’ left a message. He wanted to talk to you.”

“Did he say what it was about?”

“No.”

“I guess it can wait.” Natty makes a mental note to speak with Owen upon his return. She assumes that’s who Hanna means. After cleaning up the dishes, the section leader heads out back for some important business, a nice cat nap in the sun.

(GM Note: Natty is out there to soak up some rays, but it’s not just about working on her tan. As a feline biogen, there is something comforting if not instinctual about sunning herself. Thank goodness for Euro UV protection.)

Mason eventually grows bored of his self-appointed stake out. He heads back to the duplex and once again rings the bell on the girl’s half of the house.

Hanna eventually answers the door.

“Is Natty up yet?”

The prowler steps back, pulling the door open, all the way. “She’s out back.”

Mason walks through the house and out to the patio. Natty is poolside, relaxing on a lounger. Splayed out on her back, in a skimpy bikini, she presents quite a sight, but the former marine can’t just stand there and appreciate the view. Duty demands he deliver his report.

Natty lazily intones, “You’re in my sun,” as he approaches the side of her lounger.

This is all the prompting the former marine needs. Mason recites his report on the incident at the mess hall. The section leader cracks open an eye as he rattles on. Mason finally concludes with, “They seem suspicious.”

Natty props herself up on her elbows to get a better look at him. “Didn’t the mess sergeant speak to them?”

“Yes, but they told him to fuck off.”

She waits for him to continue. When he doesn’t, she asks, “And … they didn’t call the MPs?”

“No, Ma’am. I think I should keep an eye out for them”

The two are most likely senior level assholes from the Bast Corporation’s main office. Still, looking out for them would give Mason something to do and (hopefully) keep him out of her hair. She lies back down. “Whatever.”

As Mason turns to leave, Natty sits up. “Oh, there is something I need done,” she tells him cheerily.

“Sure, what is it?”

The young woman turns over and undoes her top. “Could you put some sunblock on my back?”

Mason pauses, but eventually picks up the bottle of lotion. He gingerly spreads the creamy liquid across her torso, taking care not to stray too far down the sides. Natty closes her eyes. The man always seems uncomfortable around women. She wants to push him out of his comfort zone.

Hanna watches from the sliding glass door. When Mason scurries away, she joins Natty on the patio. “You can be quite the bitch sometimes.”

The biogen smiles, “I know.”

Later that afternoon, Natty meets with Commander Quinn. The section leader seeks his approval on some additional training for her team. “Starting next week, I’d like to start a training regime to improve my section’s endurance and running ability. I think we are lacking in those areas.”

There are no missions currently on the board, so Quinn gives his approval. “Is that all?”

“No sir,” she continues. “I believe our current strength at Waw an Namus is insufficient to hold the oasis. Our presence and Sheik Mansur’s family history may be construed as an attempt to reconstitute the Libyan state. Troy will certainly report what he has seen to the French. I believe this will bring an attack on the oasis. The EU will most likely use Algerian mercenaries again.”

The former SBS officer sits back. He weighs her words and intentions before responding. “And what would your recommendation be?”

“Increase our strength to a full platoon along with a heavy weapons section … with the Sheik’s approval, of course.”

“That goes without saying. Anything else?”

“Yes sir.” Natty breathes deeply. “We should have a long range patrol operating in the desert to the north and west of Wan an Namus. This force would be able to identify and intercept attacks heading for the oasis. Such a unit would also be in a position to gather intelligence and preempt attacks before they happen.”

Quinn is no fool. “And do you have a Team in mind?”

Natty looks him in the eye. “I would like to volunteer my section, sir.”

The Commander assesses the gangly biogen. “Your suggestion has some merit. I will pass it along; dismissed.”

Natty snaps a crisp salute. She turns on her heal and leaves. The Team may not appreciate her volunteering them, but, oh well.

***

 

Wednesday, March 15, 2051:

Martin Atkins is once again there to greet them as they step off the bus. His Hawaiian shirt is deep red, covered in a riot of palms and tropical leaves. “Welcome back. We’re going to start in about fifteen minutes. Please sign in at the reception table and pick up your name tags.

The team members check in. Brandon sees Cole, standing off to one side. He goes over to say hi. Jerry Deegan finds Hanna, “Hey beautiful, what’s shaking?”

The prowler hides her disgust and stares at him impassively.

“What say you and me get together after this snooze fest?”

The silent treatment isn’t working so she tries to blow him off, “I don’t know, Jack. I’ll think about it.” Hanna walks away before Jerry can say anything else.

Natty is not interested in mingling. Her mind is focused on calculating possible threats to Waw an Namus. She heads into the conference room and finds a seat. The section leader is so preoccupied she forgets to put on her ‘don’t fuck with me’ scowl. It takes a minute for her to realize someone is sitting next to her.

She turns to her left, expecting to see another member of the team. Instead, there’s a complete stranger looking back. His name tag reads ‘Nelson’. The man looks as surprised as Natty. Caught staring, he gives her an embarrassed smile and looks away. He consciously avoids looking back to his right. She finds something sweet about that. He’s also kind of cute.

Brian Croyer starts the seminar. Today’s subject is Islamic culture. As before, those who listen and do well on the exercises get to pick a prize from his grab bag. Fluent in Arabic and very familiar with the culture, Mason excels. When given the opportunity to select a prize, the former marine chooses a yo-yo.

It’s fairly intricate for a novelty prize. The outer clear plastic sphere is embossed with the Global Share Logo. Inside is a second blue and green globe with the continents and oceans molded in hard plastic. The inner globe rotates with the spinning action of the yo-yo.

When Mason returns to his seat, Brandon leans over and asks, “Why a yo-yo?”

The former marine smiles, “Trade bait. If we go back to Waw an Namus, this little baby should get me fresh water delivered for at least a week.”

Brian Croyer closes the lecture with an announcement. “Thank you all for attending. There is one final activity…” a murmur of discontent goes through the crowd. “This exercise is completely voluntary. Global Share is sponsoring an event at the Hoof & Bray Club. All of you are invited to attend. Your first drink is on us.”

The promise of a free drink actually elicits some cheers.

“For those who are interested in going, there are buses waiting out front.”

The Team members are all game to go. A free drink is a free drink. Nelson is ahead of Natty as they exit the building. Instead of letting go of the door, he holds it open for her. She braces for the obligatory macho posturing or for him to make a pass. Counter to her expectations, he smiles politely and nods as she passes through.

Natty slows down as if waiting for the rest of her team to catch up. The delay lets her check out Nelson as he heads toward the buses; nice physique, cute butt…he’s definitely easy on the eyes. The biogen forgets about the others and follows him onto a bus. She slides into the seat next to him. As the vehicle pulls away Natty catches him looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

He appears interested, but maybe to timid, so she takes the initiative. “Hi.”

The man’s face flushes, but he manages to return her greeting. “Hello. My name is Nelson.”

“Yes, I know.”

“I…” He doesn’t seem to comprehend how Natty could know his name. She finds it adorable.

The biogen gives him a light poke in the name tag. “It says so right here.”

Through embarrassed laughter he manages to say, “Of course … And you must be Natalie.”

“Everyone calls me Natty.”

The two chat during the short bus ride. She enjoys listening to him talk. Nelson is from northern California. He’s signed up for a two year stint with Global Share. “I was hoping for Lebanon, but it looks like I’m being posted in Egypt. I don’t know how much call there’ll be for a carpenter, but wherever they send me, I want to do something meaningful…”

Nelson realizes he’s been dominating the conversation. He starts to feel self-conscious and asks Natty, “Why are you here?”

“Oh, I’m paid to be here.”

Nelson looks confused. “I thought all Global Share personnel were volunteers?”

“I don’t work for Global Share. I’m a mercenary with the Bast Corporation. My job is to keep you alive so you can do yours.”

He seems to have trouble with her last statement. The biogen hopes she hasn’t scared him off. After a moment of personal deliberation, Nelson asks, “So what’s that like?”

(GM Note: The thought that she was a corporate soldier isn’t what gave him pause. He was having difficulty reconciling his mental image of a mercenary with the young, gangly girl, sitting in the seat next to him. Looking at her sweet smile, he couldn’t imagine her threatening anyone.)

Mason has his own encounter during the bus ride to the Hoof & Bray Club. He chose a seat near the back. As the bus fills up, the seat next to him remains vacant. Someone finally sits down. Though dressed in civies he doesn’t carry himself like the others. Mason takes a look at the man’s shoes. He’s wearing Bast Corporation standard issue combat boots.

