NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: OK, this is an intro idea. I'm hoping to expand this into an RP, with a number of different characters/nations. However, do not post here if you wish to join, please TG me instead

IC: "We're live in one minute Gail"

"Alright, keep your shirt on." Gail Bedros, the home affairs correspondent for the Snake News Network. She patted her shoulder length brown hair into place, making sure that it didn't hide her well defined facial features. SHe wasn't what you might call beautiful, but she had an aura that captivated audiences - exactly the right aura needed to be a successful journalist. Her cheekbones were high, her hazel eyes shone from her tanned face. She was the perfect look for this post.

"Five seconds!" She smoothed the wrinkles from her outfit, and stared into the camera, listening to her introduction from the studio,"... and now Gail Bedros, who is onboard the Silver Arrow as we speak. Gail"

She smiled,"Thank you Paul. Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this special report onboard the Silver Arrow, as she prepares for her last interstellar voyage"

She began to walk towards the camera, speaking all the time,"This aircraft is a legend among aviation enthusiasts, and normal people such as you and me. She made aviation history for Snake Eaters, being the first aircraft to break the warp barrier on commercial travel. But it is a sad day for the Arrow, as she today makes her final commercial flight, to the world of Avros II in the Avros system. For nearly 75 years, she has travelled the width and bredth of the galaxy, being used for all manner of things. Diplomats, military resupply, and of course as the ultimate luxary aircraft for Snake Eater's people to fly around in. Today marks the end of her distinguished carrer, and I am lucky to be one of the few people to fly today, giving you reports as we go. Back to you Paul"

"Thank you Gail..."

**********************************************************

In a hotel room some distance from the spaceport, a man sat, watching the news on the television. As Gail's report finished, he picked up the mobile phone that was sat on the bedside table,"Is everything in place"

"Yes, Master"

"Excellent. You have done well. Return to your regualar duties, I will contact you again soon"

The line went dead...
A few minutes later
In the cockpit of the Silver Arrow, Captain Argenta checked the systems for the final time,"All systems are green. Looks like we can begin to move." He flicked a switch on the top of the cabin,"Tower, this is Silver 1. Request permission for take-off clearence"

"Permission granted, Silver 1. Your flightpath is clear of all traffic. Godspeed"

"Thank you, Tower"

Argenta eased the throttle foward, hearing the roar of the J-type Impulse engines increase steadily. He released the parking brake, and the plane began to roll forward, her speed steadily increasing. As she hit nearly 300 mph, he pulled back softly on the flight controls, marvelling at how she responded to them. The Silver Arrow streaked into the sky, leaving a burning trail in her wake...

As they passed through 2 miles altitude, he noticed something was wrong. The aircraft was accelerating too quickly for the hull to take it, and the structual intergrity fields were beginning to buckle from the strain. With perspiration slick on his brow, he opened a channel,"Tower, this is Silver 1. We have a serious malfunction in the bird, request permission to abort take-off"

The noise crackled in the earphones of the ATC directing the Silver Arrow,"Say again Silver 1, did not recieve your last"

"We have a serious malfunction. Aircraft unable to take strain."

"Say again Silver 1, you're breaking up"

"DAMMIT!" roared Argenta, pulling the throttle back. It had no effect, and the Arrow continued to accelerate. The needles were all in the red...

Back in the passenger compartment, the noise and the buckling of hull plates was causing many passengers to scream with fear or hold onto their seats. Gail Bedros' knuckles were white with gripping the armrest, and as she looked around, she saw a sliver of sky through one of the hull panels.That's not meant to be there...

The Silver Arrow exploded. The warp core collapsed, and the resulting matter/anti-matter explosion sent out a shockwave that circled Snake Eater Prime, rocking buildings to their very roots. The EMP blast wiped out all electronics for a 30 mile radius. The ones who were left stared in silence at their T.V screens, at what had just occured in the skies over Snake Eater Prime...

Opnions?

OOC: Holy Crap!

OOC: What?

OOC:Cool...

Three days later

"Welcome to the six o'clock news. OUr main story tonight; a terrorist group within Snake Eaters has claimed responsiblity for the destruction of the Silver Arrow. A statement handed to this network says thus:

We, the Snake Liberation Front, are the ones responsible for the attack upon this nation. It isn't how we wanted it, but you left us with no choice. For many years our pleas have gone unheard by the corrupt Assembly that perverts our great nations very soul. Now, we will rise up and take back what is rightfully ours. We shall reclaim this land for the people!

Marnus

Marnus is believed to be the terrorist leader, and the name is also believed to be an alias. Our esteemed leader, Lord Barbarossa, has not yet given a statement to the press, and is believed to be in deep consultation with the Assembly as we speak...


500 miles away
The Master sat on a lounger, staring out over the crisp plains of Vorth province. He sipped at the vodka martini that lay beside him, and watched as Melissa, the girl with whom he had spent the night with, socialised with all his other lady friends.Ah, the pleasures of the feminine body. So supple they are, yet strong-willed and powerful he thought, lazily shifting his position. Marnus led a comfortable life, but was appaled by the corruption he saw within the leaders of the nation. He had orginally set up the SLF in order to make his stance known through political channels, but he had been rebuked time and time again. Eventually, terrorism had become his last option. By causing terror among the populace, and destroying faith in the government, Marnus hoped to rise from the ashes and lead Snake Eaters into a new and brighter future

OOC: Alright Kay, whadda think?

IC: Tiravana City

Shifting once more in his lavish silk-lined lounger, The Master stretched over to his left and lazily plucked a single plump olive from the pewter dish that squatted atop his polished oak side-table. Rolling it around his mouth in thought for a moment he directed his dark-brown gaze lovingly at Melissa as she frolicked and laughed with her friends amongst the tall, grass reeds of the field beyond. Teasing the olive between his teeth he bit down and sighed as he did so, overcome suddenly by a feeling of inner-pain.
Why must the world be such a brutal one? These poor innocents, caught in a struggle which need not take place but for the promise of a new era
He swallowed and picked up his glass once more, reclining gently in the mid-afternoon sun and placing the cup to his lips to drink.

"SIR, SIR. MASTER. YOU MUST COME AT ONCE, YOU ARE NEEDED ON THE COMMUNICATOR"

The wailing tones of Malor, his aide pierced and broke the bubble of his carefully constructed dreams and he swore loudly as the bright, clear day vanished and the liquid splashed onto his tunic. He woke at a start quickly albeit groggily as he motioned for Malor to enter his domain. Putting down his glass he sat up turned to his friend.

"Where you born in a barn? I've never known anyone who needed to be told something as much as you, use the buzzer. Now what is it? Why do you wake me so forcefully?"

Adjusting his feet Malor bowed and turned to his mentor before coughing and clearing his throat.

"My master, forgive me but a message has just come through. K'Tarl has reported in at the capital and requests an audience with you. He askes that you personally speak to him to confirm Project Valkyrie."

Draining his glass, Marnus nodded and stood, stretching to his full 6' 5". Brushing down his clothes he chose a light cloak from the marble rack at the door and strode powerfully out into the corridor turning left at the foot of the passage and moving swiftly through the house. Entering his private quarters he shut and locked the doors before activating the holographic projector on his desk. The image of a powerful, creature not at all human-like flickered slowly into existence, as the photon generator picked up. Finally the process was complete and the Master boomed out confidently.

"You've arrived my disciple, good work. You may proceed as ordered. . . . ."

OOC: Posting with permission of Snake Eaters :)
So whaddya think? Up to scratch?

OOC: Well, reading it makes it seem like a conspiracy rather than terrorism for a gain. However ppl, it should be noted I have NO idea what he's planning, simply because i don't ask. makes it more interesting

The intel officer stared at the print-out he'd just recieved. He read, and re-read it. It can't be possible... what could they be planning?. He stood, and locked his office door. This information needed passing on to his superiors, and there really was only one place to go to find them at the moment. The Assembly.

The grand building dominated the main square of Snake City, watching over the city. At the very top sat the Presidents Office. Just below that, the Assembly meeting room. Behind it's black tinted windows, Lord Barbarossa stared out at his nation. He had a duty to protect it, and the men and women gathered behind him. A voice piped up,"Sir?". He turned to look at the speaker, a Colonel without markings. The man's hair fell to his shoulders, but his entire manner spoke of someone who knew exactly what to do

"Yes, Col. Cougar?"

"I've pulled all teams off assignments. The entire family is dedicated to this task." The 'family' was the nickname for Snake Eaters Special Forces, who officially never existed to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

"Good. Intel, what can you tell me about the SLF?"

A grey haired man, in his early fifties, looked up,"Not much. A political party sometime back, with Nicholas Reviera in charge. Slid into bankruptucy sometime last decade."

"But they claim to been the ones behind this attack! Could Reviera be in charge?"

"No sir, he died in a helicopter accident last year. The ID on the body they recovered say it was definatley him. Whoever's running the show, it ain't him"

There was a soft knock at the door, and the intel officer entered. Barbarossa whirled,"Yes?"

"New information, Sir"

Barbarossa took it, and glanced at it. His face went ashen as he read down it,"Gentlemen, we have some new developements..."

Commander Faris of the Kaymirilian Elite Non-Magick Forces, Sarnor Zotreth, walked hurriedly through the streets of the Snake Eaters' capitol city, with a message from Princess Annastrianna d' Maril.

She had sent him to offer Kaymirilian aid...specifically, Sarnor Zotreth. She had not given him the details of this assignment, only made a remark as to the fact that there was trouble threatening Snake Eaters, a new ally.

She had summoned him just as the news was coming on about the Snake Liberation Front's letter, and had showed him. He had caught most of it, but his Common was shaky at best. Still...he was the best in his unit at that particular tongue...he merely hoped that they could forgive a few errors in his speech, here and there.

OOC: Well, SE, looks like Cougar gets his wish. Just don't get him into so much trouble that I have to bring in Rhenna, b/c if I do, there will be trouble.

The meeting had adjourned, and Cougar had decided to get some air. He noticed the stranger coming across the square, and noted that he was Drow. Odd, I didn't know we were expecting visitors. He decided to go meet then man. He wore combat fatigues, in woodland pattern, despite his urban enviroment. He had foregone his normal attire for this, and decided to continue in a similar vein.

"Vedui' abbil. Ele xun dos doer ghil?"

Faris' eyebrows rose slightly at the man's greeting.

"Vendui'. Usstan xunus naut zhaun gaer zhahen jala wund nindol lodias nindel zhaunau Ilythiiri. Usstan sila natha char'riss ulu Senger Barbossa lu' ukt blada bauth natha sreen wun dosst phreng."

(Sssnnnaaakkkeee!!! *Metal Gear "continue" theme music plays*)

Mzil g'rftte. Usstan telanth Ilythiiri al, ussta 'ranndi zhah uss d' dosst dazzan. Flohlu uns'aa ulu Senger Barbarossa

Usstan kyorl. Nindel orn'la belbau dos natha sanrr ulu telanth l' xanalress.

*Faris falls into step beside the human.*

By the way...I am Commander Faris. What are you called by?

Welcome to Snake Eaters, Commander, I am Colonel Cougar. I assume you know the current situation

A little bit of it. Basically, the Princess is offering your government the unit I command to aid in the problem. We are the most elite non-magick unit in the nation. If you want Warmancers....those who follow the path of Haldosir are rarely powerful, these days.

I'd prefer to keep magick out of it as far as is possible. I'd be glad of the extra help, SHADOW still hasn't full recovered from the Kaelis Ra incident sometime ago. We have thirty-six members, organised into teams of six. How many people could you bring?

One hundred, organized into teams of five.

Sounds good to me. How soon can they get here?

As soon as your lord accepts our Princess' offer. I may not be able to work Greater Magicks, but my Thalack can at least open portals.

Cougar led him to Barbarossa's office,"Sir?"

"Yes, James. What is it?"

Cougar stood aside, and beckoned in the Commander. Barbarossa's eyebrows raised a fraction, but he turned and greeted the newcomer,"Yes? You are Kaymirilian, I can see that much. Why are you here?"

Faris gave a curt, military bow.

"I am Kaymirilian, sir. Princess Annastrianna d' Maril sent me with a message for you."

He gives the scroll to Barbossa.

Lord Barbossa,

I am aware of the situation within your country, and I am willing to send our elite warrior team Sarnor Zotreth to aid you. Commander Faris and his team will be under the command of the highest ranking officer working on this case.

Crown Princess Annastrianna d' Maril,
Kaymiril.

Beneath the signature is Anna's royal seal.

Barbarossa took a look at the letter, and then sat down. Taking a pen, he wrote the following response:

Crown Princess Annastrianna d' Maril,

Many thanks to you for your aid in this matter. Your unit is welcome in our nation at this time of crisis. I will be placing Commander Faris and his team under the command of Colonel Cougar. I am sure you will approve this choice.

Lord Barbarossa, President
Snake Eaters

He folded the letter, and sealed it. He then passed it to Faris,"Take this to the Princess. Oh, and Commander. No need to bow here, I'm not royalty"

*thought* It is customary to greet someone of greater or equal rank with a bow, the depth of the bow indicating the degree of difference in rank...they are different, however. How much different, I did not know.

Outwardly, he nods.

"I will return within the day, sir."

He teleports out.

OOC: teleportation isn't just a mage thing. Everyone learns how to do it.

As he left, Barbarossa looked at his old friend,"What do you think of him?"

"He seems very quiet, withdrawn. That's most likely just culture shock. However, I was looking at the files, and the unit he leads is said to be the best non-magick unit in the Kaymirilian forces. A powerful ally, no doubt."

Barbarossa returned to looking over the city,"Tell me SHADOW's status"

"Alpha and Bravo teams are the same as before. Jonny Ellis is now in Charlie team, and the old Echo unit is now Delta team. Norm Hooten's the man in charge there. Gamma and Foxtrot teams were combined to form the new Echo team, and Tango team is now Foxtrot (OOC: Follow tht?)"

OOC: Yeah, got it.

IC:

Faris returned to the Princess and gave her the message.

"Sarnor Zotreth has been accepted. You will be directly under the command of Colonel Cougar, of Snake Eaters. He is a good man, I have met him."

F -- "Yes, Princess. I will have the unit out there immediately."

Within the hour, one hundred Drow are on the planet, ready for whatever use they were put to.

Cougar was waiting for Faris to return. When he did, he motioned. His manner was no longer that of a mage, but of a professional solider,"Commander, bring your men inside. I'm holding a briefing on the current situation"

Faris guestured to his men, and they entered. Their mannerisms spoke of discipline. These were true professionals, even though from a peaceful nation.

SHADOW were already seated when Sarnor Zotreth entered the main council hall. They didn't bother to turn around, already knowing who these people were and why they were here. Instead they watched the screen at the front, as Cougar began his briefing,"Good morning. Right, I'll dispense with formalities, you already know who the others are. Social time comes later"

He clicked a button, and an image appeared on the screen. All of SHADOW recognized it as the Silver Arrow,"Less than one week ago, a group of terrorists calling themselves the Snake Liberation Front attacked and destroyed this craft on it's final voyage, live on Snake News Network. Since then, we have only learnt the name of this group, and it's leader. His name is Marnus, but that is the only information we have on him. Now, intel having been working fulltime on this one, but thus far we have no leads. Our mission is simple: find and eliminate Marnus, and then dissolve the SLF from the inside. That is going to be more difficult than people may believe. Now, we are open to suggestions from everyone as to how to deal with this..."

F -- It sounds the rough equivalent of the Necromantic Cult we dealt with a century ago. Very difficult to defeat...we lost a lot of good men. However...cut off the serpent's head...there are only a few of us here now that served in this unit then. Tell me, Colonel...where would they not be?

Cougar brought up a map of Snake Eaters, and a number of red dots appeared,"They won't set up in the Arctic Wastes, not a chance. They'd freeze within minutes. Also, the Cobrian rainforest on this continent is far too dense for habitation. These people are well organised and well-funded. If I were to say anywhere, it'd be in this city as the main operations base, masterminded by Marnus from somewhere remote, maybe even off planet"

You traveled the Arctic wastes once, did you not?
The capitol city is an awkward place to base an operation. I would believe that it might be in a large city, but probably a different one.

Yes, but only with the help of a god. They altered the weather, so we could pass. The only other major cities planetside are Vorth to the south, and Descai in the west

And what about major cities in neighboring key systems?

There's Tiravano in the next system, and then it's mostly mining colonies until we reach the Draxen system

Faris nods. His eyes have a contemplative expression in them.

We don't have the manpower to watch everywhere, and I don't trust the regular army to do that. First, we need to get some more intel. Sarnor guys, you'll be too conspicious on a planet of humans. SHADOW, you guys know your areas. Get out there and do your jobs"

As SHADOW filed out, he turned to Faris,"Alright, we need to get your guys sorted as to assignments. Suggestions?"

Half of us have the ability to take on the appearence of other races. As for the other half...we have had centuries to train properly in all sorts of disciplines. What is it that you need done?

The half of you that can take on appearances, send them out into the city. I'll provide them with information about the area. The rest, go to S.I.O.N, and I'll meet them there"

Half of Sarnor Zotreth left, Faris among them, while the rest took on human appearences.

Cougar gave the remainder a quick briefing on the city and surrounding area, and then sent them out. He had faith in their ablities, he was just praying it wasn't misplaced.

He went to meet the rest at S.I.O.N, and opened the door into the main area. It had recently been upgraded for a number of technicians."This is to be our main base, and to be manned at all times. First, we need to sift through the databases. Search them all, find any information on the SLF and any meantions of this 'Marnus'"

Fifty drow "humans" went out into the city. They stayed in loose groups of five as they moved, looking around. The way they acted, they'd appear to be a normal group of family or friends, and they'd look like tourists. Nothing uncommon. Meanwhile...they kept their senses sharp.

The remaining fifty begin working on the computers, filing through information.

In the bars across town, SHADOW was doing what it did best: hiding in plain sight. It's members moved in groups of two at minimum, both armed. They kept in contact by Codec and nano-communication. They tracked suspects, dismissed them, and picked up fresh trails. As the day wore on, little had been uncovered. That was until Matt Konig and Wolf went into a little-known establishment known as Mafia Place...

Meanwhile, Cougar filed through everything he had on the history of the SLF. Still nothing brilliant flashed at him from his glowing screen...

Faris and his crew sifted through information.

The first commander of SLF was killed 15 April, 2386. Since then, it is believed his more radical second-in-command, Marnus, has taken the reins. Very little has been heard about this group in recent years.

This is getting us nowhere.

*He begins searching down another vein.*

Better...Nzila, what do you make of this?

*A woman approaches and looks over Faris' shoulder.*

How did you pick up on these?

F -- I used to be a communications officer. Cougar, look at this, they might help. They're encrypted messages. Most likely bait, if they were that easy to find, though.

Cougar looked at them,"Definatley bait, the encryption's way too standard for anything of value to come of it. Still, it's worth it"

OOC: TG to Snake Eaters explaining my delay, welcome to the new person who I don't know but I'm sure will get on with brilliantly :D
Btw, I've read the whole thread again so this is a bit of a catch-up post!

IC:

Draxen System, Andor IV.

Even though his master couldn't hear him over his primitive communicator K'Tarl nodded silently and closed the secure channel signalling to his henchmen waiting at the door to follow him down to the underground basement. Built to withstand the terrifying power of weapons long obsolete these protectors of lives were pressed into service as the springboard for the new revolution. 1 flight of 40 steps led steeply downward from the rented house but these were traversed effortlessly but the mysterious creature, K'Tarl who now entered the spacious hall to rapturous applause.
Filled with 39 of his finest men and comrades he stood fearlessly before them on a raised wooden platform, a towering figure to behold. Belonging to the Saara'xiin race of mercenaries and assassins hired by Marnus for the very work he had planned for over the last two winters his frame occupied the best part of 7 foot and was indeed more reptilian than humanoid. Possessing blue-grey skin, 6 limbs and an upright walk he brought his arm down onto the wooden podium he now padded softly to and began to speak in his native tongue.

"My warriors, our time has come. I stand before you on the eve of an uprising that earn our place in the annals of history and one which will gain us the homworld we desire. To my doubters I say this: truly you have paid the price for deserting me but to you my loyal friends and erstwhile allies I need not say anything else but this: forwards to eternal glory."

Stepping down from the podium and turning briefly to acknowledge the cheers of the mob he spoke to his trusted lieutenant by the steps.

"You know what is to be done. Stick to the plan, deviation is forbidden unless with my personal orders. Contact The Master and move out."

Joining the back of the queue winding its way back up the stairs skywards he smiled inwardly and beamed with pleasure and satisfaction.

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

SpaceDock Gamma, Andor IV.

40 minutes later, the final door shut on the final transport. Now in a convoy of 4 vessels, the bulk of Operation 'Valkyrie' began to roll inexorably to their final destination, the Central Administrative Building of Snake Eaters.
The time since the basement speech had been used well and now each Saara'xiin was armed with the essentials for any takeover bid. Fake uniforms, ID's and alibi's along with an energy belt, a handheld plasma disruptor, a tachyon rifle, thermal detonators, hand-to-hand weaponry and yet others carried equipment in sealed containers.
Packed into hired government personnel transports and making good time for Snake Eaters Prime, the 40 creatures synchronised their time displays and began to assume their roles in the greatest power seizure in SE's history.

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

Tiravano City

Presently Marnus returned to the communicator and opening the same secure frequency hailed Mexde, leader of the remaining part of 'Valkyrie' until a welcoming figure materialised in the growing stream of photons.

"My friend, the wheels are turning. You may begin. . . . ."

OOC: Personally, I think you're moving way too fast. You haven't followed the first attack with something similar. I'm going to TG you some details that might be very helpful

As Cougar finished decrypting the files and reading through them, something else winked softly at him from his glowing console. He sipped at the coffee he had brought with him, and opened this new file. S.I.O.N had red-flagged it, so it had to be good. Although a solider by profession, SHADOW were taught as expert code-breakers as well. The enemy inevitably encrypted data that they might find useful, so knowing how to break it was a useful skill to have.

As the words flashed up on screen, his eyes widened at what he was reading...Project: Valkyrie..... soon..... Central Administration.... over-power."Oh hell no..."

**********************************************************

Wolf looked at the man she had pinned to the wall by his shirt collar. He was sweating profusely, and looked as if he hadn't done a decent days work in his life,"Tell us what we want to know, and maybe I'll let you down."

He trembled,"I don't know anything"

Konig looked over his shoulder,"Hurry up Wolf, we don't have long"

"I know, gimme a minute," she snapped, turning back to her captive,"What is Project: Valkyrie. I suggest you tell me. I'm not afriad to use this." In her hand glinted a serrated combat knife. It's blackened blade reflected little light, but enough for this man to know he was in serious trouble.

"Alright, I'll tell you," he cried, heaving a sigh as she lowered the knife,"Marnus isn't the brains. Someone else, I don't know who, is masterminding this operation. They don't want publicity, they want power, at any cost! You have no idea what you are dealing with"

Wolf smiled. It was her smile that earned her the name,"Thanks." Her fingers found his nerve cluster, and the man slumped to the floor. She dusted herself off,"We'd better tell Nightshadow about this. He'll go nuts when he hears it. As she was talking, they both became aware of a Codec transmission.

"All SHADOW units, return to Location Zero. We have a situation here. Out"

Konig looked at his companion,"A situation? Already?"

"Who cares, lets go"

Marcos folded his newspaper and stood up. As with the last few days, the front page covered the Silver Arrow disaster. There was the usual publicly acceptable stories planted by the government, ...'authorities following several leads' .....'police closing in on perpetrators'. Load of rubbish. He glanced at his watch and adjusted his tie. He saw Kuni get up from a table to his left, Russ from a table to his right. Commander Garit stood up at the park bench, and the other three converged on him. They looked like more tourists in the crowded capital of Snake Eaters. Marcos was in jeans and a plain black t-shirt. Russ wore a creamy coloured set of combats, big cream boots and a dark hoody, nothing out of the ordinary. Kuni had went for the formal option, black pinstripe suit, with a red shirt and black striped tie, and his trademark black sunglasses. Commander Garit was in a suit too, trying to keep up appearances. He was the first to speak. "Let's go." His two words told the men exactly what to do, and they headed straight to the nearest major government building. Just inside the reception door they were confronted by a security guard, asking for ID, and there business. Garit spoke a few words in the man's ear, and flashed his ID. The guard immeadiately ushered them through the security checks and guided them to a waiting area. He left the men sitting in silence, for a few moments. A female secretary came in not too long after.
"We are trying to contact Commander Cougar, what would you like me to say?"
"Tell him the delegation from Shinbreakers has arrived. Please, be quick about it."

Faris's ear twitched.

"Other humans are here."

Cougar heard the summons from the secretary, and left Faris in charge in S.I.O.N. He entered the lobby, noticing the newcomers, completley out of place. All around the top floor, a patrol of Pretorian Guards had their phaser rifles levelled, their aim unwavering,"Lower your weapons, Gentlemen. These men are not here on business of that nature." They did so, and he strode towards the new men.Professional, and no doubt armed

"Welcome to Snake Eaters gentlemen, I hear you are the anti-terror unit from Shinbreakers?"

Across the square, four snipers levelled their MSG-90A1 7.62 rifles at the men, one man per scope. They could drop them all in less than three seconds

Faris and his people continue working.

OOC: OOC: Personally, I think you're moving way too fast. You haven't followed the first attack with something similar. I'm going to TG you some details that might be very helpful

Noted and replied to. It was very helpful, thanks. :)

IC: The line went dead and Marnus' throat felt dry. Slowly turning to Malor he tried to speak but could only manage a whispering rasp.

"Stop them before its too late, we've been doing this the wrong way. Tell K'Tarl the deals off, we cannot afford to lose our position now. Inform him to disband and report back."

The message went through and did little to improve the Saara'xiin's temper. Turning to the nearest creature he barked his response.

"We will return but the deal is not slipping past us this time."

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

Meanwhile in Snake Eaters Prime the message had got through to the local SLF cell that Project 'Valkyrie' was floored and a more subtle, terror based solution was needed. Nods and handshakes were exchanged, plans and compromises discussed until a tall man rose from his chair to end the discussion. Walking round his chair he finally addressed all of the men present as to what they would do before leaving the hall and heading for his apartment 2 blocks away.

"Ah Commander Cougar. I am Commander Garit of the Shinbreakers anti-terror department. It is a pleasure to meet you. Lets get straight to business shall we. I feel-" He paused and looked over at Kuni, who had tapped his shoulder. "What is it Sergeant?"
"Rooftop, windows, across the road." Kuni flicked his head sidewards, indicating out the windows.
"I assure you Commander," Garit continued, "our intentions are entirely honest, and I would ask you hear me out before shooting me." He said it all with a smile. The snipers were a necessary precaution he was sure. "And do not worry, your snipers are not at fault. Sergeant Kuni here is an expert in weapons and tactics. Few ever escape his sight. Anyway, back to business. I feel we need to act immediately to put national security measures in place, placing troops at all air and space ports etc. But first, by all means, would you be so kind as to show us the situation at present, so I can evaluate the manpower Shinbreakers should submit to this crisis to aid your great nation. Shall we?" he finished, indicating the door Cougar had entered from. This was the easy part.

Cougar shook his opposites hand firmly,"First things first, get my rank right. It is Colonel, not Commander, in this nation. Secondly, the snipers are always in that location, to protect the building. Thirdly, I do not appreciate being told how to do my job. SHADOW is thin on the ground to be sure, but we are rebuilding. In fact, they are returning right now." He said all of this as he led the newcomers into S.I.O.N. The Pretorion Guard did not stop following their targets until they were well inside the structure.