The former marine asks, “So, you’re a Bast employee?”

“Yup.” The man extends his hand. “The name is Kenny Pagnazzi, and you?”

“Mason, Mason Verge,” The two shake. “So, you’re new in country?”.

“Six weeks.”

The former marine asks his favorite question. “Seen any action yet?”

Kenny shakes his head, “Nah … not around here. Not much seems to happen on Cyprus.”

“Oh,” A slight note of condensation creeps into Mason’s voice. “You ever see any action.”

“I was a cop for six years in Trenton, New Jersey.”

“No, I mean real action.”

Kenny’s face grows hard, “You’ve never been to Trenton, have you?”

Mason faces forward. He exhales loudly while shaking his head. Kenny moves to another seat.

Hanna hadn’t expected Natty to sit down with someone else. She had followed her friend onto the bus, hoping that they could sit together. She takes the window seat, two rows back, and scrunches down. Sadly here stealth skills can’t help her on a crowded bus. Jerry Deegan plops down beside her, “Hey babe.”

She sighs and turns to look out the window. “Hi, Jack.”

Deegan manages to talk through the entire ride. Hanna pushes his voice to the back of her mind, till it’s no more than a background buzz. It’s still annoying but bearable. Then the brazen New Yorker puts his hand on her thigh. The prowler grabs the offending digits and squeezes. Cybernetically enhanced strength allows her to exert a tremendous amount of pressure. Hanna moves Jerry’s hand to his own knee then turns back to the widow. He doesn’t touch her again, but the annoying buzz starts again.

Brandon and Cole sit next to each other for the ride. They strike up a conversation about New York. In his former life as Grave, the biosynthetic spent a good deal of time in the Big (Rotten) Apple. Given his familiarity with the city, the background of his cover identity has him spending time New York. Though Brandon can’t admit it, he knows a couple of the people Cole mentions.

The buses leave Larnaca and drive the picturesque Cypriot countryside. After 10 minutes, they pass through a small village and pull up next to a paddock of donkeys. At the far side of the paddock is a medium sized building sporting a large sign that reads ‘The Hoof and Bray Club’.

It doesn’t look like much, from the outside. The interior leaves many of the volunteers wondering what they’ve gotten themselves into. There are few if any walls. What they took for an open air patio is actually the interior of the bar. Abutting the back of the establishment is a larger fenced in area with tall striped posts near either end. A cantilevered platform extends from the roof of the building, out over the center of the field.

Tacked to the few interior walls and all over the supporting posts of the ceiling, are pictures and articles that tell the history of the bar and of the Cyprus donkeys. The Hoof & Bray Club is a favorite destination for one of the island’s most popular sports: Donkey Polo!

The donkey holds a special place in the hearts of many Cypriots. They were a popular beast of burden even after use of motor transport became available. Many were abandoned by Greek Cypriot farmers during the Turkish invasion in 1974. Hundreds of Cyprus donkeys lived in a feral state on the Karpass Peninsula in the former Turkish-controlled northern part of Cyprus.

After the United Nations collapsed there was no money to maintain the peacekeeping forces that patrolled the demilitarized zone between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot Republics. Turkey faced its own problems and eventually had to withdraw its troops. Great Britain did what it could, but they were similarly focused on problems at home. As the border fences failed, the beloved donkeys began to wander into the minefields.

Deaths and maiming of wild donkeys fostered a movement to save the animals. It was a common cause that Cypriots on both sides could get behind. This meant that the minefields and border fences had to go. Reunification began in Nicosia with the removal of the partitioning barriers that had divided the island’s capital city for nearly 30 years.

Polo was brought to the island by British officers during the colonial period after World War One. The sport maintained its popularity even after the island’s independence in the early 1960s. Only the wealthy could afford to maintain a string of polo ponies, but the Cypriots found a way to combine their love for the sport and the large number of donkeys on the island. It didn’t hurt, that it also gave them a way to poke fun at the British.

Donkey Polo is played all over the island at establishments like the Hoof and Bray Club. It has its own leagues and tournaments. The ball and mallets used in standard polo play have been replaced by a soccer ball and brooms. A kickball is also acceptable for beginner play and friendly matches. It’s what the participants in Global Share’s team building exercise will be using today…but first, drinks!

Mason walks up to the bar, “Whiskey.”

The bartender sets up a tumbler and pours a shot of a low end whiskey.

“I don’t drink this. Give me top shelf.”

“Sorry, your Global Share chit doesn’t cover that.”

Mason lays a twenty pound note on the bar. A single malt scotch comes off the top shelf.

Natty orders ouzo for herself and Nelson. Hanna asks for a ‘Sex on the Beach’, which stumps the bartender. “What’s in that?” Jerry steps in to give him the recipe. Brandon and Cole grab themselves a beer and continue their talk. The two are soon joined by Kenny Pagnazzi.

The house band kicks off a set. Natty grabs Nelson and heads for the dance floor. Hanna follows with Jerry in tow. The New Yorker is counting his blessings, till there’s a tap on the shoulder. The interloper is young and handsome. Hanna notes his clothes. They look stylish and expensive.

“May I cut in?”

Hanna steps into the newcomers arms, “Of course!”

Jerry offers a feeble protest, but she doesn’t hear him; or care. Her focus is on her new dance partner. The prowler can almost smell the money.

When the band takes a break, a man takes the stage to explain the rules of Donkey Polo. Jerry doesn’t pay attention to the MC. His attention is focused on Hanna’s new suitor. He fights a losing battle to win back her affections. The New Yorker goes through most of what he brought with him, buying her drinks.

The MC puts out the call for teams of four. “Let me know your team name and I’ll add you to the board.” A drunken cheer goes up among the bar regulars when one of their own shouts out, “Put up Hoof Hearted”. Four off-duty British soldiers stand up. “Add the Royals to the list.”

Brandon and Kenny Pagnazzi team up with Martin Chase and Harold Dent, from the company’s ground crew at Larnaca. Since they all work for Bast Corporation they call themselves the ‘Bast Turds’. Natty and Nelson join up with two Global Share volunteers, Dave Kaban and Isadore Kostopoulis. They dub themselves the ‘Demo Kats’.

Mason heads over the ring to watch the contest. He palms a small rock, to liven things up if match gets boring.

The first match pits the ‘Bast Turds’ against “Hoof Hearted’. Team members are given the opportunity to choose their own mounts from the paddock. Most just head for the closest animal, but Brandon looks them over carefully. The biosynthetic has no skill working with animals, but he feels he picked a good one.

A cheer goes up as the riders lead their mounts to the field of play. The referee takes his position on the suspended platform. He holds up the game ball, as the teams take their positions. The MC calls out from the rail, “Are you ready?”

When the ball drops, the teams try to spur their donkey’s forward. The animals head in all directions. Half the challenge of the sport is trying to coax your mount into cooperating. Brandon’s care in selecting a donkey pays off. He’s actually heading towards the ball. A swipe of his broom sends it on a bouncing roll towards the goal posts. None of the opposition can steer their donkeys into a position to block the shot. The ball rolls through scoring the first goal.

The match continues to the delight of the drunken crowd. Hanna and Natty cheer for Brandon’s team. Mason nurses his second drink. He rolls the small stone around in his hand. No one out there seems to need any help falling off their mounts or looking ridiculous. Even Brandon with his exceptional reflexes manages to fall off once (on a botch). The ‘Bast Turds’ manage to pull out a 2-1 victory.

The ‘Demo Kats’ take on the ‘Royals’ in the second match. Natty takes a lesson from Brandon and carefully selects her mount. The biogen has no animal handling skills, but she hopes her own animal nature will help. One of them nuzzles at her hand. “And who are you,” she asks.

The wrangler answers for the donkey, “That’s Baba Louie. He likes you.”

It could be arrogance or the considerable amounts of alcohol they’d consumed, but British soldiers’ superior skill does not carry the day. David Kaban and Nelson’s mounts wander aimlessly. Both have trouble bringing them under control. If falls to Isadore Kostopoulis and Natty to carry the match for the ‘Demo Kats’. They win 2-1.

The victory puts them in a head to head match against the ‘Bast Turds’

“You’re going down, Heath!” Natty playfully shouts, pointing her broom at Brandon.