He gestured calmly at a nearby console, his intravenous nanomachines taking care of the hard work for him. A holographic display flickered into life and he gestured to it,"The attack upon the Silver Arrow was well organised, and the group responsible well-funded. As soon as the attack was confirmed, an embargo was placed on all outgoing travel. It has been stopped at the edge of the system. Admiral Rommel is directing the blockade from his flagship Barbarossa's Rage, the first Leviathan-class warship built. Incoming travel has been searched throughly, as I'm sure you are aware."

He paused, gesturing again. When he looked back at the display, it had changed,"This is Marnus, the best picture we can get of him. He is the leader of the SLF, and we have no doubt that he is the one responsible. Since he took over, the party has become reclusive, and withdrawn from politics altogether. However, we have no idea where he is, or what his next move is going to be. S.I.O.N is searching everything we have, but even it can only process so much data. If an attack is coming, we are going to have a very hard job finding out about it before it happens just yet."

He turned the display off, and looked back at his counterpart,"I have my forces in the city, looking for what we can find. The other people you see in here are members of a unit from Kaymiril, a world of Drow. They are trustworthy, and can clearly hear everything I am saying. Let me introduce you to their commander, Commander Faris"

OOC:Too long?

OOC:Too long?
OOC: :headbang: Try reading the first post. Then do as it says if you still want to join

Faris stepped forward to shake the newcomer's hand.

"Gre'as'anto lu' verve dro...or, more apropriately, 'fashka d' thalack.'"

"My apolgies Colonel, I did not mean to be rude. I am just anxious, given the situation." He turned to Commander Faris. "Commander, it is an honour to meet you. I am General Garit, Shinbreakers special forces. Could you perhaps give me an update on known locations of terrorist hideouts and any presumed terrorist activity? I don't mean to be abrupt, but I feel we are short on time."

OOC: I know the story, well, as its written on the thread, so you don't have to explain anything already discussed, I'm just representing the fact my character not knowing, if you get me. :)

Cougar laughed at the look on Garit's face,"He is speaking the language of his race. I doubt you could understand*To Faris*Telanth wun Basic, nindolen xun naut telanth Ilythiiri"

"We know little of cell locations, or other such matters. That is why I have recalled my force, so we can discuss further our course of action"

Faris begins to speak of the latest things they've learned, when one of his officers called out.

"Sir, we think we've caught an enemy communication."

F -- "Play it."

"It's badly garbled"

Val...y...ger...fl...tle.

"We'll continue working on it, to see what we can't get."

F -- Make it so.

In a dusty, spacious room in the capital of Snake Eaters, a figure hung in the shadows as he watched his quarry at work amongst the tools of his trade. The person he was to meet with was shuffling around his room and seemed well in advance of his current forty-three years. He jumped slightly as the dust was disturbed close by.
"Hello?"
He pulled out a handgun from his coat pocket and put down his work, advancing slowly into the murky depths.
"I don't know how you got here but this is an SLF tower-block. You can't get back far."
The intruder, realising from the sketchy details he had been given that this was indeed the guy he wanted strode into light provided by a nearby broken window.
"Relax, I'm one of you, SLF. A message from The Master came through the other day, we have work to do"
The sheet was exchanged and scanned before the intense expression on the workshop owners face vanished.
"Well, about time, I've been expecting someone. I'm Chan Keats, master of this lair and you are?
The man was tall and brown haired with fair skin and replied slowly as though thinking it through.
"Johann. I've come straight from a SLF cell meeting in the next district via my apartment. I had to collect my stuff for a job tomorrow which is why I'm here. I'm looking for a Type 004"
Keats needed no proof of this man, the government agents and spoofs had been trying to close him down for years, he knew all there mannerisms and expressions. Touching a button under a bench he moved to the side as the desk heaved and lurched suddenly before opening slowly to reveal a cache of homemade and stolen govt weapons.
"Hey, there are 20 more like this around town. We're not the best looked after group but we manage. Here you are, look after it."
Taking the government device Johann half-turned to his senior as he went to leave.
"Thank you, you have been most helpful. I shall return."
With the hard work done and the mission schelduled for tommorrow morning, he relaxed and headed back across the courtyard to his apartment nearby.
Tomorrow I shall repay my debt. . . .

Two women were sitting in a nearby courtyard, appearing to enjoy the afternoon. They had seen the man go in...why they were in the bad section of town, no one seemed to know, but the women had drinks in their hands, and were talking to each other. They resembled each other closely enough to pass for sisters. They were apparently in deep conversation as the man came out...oblivious to everything, save whatever gossip they were catching up on.

"Uk xunus naut inbal nindel vel'drav uk alus wun, xunus uk?"

"Nau, lu' rescho iz' ukt z'hin xal lor ulu rivven...gaer ph' naut narkuthen wun nindel."

General Garit turned to his men. "Lieutenant Marcos, take a look at this, see what you can of it."
He turned back to Commander Faris, assuming the drow could understand him, "Commander, Lieutenant Marcos is a surveillance expert, and is also one of the best technical men we have. I would be honoured if you would let him assist your people in the gathering of information."
Garit looked over to Colonel Cougar again. "Colonel, what is the military situation like. His Majesty's government would like to know what troops we may be needed to deploy."

General Garit turned to his men. "Lieutenant Marcos, take a look at this, see what you can of it."
He turned back to Commander Faris, assuming the drow could understand him, "Commander, Lieutenant Marcos is a surveillance expert, and is also one of the best technical men we have. I would be honoured if you would let him assist your people in the gathering of information."
Garit looked over to Colonel Cougar again. "Colonel, what is the military situation like. His Majesty's government would like to know what troops we may be needed to deploy."

You don't need to deploy troops, your prescense here is an order of the highest security. The military is currently on high alert, and is on the verge of rolling into the streets if needed at all. I am a solider myself, and we are experts at anything we lay our hand to. And I would advise you to watch yourself, Drow are masters at what they do. Do not cross them *Thought*Rhenna included... scary when she's angry

Cougar looked up as Konig and Wolf came through the doors,"Report."

"Something about Project: Valkyrie, and that the SLF is not working alone in this matter"

He sighed,"I suspected as much"

F -- If the human thinks he can do a better job than a technician with a century and a half worth of experience, let him, by all means.

*A light begins blinking on the piece of "armor" on his shoulder.*

Audio only, Chath...not enough room in here for you to stretch out.

"Sut'rinos...udos inbal natha suspect. Trezen luent aglust d'lil che'el...wun l' slums. Uk inbalus natha heavy case, uk alus wund biu apartment."

F -- "Bel'la dos. Chath, end it." Faris looks at Cougar. "Sounds like a suspect to me...these girls are never wrong."

Cougar thought about what he had just heard,"Alright. Order them to watch the place, and I'll pull Echo team in on their location."

He turned away, and seemed to speak under his breath whilst pressig two fingers to his jugular. Once he had finished, he turned back,"They are on their way"

Faris gives the orders, and the women remain at their posts.

Cougar turned back to the main computer bank,"Are you running any serch strings on Project Valkyire?"

I have three people on that in specific, and twenty others trying to find anything possibly linked to it.

He nodded,"I've a feeling that it may turn up some interesting leads. Computer, display security images for the city, and focus on known SLF members."

Ten holofields sprung up, and followed the men. One was inside a building,"That's the place. Now to watch, and wait...."

The Drow continue working...searching.

A knock at the door of Apartment 12A woke Johann as he dozed lazily in a chair. Moving to the door he opened it partially in case the visitors were not the men he was expecting to see. Thankfully though, they were and he opened the door fully to let in 2 casually dressed men, both of medium build but muscular frame, also of around the same age-group. Johann picked up his rucksack and his suitcase and addressed the two men.

"You're here for the job?"

They both nodded silently and as a measure of proof, pulled back their overcoats to reveal their weapons primed and ready along with a knife and thermal detonator.

"Good, we have no time to waste. You stick to me like glue, right? You're my eyes and ears, don't forget that. I trust you know the way?"

More nods.

"Excellent. Let's go."

After locking the empty apartment the trio headed down from the lift and turned left slightly heading for the Central Train Station of the capital of Snake Eaters Prime. They walked for 5 minutes together before stopping at the entrance of a building. Johann stooped momentarily as if to tie his shoelace and brought out a handheld communicator. Shielded by the other two men who stood in front of him he spoke quietly into it.

"Nightwatch Team, this is the disciple. The job is green to go, take up positions and watch your backs and mine. This mustn't fail. Diciple over and out."

Replacing the communicator in his suitcase he straightened up and signalled to his companions to spread out either side of him for the final part of his journey. Seeing the train station entrance up ahead he turned 180 degrees and appeared to brush his nose. Turning back he continued his journey and waited. Finally his communicator crackled loudly from his suitcase, the signal he desired, and he walked on to his destination relieved that everything was coming together.

Despite the terrorists careful planning, Echo team had been on their tail since they had left for the train station, and even now were still hot on their heals. Armed with MP5-K's, they could overwhelm these men very quickly, and the army was on standby should anything happen.

As the leader of the group appeared to recieve a signal, Captain Martin Fletcher opened up his Codec link to Cougar,"Nightshadow, this is Echo Zero. We have targets is sight, request permission to engage"

"Denied. We need to see what they are planning before we can engage. I say again, request denied"

"Roger that, Echo Zero out"

Dammit, we should take them now. But he's right, if we move too fast, then we lose the contact, and any chance we have of nailing these bastards

He sighed, and signalled silently to the other team. Lt. Sarah Mosse nodded, and began to walk towards the entrance, aiming for the ticket booth. As she walked, her hands in her pocket fingered the Glock P7 she was carrying. A unique weapon, it could be safely carried whilst loaded. She brushed past one of the men, mumbling,"Sorry" as she did so. Stopping at the ticket booth, she opened her Codec link,"Echo Four to Echo Six, do you have the targets?"

Atop a building some distance away, around one hundred metres, Lt. Greg Federick watched through his scope,"Roger that Echo Four, I have three X-ray's in sight. Do I engage?"

"Negative. Nightshadow denied it personally"

"Roger that"

They waited for the oppurtunity to strike...

Garit looked puzzledly at Cougar. "Do you not at least want some additional special forces, apart from my team? If not, I am confused as to what purpose we are to have in this situation. As for the drow, I have heard of their prowess." He glanced down to Marcos, who looked back up at him. "Don't bother Lieutenant, they know what they're doing." Marcos jumped up from the computer, moving to join Kuni and Russ on the other side of the room. Garit turned back to Cougar. "Well Colonel, what do you want us to do?"

OOC: Snake Eaters, I just realised how similar my Commander's name is to your Commander's name in the 'From the shadows' thread. Apologies, this was unintentional, you want me to change it?

Trust me Commander, you will be hard-pressed to find better special forces than SHADOW. Echo Team is more than capable, and Charlie Team is on stand-by. A single unit is capable of operating for extended peroids of time without support. We can take down anything very quickly, from buildings to entire organisations, by eliminating a single key individual
Your prescense here is useful, as you are a special unit dedicated to anti-terrorism. You may find you are more useful than you realise.

Does he think numbers will tip the balence? Not so at all, it will the training of a small, select force, that will allow us to succeed at this assignment

Ten Sarnor Zotreth forces were keeping an "eye" on the men. Hundreds of tiny Suru class gliders, designed to look --and act-- like sparrows and chickadees, had been deployed throughout Snake City. At a single command, they all kept on alert for the men...and those that saw them, watched them.

OOC: Sorry for the long 'un. Not skipping ahead to fast but just posting in detail :)

IC: The team continued to move closer to their quarry spread out but drawing closer as the towering marble entrance gates beckoned. The communicator hidden in the suitcase remained silent, which kept Johann cool, it meant they hadn't been rumbled. Motioning briefly to his companions he sped up slightly to move ahead of a large group of tourists and block the shots of any potential adversaries.
Now they moved up the steps together and collectively the group dug for their pre-prepared train tickets provided by the Master and looked for a convenient stopping point where Johann could reveal his trump card and get inside the packed building.
One of them spotted a pillar and they repeated the ploy they had used earlier to cover their tracks, with the two men shielding Johann amongst the hubbub and bustle of unsuspecting commuters. Reaching for his communicator he spoke briefly into it.

“Cover me Nightwatch, I’m going for the Type 004”

There was no response but that didn’t matter, no news was good news until he had completed his task. Reaching into his rucksack he pulled out a second suitcase, a square, deep, metallic one which he had kept concealed for the time being on his back.
This was the Type 004. It had been kept quiet for years from governments agents who commonly mistook the Type number and spent their resources looking for some kind of explosive device. But to avail because the Type 004 was the item that would ensure the success of the job. Essentially on the outside it was a normal metallic suitcase, quite large and expensive looking but on the inside ran a reflective silver screen, 1024 minute fibre optic cameras and a complicated computer override system. The idea behind the technology was that any number of substances that would trigger the alarm devices of the station baggage scanners would be put in the Type 004 which would pass through the scanner, override it, broadcast the reflection of the silver screen onto the devices monitor thus hiding whatever was inside and revealing just a empty case. The inner SLF techies hoped that a more advanced Type 004b would soon be ready for production.
With the case out Johann whispered to his friends.

“Give me your pieces, knives and Td’s”

The men laughed and snorted almost breaking cover. Johann tried again.

“You read the brief, you know the drill. For God’s sake, the suits could be watching us or even here any moment.”

They took a glance at his serious expression and sense of urgency and caved. Johann glanced round nervously as he fumbled, exposed trying to squeeze the items into the crowded space inside the 004. He shot glances around him, not fully trusting the heavies The Master sent to accompany him. Finally finished he nodded to his companions and rubbed his scalp. The communicator rumbled once more and the coast was clear. Looking to the untrained eye like 3 buddies checking into a station they shuffled with the crowd into the bowels of the structure.