The ball drops and the two teams ‘spur’ their mounts forward. Some actually respond. The others wander where they want or just stand still. The crowd roars its approval. Natty gets Baba Louie moving towards the ball. She passes it to Isadore, who knocks it through for the first point.

Time ticks away with the score still at 1-0. Nelson loses his grip and falls off his donkey. The animal seems unwilling to let him remount. While chasing after his donkey, he accidentally intercepts Brandon’s shot on goal. The ball hits him square with a loud in the face with a loud, “Thunk.” The ball goes straight up in the air. Natty swings her broom like a bat, sending a line drive towards the ‘Bast Turds’ goal. The ball bounces through giving them a 2-0 lead.

Natty bends down to check on Nelson and manages to fall off Baba Louie. (botched, then rolled a 10). She face-plants into the ground; taking some minor damage in the process. The biogen’s head is ringing as she jumps to her feet … and goes right back down (botched athletics roll to stand quickly). She decides to lie there for a moment and gather her thoughts.

Hanna tries to climb over the rail to help her fallen friend. She falls ass over tea kettle, giving everyone an unobstructed view of her thong. The crowd cheers. Having recovered from his run in with the ball, Nelson leans down to check on Natty. The biogen has shaken off the effects of her own accident, but lets him help her to her feet. She is favoring one ankle, so Nelson helps her off the field. Mason is sure that she’s acting and rolls his eyes.

The two have had enough Donkey Polo for today. This leaves the ‘Demo Cats’ down two players. Instead of forfeiting, the remaining team members ask if they can continue. There is only a little time left on the clock and with the difficulty most of them had had controlling their donkeys, Isadore feels they still have a good change of winning. The chant of “Let them play” from the crowd convinces the MC and ref to let play continue.

Brandon is able to score a quick goal on the depleted ranks of the ‘Demo Cats’, but time expires before the ‘Bast Turds’ can tie the score. The winning team receives a 100 pound gift certificate to the Hoof & Bray Club. The second place team gets a free drink as a consolation prize.

Winning is nice, but Nelson is concerned that Natty may have injured herself badly. “Maybe you should have your ankle checked. Do you want me to get you a cab home?”

“That might be best. Will you come with me?”

He agrees without hesitation.

Natty would like nothing more than some alone time with Nelson, but she can tell that Hanna is in a bad way. Leaving her friend behind is out of the question. The biogen dials back her ‘wounded bird’ act, to help Nelson get Hanna into the cab. During the ride back to base housing, the prowler passes out with her head in Natty’s lap.

(GM Note: Bringing multiple out of game comments to the affect “It’s nowhere she hasn’t been before.”)

After putting Hanna to bed, the two sit out by the pool and talk. Noise from inside the ‘boys’ side of the duplex announces the return of the rest of the team. Thankfully, no one comes out and disturbs them. After a few ice teas and several hours of conversation, Natty offers Nelson a ride home.

She pulls her Porsche 1244 out of the garage and takes him back to the Global Share dormitory. There are a number of pauses and awkward silences as the two say good-bye, but as he is about to get out of the car, Natty stops him. “Look, I’m not very good at this. My job is really dangerous sometimes and … damn, I suck at this. Look, I like you. You’re different from most of the people I meet and I’d like to get to know you better.”

Crimson creeps into Nelson’s cheeks. His lips twitch then contort into an embarrassed smile. “Well, that’s another thing we have in common. I’m not very good at this either, but, yeah, I would like to see you again.”

Natty scrambles though her glove box for a pen and paper and scribbles down her personal cell number. Nelson gives her his. They smile at each other and the Californian goes back into his dorm. The biogen drives home with a grin on her face.

***

 

Thursday, March 16, 2051:

The Team continues to enjoy its week off. Hanna takes in some sun, while nursing a hangover. There has been no word from Duke, Owen or Nip, but Commander Quinn promises they will soon return from whatever ‘secret’ mission he sent them on. Mason continues to keep an eye out for the ‘cigarette smoking suit’ and his friend.

(GM Note: Actually, those players had other commitments when we ran that session: one was visiting her mother out of state, the second was playing in a major Warhammer 40K tournament and the last was at a LARP. It was just easier to explain their ‘in game’ absence with a ‘secret mission’.)

Commander Quinn calls Natty to his office.

“Since you’ve may run into him again, I thought you should see this.” He hands her a thick file. The biogen flips it open and is confronted by a picture of Sean Kennon. She flips through the reports and documents behind it, while the commander gives his assessment.

“This man is NOT a friend of Global Share or the Bast Corporation. He is a loose cannon that may pose a threat to what Global Share is doing. Kennon believes that NGOs and security organizations, such as ours, are being used as fronts by false flag infiltrators. From what we can tell, he has the ear of the Sheikh’s son and possibly the Sheikh himself.”

Natty thanks him for the file. If it was the commander’s intent to turn her against Sean it doesn’t work. The biogen feels Kennon is probably right. While she has faith in the Bast Corporation’s intentions, she isn’t so sure about Global Share and the other NGOs and security corporations. Returning to her quarters, she looks up the professor’s published works and begins to read.

***

 

Friday, March 17, 2051:

The Team continues to enjoy their time off, blissfully unaware of what Natty has in store for them during the coming week. Commander Quinn notifies the section leader that Waw an Namus is being reinforced. “Prepare your team for desert operations.” A return to the desert oasis seems imminent. Natty reworks the training schedule to include lessons in ‘Tebu’, the language of the Toubou.

In the early afternoon, the four team members, currently on base, head over to the cookout for Bast personnel. Mason and Brandon wear their fatigue pants with t-shirts. The girls dress for comfort and sex appeal. They go in shorts and bikini tops, which seems to be the default dress code for the women at the party. Men still outnumber women which makes Hanna happy, but there are a fair amount of female personnel working for the Bast Corporation.

Mason talks with Morris and Pace. He finds out that barbeque is a sendoff party. The two will be shipping out with their platoon to Niger. They are being sent to reinforce the current security contingent protecting Global Share’s operations in the country. Mason keeps mum while Morris tells him about the problems they’ve been having Tuareg raiders. “The real problem, are the French. They’ve been making noise along the border. Something might happen soon. That’s probably why the government approved Global Share’s request for more protection.”

Brandon is chatted up by one of the female troopers. Gia is clearly attracted to him, but he doesn’t return her interest. The biomechanical is polite if a bit dispassionate. She eventually moves on.

Hanna and Natty try their luck at volleyball. The prowler does respectably, but Natty is just awful. Her mind doesn’t seem to be in the game. Their team is soundly beaten.

The biogen’s phone rings, while she’s trying to clean the sand out of her bikini top. It’s Nelson.

“Hey, there’s a group of us going to Lady’s Mile Beach tomorrow. We were going to make a day of it. George says he can get us into a club in Limassol … did you meet George the other day?

Natty doesn’t remember meeting anyone named George, but the wheels start spinning in her brain. “That sounds great.”

“Invite your Team. It should be a blast.”

“Hey!” The biogen realizes one of troopers on volleyball team is yelling at her from the pit. “Hang it up. We got a game here!”

“OK, gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Hanging up, she leaves the phone with her sandals and runs back to the volleyball pit. The biogen takes her position, apologizing to her teammates, “Sorry.” Taking a deep breath, she puts on her game face. Natty claps her hands loudly. “Let’s do this.”

The call from Nelson has filled her with energy. They go on to crush their opponents. There are boos and shouts of ‘Ringer’ from those watching on the sidelines. It seems some bets had been laid down on the game.

(GM Note: Natty’s player rolled a 10 on her athletics roll, Hanna’s rolled an 8.)

Mason learns more about Pace and Morris. Before joining the Bast Corporation, Corporal Pace was in the United States Army. He made the transition to corporate military because there was a better chance of advancement. “The higher pay doesn’t hurt either.”

Sergeant Morris left the New Zealand Navy to work for the security company. During his stint with the Navy, he served on small patrol boats off the North Island. “It would have been a sweet duty except for those damn Nomads,”

Mason’s back stiffens. “Nomads are just people trying to get by.”

Morris stares at him for a second… “They’re just a bunch of pirates.”

“They’re not pirates,” the former marine corrects. “They’re nomads!”

Pace shakes his head, “Pirates, nomads, same thing.”

Mason walks away before he says or does something he’ll regret.

When they are back at the house, Natty tells everyone about Nelson’s invitation. All are eager to go, but the group lacks enough transport to get to Limassol.

Brandon has a way to solve their problem. “I’ll go into Larnaca and pick up a car. I’ve been meaning to get one. Now is as good a time as any. I’ll just register it here on base.”

Hanna yells “shotgun.”

Mason doesn’t want to be left out, so they all pile into Natty’s car. Within a couple hours, Brandon drives back to the base in his brand new Toyo-Chevrolet Hopper.

Hanna and Natty look up hotels in Limassol. There’s no way either of them are going to go straight from the beach to a nightclub. They reserve two rooms so that they have a place to change, and in case the night runs late. Natty makes sure her room has a large bed.

 

 

 

 

 

Episode 10 – A Day at the Beach, a Night at the Clubs

 

 

Partying at Lady’s Mile is a fun day in the sun, but not everyone can kick back and relax. For some team members the beach is nothing more than a vulnerable tactical position with no decent cover. Brandon swims towards danger. Nip attacks the floating obstacle course with wild abandon. Natty takes it upon herself, to ‘accidentally’ put Jerry Deegan out of commission, for the day.

The party moves from Lady’s Mile to a club, in Limassol’s old city. Knowing the right person gets them past the line and into a private club beneath the Rostov. Natty steals some private time with Nelson, but questions about their hosts linger.

Quinn calls with an emergency mission, cutting their time off short.

 

Background

The long running Czech Civil War escalates. EU forces cross into Poland, with the stated objective of eliminating Free Czech Army camps near the border. The true goal is to punish the Poles for their continued support of a group that has labeled a terrorist organization by the EU. A resurgent Germany promises a swift victory, but the Blitzkrieg of 1939 can’t be repeated.

The Polish Army resists with a fierceness and courage that surprises EU forces. ‘Volunteers’ from Russian and Belarus pour into Poland to aid, “their Slavic brothers and sisters.” While no official declaration of war is made by the Russian government, the EU responds to this provocation, by attacking the warships of Russia’s Rocket Corps. The Komsomolsk and the Potemkin along with two large transports are destroyed in orbit. EU orbital assets bombard the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Out in the asteroid belt, the Gagarin is severely damaged, but manages to disengage. In the wake of the attack, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan declare war on the European Union. The Scandinavian Bloc declares its neutrality; refusing to help 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 NGO is a Commonwealth charity championed by Queen Victoria II. Its mission is to assist with social and economic development, while promoting cultural tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Global Share’s original focus had been on the member states and territories of the revitalized Commonwealth of Nations, as part of the Commonwealth Free Trade Partnership. Their operations have since expanded.

The Cyberpunk World is a dangerous place. Good intentions provide no armor against bullets or the tyranny of evil men. Global Share has therefore contracted with the Bast Corporation to provide protection for its workers and volunteers in the field.

 

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.

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 was Luke Walker from Texas during the recent Mission to Prague.

Mason Verge (Staff Sergeant): A former Marine Force Recon member turned freelance solo with a good relationship with the Thelas nomads. Mason came to the notice of the Bast Corporation while serving as a security officer at the Petersen Point Hotel during the Fall of the Cotton Kingdoms Campaign.

Natalie ‘Natty’ Lanikova (Warrant Officer 1st Class): ‘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.

Nip Lacey (Corporal): 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.

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

 

The NPCs

Cole is a Global Share volunteer from New York City. He is a small time fixer from New York City. He and Brandon struck up an initial friendship.

Commander Quinn: He is a retired British Navy commander from the Special Boat Service (SBS), who is in charge of all Bast Corporation para-military operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Damien Biggins is a Global Share volunteer from Australia. He loves barbeque and the old Fast & Furious movies. He and Duke struck up an initial friendship.

David Kaban is a volunteer of Global Share on Cyprus going to Niger as a medical tech.

Frieda is a volunteer of Global Share on Cyprus.

George Caceda is a Global Share volunteer from San Paulo, Brazil.

Irina is a woman the Team meets at Club Rostov in Limassol.

Isadore Kostopoulis is a volunteer of Global Share on Cyprus.

Jerry Deegan is a Global Share volunteer from New York City. He is a pickpocket and has the hots for Hanna, who continually blows him off and calls him Jack.

Lev is a man the Team meets at Club Rostov in Limassol. He has a Cossack accent.

Maisie Dunning is a Global Share volunteer who came to the NGO to escape her rich and overbearing father.

Nadine is a volunteer of Global Share on Cyprus.

Nelson Fahn is a volunteer for Global Share. He is a woodworker from California. Natty has taken a liking to him.

Peter Bordunov is a friend of George Caceda from the Rostov Club in Limassol.

Vladimir is a man the Team meets at Club Rostov in Limassol.

 

The Action

Saturday, March 18, 2051:

Duke, Owen and Nip return to base a little after midnight and sack out.

Mason is out the door with the sun rise. He has no intention of letting this trip interfere with his PT. While running past the airfield he catches sight of almost a platoon of corporate troops boarding a C-23 Sherpa. There are at least 20, dressed in full combat gear. To his knowledge, no announcement was made about a new deployment. He slows up to watch the plane taxi and then take off. Mason wonders if this could have anything to with the incident in the mess hall. His search for the two suits continues to weigh on his mind.

The landline rings on the ‘girls’ side of the duplex. Hanna is too comfortable to move. She yells out, “Phone!” expecting Nip or Natty to pick it up. Neither responds. The phone continues to ring. She rolls off the couch with a sigh of exasperation and grabs the handset. “Hello?”

“Hey babe.”

The voice sends a shiver down her spine. What could he want now?

She doesn’t say anything more, but Jerry continues on without prompting. “Some of us are going down to party in Limassol today; should be great fun. Do you wanna come with me?”

“That sounds great Jack, but I have to work today.”

The New Yorker sounds disappointed. “Oh… Well, write down my number. If you get out early, call me. I’ll come get you.”

Natty enters the living room. Hanna ‘writes’ in the air with her index finger.

“Yes, I have it,” she says into the phone, while rolling her eyes towards her friend. “I’ll call you if I get out early; bye.” Hanna hangs up the phone, sick of hearing his voice. She tosses the handset onto the couch, sighing heavily.

“Was that, Jack?”

“Yes. I don’t know why he keeps calling. He doesn’t have any money.”

Natty has to stifle a smile. “Well we’ve rent a couple of hotel rooms at a hotel in Limassol? It will give us a place to change after the beach. That way, we don’t have to come back here and you don’t have to answer the phone if Jack calls again.”

“That sounds great,” Nip calls out as she bounds down the stairs. “We can all be roomies!”

“No, we’re getting two rooms.” Natty has plans for this evening.

“OK.” The netrunner turns to Hanna, with an excited smile. “I can be your roommate.”

The prowler isn’t sure she likes the sound of that so she suggests, “You know … we should see if we can get a three bedroom suite.”

Nip hops online and books them a three bedroom penthouse suite on the beach in Limassol.

On the other side of the duplex Brandon receives a call from Commander Quinn. “An application came across my desk for a man named Cole. He listed you as a reference. Is there something I should know?

The biosynthetic tries to remember his conversation with the Global Share volunteer. “We spoke, but I didn’t ‘recommend’ him.”

“Come to my office Monday.”

Brandon isn’t sure what more there is to add, but he interprets Quinn’s request as a direct order. “Yes sir.”

Duke is in the bathroom for a while, trying to look his best for their outing. The time spent primping pays off, but the biogen runs into a small problem with his new swimsuit. (The player botched her wardrobe and style roll badly). The trunks don’t feel quite right; they pinch in the crotch. Duke attributes the ‘tightness’ to his ample manhood. It’s too late to buy a new suit, so he tries to ignore the discomfort.

(GM Note: Since the player botched the roll, I ruled that the PC put his swim trunks on backwards. The mesh liner therefore bunched up uncomfortably as he walked.)

Cleaned and dressed, Duke searches for a way to get to the beach. Instead of asking his teammates for a ride, the biogen heads over to the motor pool to sign out a motorcycle. The material of the shorts rubs in all the wrong places. A wide stance helps to relieve the pressure, but it earns him strange looks.

The motor sergeant looks at him oddly as he approaches the desk.

After unconsciously adjusting himself, Duke asks, “Do you have motorcycles here?”

“Yes?” It’s as much a question as an answer.

“I’d like to sign one out.”

The sergeant holds out his hand. “Can I see your requisition?”

“Oh, this is for personal business.”