"This is Echo Six, I lost the X-rays, I say again, I no longer have contact with the targets."

"Roger that Echo Six. Maintain radio silence until further notice," said Fletcher, entering the station, still having an eyeball on the men. He, and his partner, Sgt. Keni Thomas, one of the few NCO's in SHADOW, followed them, before nipping through security at another gate

As he waited, he used the tactical display in his left eye, provided by advanced nanites, to study the men in detail. He knew that Lt. Mosse was also inside the station, and that S.I.O.N was watching all exits to all stations. It didn't miss a face once it had locked on, and even now was using the lighting strips as cover to watch. It was a Big-Brother society in public, but it helped keep crime to an absolute minimum. His scans revelaed no weapons, but there was something very odd about the suitcases that the leader seemed to carry. It was of an unusual design, and he had never seen something like it before...

**********************************************************
Cougar watched the screens in the main control centre carefully, as the Drow operators displayed key information on the holoscreen at the front of the room. Suddenly, he spotted something,"Freeze it, Frame FG365G"

He looked closer, then whispered,"Bingo"

Faris looked up when one of his men called him.

"Sir, we have found communications from them to Snake Eaters military officials."

Faris looked at Cougar, then nodded to his comrade. "Show us."

Military officials? Oh god...

Cougar looked at the list. Thes were men who he had fought alongside, and won their hard-eared respect... they wouldn't betray their nation. Would they? As he looked down the list, he laughed openly at Adama's response to them,Get stuffed, you dirt-eating ratbags, and Rommel was clean. Other than that, only one seemed to be on their side, and he wasn't a major player. As of yet, he posed no threat

F -- Xun dos ssinssrin udossta vel'xunyrr suri ulu kyorl jala d' nindolen?

"Fridj usstan," he said, indicating the one who had evidenty sold the weapons to the SLF. He turned to Garit,"Commander, how skilled is your team at covert obeservation? We may have a good use for you"

Ves al.

*Faris flicked a hand, and one of his officers spoke into his Thalack.*

OOC: He, and his partner, Sgt. Keni Thomas, one of the few NCO's in SHADOW, followed them onto the train, and sat some distance away. The Unimex sewn in their clothes had prevented the sensors from detecting their weapons, a godsend for the unit.

As the train pulled out of the Central Station, he used the tactical display in his left eye, provided by advanced nanites, to study the men in detail.

Erm, my men haven't got on the train. :confused:
Post to come later, btw.

OOC: 2 TG's to Snake Eaters regarding the current plot. :)

IC: Finally inside the disciple studied his surroundings closely. The main entrance/exit was guarded too well to serve as an escape route but perhaps the two smaller fire doors. Not lingering long, these thoughts were pushed to the back okf Johann’s mind as he approached the security terminal giving access to the platforms and the wealth of opportunities beyond. The other two were temporarily disarmed and had nothing on them except the clothes on their back but carrying two briefcases and a rucksack on his back Johann walked slowly and outwardly calm up to the baggage scanner.
His friends followed the queue of similarly unladen commuters straight through the passenger scanner and waited patiently on the other side as Johann smiled at the guard in the booth, who now signalled for the bags to be placed on the moving conveyor belt.

Fletcher watched the leader carefully, his eyes looking for possible escape routes. Army sharpshooters were watching the perimeter, and if he managed to evade SHADOW, they would get him.

Inside the main station, past the security, Lt. Mosse and her partner watched the chaotic scene from a table in a coffee house. It overlooked the plaza beneath it, and the platform entrances were easily covered. Under their outer clothing both carried MP-5A3's, the latest version of the Heckler and Koch weapon. It's buttstock was collapsible, so both carried them as such. Fine weapons, fitted with dual magazines, taped together. An old trick, but a useful one. She noticed Fletcher turn, and followed his gaze to the target. He was making his way through security, with those odd cases of his. Security couldn't pentrate them, but there was definatley something odd...

Garit smiled at the question. "I was waiting for you to ask, Colonel. Sergeant Kuni is the best sniper my nation has, so naturally he is also an excellent observer. Lieutenant Marcos is a communications and technology specialist. What would you like us to do?"

Garit smiled at the question. "I was waiting for you to ask, Colonel. Sergeant Kuni is the best sniper my nation has, so naturally he is also an excellent observer. Lieutenant Marcos is a communications and technology specialist. What would you like us to do?"

I need you to watch this man*indicates the holoimage* and provide me with intel on his movements. Commander Faris and his unit have discovered that he may be the one responsible for the weaponry that these terrorists have laid their hands on. But, above all, watch, do not shoot unless you are told to, is that understood?

"I understand Colonel." He turned to his men. "Kuni, Marcos, here's the target. Operation is surveillance only, use of fire is not allowed, under any but the most extreme circumstances." The two men nodded and left the room, to assemble their equipment and prepare for their final briefing.

A couple of "sparrows" comes to Faris.

F -- "Garit, send these with your men. They are standard surveilence gear, and will allow us to keep track of your men and the subject at all times."

Deep in the couintryside, General Ditamasso strode confindantly around his HQ. It was a grand building, with the capacity to hold five hundred people in relative safety until help arrived. Not that he would be needing help.

Ever since Marnus had approached him with his offer, Ditamasso had been addicted to this cause. He still seethed with barely conceled hatred of SHADOW, whose interference in an operation last year had cost him the command of the Coldstream Guards. By taking down Barbarossa and his lackeys, he could eliminate the unit, and take control of the nation's armed forces. Ever since Barbarossa had come into power, they had seen much less action, and he hated it. When they did see action, SHADOW were the ones calling the shots, even though they did not officially exist to the civilised world.

Damn them and their CO, Colonel Cougar. The man was only 27, and already he had more power than Ditmasso. Rank meant nothing to SHADOW, they had overwhelming power because of what they were: the ultimate wet-works force.

He adjusted his peaked cap, and returned to his duties, running the Logistics Corps, not what he had envisgned spending his remaining military days doing...


Some distance away, staring down his scope, Bravo Team sniper Carlos Ferien watched the man. It wasn't hard to see him selling arms to the SLF, something that may cause a major problem in the coming weeks and months

OOC: Ditamasso is now under the control of PW, he can decide his movements and whatever from now on. I've just provided a backstory

Kuni and Marcos returned to the room, their gear packed in two simple backpacks, practical and inconspicuous. Garit handed them the 'sparrows'. "Look after these. They will operate seperatly once you reach your post, under the control of technicians here, do not worry when they fly away." He indicated the holo-image of the man they were tracking. "There is the subject, you both know what to do." The men gave quick, crisp salutes and departed. Garit hoped they would do well, this was his nation's chance to prove its worth.

Several hours later the two Special Forces troopers were in position near the abode of the subject, one General Ditamossa of the Snake Eaters Logistics Corp. The two men had yet to get a sight of the General, and were hoping he would make an appearance soon. The 'sparrows' had left some time before, off on their own business. Now it was time to play the waiting game.

Captain Carlos Ferien had recieved word of the two Shinbreakers Special Forces arriving from Cougar, and he hadn't moved. Normally, he would work with a spotter, but today, he worked alone. That was the sniper's existence, a lonely one, with next to nothing for comfort. After nearly twelve hours stag duty, he returned to Bravo Team. They had been in the area for some time, as a back-up in case something went awry. His Terran-made L96 rifle was hevily customised, with a new scope, disposing of the cross hairs for a bar and post sight, allowing him a sense of free roaming whilst watching the compound.

"I suppose we should make contact with those two," Major Douglas was saying, as Ferien walked in,"Ah, Captain. Any news?"

"Nothing. Not a whisper. Any word from him?"

Everyone in the unit knew of Ferien's distaste for Cougar. The man was eleven years his junoir, yet he was a Colonel, whilst Carlos was still a Captain. That, and his girlfriend had shown Carlos up more than once, in front of his friends.

Douglas sighed, running his hand across his shaven crown,"Not a word. He hasn't said anything in some time, but it's almost time for check in."

"Who's on stag next?"

"I am, so I'll go now"

Douglas took his sight, and went over to the hide that they had created. Twelve hours without a spotter... what fun this is going to be

Only one of the sparrows left the Shinbreakers watchers. The other stayed with them, perched on Marcos's head. It watched the building from where it was.

In due time and with a racing pulse Johann placed the cases and his rucksack on the moving conveyor belt and waited. First case, clear. Then the 004. It bumped slightly and the machine enveloped it and scanned its contents thoughtfully. The monitor facing the security officer showed up empty but for a small reading of Gamma rays. He raised an eye-brow, but waved it through nonetheless.

"What you got in there buddy? Uranium?"

A millisecond silence passed before the ironic joke dawned. Johann forced a smile upon a strained face and replied.

"Ohhhh, just a souvenir for my folks back home. Its a clock, er, they use a splash of radon to make the hands glow these days."

He maintained his smile painfully for a while as the guard considered his response. Finally he moved the 004 and his rucksack through clear and Johann walked through the passenger scanner.

"Well, give them my regards. Happy travelling, sir."

As he turned to his friends once more the relief was evident. Ahead of them was 12 platforms and the goal they were after. First though they had to prepare. Johann signalled to his companions and they wheeled off to the right and the gents toilets close by.

Fletcher had followed the men into the gents, under the obvious pretence of needing to go to the bathroom. His partner had also joined him, as he was Echo Team's demolition master. They would need him to identify what it was in the case... if they left the case in the bathroom stalls that was...


Cougar grabbed his own weapon for this job, a FN P-90, and made his way outside to the non-descript car."Commander Faris, General Garit, if you would join me, and instruct some of your men to rendevous with us at Central Station, we shall go"

Alpha Team were already well on their way to the Station. In fact, Konig and Wolf had left sometime ago, to provide Fletcher with some support. They both carried the MP5 as well, again with the buttstock folded in on itself. The net on these men was closing...

Faris spoke into his Thalack in rapid Drow, and went with Cougar, checking his own sidearm at the same time. A passerby reached out and touched him on the shoulder as he passed, and Faris swiftly changed from being a white-haired, black-skinned being to being a black-haired human with the same blue eyes.

Warfare sent a private letter directly to Col. Cougar.
It read "Greetings, I sense you seem to be having a bit of an internal problem in snake eaters. Attached to this letter is a small parcel. It contains a small orb. That orb contains a small legion of Mistform slivers, Synapse Slivers, and Reactor Slivers. The Mistforms are shapeshifters. They can become anything they want, provided they've seen the creature or object. The Synapse Slivers will spread around SEP, and set up a vast Hive mind for the Slivers with the enhancements of the Reactors. You still have the scale in you, you can still command them.

Yours,
Warfare."
It was attatched to an ordinary small ring box.

As the letter materialised in his hands, he read it, and smiled,"Well, I thought you couldn't get involved... oh well. I'll let them loose later"

Garit slung his rucksack onto his back, Russ following suit behind him. Garit's personal sidearm was tucked into his belt at the back, a vintage gold-plated .50 Desert Eagle. You couldn't beat nostalgia. Russ had his Glock 19s in his jacket pockets, and was speaking quickly into his mouthpiece, arranging a rendevous with a second Shinbreakers Special Forces unit in the city. "General Garit, Lt. Colonel Memorov on Channel 8."
Garit flicked on his own headset, "This is Garit."
"General, what is the plan?"
"RV at Central Station, fully armed and inconspicuous."
"Yes Sir, meet you there in 5."


Kuni smirked at the amusing sight beside him. One of the 'sparrows had perched itself on his colleague's head, much to the discomfort of the technician. Kuni used his scope to glance around the surrounding terrain. There was still no site of the subject, or of the sniper team posted nearby. He handed the scope to Marcos, and settled down to catch a quick sleep. It was going to be a long watch.

A couple of men joined Faris as he walked along, greeting him familiarly, and he returned their greetings.

Cougar shook his head at Garit's choice weapon,Too big and conspicious for a special ops unit.

He checked the P-90, along with is H&K .45 USP. Smaller than the SOCOM, and just as effective.Soon, we will be in action

With the cubicle doors firmly locked they waited for a while whilst another man entered the room. 5 or 10 minutes passed until they deemed it safe and opened the case. Snuggled away in another compartment was the beating heart of the mission ready to roll, but that was not the priority at this moment. Johann had no doubt that the suits had been alerted by now, but they still had the edge of surprise over them.

They don't know what I'll do next. . . .

Bending down Johann removed the hidden firearms, knives and Td's and passed them silently under the partition to his colleagues. Thanks to the placing of the wall and the steep angles involved, the security camera Johann knew was in the corner missed it all.
Now they were on the final leg, and concealing their pieces amongst the baggy folds of their attire, they closed the 004 again and exited the cubicles with a 2 minute gap to aviod suspicion from the man who was still lingering around.
Finally they formed up and left, heading straight for the trains waiting ahead of them.

OOC: Sorry, writers block! :(

OOC: Fyi, information I thought I'd post what my three guys have so you know what you're up against :p

Johann: 1 x PP-2000 Submachine gun (http://world.guns.ru/smg/smg61-e.htm), 1 x Luger 'Parabellum' (http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg85-e.htm).

2 cronies: 1 x MP-7 (http://world.guns.ru/smg/smg49-e.htm), 1 x CS grenade, 1 x WP grenade, 1 x Frag grenade.

Happy Hunting!!! :D

OOC: Luger 9mm 'Parabellum'? Nothing beats nostalgia in this case, and I use the same site as you PW, so thanks for the info. Taking the MP-7... @) lol. Oh, and Shinbreakers, it isn't just a sniper team, but a fully-fledged SHADOW unit. Second only to Alpha, hence Bravo

IC: As the remaining teams fell back, Alpha Team closed in. They were already watching the men, and Konig, their sniper, had his PSG-1 in his shoulder. The leader was in his sights, and at 100 metres, he couldn't miss him...