The technician sits back. “So, let me get this straight. You want a vehicle so you can go gallivanting around the island?” Looking back to the paperwork on his desk, he adds dismissively, “Have your commander submit a written request; then we’ll talk.”

Duke knows there is not a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening, so he totters back to the house. Owen is out front. Noticing the biogen’s odd gait and the probable cause, he jokes, “Is that some kind of new fashion statement?”

Duke doesn’t understand. “What?”

Owen points at his trunks and makes a circle with his finger. “Your suit; it’s on backwards.”

The biogen quickly heads into the house and turns the suit around. The shorts are much more comfortable when worn correctly.

Hanna and Nip leave for the hotel in the netrunner’s Avante Sport Spinner. The two sign in and drop off their bags. Natty drives her Porsche over to the Global Share dorms to pick up Nelson.

As the two cruise down the coast towards Limassol, Natty makes an embarrassing confession. “I feel a little foolish, but what is your last name?

“Fahn,” he tells her. “Nelson Fahn.”

The two continue to talk during the forty minute ride to the hotel. Things are going great, till they reach the penthouse. Nelson isn’t quite prepared for his first meeting with Nip. Natty introduces the two before going to her room to get ready. The netrunner takes it upon herself to keep their guest entertained while her friend changes.

She leans in close and smiles. Her mushroom cloud irises are off-putting, but it’s the crazed eagerness behind them … an almost animalist danger, that makes Nelson take a step back. Nip’s hands gesticulate wildly, as they try to keep up with the torrent of words pouring out of her mouth. She gives him no chance to answer or even speak. He can only nod.

The young woman talks his ear off for five minutes; though it seems longer. She eventually winds down her verbal assault by introducing him to her best friend, “Oh, by the way, that’s Fred.”

Nip points to a stuffed ferret on the floor. To Nelson it looks like nothing more than a child’s toy. The doubts he had about Nip’s sanity seem confirmed. Feeling it best to humor her, he walks towards the ‘toy’ ferret, which begins to thrash violently on the floor. Nelson jumps back in surprise.

“I told you it wasn’t ready yet!” Nip huffs.

The Global Share volunteer starts to think it’s all an elaborate prank, till the netrunner brushes past him, and begins to argue with the stuffed animal. “You’re not doing it right.”

Nelson looks lost for what to do, so Hanna comes to his rescue. She taps lightly on his shoulder, so as not to spook him. “Maybe we should go now.”

(GM Note: The stuffed ferret ‘toy’ is actually an articulated drone body that Nip is fabricating for Fred. The NET entity is not completely enthusiastic about this project. There are also several ‘kinks’ that the netrunner still needs to work out.)

Any man would count himself lucky to be seen with these three beautiful women, except for maybe the crazy one. Nip’s conversation with Fred continues as they ride down in the elevator. Natty and Hanna seem oblivious to her antics; not so, the other guests.

An older couple reconsiders boarding the elevator, when stops on the 6th floor. One glance at the burgundy haired woman, arguing with her reflection in mirrored wall is all it takes. They decide to wait for the next car. As the doors slide shut, Nip spins around. She presses up close to Nelson, “So what do you think? Am I right?”

Surprised, he involuntarily steps behind Natty. It’s not his finest moment, but the netrunner unnerves him. The Californian tries to salvage some of his dignity, by responding to her question. “Well ….. er ….. I don’t feel really qualified to venture an opinion.” His answer seems satisfactory. Nelson makes sure that Hanna is sitting behind him for the ride to Lady’s Mile Beach.

(GM Note: Lady’s Miles is a lengthy (7-km / 4-mile) stretch of sand and pebbles, named after the horse of a former colonial governor. It’s the nearest beach to Limassol, starting just south of the cities old port and stretching to the barbed wire border fence of the Akrotiri RAF base. The shallows stretch out for a good distance from the shore, making it a popular destination for families with children. Backing the beach is the Great Salt Pond.)

Leaving the main road, they turn onto a rough dirt track. Natty has to go slow, because the road surface is deeply rutted and pocked with holes. There are several locals camped out at the worse stretches. Watching people wreck their cars must be a spectator sport or a way to earn extra money. The biogen notes their looks of disappointment as the Porsche makes it past the last obstacle.

There are several restaurants and clubs spread along the 4 mile beachfront. Interspersed between these are changing rooms, food carts and stands that rent sunbeds, umbrellas and other beach equipment. Nelson directs Natty to head for the Captain’s Cabin. The beach club is a Limassol institution. In addition to a restaurant and on-beach bar, it offers numerous activities; volleyball courts, beach soccer, snorkeling, watercraft rentals and a floating obstacle course. For those who prefer to relax, there are rows of loungers.

As they exit the car, a young woman waves to Nelson. She runs over to the Californian and gives him an energetic hug. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

Natty feels a pang of jealousy, but is able to hide it when Nelson turns to introduce them to Maisie Dunning.

Back at the duplex, the ‘boys’ finally get themselves organized. Duke rides shotgun in Brandon’s new Toyo-Chevrolet Hopper. Mason and Owen rumble ahead on their Thundergods. The deep throated roar of the Harleys drowns out the quiet whirr of the compact electric car. By the time they pull, they’re about an hour behind the ladies.

Negotiating the rutted access road is a ‘fun’ challenge on a motorcycle; in a low riding city-car, it’s impossible. They reach a washed out section of the road, with a pothole the size of the Grand Canyon. Brandon knows there’s no way he can drive across that, but he and Duke are two strong guys. They decide to carry the car across the gap.

“Do you want the front or back?”

Duke chooses the front. Brandon leaves his white suit coat on the front seat, before squatting down to grab under the back bumper. The locals watch intently. This is something they’ve never seen before. Mason and Owen lean over their handlebars, waiting for the show.

Brandon calls out, “Lift on three.”

Owen pulls out his phone. He wants to be sure to catch this on video. It will make a great post on his MyFace page.

The two men almost pull it off, but the rear end slips out of Brandon’s grasp (botched strength feat roll). The Hopper crashes down, hitting the edge of the hole, with a loud crack.

Between laughs Owen shouts encouragement. “Grab the frame, not the fiberglass!”

Their second attempt succeeds. Brandon walks around the car looking for damage. A piece of the rear quarter panel is hanging loose. It looks like an easy repair, but not here on the side of the road. The biomechanical easily pulls the broken plastic loose and tosses it in the back of the car.

Owen and Mason rejoin the pair and lead the way on the last quarter mile to the Captain’s Cabin. The Thundergods turn heads as they roll along the beach front road. No one pays attention to the Hopper following behind. Duke jumps out of the car as Brandon parks.

Of the four of them, he’s the only dressed for the beach. The others brought suits to change into, but fun in the sun can wait. They head straight to the bar. Duke joins Natty and the other girls.

The ration of men to women looks to be about 4 to 1. Envious glances are directed at Nelson as he enjoys the attention of four of the choicest beauties at the party. Most of the men there would love to be in his shoes, but none walk over to join the conversation. Duke’s arrival changes the equation. Isadore Kostopoulis and Dave Kaban use donkey polo as an excuse to talk with Natty … and Nelson. They discuss getting the ‘Demo Cats’ together for one last game before Dave ships out next week.

Natty asks, “Where are you going?”

“To Niger.”

“Really? What are you going to be doing?”

“I lucked out. They need a med tech in Bilma.” Dave explains that he use to be an EMT in Detroit. He also lets slip that Maisie is picking up the cost of the party. “It’s a send off for those of us shipping out.”

The fair haired woman’s cheeks flush. She seems embarrassed by the fact that she comes from money. Maisie tries to change the subject. She takes Nelson aside to discuss an upcoming training seminar.

Natty can’t help but notice that she is very ‘touchy feely’. That twinge of jealousy starts to come back, but curiosity wins out, “So where are you going Isadore?”

The Greek shrugs. “I don’t know yet.”

Duke is confused. “But isn’t this party for the volunteers that are leaving?”

Isadore gives him a smile. “I came as Dave’s plus one.”

The biogen laughs along with the others, even though he doesn’t fully understand.

Natty wonders if this means Nelson will be leaving sooner than she expected.

Nip sees a collection of colorful floats that are a sort of obstacle course that you can run through. The netrunner cries out, “I want to do that!”

Duke follows her over to make sure Nip doesn’t get in too much trouble as the others continue to talk.

During a lull in the conversation, Dave mentions to Hanna, “Jerry’s’s here. I think he was looking for you.”

The prowler rolls her eyes. “Not again.”

Her reaction tells them Jerry doesn’t have a chance. Isadore and Dave see it as a chance to try their luck. Hanna looks to Natty for help. The biogen steals a glance at Nelson, to make sure he’s looking the other way, then slips an around her friend’s waist. “Jack doesn’t have a prayer. Hanna doesn’t roll that way.”

Natty kisses her deeply. Hanna’s lips part to accept her lover’s probing tongue. Isadore and Dave have to adjust themselves as they watch the pair sensually suck face. Natty slowly pulls back with a contented sigh. She licks her lips then smiles at the shocked, but aroused looks, on the faces of the two Global Share volunteers. No further words are exchanged as she and Hanna each grab an arm and lead Nelson towards the beach.

Isadore and Dave stare after them. “That lucky son of a bitch,” Isadore mumbles. Dave absently nods his head in agreement.

Owen saves another video to his phone. He now has two choice posts for his MyFace page. Crank is glad Brandon suggested they sit outside. It gave them a perfect view of the girl on girl action. The larger man notes that scene seems to bother Mason. Brandon looks completely unaffected.

With the show over, Owen can feel a familiar tension returning. He scans the beach and rode looking for possible threats. It doesn’t long for the solo’s hyper-vigilance to draw Brandon’s attention.

“What’s up?”

Owen doesn’t spare him a glance. A moment’s inattention could cost them their lives. “I’m on watch.”

Brandon tries to put the situation in perspective. “We’re on the beach, at a party, with cold drinks and lots of civilians around.”

“Yes, it’s the perfect time for someone to take out a high end special operations team.”

The biomechanical mulls that one over.

1. No one knows they’re a spec ops team.
2. None of them have reputations for being spec ops.
3. As far as the world is concerned, they’re the 1st section of a logistical and supply platoon.
4. None of that will mean a thing to Owen.

Arguing the point would be a waste of time, so Brandon lets it go and returns to people watching. “Knock yourself out.”

As Owen scans his surroundings, he notices a group of youths sizing him up. They look to be locals, probably no more than 7 or 8 years old. As soon as they realize he’s staring back, the boys look away. Over time, they work up the courage and approach. When they are within five feet, Owen quickly turns to look at them. “Yeah?”

The group runs away squealing. Brandon chuckles to himself. Two of the braver youths are back a few minutes later, with a rusty piece of rebar. They approach Owen hesitantly. The larger boy nudges his companion, who looks at the thick gauge metal rod, in his hand, and then back at Owen. His eyes are wide. Whatever he was going to ask seems lost. All that comes out is, “You’re really big.”

The look of awe amuses him. Owen leans forward. “Yes … I am.”

The child holds up the rebar; offering it to him with both hands. “Can you bend this?”

Owen takes the piece of metal. The large man easily bends it in half then twits it around itself, creating a loop at the end. He hands it back. Both boys stare at it in amazement. The smaller one looks up at Owen with a gap tooth grin. The boys run off to rejoin their friends and show off their prize.

Brandon decides it’s time for a swim. After a quick change, he swims out beyond the shallows into deep water. There’s no one else out this far. He enjoys the peace and quiet.

Nip signs up for the water obstacle course. There is quite a line and they will call her before her and her ‘plus 1’ are up. So she wanders off and eventually loses Duke. There is too much to see and do. While bopping around the beach with Fred, she spots Hanna. Skimpy bikini, sexy wiggle, the prowler is obviously ‘trawling’ for a man. An evil grin crosses Nip’s face. The cybergoth stalks her friend. She closes and then pounces, “Surprise!”

(GM Note: A complete Calvin and Hobbes moment.)

Hanna lets out a shriek as the two topple to the sand. Owen and Mason rocket out of their chairs. The former Marine reflexively reaches for his sidearm. A quick scan reveals the source of the scream. The two men return to their drinks, but stay vigilant.

Natty helps Nip and Hanna up from the sand. The netrunner is beaming. Natty fights to hide her own smile. Maisie walks up with two other women, who she introduces as Nadine and Frieda. Both are volunteers with Global Share. “We are getting a 6 on 6 volleyball game going, girls versus guys. Wanna team up?”

“Sure,” Nip answers cheerily.

Natty smiles, “Beating the boys sounds like fun.”

Hanna shrugs, “Why not.”

Her attitudes changes as they approach the court and she sees Jerry. The prowler lets out an exaggerated groan. “Oh my God, it’s Jack.”

Maisie looks at the ‘men’s’ team and then back to Hanna. “Do you mean Jerry? What’s wrong with him?”

The prowler is brutally honest. “He doesn’t have any money.”

Her answer shocks Maisie. “You’re pretty shallow, aren’t you?”

Hanna takes a moment to consider her answer. She could come up with a lie, but why bother. The prowler doesn’t really care what this woman thinks, so she sticks to the truth. “Yes, I am.”

Their host’s face clouds with consternation. There is no good way to respond, so she let’s the issue drop. Maisie walks to the court, calling back to the others, “let’s go ladies.” Hanna shrugs and takes her position. Jerry blows her a kiss.

Natty leans over to discuss some last minute strategy. “Get his attention.”

As the biogen prepares to serve, Hanna makes a production of adjusting her bikini top. She smiles seductively at Jerry. Transfixed by her breasts, the New Yorker fails to notice the ball heading directly at his head.

Natty intentionally spikes the ball into Jerry’s face. It his him square in the nose. As he falls over backwards into the sand, her hands go to her mouth. She cringes and calls out with feigned innocence, “Sorry!”

Jerry is dazed, and unable to make it off the court without help.

David Kaban calls out for ice while he bends down to examine the New Yorker. The white beach towel held to his face is stained crimson. Maisie watches with tight lips. When the med tech stands, she quickly asks, “Is he alright?”

Dave delivers a conservative diagnosis. “Nothing seems to be broken, but I can’t rule out a concussion. He’s still disoriented. It would be best to get him out of the sun. ”

With Jerry sidelined, someone steps in to take his place. The volleyball match goes on, with the ladies beating the men handily. Another team of local Cypriots steps up to take on the winners, but Maisie declines.

“Aw, c’mon, just one more game,” Nip begs.

“If we play again, it will limit our time on the obstacle course.” Maisie explains that the floating obstacle course is a popular attraction. Due to safety concerns, only so many people are allowed on it at a given time. This is the time she had reserved for the global share volunteers.

Nip forgets about volleyball and races towards the water, laughing excitedly.

Nelson and Natty go to watch Nip on the water course. ‘Abandoned’ by her friends, Hanna decides to lay out, rather than playing with another team.

The blare of a horn catches Brandon’s attention. He stops swimming and looks back towards the beach. There is a moment of disorientation, when he doesn’t see the obstacle course or rows of lounge chairs set up in front of the Captain’s Cabin beach club. The club is far off to his right, maybe about a mile away. Looming to his left is high cyclone fence topped with barbed wire.

The horn blares again. Brandon sees someone in a uniform signaling him from shore. The man waves him away from the fence. He points back in the direction of the Captain’s Cabin. The biomechanical waves back to acknowledge he understands. Rather than swimming all the way back, he angles toward the beach and walks.

(GM Note: Brandon was caught in a rip current, running south; parallel to the beach. The horn was to warn him off, before he crossed the boundary of the Akrotiri RAF base.)

Back at the Captain’s Cabin Duke runs into Damien Biggins. “Hey, had any good barbeque lately?” he calls out.

“Eh, mate,” the Aussie replies, “good ’ta see ya.”

The two talk as they wander down to the water’s edge. Neither is interested in joining their friends as the caper along the floating beams, trampolines and artificial mountains of the water course. Damien has his assignment. “I’m shipping out to Niger. I was hoping for something important or at least interesting,” he grouses. “I could pick up boxes and move them around back at home and get paid for it.”

Damien watches Nip ‘bounce’ along the course. “Whoa! Now that’s a fine looking filly.”

“She talks with her imaginary friend,” Duke warns.

The Aussie isn’t deterred. If anything, he’s more interested. “Crazy chicks are hot … as long as they aren’t packing a knife.”

Nip’s superior reflexes leave Maisie in the dust. She scampers over the obstacles with hardly a miss-step. She could race straight through, if not for slower people ahead of her. The cybergoth tries to reign in her aggravation while waiting for a girl to shimmy across one of the platforms. As soon as the way is clear, she bounds ahead. The wake of her push off makes the platform undulate in the water, sending the person on the other end into the drink.