Cougar emerged into the station, using his security pass to bypass the scanners. Signalling to the others, he got them to begin moving people out of the building, but to do it quietly.

He spotted the men, and began moving towrds the platform on which they were looking to come out. Stopping at a kiosk, he brought a copy of the City Herald, and looked at the headline:

New Threat Emerges, Government Unable To Comment

He smiled, feeling the P-90 shift under his jacket. He paid the vendor, and slipped her a note. It read,Get out. Now. The dark-haried woman looked at the note, then at Cougar, who nodded subtley. She smiled, and took a pistol from under the desk. Charlotte (Charlie) Grey was Alpha's medic, and hd been looking out for this area. This was what SHADOW did best on operations, quickly finding the best locations to watch their opponents. The net was fast closing...

**********************************************************
Fletcher knew he had been comprimised, so he pulled out. Standard procedure if they thought their cover had been broken. He took command of the coordination of evacuation, at Cougar's command. His partner on the other hand was still safe, and had met up with Alpha Team's demo expert, Wolf. Together, they could identify the device that these men seemed to be carrying...

Mosse and her partner had just finished their coffee, and were well ahead of the men, conversing with a conductor, another SHADOW member, Echo Team's sniper. Together, the three agents watched these men come closer and closer....

**********************************************************
Major Douglas brought his eye away from the scope after his final look for his duty. His entire body felt stiff and he couldn't feel much of his left leg. After flexing his muscles, he crawled back to the bashas, and Captain Ferien took his next watch. Still, Ditamasso hadn't moved. They may have no choice but to attack the building...

OOC: PW, General Ditamasso is under your control. I need you to do something with him

OOC: Hey, a Desert Eagle's smaller than a P-90. And anyway, it being vintage, its more a good luck token than anything :D I was going to use a P-90 (I watched Stargate too much), but you already had, so I'm busily trying to find a suitable replacement.

IC: Garit followed Cougar's lead. The Colonel knew the area better, and this was no time to be headstrong. Russ had his hands on his Glocks, waiting eagerly for the fight. TRT 2 had met them at the station, all locked and loaded. The sniper in the team would be using his semi-automatic rifle as best he could in the enclosed space, as would the machine-gunner with his weapon. They were locked and loaded, and itching to face their foe.

Marcos woke Kuni with a shake. The sniper twisted round, expecting to see something. Marcos smiled down at him, "Just woke you to tell you nothing's happening." Kuni grinned back ironically, and fell asleep again.

OOC: Hey, a Desert Eagle's smaller than a P-90..

OOC: Maybe so, but would you really want a pistol that basically breaks your wrist everytime you fire it because of the slide action, or a proven-submachine? The DE .50 was developed for target shooting, never meant for combat. Tsh! :)

Faris and his men ((there is a woman in the group, but I'm going to use it in the masculine collective sense of the word)) walked somewhat away from the group of humans, but obviously in a group of their own(but they don't look military ;) ).

OOC: OOC: PW, General Ditamasso is under your control. I need you to do something with him

Sorry, I'll get onto that.

IC: *Central Station*

Johann felt his muscles tense up as he increased speed towards the waiting trains, now only 100 metres away. He knew that he was being watched now, it was inevitable. Reaching a bench on the platforms he surveyed the view that stretched before him and took a close look. He would only have one chance to get this right so his choice of target had to be precise.
Scanning the waiting passenger cars he hesitated as a loud speaker sounded from the heights of the glass-roofed building.

"LAST CALL FOR THE TRAIN ON PLATFORM 3. REPEAT, THE TRAIN ON PLATFORM 3 IS LEAVING IN 2 MIUNTES."

Perfect

All three had adrenaline coarsing like never before through their blood and as Johann paced off to the leaving train on platform 3 his two companions went left and right to throw the scent of the following pursuers.
Johann was running now as the carriage doors ahead beckoned. The Type 004 was in his right hand whilst his other case and rucksack kept his left hand busy. The world around him seemed to vanish now as he lept on the train and dropped his things suddenly. The other passengers who now packed on remained unawares as he dropped suddenly and appeared to fumble with the silver case in the center of the carriage.

2 minutes and counting. Welcome to Planet Hell, my friends. . . . .

10 seconds passed and Johann picked up his brown case and rucksack. 15 seconds, he mumbled something about leaving his coat on the platform. 20 seconds he pressed the emergency door opener and stepped out. Ignoring the protests of the commuters inside he walked faster and faster away from the carriage until he was standing in the center of the empty platform looking back. . . . . . .

. . . . . . The Type 004 was still on the train.

*General Ditamasso's Office*

The General withdrew his fingers keeping the blinds open and let his eyes, adjust to the sudden withdrawl(sp?) of light. Turning to his secretary he moved away from the window and sat down on a plush, tall-backed chair.

"Read out the transmission from Marnus again."

[General Ditamasso,

The time is almost right, we are close to touchdown. Prepare your men and wait for the signal from me.

Marnus]

The General shook his head and stood up pacing around the room for the fourth time that morning. Ever since he threw his lot in with the SLF he had been waiting. After a counsel with his top commanders and the bulk of his men he had agreed to support the uprising that Marnus had promised would take place for a seat on the government and certain priveleges. But as of yet, nothing.
He was told that when the revolution was underway he should lead his men into the streets and seize the city, and being the military commander for Snake Eaters Prime, there would be few who could oppose him. Yet days after he let himself be bribed, there was no sign, and his men were growing restless.

"LIEUTENANT"

He roared to the young Lieutenant who stood guard outside his office and who almost tripped over himself running in.

"Lieutenant, I want you to report to each divisional commander and tell them to get ready to move out, the plan is underway. Mobilise all men and vehicles. Post triple sentries and snipers around this complex and radio all military police barracks to arrest loiterers and ALL suspicious characters. Get here the minute thats done."

The Lieutenant left as quick as he entered and the General sat back down. Picking up the radio he keyed in the secure frequency for Marnus. Getting only a answering machine he left a short sharp message.

"Ready when you are."

OOC: Snake Eaters, could you give me an estimate of the location and number of troops/vehicles etc that General Ditamasso controls?
Also, TG to you :)

As the time ticked away, the train steadily picked up speed. Thanks to the location of the station, it would soon be well outside the city limits. The damage and loss of life would be bad, but at least the large majority of the populace would be safe.
**********************************************************

As the main suspect was left standing, Cougar walked briskly onto the platform, knowing his back was covered, as were all the other angles. Making it seem as if hed missed the train, he stopped to consult a nearby timetable, whilst he muttered under his breath into his Codec,"Stand by.... Stand by....GO!"

With swift, sudden movements, SHADOW personnal appeared around the platform. All manner of weapons were pointed at the three terrorists. A series of clicks were heard as bolts were cocked, and rounds chambered. Cougar had the P-90 in his shoulder, and had dropped to one knee,"FREEZE!"...

**********************************************************

Far from this action, the Crusader 1st Division, 500 SE-12 'Viper' tanks sat waiting for the command to roll over the area under the control of the now rogue General Ditamasso. In the lead vehicles, General Adama studied the latest reports from Bravo Team,Movement.... deployment believed immenient... triple sentries... multiple snipers and defense.... enemy armour: Warrior. Threat Index=Low..

He lay the pad down, and opened a comm-channel to his opposite in the Royal Green Jackets, one Lt.Colonel McKnight,"Danny, you ready to roll?"

"Ready when you are"

"Confirmed. We roll in ten, maybe less"

"Roger that. McKnight out"...

**********************************************************

Bravo Team were even now moving slowly away from the area, knowing that their pick-up time would be soon. They had fulfilled their purpose. But two were missing. Douglas and Ferien had set out to grab the two Shinbreakers personnal, and bring them back with them

"CArlos, move it! The Phantom will be here soon" (Phantom=Latest SE dropship)

"Keep your shirt on, christ almighty"...

OOC: Viper: - http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=413225

Just so you don't think I'm making it up

Kuni and Marcos hastily followed the two SHADOW personell. They were still slighty unsure of the area, so the natives' guidance was helpful. The remaining 'sparrow' was now perched on Marcos' shoulder, they did not know where the second was. Kuni checked his GPS tracker. The net of sentries was closing rapidly, they would have to extract for now.

The first sparrow hung around the building, gathering what information it could. At the retreat of the men, the second one flew off, as well.

******************************************************
The Drow at the station directed their Thalack class "vehicles" to take a form. Two of them become birds looking roughly like ostriches, but more graceful, and the others take the form of small horse-like creatures with a horn on their noses. They, too, surround the terrorist forces, save for the woman and her ride, who go chasing after the train, to try and get to the bomb.

The Shinbreakers TRTs moved around, providing a covering arc for the SHADOW and Drow personell. Garit looked across at Cougar and nodded. Targets secure, time to move.

Fully-armed personel on a covert-ops mission? This guy has no idea. Far too aggressive, he'll end up getting his men killed that way. And he keeps trying to show me how to do my job. You don't go through hell and back and not learn a few things along the way

Cougar looked at Faris, and subtly moved his head, signalling the Commander move right. Keeping his weapon pointed at the terrorists,"Hands on your heads! NOW!"

Faris glanced at his men, who began moving right just before the commander himself did.

As the train cleared the end of the platform, the device triggered. A release mechanism hidden in its bowels shot down and struck the detonation cap which shuddered for a billionth of a second before reacting to the pressure and detonating.
The subsequent explosion triggered the 10lbs TNT main load which represented the body of the 'dirty' bomb. Belching out a great plume of smoke and fire, the pellets of Caesium-137, a radioactive isotope, were scattered the length and breadth of the station giving the bomb its name.

*********************************************************

Running now Johann unholstered his weapons and swung them menacingly in front of him as a battering ram, using them to force a path through the crowd. His friends did the same and between them they mustered a poweful force. However the commotion was apparent, and soon enough the words that Johann feared were heard.

"FREEZE!"... "Hands on your heads! NOW!"

The 2 lackeys slowed to a crawl as the implications were realised and tried to raise their hands, but Johann grabbed them and thrust them back at the danger.

"Hold them off dammit, don't let them through."

As if to ram the point home, he fired his PP-2000 into the mob of civilians now running for their lives, taking a couple down, as he sprinted for the nearest emergency exit firing behind as he ran.
Meanwhile shots were being exchanged as the two terrorists took their MP-7's and fired at the surprised soldiers while cowering behind a ticket machine.

OOC: Snake Eaters, I'll leave you to handle the explosion and fall-out etc :)

General Ditamasso stood in his armoured bunker and surveyed the maps before him. The enemy outnumbered his forces considerably but his soldiers were good and he knew could expect the best from them. He sighed as he re-evaluated the circumstances again.

"Okay, we've no chance of fighting our way through so we'll have to play it safe and deploy our forces carefully."

The officers surrounding him secretly awarded the general the medal for stating the obvious but patiently waited as they knew his distinct way of thinking.

"Here's what we'll do. We have open ground interspersed with the barracks and storehouses so we'll use this to our advantage and deploy our mines and anti-tank crews here. The main underground re-inforced bunker complex is our secret weapon and we'll deploy 80% here so that the attackers will be at a disadvantage of space. Our armour will deploy, dug in outside the entrance to our bunker. You can withdraw the extra snipers and sentrys and re-deploy them in here. Maintain radio silence and do not respond to enemy warnings to surrender.
Now I know some will have their doubts but with luck we can distract their army when Marnus returns. Ok men, MOVE OUT."

As the train detonated, Cougar shieled his eyes from the blast,Shit... we were too late. This thought was taken away from him as he saw the terrorist leader make a run for it,"Eagle Eye, Target is moving, shoot to incapacitate!"

"Roger that Nightshadow, I have the target," said Konig, his finger tight on the trigger. It was going to be difficult, but once the target emerged on the concourse he was as good as dead. He led the target, his breathing shallow, his aim steady. The post and bar scope rose only slighty on his in breath. The single 7.62 round sat in the chamber, waiting to be sent on it's journey into this mans thigh. Konig smiled, still watching. Without any warning, he fired. The round burrowed into the the thigh, and the man crumpled to the floor,"Nightshadow, target is down, I say again, target is on the ground"

"Roger that," said Cougar, now ducked behind a pile of bags, the best cover he could find. The rad counter in his nanites was blinking on his left eye. He focused on it briefly,Oh hell no.....

He opened a new channel,"All units, this is Alpha Zero. We have confirmed radioactive material in the station. Evacuate all no-essential personnal and de contaminate."

"Roger, Alpha Zero," came the response from the NBC Squad, who started to move into the station, making sure that that general populace didn't leave the building. The screams and shouts of the civilians was deafning, but they ignored it. These men were trained to do just this, to make sure that people and locations exposed to radiation were decontaminated with the minimum of fuss. In this case, it was forcing the crowd through a powerful water spray that they had set up, before taking people to safe points, where food and warn clothing were issued. Despite not seeing much action, they were among the best assets Snake Eaters had to offer.

**********************************************************

On the platform, Cougar felt a round pass right by his ear. MP-7's... and grenades. He clicked off the safety on his P-90, checked the clip was seated correctly, and then spun out in a tight SWAT turn, before aiming briefly and squeezing the trigger. The gun spat rounds towards the target, aiming for the chest. He couldn't miss at that range, and the other terrorist was screwed beyond belief, with a huge force facing him.

Charlie Grey checked all the fallen civilians, some of whom had died instantley, but most of which were still breathing,"Get me some medikits... and call in air ambulances. We're going to need them"

Overall, the train had been decimated by the bomb. A huge gaping hole,where three carriages had been, was all that showed how much damage the bomb had truly done. Thankfully, the construtcion had reduced damage to the station itself. Fires raged, being quelled as best as possible by the automatic fire systems within the station. Screams could be heard in the wreakage, but Echo Team were already there, moving through the rubble, searching for survivors, and identifying the dead. It was a grisly task, but someone had to do it...