Nip yells, “Sorry!” over her shoulder, but keeps going.

The netrunner reaches the last trampoline. She bounces high into the air and lands on the Aqua Launch beyond, sending the unprepared teenager on the other end spinning into the air. Nip takes his place on the bag waiting for the next person to send her sailing. Maisie doesn’t disappoint her. The cybergoth shrieks with delight as she is launched into the water.

A shadow falls across Hanna causing her to open her eyes. There is a handsome man with wavy black hair and a deep tan sitting on the edge of the lounger, next to hers. “You should be careful not to get too much sun with wearing sunscreen.”

Hanna has the Euro UV treatment. The changes of her burning are minimal, but there’s no need for him to know that. “I can’t seem to get at my back, could you help?” She smiles sweetly and rolls over onto her stomach.

He is more than happy to oblige. While massaging in the lotion, the man invites Hanna to join him at a cookout down the beach. His hands feel good, but there is a small voice of caution at the back of her mind. She reluctantly turns him down.

Natty seeks out Maisie, with Nelson and Hanna, as the afternoon grows late. Her plan had been to thank her for a great day at the beach then find out where they’d be meeting that night. Hanna doesn’t bother with the pleasantries. “So, where is everyone meeting tonight?”

Maisie doesn’t answer the prowler. She directs her response to Natty and Nelson. “We’ll be meeting outside the Rostov in the old city. George has a friend who can get us all in.”

“What time?” asks Duke. He has overheard her answer while walking over with Damien.

Maisie is surprised he could hear her at such a distance, but answers “around 10:30.”

Natty suggest they eat before going to the club. “Does anyone know a good local restaurant?”

Maisie doesn’t know Limassol well. “George might know one.”

Nip runs toward the group, “I want to go out to eat!”

Duke catches Damien admiring the way the cybergoth’s breasts sway, in her tight bikini top, as she bounces up to them. He asks if his new friend can come with them. The answer is a resounding, “Yes!”

George suggests Petroktisto. “They have the best seafood in the city. I’ll call to make a reservation.” The plan is to meet for dinner at seven, dine then head to the club.

“Let’s head back to the hotel.” Natty locks arms with Nelson and starts to walk back towards her car. Hanna and Nip follow. Duke catches a ride with Damien. It takes about thirty minutes for Owen, Brandon and Mason to realize the others have left. This leaves them with a bit of a problem. None of the three had bothered to ask which club they were supposed to meet. Owen texts Natty, but she doesn’t respond. They pack up and head back to base.

Back at the penthouse, Natty maneuvers Nelson towards the bathroom. She whispers into his ear, “It would be a crime to waste hot water. Want to join me and do my back?”

The noise of their passion carries to the main room. Hanna sighs heavily remembering Prague. “We’re not going to get any sleep tonight with those two.”

“What do mean?” Nip asks innocently.

Nobody wants to offer an answer. Hanna finally bites the bullet and begins to explain the birds and the bees to the curious netrunner.

(In the NET) Fred has heard enough. He tries to distract Nip. “I’m outa here. There’s a NET arcade in town. Let’s go find a game.”

The NET ferret’s efforts come too late. The netrunner listens in horror to her friend’s explanation. Nip cries out (very) loudly, “That’s disgusting!”

Natty pops her head out the bedroom door. She glares at the cybergoth, adding in a harsh whisper, “Would you please shut the fuck up.”

By 6:30pm everyone is ready. Hanna and Natty pull out all the stops. Between their make-up skills and Royo Body Masks, the two are drop dead gorgeous. The biogen notices the text from Owen and sends him the club name and meet time.

Nip tries to avoid making eye contact with Nelson and Natty at dinner. She’s still trying to wrap he head around what Hanna told her. The netrunner is so preoccupied; she doesn’t notice that Damien keeps stealing glances in her direction. During the meal George mentions he’s from San Paulo, Brazil. This piques Natty’s interest.

“Do you know an Henrique?”

The Brazilian smiles, “I know a number of Henriques,”

“This one is from Rio. He belonged to some boy band and then ran a gang. After that he went back into music?”

George’s eyes light up, “Sure, he’s a big time producer down there now, do you know him?”

“Yeah, I was in a band a few years ago and he produced a record for us.”

The Brazilian studies the girl’s face for a moment and smiles, “You’re Natty Lanikova, the bassist for Velvet Blue!”

George breaks into a more than passable rendition of the band’s (semi) hit song (in Rio anyway) Bloody Mayhem. It draws stares from the other patrons, but Natty, is all smiles. His impromptu serenade brightens her mood. Nip is once again her loud irrepressible self.

She asks George, “What do you do for Global Share?”

“I’m an engineer. I work in water treatment and sanitation systems.”

“So you work with shit?” All conversation stops at Nip’s question.

The netrunner leans forward and sniffs. She seems pleasantly surprised. “Hmm, you don’t smell like shit.”

There complete innocence in her voice. Instead of taking offense, George laughs out loud. The rest of them join in.

Damien leans over and whispers to Duke, “She’s crazy all right.”

The cybergoth overhears and flashes him a toothy grin, “Yup, certifiable!”

Damien listens politely as Nip shares with him of the wonders of robotics. She continues to rattle on about the recent advances in the field, even as they head for the club.

George surveys the line in front of the Rostov. “Wait here.” He walks to the front of the queue to have a quiet word with the doorman. Whatever the Brazilian says doesn’t seem to work. The doorman tells him, loud enough for the line to hear, “You’ll have to wait like everyone else.”

George doesn’t look disturbed by this apparent setback. He returns to the group and quietly tells them, “Follow me.”

The Brazilian takes them down a side alley, towards the back of the club. He heads down a short ramp to a heavy steel door. A camera mounted high on the wall monitors the entrance. George looks up at the camera and smiles. There is an audible click as the locks disengage. Inside is a short hallway with two large men waiting, at the other end, in front of a curtain.

The one on the right motions them forward, while his compatriot holds back the curtain. Everyone is allowed to pass through except for Mason and Owen. They are told, “No guns.”

Mason, who was behind the two, asks, “Do you have a gun check?”

The bouncer to their left responds, “No. Leave them at home.”

Mason leaves with Brandon and Owen when they go to lock their side arms in the biomechanical’s car. Once unarmed, they are allowed to enter. The club’s interior is richly appointed with gold leaf and brocaded wallpaper. Everyone else in their party is already seated at a long wooden table.

Mason looks for a place to put his coat. He spots a door, with a sign over it, reading ‘Cloak Room’. Instead of being filled with coats, the interior looks like a walk-in freezer. One of the staff approaches the former marine. “Sorry sir, this is not the coat check. I can take it for you or you can hang it on the back of your chair.” Not trusting the man, Mason decides to keep his coat when he can see it.

Hanna makes a circuit of the club. Although muted, the can hear the thump of bass from above. Spotting a member of the club’s security standing guard by a door, her prowler instincts kick in. She sidles up to him with a smile, “What’s through there?”

“It goes to the club upstairs.”

Hanna isn’t sure if he’s being truthful, so she asks, “Can we go up there?”

The man looks surprised by the question. “Certainly, you can go up and mingle with the regular people, if you wish.”

Never one to willingly mix with ‘regular people’, she thanks him for the information and walks back to the table.

George comes back to the table with another man. He introduces him as his friend, Peter Bordunov. The man’s English is heavily accented, but it’s hard to nail down where he’s from without hearing him speak in his native tongue. At best guess, Natty thinks he could be from southern Russia, possibly the western Ukraine.

As Owen is introduced Peter comments, “You big, like Russian bear.”

“Or a Texas bull,” Crank shoots back.

“And you … surrounded by beautiful women.”

“And that makes me a happy bull.”

Peter smiles in appreciation.

“George.”

The Brazilian turns at his name. A young woman, well dressed woman, flanked by two men walks towards their table. Catching sight of her, he holds out his hands. “Irina.”

The two exchange kisses on the cheek. George shakes hands with both men then introduces all three to the others at the table.

Standing to Irina’s left is Lev; on her right, Vladimir. Natty notes, that Lev’s accent is similar to Peter’s.

Irina doesn’t speak. She smiles and gives them slight wave, but her attention is concentrated on Owen. The young woman’s eyebrow arches as she looks him up and down.

Peter whispers conspiratorially to the large man, “Irina likes bulls.”

Natty takes Nelson by the hand and heads for the dance floor, as the band begins to play. Hanna asks Owen to dance, but at the moment, he only has eyes for Irina.

Nip grabs her hand, “Come on; dance with me.” The two girls hit the floor. Damien builds up his nerve and follows. Though she can’t be heard over the music, Nip continues to talk as they dance.

The club is fun and all but, Natty has another type of dancing in mind. She leans close to Nelson’s ear, “Do you want to go back to the h ….”

“Yes!” There’s no need for her to finish the question. He’s ready for round two. The two head out the door and hail a cab.

Back at table Mason asks, “Can I smoke in here.”

Peter shakes his head. “Not here. It stinks up the drapery. “ He stands and motions with his finger, “Come; we have a special room.”

Bordunov and his three friends take Mason and Owen through another door. Beyond is a room decked out from floor to ceiling in wood. Deep cushioned leather chairs are arranged to allow for both group and private seating. Custom built humidors and a large liquor cabinet line the left wall.

Lev asks Owen, “So, you work for Global Share?”

With his attention still on Irina, the large man doesn’t really question. He absently answers, “Yes.”

“Volunteer work is very commendable, but I am sure someone of your size and talents could find a paying job.”

Owen realizes he has miss-spoken and corrects himself. “Well, actually, we work for the Bast Corporation. Our principle client is Global Share.”

“Ah, that makes more sense.” Lev asks them what they do for the company.

Owen and Mason give them the story about working supply and logistics, but divulge no real information.

Back in the main room, Maisie and Duke watch Damien dance with Hanna and Nip.

“So, what do Hanna and Nip do for the Bast Corporation?”

Duke is surprised by Maisie’s question. “Well … Nip mostly works in the NET and with robotics.”

The biogen pauses; not sure how to make Hanna’s skill set (burglary and assassination) sound benign. Thankfully Maisie’s interest seems to center on Nip. “She seems a little high strung for security work.”

“She’ll surprise you.” Duke knows this first hand.

The song ends. Damien smiles at Nip. She smiles back. The Aussie leans in impulsively, hoping to steal a kiss. Nip gives him a peck on the cheek then skips back to the table. Damien looks crushed. He’s been banished to the ‘Friend Zone’.

After their smoke, Lev invites Mason and Owen to share some “real vodka.” They exit the smoking room and head for the ‘Cloak Room’. Peter distributes fur coats, pulled from a closet, just inside the door. Once cloaked, they pass through what appears to be a freezer door set in the back wall. All along the shelves are beautifully cut crystal bottles. It’s a connoisseur’s collection of the finest vodkas in the world. Owen and Mason enjoy themselves.

***

 

Sunday, March 19, 2051:

Nelson and Natty make it back to the penthouse. The biogen has been on the hunt ever since she noticed Nelson at the Global Share seminar. She is attracted by Nelson’s quiet, sensitive and thoughtful nature. He is the polar opposite of her last two boyfriends. Since the outlaw biker and white slaver terrorist hadn’t worked out, the biogen thinks it’s time to try something different.

Their shower together had been an appetizer. Now it’s time for the main course. The champagne is forgotten after a few sips. No room is spared from their lovemaking. By the time the others return around 4 am, the place is a shambles, Hanna and Nip are too out of it to notice or care. They head to their rooms and pass out.

At 5 am Natty’s phone rings. She answers it with a feeble, “Hello?”

Commander Quinn’s stern voice carries over the line. “Assemble your Team, you have an emergency Priority One mission; Briefing in two hours.”

Sexual exhaustion makes it hard for her to think clearly, “Now?”

Her question is met with silence. Quinn eventually speaks. His tone starts out calm, almost pleasant, “Not right now … In two hours!” The latter is bellowed into the phone.

The biogen sits upright. “Yes sir!” The line disconnects. She isn’t sure if Quinn heard her answer before hanging up.

Natty’s sudden movement in the bed wakes Nelson. He roles over and gives her a groggy smile. “Good morning.” She leans down to give him a kiss. Nelson tries to pull her on top of him.

“No … I have an emergency briefing in two hours.”

“Oh, too bad,” Even after last night’s exertions, he’s sporting morning wood.

Natty’s resolve waivers, “Well, we do have a little time.”

By 7 am, a tired and still hung over Team sits in the briefing room. Commander Quinn doesn’t comment on their appearance. He sticks to the briefing.

A picture appears on the screen. “Your mission is to extract this woman from the El Marj Refugee Camp in Lebanon. This is a time sensitive operation. Your ‘package’ is hiding in a battered women’s shelter within the camp. She is expecting extraction and will come willingly.”

Quinn presses a button, switching the display to an aerial shot of the camp. “The shelter is located somewhere in this area. Due to the situations of the women they help, the shelter moves around. It’s also not going to have a big sign announcing what it is. Your team will have to infiltrate the camp to locate the target. I want to stress, that this is an EU run camp, set up to repatriate Syrian refugees and/or their descendants back into their homeland. There’s no corporate immunity of you are captured; so don’t be.”

Natty doesn’t understand the point of the camp. “The Meltdown was years ago. Why would they want to go back now?”

Quinn looks grim. “For many of those in the camps this is a forced relocation. Some of those being sent have never been to Syria and don’t even speak the language. You can feel however you wish for these people, but don’t let it interfere with your mission.”

The commander brings up an annotated diagram. “El Marj is divided into two sections: the inner camp consists of administration buildings and people who have been selected for resettlement. There is an outer camp where volunteers have been arriving. Some will be selected, others will not. This outer camp is not as well guarded and is much more chaotic. That is where your ‘package’ is located.”

Mason feels confident that they can handle this. “We can just go in, find her and take her with us. Anyone gets in our way, we have the firepower.”

Quinn makes it clear that going in with guns blazing is not an option. “This camp is run by a French NGO. It has a well-armed security force, backed up by French Army Regulars. Lebanon and France have an understanding and any use of force will meet organized resistance. Bast Corporation has no license to operate in Lebanon. Now we know people are looking for her (the package), but it is not the camp authorities or the local government; yet. We need to devise a plan to get in and out as quickly and quietly as possible.

During the next couple of hours, the Team and Commander Quinn go over their options. Going in under their own identities is rejected, in case something goes wrong. Quinn leaves briefly to arrange for cover IDs that should hold up to scrutiny for about a week. Natty asks about papers for the ‘package’.

“The client has already provided everything she’ll need.” He hands the section leader a large envelope.

The Team will divide into two parts (A & B). Each group will need temporary identities that will get them out of Lebanon. Natty considers aloud, “Depending on how hard it is to access the outer camp Group-A might need a second set of IDs, but they don’t need to be that good.”

Quinn is concerned about sending them in with two different set of ID. Producing so many identities on such a tight schedule could be problematic. The commander points out that many of the refugees in the camp are undocumented refugees, so papers for the infiltration team might not be as high a priority.

Group-A will consist of Duke Strider, Mason Verge and Natty Lanikova. They will insert into Lebanon as refugees trying to gain access to the resettlement program for Syria. Their goal will be to get into the outer camp at El Marj. Group-B consisting of Brandon Heath, Hanna Woo, Owen McGregor and Nip Lacey will enter Lebanon as two related tourist couples. They will be there to visit the Umayyad City ruins in Anjar and Roman tourist sites in Baalbek.

Their reservations will be made through a Canadian tour company, which will fit with their false identities. They will be booked into the Park Hotel in Chtuaura outside the City of Zahle.

Natty will enter the battered women’s shelter, to make contact with the ‘package’. Once the package is secured, they will exfiltrate the camp. Group A will head for a designated rendezvous point on the road from Chtuaura to Beirut.

To provide a plausible reason for Group B’s early departure from the country, a call will be placed through the hotel switchboard from one of the husband’s ‘employees’. There’s no way of knowing if someone will actually be listening in on the call, but Natty doesn’t want to take the chance. She’s afraid that Group B will be stopped and questioned at the airport, if they don’t have an excuse for leaving.

Group B will meet up with Group A at the rendezvous, to give them their papers and a ride to Beirut and the coast, depending upon pursuit. Group A leave the country by boat. Group B will leave as tourists by passenger jet.

Quinn leaves to put things in motion. The team members return to the duplex, to catch a few more hours of sleep and prepare for the mission ahead.

 

 

Next: Episode 11: Extraction in Lebanon