**********************************************************

The Phantom-class dropship came into view, operating without running lights. Stealth coated, and faster than the LightningSword, they were forces to be reckoned with on the battlefield, wherever that might be. The ramp dropped, and a soft whistle came over the low hum of the engines. Douglas clicked his torch back three times, before the interior of the craft was revealed by red-lights, followed by the main loadie calling,"C'mon, get in!"

Bravo Team piled in, making sure that the Shinbreaker personnel were securely strapped in before checking themsleves. They leaned their weapons on the metal floor of the aircraft, and rested, silent. SHADOW didn't like to mix if it could help it, finding other forces only restricted its movement and operational capablity.

OOC: Shinbreakers, you might want to make small talk
**********************************************************
Far overhead Ditamasso's HQ, a lone aircraft filmed everything as it made multiple passes. It saw all the dangers, which were being transmitted to Adama via the JTIDN (Joint Tactical Information Distribution Network) system. He watched as the armour was deployed sparsely, and smiled as the mines and anti-armour units were made ready. He opened a channel to another unit, under the command of a Captain Templar, Snake Artillery,"Captain."

The response was immediate,"Yessir?"

"Commence bombardment. Fire for effect"

"Fire for effect, confirmed. All batteries?"

"Affirmative"

"Roger that. Templar out"

A brief pause, then a low, dull boom, followed by another. A piercing screech, then a detonation, then another... and another. AS-90 Bravehearts, 155mm self propelled howitzers, were pounding the installation. An old tactic, but always useful. And the effect if th high-impact, high detonation (HIHD) rounds was going to cause immense damage and loss of morale.

McKnight saw this, and shuddered in spite of himself. He hated bombardment, but he hated bunker clearing. True, his men were well equipped for the task, with shotguns and carbines, along with grenades and the best body armour they had avaliable, but clearing of bunkers was dangerous work...

Kuni looked over at McKnight. "What's our situation?"
He had no need to be concerned about Kuni where they were going, they would be well looked after. He took his rifle and affixed the scope. He checked the firing mechanism, already knowing it was fine. He was itching to fire it. It was the life to be a sniper.

*********************************************************

Garit moved forward with Russ, covered by two members of Team 2. He waved the other two forward, moving in standard attack pattern. Russ raised his assualt rifle and dropped the second terrorist with a three round burst to the torso. Garit waited for Cougar's signal to move towards the main target.

OOC: What other way could my men have been? They've just arrived in the country, where else could they have put it? (Rhetorical questions by the way :) )

OOC: Um, Shinbreakers, I h8 to tell you, but McKnight is not at the station, as Garit is. He's with General Adama, getting ready to storm Ditamasso's HQ. So it's kinda difficult. Also, you completley ignored the situation within the station, which your men are involved in

OOC: Ok, I'm lost. I thought my guys were in the ship? Oh, I see. It was Kuni and Marcos that were loaded onto the ship. Duh! :headbang: My mistake. I shall change the earlier post. I wondered why it was so confusing.....

Kuni looked over at McKnight. "What's our situation?"
He had no need to be concerned about Kuni where they were going, they would be well looked after. He took his rifle and affixed the scope. He checked the firing mechanism, already knowing it was fine. He was itching to fire it. It was the life to be a sniper.

*********************************************************

Garit moved forward with Russ, covered by two members of Team 2. He waved the other two forward, moving in standard attack pattern. Russ raised his assualt rifle and dropped the second terrorist with a three round burst to the torso. Garit waited for Cougar's signal to move towards the main target.

OOC: What other way could my men have been? They've just arrived in the country, where else could they have put it? (Rhetorical questions by the way :) )

McKnight looked back at him,"Bad. As far as we can gather, a dirty bomb just went off in Central Station. Intial estimates put casualties at nearly one hundred and fifty. To top it off, Ditamasso isn't responding to hails, and we just started bombarding his headquaters"

**********************************************************

Cougar moved slowly, letting the air clear,"Alpha Team, seal this place off. No press until I give the word." They nodded, and slipped away to do what he said. He moved forward, approaching the leader. Putting his finger to his neck, he quickly checked the pulse,"Weak, but he'll live. General, get him out of here"

F -- Chath, contact Xar'zith.

After the Thalack does so, he gets three steady beeps, then silence.
The three drow looked at each other, then Faris turned to Cougar.

"Colonel, we will deal with the wreckage."

He nodded,"Echo Team will assist you. If you want me, contact me directly"

Faris nods and speaks briefly to Chath. The three Drow then move out, with six more joining them.

They comb through the train, looking for survivors. They eventually come upon the body of their comrade, Ilsva. A large portion of her head and neck had been ripped out. Jilra't called Faris over.

The Commander encoded a message into her Thalack, and directed it to form a make-shift coffin, which two Drow carried to a clear enough place to open a portal.

Cougar, who was still checking over the terrorist leader, noticed this, and bowed his head momentarily. He knew what it was like to lose a friend and collegue. His mind flashed to Rhenna's sorrow over a year ago, just after they met, just after the Dragon King.

He shook himself, and returned to his work, whilst making a note to call her during the night

After dealing with as much of the wreckage as he possibly could, Faris went back to the station, sifting through his people's reports so that he could submit a single report to Col. Cougar.

*Train Station*

Oblivious to the firefight going on behind him, Johann continued. He could hear stray rounds hitting the deck and walls and zig-zagged through the crowd until was breathless, but slowing was his fatal mistake and as he paused to check the location of the exit doors the round struck his thigh.
The bullet entered and easily pierced the soft skin of his leg through his jeans rotating as its momentum carried it deeper. The exit wound was nasty and Johann crumpled to the ground, dropping his weapon as he fell, the gaping hole unable to support his full weight. Hearing the enemy closing in he lay in a pool of deep-red blood looking for his SMG and a means of defense but the pain kept increasing.
Finally he saw it and tried to lunge but it was too late. Darkness engulfed him and he slumped, motionless and unconcious as the Special Forces arrived.

Meanwhile the two other terrorists were being picked off by the superior foes against them. After a brief scramble for cover, the first terrorist suddenly flew back in a red mist after firing just 4 rounds, clounding his friend in guts and ramming home the severity of his hopelessness. He thought about running but decided against it. As the enemy tightened the net he decided what to do.
Dropping his MP-7 and his grenades he raised his hands, standing slowly as he did so.

"Don't shoot, I give up. I SURREN. . . arghhh. . . ."

His mouth didn't finish as his windpipe was torn in two and his chest disappeared, ripped into ribbons by a hail of Shinbreaker bullets.

OOC: Just a post to cover what the above events were like from my guys point of view. If anyone is puzzled as to why I don't put my Gen. Ditamasso posts on the bottom of my other posts, its because my breaks at college don't allow me to write it all in one go :)

*Army Barracks*

The General was safe, deep underground but was not unawares of the events taking place above. The bunker shook and shuddered periodically as another heavy round hit and sent clouds of dust and concrete into the putrid air to settle on the maps and dials of the men working there. He shook his head, partly at his stupidity and partly to shake off the dust.

"Why didn't I think of that. Ok men listen up. Withdraw all remaining troops and anti-tanks squad and relocate them to the underground complex. We can't fight against that kind of firepower. The remaining tanks are to remain by the bunker entrance and will fire on sight at advancing forces when they come into range. Prepare the men for a prolonged fight and tell them to barricade all passages to this main bunker with anything they can lay there hands on."

*Train Station*

Cougar made sure that the terrorist leader was stable, before looking to General Garit,"General, we have enough men on the ground here. Fall back to the main building, and take this man with you. Get him into the medical wing, they'll patch him up so he can talk. Then hold the place down, and keep an eye on the media. I want a complete blackout, no statements, no nothing."

*Army Barracks*
Adama watched even further, as the Warriors pulled back. He smiled, they wouldn't stand a chance against the firepower of the Viper. It could be considered overkill to bring even fifty to this location, but there you go. He opened the comm channel,"All units, this is Adama. Move out. Fire at will, I say again, fire at any and all avaliable targets"

The tanks began to rumble over the ground, their tracking systems already locating and designating targets. 120mm main guns, against 30mm RARDEN cannons... no contest

--TRAIN STATION--

Garit nodded. "Huntley, Chiang." The two men from Team 2 hurried over. "Get him to the main building, medical wing. Report back to me when you're done." The two gave quick salutes and loaded the dying man onto a field stretcher. At Garit's command they moved out, the other two members of Team 2, Shurgart and Blackburn following as cover.

Meanwhile Sergeant Russ was trying to raise Team 3 on the comms. Garit had requested their immeadiate presence in the station, and was confident they were already within the near vacinity anyway.

--ON THE SHIP--

Kuni nodded. He looked over at Marcos, telling him to inform the General. He looked back to McKnight, not liking the awkward silence. "So, how long you been in the military?"

OOC: OMG! You used names of U.S Rangers from Somalia. I prefer the D-boys myself, and the PJ's

IC: McKnight looked at his passengers,"Almost fourty years this month."

The SHADOW personnel looked at each other, raising their eyebrows at each other. All were thinking the same thing.Small talk? What do these guys thinks they're doing?

OOC: Yup, gotta love Black Hawk Down. Personally I'd rather use SAS, but I can't remember many of McNab and co.

IC:

Kuni noticed the looks exchanged between the SHADOW personell. So much for being friendly. Ah well, he was here for the fight, not to make new penpals.

--AT THE STATION--

Team 3 came down the halted escalators, making a beeline for General Garit. Team Leader, Colonel Jack O'Neill saluted the General. Garit returned the gesture. "Good to see you boys."

OOC: Hey, you do you think SHADOW is based on? SAS, Delta, SEALS, everything. And do you think you could come up with your own names? I mean, O'Neill is cool, but next thing you'll be using Teal'c

IC: Douglas noticed Kuni,"Don't take it personally. We just don't like to mix with other forces."

Faris compiled a report and handed it to Col. Cougar.

"This is what we have so far."

Cougar looked over it quickly, taking in figures. Two hundred confirmed dead, many wounded, some critical. It was a fearsome toll, one that had been caused by lack of intelligence. He looked at Faris,"Thank you Commander. Pull your men out. Clean-up teams are coming in. Go back to the main building, and I'll meet you soon"

Faris nods, then turns to tell his men. Reaching the platform, he calls out to his men.

"Sevir nindol k'lar. Alu rath."

The Drow begin to pull out of the station and head to the main building.

Far from the mess of the explosion sat Jet Farnborough, a Snake Eaters civilian, he had worked in the police force for 25 years before being retired out with an injury gained on the beat. Enjoying his retirement was top of his list nowadays and he made the most of the time he had. It was late in the evening and he sat in his living room watching a very informative program about the Snake Eaters Cobra, munching steadily through a bag of potato chips.

"Martha, come and sit down, you've on yer feet all day. . ."

His wife's lined face appeared at the door.

"This house don't run itself, an' your too lazy."

He grunted and lay down further in his fake leather recliner. As the program ended and the credits rolled he suddenly sat up and stared at the T.V. The sound had gone and the picture was rapidly disintergrating.

Oh Christ, this was new 6 months ago

Jet got up, knocking his drink over and swore. Getting that feeling that some people would never have a quiet life, he angrily slammed his fist down upon the top of the device. The picture now disappeared completely and a humming sound replaced it. Being too lazy to sort it out right now, Jet turned and shuffled out to the kitchen, but he didn't get very far for the T.V. now was silent and displayed a human face, a face that was strangely familiar. As he and his wife stood fixed in the doorway the face began to talk.

*Marnus' mansion*

Sobek sat in front of the tv camera and began to deliver his speech from a piece of paper he clutched tentatively in his hands.

"People of Snake Eaters, your nation is under attack. Not long ago a bomb exploded in a train station in Snake Eaters Prime, the death toll is in the hundreds. And yet your govt do not want you to know the truth, for they are ignorant and corrupt, not fit to rule. It is us, the Snake Liberation Front who carried out this attack and we are not finished yet. Ignore us at your peril, for we will yet remove the stench of perversion from your people's leaders. Goodnight my friends, long live our glorious leader, Marnus."

The camera went blank and millions of T.V's nationwide resumed normal service as the stunned populous sat flabbergasted and confused. In the background of the studio, Marnus smiled and spoke out loud.

"Excellent, we are so close now."

General Ditimasso swore as a chunk of ceiling was dislodged scattering his papers throughout the four corners of the main bunker. The situation was serious now with SE troops assaulting the entrance high above him. Latest reports suggested that the enemy were overrunning the troops up there and that collapse was imminent. As time went by an order reached the troops still fighting. It read:

Use all means neccessary to repel attacks.

Above ground things were not looking up for the rebel forces. They had lost 37 Warriors in quick succesion to the guns of the Viper tanks and 178 men were also on the casuality list. The order came through and made it clear to the remaining soldiers that the enemy mustn't pass.
1100 men were now below the surface behind barricades defending their cause and 222 men on the surface huddled round the tunnel downwards. The bombardment has lessened as the first assault came in and the ground was scarred and smoking.

Fighting wore on and the dust of battle grew thick, but out of the dust came a new danger for the advancing Snake Eaters troops. Crammed with the all the remaining explosives to hand came 8 Warriors at full speed straight towards the SE lines. Ramming into their opposites the fireball lit up the sky for miles around. The rebels were not just going to give up and die.

*Snake City*
Cougar caught the last part of this broadcast by the SLF, and swore softly,"So, thats your game is it? You want to play hardball? SHADOW will play, Marnus. SHADOW will play"

He stepped quickly to a direct phoneline to the President's Office,"Sir?"

"Yes, I've seen it Colonel. What do you suggest?"

"We've apprehended the leader of the cell responsible for this attack. I'm going to question him myself"*Private thought*And make the f***er rue the day he messed with us

"Good plan. Marnus is now your primary concern, take him out at all costs, is that understood?"

"Yessir. Are you going to release a press statment?"

"Yes. I will be broadcasting in five minutes, live on the six o'clock news"

*Pauses*"Did we get a trace?"

"These guys are smarter than that. We traced it to an internet provider, and as they are an off-world corporation, we don't have any jurisdiction over them"

"I see."

"S.I.O.N is working on it, and it's never come up against a code it can't crack. Don't worry, the information will be sitting on your desk by the morning"

"Thanks. Above all others"

The phone went dead in his hands, and he put it back on the stand, before looking around the room,"Commanders, with me. The rest of you, you have a twenty four hour cool down peroid. Take it as you wish"

**********************************************************
Lord Barbarossa looked out at the reporters, hearing all the questions being thrown his way,"Is it true that the SLF is going to attack again?.... What are your thoughts on this latest atrocity?... What do you intend to do about it?"

He held up a hand, and everything went silent. This was his gift, being able to make people listen. He sighed, and then began to speak, live for the whole of Snake Eaters,"My people, these attacks on our way of life are an atorcity that cannot be continued. They take innocnet lives to advocate a cause, and that is immoral and inhuman. I am be truthful when I say that Snake Eaters has had it's problems in the past, but we cannot give in to terrorism. It is the last vestige of cowards and bigots. These people would like to take control of this great nation, and then begin their xenocidal crusades. Many of you are aware of our alliance with the Drow nation of Kaymiril. The SLF would try to destroy them, and their entire way of life. Could we allow this? No.

I have ordered all military units to maximum alert, and have issued a warrant for Marnus. He will pay for his actions against this great nation!"

With that, he unified the large majority behind his cause. He would lead them to victory, he would make sure they could sleep in their beds safe at night. He had never failed them yet

**********************************************************

A number of Vipers had detonated as a result of the final Warrior charge, their burning hulls serving as mere inspiration to make these rebels pay. Hated for these men burned in the heart of every loyal solider fighting this battle, and it would make itself known. Sgt. Thomas led his section forward, his Type-17 phaser rifle comfortable in his hands. He'd been in the Green Jackets since he had joined as a Trooper, and loved it. The Green Jackets were among the best infantry regiements used by Snake Eaters who weren't Special Operations. A photon grenade detonated close to him, slightly burning his left arm. He cursed, and fired at the man who had thrown it, causing him to fly backwards clutching his chest.

The entrance wasn't far off, and the 7.62 chainguns of the Vipers were wrecking havoc among the lines. It wouldn't be long, and they had just used up the last of their armoured units. Fools

OOC: Just so you know, SHADOW carry MT weapons because they prefer them to phasers

OOC: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=415084. Care for an analysis? Please post, and one shall be given

Sheesh, could you do something other than criticise me? Its hard enough getting names for the other other 3 threads I'm in. I don't like using the same names in my threads, so sometimes I have to borrow. So.....

Teal'c strode forward through the rubble...... Not really, just messin. Lol.

IC: Garit followed Cougar out of the room, Faris at his side. Russ remained in the room with Team 3, Sergeants Gordon, Kowaleski and Everett and Colonel O'Neill. They were surveying the footage of the terrorist on the TV, marking his face in their memory. Just another target.

--ON THE SHIP--

Kuni squeezed the trigger of his rifle gently, watching the soldier drop down below. He was firing from the rear ramp of the transport, mere target practice, but negotiating the tailwinds was proving a challenge. His tally of rebels was now 7 from 8 shots, one round had been caught in an unprecedented explosion. This was the life of a sniper, when one's company was not engaging, he always had his favourite pastime to fall back on - killing.

Meanwhile Marcos turned to McKnight. "Any chance you could set us down somewhere? Unless you have something else you need us to do?"

OOC: Its a bit hard for me to vary my posts as nobody will tell me where the hell all this is going. I can't do anything because I don't have a clue what I'm meant to be doing!

Oh, and isn't McKnight taken from Black Hawk Down as well?

OOC: Look, Shinbreakers, I'll send you a TG explaining everything when i get the chance. Sorry about the criticisms. (Oh, and you can't control Faris. Sorry, but that's GM)
And yes, Mcknight is taken from BHD, but other than that, how many original names do you see?

IC: He looked back,"I could set you down, but Bravo Team has been recalled. You'd be unsupported down there"

OOC: Thanks. I wasn't exactly GMing, you asked the Commanders to follow Cougar, so I thought if I said he was following too then it would allow you to get on with the story quicker. It's hardly something drastic is it?

OOC: Thanks. I wasn't exactly GMing, you asked the Commanders to follow Cougar, so I thought if I said he was following too then it would allow you to get on with the story quicker. It's hardly something drastic is it?

OOC: It's not that. I know what Kaymiril will do if you try to control her chars without permission. Even I only get tht occasionally, in extreme circumstances. Kay, I'm beggin forgiveness here, but just take in gd stead, please. I'll explain on IM when you get on again

IC: Cougar sat down, and motioned to the other two to do the same,"Barbarossa has changed our mission. It is now to eliminate Marnus, by any means neccesery. Now, we don't know where he lives, what his movements are, but S.I.O.N is working on it. I suggest everyone cools off after what just happened. Are there any questions?"

**********************************************************
Ferien smiled, and picked up his Draganov SVD. He loved this weapon for this type of shoot, and went back to the tail ramp,"So, you think you can shoot Kuni?"

He lifted the weapon, and within half a second, it had kicked. The round flew straight and true, and a Lt in the rebel forces fell, blood pouring from his head. Three seconds later, the weapon fired again, this time taking the l;egs away from an enemy sniper

OOC: Now I'm annoyed. In all honesty the weapon I had intented Kuni to be using is the Draganov, I even have it written down in a Word Doc, but now if I use it it will look like I copied you! :headbang: Same thing happened with the P90s a few pages back. Dammit! Oh well, I'm gonna use it anyway, but just so you know, I ain't copying. (The Team 2 sniper has a Barratt .50 by the way, Team 3 sniper also has a Draganov) The ironies of life.

Apologies Kaymiril, i didn't think you'd mind. Won't do it again.

IC: Kuni smiled. "Nice weapon." He scoped about for a target, finding a Tank Commander foolishly half out of the top hatch of a Viper. Seconds later his head turned to a fine red mist. The next man dropped clutching the intestines pouring from his torso. He heard Ferien's rifle roaring beside him and smiled again. Nothing like a bit of competition.

OOC: I'm just going to clear something up, and this is my fault for misinformation. Vipers = friendly. Lol, we think along similar weapon lines then

IC: Ferien smiled, firing once every three seconds. He didn't miss... but he wasn't the best. No, that was Konig. Major Matt Konig of Alpha Team. A legend in SE sniper circles, he was said to be able to take a mans head off his shoulders at 1500 metres, with a semi-automatic MSG-90. Amazing.

"Are you using the cross hair sight on that thing? Or a post and bar?"

OOC: Don't forget about me and what I loaned you to use Snake.

OOC: Posted for analysis :)

IC: *Army Barracks*

Bodies began to pile up and the acting commander on the ground, Major Sentia, was beginning to consider that all was lost. His snipers were either blood-stained stiffs or cowering wrecks and his armour was lost except for 2 Warriors that were largely unnoticed buried under some rubble. They were keeping hopes alive but the sheer grit and skill of the men facing them was telling. Ducking across the lines and coming within an inch of his death, he fired a few rounds into the tumult ahead of him before bowing to the inevitable.

"All units retreat. Fall back into the tunnels."

*Marnus' Mansion*

K'Tarl and Sobek entered through the tall entrance doors of the houses main hall and bowed before their master.

"You wish to see us."

Marnus nodded.

"K'Tarl, your patience is commendable you have proved a worthy ally. I have something for you to do. It is imperative that the Snake Eaters do not reach us here and get the chance to shut us down. I'm leaving the defence of our organisation in your capable hands. Sobek, that broadcast was exquisite but I have my concerns. Will the suits have been able to trace us?"

"Unlikely sir, we broadcasted over a foreign internet provider. The code was secure and they have no juristiction over us in another planet. But I see your worry, I shall work on the further tightening of our security procedures."

"Good, that is all. We must plan our next move now."

With that he hailed the SLF cell in Snake Eaters Prime. He had another job for them.

OOC: Shinbreakers, you'd better not do it again. Sarnor Zotreth is not the greatest power Kaymiril boasts...aside from that, OOC, I can get pretty nasty, too. ;) And SE, I was in NYC, you could have taken over Faris until my return.

IC:
Faris went with Cougar and Garit, and listened to the new instructions concerning Marnus.

"Do you have any ideas as to his possible location, or is that information that we still need to gain?"

He twirled a tiny metallic cylinder in his fingers.

"S.I.O.N is currently piggybacking on a signal that Intel sent, trying to trace that signal. Once it gets inside the mainframe, it's a simple matter of tracing the location. However, he is definatley on this planet. The signal degredation on that signal was too small for him not to be.

Faris nodded.

"Chath, tesso Omega squad ulu xund xuil S.I.O.N. Ori'gato udossa kyorl ka udos shlu'ta'naut ragar mina."

**************************************************
At Faris's command, Omega Squad requested to work and share information with S.I.O.N. Their experience would allow them to work more quickly.

Cougar granted the access to S.I.O.N for Omega squad, so they could get to work. This would take time.

"If that's all gentlemen, then you'll have to excuse me, I have a call to make..."

Six hours later
He flicked the switch on the holo-imager, bringing up a list of people he could call. He spyed the one he wanted,"D'anthe"

*The 'raven's' head appeared.*

Oh, you. What do you want?

He sighed,"What do you think I want, metal-head? Is she avaliable?"

Rn -- Yes, I'm available. You two really need to learn to get along.

*D'anthe's head is replaced by Rhenna's face.* How are things going on your end?

His reply was unusally terse,"Could be better"

Sounds like it. Anything you can tell me?

"It's all over the major networks, and is spreading through the galaxy like wildfire. The SLF hit the main station... dirty bomb. Three hundred confirmed, say the latest reports I'm getting. All because I didn't take the shot when we had it. I killed those people. And no one will ever know, because I don't exist"

His voice was one of anger at himself, hatred of the SLF, and also a sense of failure would be permeating the bond between them

Back up, just a bit. What shot didn't you take?

We had a clear shot at the guy responsible before the attack... and fool that I was, I denied the shot. Didn't want to shoot a man who could be innocent

She nods. "I know it stings...I can feel it. However...It's not going to do you any good to brood on it now."

He nodded, "I know*smiles*Thanks Rhenna. I would hug you, but the distance kinda puts that out the proverbial window

Yes, that's a pity. You can hug me when you get back home, though. Don't worry if I'm teaching...classes are flexible.

He smiled,"Hmmm, I might interrupt you. You'll know when I'm back anyway."

Yes. I'll talk to you later...sounds like you're fairly busy, in any event.

He was filling a magazine up as she spoke, loading the bullets with methodical precision,"I'll call when I can. Could be eratic though."

Well, such is your life. Just don't get yourself killed. I love you. *The connection cuts off*

He leaned back in his chair, shutting off the display with a thoughtwave from his nanites, before sending a message of his own across space,I'm not going to get killed. Love you too

With that done, he slammed the magazine back into the USP Pistol, and checked it. The time was approaching

Meanwhile, Faris had contacted his family, but that was a shorter conversation. He'd checked his firearm, and now he sat, sharpening his combat knife.

Cougar came and sat next to Faris,"How is everything?"

It was obvious he was talking about Faris' family

My people are settled in, waiting for the time to act. Omega's still working. Other than that...my oldest son is having a few problems adjusting to school. His sister isn't helping matters any.

*Faris chuckles* Children. Do you have any children, Colonel?

No... I don't think I'd make a good father, what with my line of work. I'd like to have children one day though

I'm in the same line of work as you are...and once I thought the same way you did. Then my daughter was born..and all you really have to do to be a good father is love and take care of them. It would be hard if your wife was in a similar line of work, true. Over the past three decades, I've discovered that there was nothing I'd ever done so rewarding as spending time with my children. They have interesting insights.

*he pulls a picture out of his pocket. There is a woman, a girl, and two younger boys, one that still seems to be an infant.*

My family.

Cougar pulled a picture from his breast pocket,"My wife. I just finished speaking with her"

Ayal? Well...I never would have guessed that she'd ever marry anyone.

What the hell...?

You know my wife?

She's helped out M'elzar Zotreth on occasion. Very powerful, very intelligent...but also very cold. I haven't seen her in thirty years, but there's no mistaking her. You don't often run into a dragon hybrid.

You've only seen the side of her that comes out in combat of any sort. She's completley emotionless when it comes to that. Other than that, she's just like anyone else

Maybe. I never got to know her well, but I will wish the both of you the best.

Thanks. You're a lucky man. A family, and a good life ahead of you.

And every day I thank any gods willing to listen for that life and family. You will have a family someday, as well. When you do, remember to take some time to listen to your children. Your perspectives will change drastically.

Yes... for the first time in twenty one years, I feel as if I have a family already

Faris gives Cougar a tight grin. "Nothing can prepare you for the reality...in many, many ways."

Right now*cocks his pistol*I've got other things to worry about

Yes, as do we all. Then again...this isn't anything new, is it?

What isn't, fighting people who want to destroy this nation? No, it's nothing new to me. I may only be twenty-seven, but I've seen enough. We're going to get him

Yes...and we will find out everything. *He holds up a metal cylinder* By interrogation...or by torture.

I'd prefer interrogation to torture. What is that thing?

This is a device we put on the back of a suspect's neck at the beginning of an interrogation. If the suspect is uncooperative when we question him or her...this is designed to send messages of pain to the suspect's brain. It starts out low-level...and eventually grows very high. We can also use this *he holds up a blue cylinder* to descern truth from lies...a polygraph, if you will.

OOC: Posted for analysis :)

IC: *Army Barracks*

Bodies began to pile up and the acting commander on the ground, Major Sentia, was beginning to consider that all was lost. His snipers were either blood-stained stiffs or cowering wrecks and his armour was lost except for 2 Warriors that were largely unnoticed buried under some rubble. They were keeping hopes alive but the sheer grit and skill of the men facing them was telling. Ducking across the lines and coming within an inch of his death, he fired a few rounds into the tumult ahead of him before bowing to the inevitable.

"All units retreat. Fall back into the tunnels."

*Marnus' Mansion*

K'Tarl and Sobek entered through the tall entrance doors of the houses main hall and bowed before their master.

"You wish to see us."

Marnus nodded.

"K'Tarl, your patience is commendable you have proved a worthy ally. I have something for you to do. It is imperative that the Snake Eaters do not reach us here and get the chance to shut us down. I'm leaving the defence of our organisation in your capable hands. Sobek, that broadcast was exquisite but I have my concerns. Will the suits have been able to trace us?"

"Unlikely sir, we broadcasted over a foreign internet provider. The code was secure and they have no juristiction over us in another planet. But I see your worry, I shall work on the further tightening of our security procedures."

"Good, that is all. We must plan our next move now."

With that he hailed the SLF cell in Snake Eaters Prime. He had another job for them.

*Army Barracks*
"They seem to be falling back, Sir"

"Exploit and pursue. Move into the tunnels. Clear each room, frag grenades only."

*********************************************************
Cougar looked at the metal cylinder,"Interesting. That'll have to be part of our technology exchange. We essentially gave your nation space travel"

Faris shrugs. "We'd have figured it out, anyway. But no matter...so long as your nation uses it responsibly, we have no problems sharing our technology with your nation."

--ON THE SHIP--

Kuni took the rifle away from his shoulder as he watched the men flee inside. "I prefer the bar and pole myself, easier to shoot them in the head. You? Reminds me of the old vintage Gewehr rifle I first learned to shoot with. You?"

--AT HQ--

Garit was sitting with O'Neill and Everett from Team 3. They had all checked their weapons. O'Neill and Everett both used P-90s. O'Neill needed something compact as Team Leader, and Everett needed something compact to use outside of his demolition tasks. O'Neill also had 2 Glock 19s, Everett a Desert Eagle .357. Garit had his own Eagle in front of him. He would have to leave it here, it was too valuable to lose out in the wild. He instead had 2 Browning BDM revolvers, and his MP5 assualt rifle. He looked around for his other men. He would have to speak to them all about the task sooner or later. But not yet.

*On the dropship*
I still prefer the post and bar, better sense of roaming when shooting. I learned using a number of rifles, including the Moison Nagant, the Springfield and the Lee Enfield.

"Fine weapons. Did you ever fire the old M1 Garand, or the Kahr 94? Both excellent basic rifles."

OOC: Just to say I won't be back till about Sunday - 4:30 British time, so if you need my characters to do anything just do it, provided its nothing serious. And don't kill any of them off :) Thanks

OOC: Thanks, I'll keep it in mind

IC: "Fired the Garand... hated the clip system on it. Otherwise, it was a good rifle"

OOC: I aplogise for taking control, but in the interest of the story, I am going to do so in order to post. If this is a problem, contact me via TG or IM

*Snake City*
Cougar walked into the interrogation room, Faris and Garit behind him. The suspect, who was known only as Johann, was seated behind a metal table. The room was spartan at best, with a single window looking out over the square, and that was one way, so they could see out, but no one could see in. Along the walls, blue lighting strips indicated S.I.O.N's prescense in the room. It would record the entire session, as far as possible.

Cougar took a seat, and looked hard at Johann. His cold, electric blue eyes bored into Johann's, and he couldn't see any guilt in the other man's eyes. He looked down, and saw the bandage wrapped around the leg,"Allow me to introduce us. The other man behind me is Dick, I'm Tom, and the Drow is Harry. Understand?" He asked this question with a slight smile on his face. The names were cliched, but when he had been very young, his father had shown him The Great Escape, a film from Terra's 20th century, and it had stayed with him ever since

In all honesty, he didn't expect a reply, so he pushed on,"Allow me to make one thing quite clear. You are in SHADOW's hands now, and you no longer exist. We can do whatever we want to get the information we want out of you. Harry has a device which will make you talk... but I'd prefer not to use it if I can get what I want from you, by confession. So, let's start small: Name, date of birth, and next of kin"

OOC: In Snake Eaters, the year is 2387. So give his D.O.B in SE Years, I use the normal twelve month calender etc

"Harry" twirled the blue cylinder in his long elven fingers. His eyes held a threat...the Classic Drow was a violent creature. The Kaymirilis tried not to be...but the prisoner didn't have to know that.

Johann sat in the squat room, his mind drowning in complications, as the figures entered.

"Allow me to introduce us. The other man behind me is Dick, I'm Tom, and the Drow is Harry. Understand?"

His mouth stayed shut. He tried to think what the Teacher would do.

"Allow me to make one thing quite clear. You are in SHADOW's hands now, and you no longer exist. We can do whatever we want to get the information we want out of you. Harry has a device which will make you talk... but I'd prefer not to use it if I can get what I want from you, by confession. So, let's start small: Name, date of birth, and next of kin"

Johann remained silent for a second. You could blow the whole thing. . .
He opened his mouth and finally uttered a few garbled words.

"Johann, 21st January 2363, Family dead."

Cougar smiled,So, he's only twenty-four... so young, yet so innocent

He made a note of this data, knowing S.I.O.N was also recording the session, whilst encrypting it with Cougar's personal algorithm. He put a cup on the table, it was filled with ice-cold water,"Now, Johann. You're a member of the SLF... and you were assigned to carry out this latest attack on Snake City. The question in my mind, why?"

OOC: How come I have to be Dick? Lol

IC: 'Dick' watched on with grim concentration. The Drow were clearly more suited to this task. He was a fighter by nature, he left the 'paper work' to to others. So for now he watched, an interested smile playing across his face.

OOC: Um, hello? I'm human, Kay is the only Drow in this thread

OOC: Yeah. Cougar married a Drow, which is why he can speak the language.

The prisoners face remained emotionless.

"No idea"

"DOn't give me that bollocks. Theres a reason for everything, and you exactly why you did it. Why not save yourself the trouble, and just tell me why?

OOC: I know that. Sorry, i should have worded my post better. I was referring to the fact that the Drow had the device thing. I wasn't meaning to include Cougar in "Drow". And the "were" was indicating the whole race were good at it. I didn't want to say "the Drow was" because it would sound slightly insulting and discriminatory. Get it?

Faris twirled the device in his fingers once more.

OOC: But Cougar's running the interrogation.

Cougar smiled, a wolfish smile, at his captives silence,"Harry, could you adminster the device?"

He began advancing with a slow, deadly step. His footfalls fell evenly, and resonated throughout the room...with a sound right between steps, giving the illusion of a nervous heartbeat. A little red light blinked on the shoulder part of his "armor plate."

He walked by the prisoner without so much as looking at him, and as he passed, his arm lashed out, slapping the device onto the back of Johann's neck.

As soon as it felt itself activate, the unit sent out six little grippers, to keep itself fast on Johann's neck, and then it plunged a fourth into the base of his skull...at the precise point where his spinal cord entered his brain.

Faris walked back. He held up a silver cylinder, and adjusted it. It spread out into a controller.

"Here, Tom. You might want this."

Cougar took it, and smiled,"Thank you, Harry. Would you care to explain to our guest how this device works?"

"This device has a very simple function. He asks you a question. If you do not answer satisfactorily, he presses a button, and you feel pain. It can run from low-grade pain to excruciating pain...I've seen it put men into death throes before. However...it shouldn't quite do that, to a human."

The device dug in and pain lanced through Johann's spine and back. Whimpering and grimacing he stole a glance at the stern, cold faces of his captors and didn't doubt their conviction. He was just a ordinary bloke until the SLF took him in, he wasn't anything special. . . .

"I was chosen for my superior atheletic (sp) skills and knowledge of Snake Eaters. Thats what they told me."

He tensed up as he waited for the men's response.

Cougar considered the answer, and then pressed the button lightly, enough to send a mild shock through Johann's system,"That may be the case, but you could have just as easily refused. There is something else, what could it be?"

He looked at the other two,"What do you think?"

"What motives? There could easily be half a million. Blood lust...insanity...revenge...maybe even something as far out as he slipped and fell on some sort of government-paid for, public property...h'mm...funding...that could be another reason. How far do men's hearts move at the sight of gold?"

The shock was brief but signalled his captors intentions. Johann tried to sit up a bit more.

"They promised me money. . . . power. They needed my skills as a army officer in training."

"Money? Power? We can remove those items you hold so dearly very quickly. But in any case, know we know why they recruited you. A disillusioned Officer Cadet, who would do almost anything for wealth, even if it meant betraying the very system he was poised to join."

Cougar took a sip of water, and had to refrain from spitting to show his contempt for this man,"Now, you know I'm serious... and my friends are a little more, how shall I put this, proactive in their approaches to information extraction."

He paused again, as if considering his words before speaking,"Now, who recruited you? Specifically."

OOC:

Yo, whats happening with the wargames?

"M. . . . . M . . . . . . Ma"

Johann stammered and garbled his words through fear, mostly of his captors but also because of what might happen to the Teacher and his cause if he did.

"What'll you do if I do tell you?"

The word you are searching for is 'Marnus'. We know what his motives are. As for what we shall do to you... well, you have a number of choices. First, you can withold information, and we'll force it out of you by any means we see fit, or you can tell us what you know, and save a lot of fuss and bother. Your trial will be private, and your prison sentence reduced to a minimum of twenty five years

"Just so you know, by 'any means we see fit' means we reprogram that thing on your neck, and if it kills you, we bring in a top level gray-class to make your corpse talk. Dead men tell many tales of interest in my country."

Johann squirmed under the threats and nodded meekly to indicate co-operation. Although recruited by the SLF due to his combat training he was human after all, and not immune to threats and violence.

He awaited the next question and thought about how he had been dragged into this.

OOC: TG to Snake Eaters later today :)

Alright, now my next question is simple enough. What does Marnus have planned next, I somehow doubt that the train station was the last attack, and don't forget what I and Harry told you. And between us, he's not lying about reviving corpses to make them talk... I've seen it happen

"Planned next, I can't say for sure, he . . . I . . . He tended to operate in a manner that his trusted henchmen would be told first and the men who would carry out the mission would only be told at the last minute. This way no information was leaked. I can't tell you certainly only rumours.

Lots spoke of a kidnapping mission, capturing the police chief for the capital or something and killing him but other said that he would bribe the army and seize power in a coup."

Well, bribing the military didn't work, as only Ditamasso turned, and right now, we're pounding his forces into dust.

It doesn't matter a great deal that you don't know what comes next, but consider the next question: Who in this city is the main henchman, the lynchpin so to say of the Snake City operation?

"Well, thats hard to say, the new leader of the SLF cell in the capital was supposed to prove themselves by way of an operation, that way only the best and greatest survived to teach the others. Lately security has been stepped up so the cell has been in decline due to a lack of stable leadership and a new mission was needed to stamp some authority down and reverse our fortunes.
I heard it was my chance to prove myself, but I didn't believe them but the mission was of my organisation. I chose my target, weapons, personnel everything. A telegram was sent from Marnus giving instructions that the campaign against the corrupt government was to be stepped up and that a bomb was to be planted where casualities would cause a fall in confidence of the populace. . . "

Johann was stumbling over his words now and took a deep breath.

"I was given a plan and supplied weapons, I don't remember who by, to carry it out, but I wouldn't say I was the lynchpin. The cells had no independance, they were just an extension of Marnus if you like . . . Look I'm not an expert on everything, I wasn't told everything."

Sounds similar to the Provo's in Ireland on Terra in the twentieth century. Only the top guys really know whats going on, and then get the dickers and ASU's to do their work for them

'Tom' considered this for a second, sent a jolt down the connection even though he believed him, and then rose to his feet,"I'm going to leave you alone with Harry now. Dick, come with me. Harry, you know the information we want... get it out of him in any manner you want"

"Very well."

'Harry' took a seat, and as 'Tom' and 'Dick' left, held Johann's gaze with his cold red eyes. If the prisoner tried to look away, he was rewarded with pain.

After a long, chilling silence, Faris spoke. He felt no need to raise his voice, so to human hearing, he would sound quiet...but there was no denying the edge to his voice.

"Tell me about Marnus."

As Cougar left, he turned to Garit,"General, I need you to do something for me. We found this guys address via the nanomachines in his bloodstream, part of Snake life. In any case, I want you to raid the house and bring back anything you can that could be of value to us

Johann didn't understand. He was telling them what they wanted but still they punished him. . .

"Marnus, like I said I wasn't told much. Err, political figure moved underground when his support failed, um, leader of terrorist organisation the SLF, lived in up to 5 hideouts on 2 planets. Thats just what I was told from whispers."

"And where is he now?"

"God knows, haven't a clue"

A jolt of blinding agony gripped Johann for a full minute before it subsided. "Do you want to try that again?"

Johann was paralysed for what seemed like ages before the pain subsided.

"Okay, Okay. Last I heard he was in Tiravano City, he has a mansion there. Thats all I know, I don't know what planet its on, I suppose you could find out?"

Faris wrote something down, then looked back at Johann.

"Now...what sort of forces does he have there?"

Considering that Garit and his men had pulled out sometime before hand, Cougar was now watching from the other side of a screen, which was blanked out to resemble a wall like any other,"C'mon Faris, we need this information"

"Forces? He spoke about a renegade group of mecenaries but they are only 40-50 in number. He could have hundreds in his personal bodyguard"

OOC: In keeping with my traditional policy of frustrating fellow RP'ers by taking awkward and badly time holidays, I shall be away from the 28th of May until the 6th of June when I have to return to sit my A-levels.
So gimme some space till the 10th of June when my exams end cos I'm in a permanent state of stress right now! :D

Eternally Grateful, PW.

Faris's hand hovered threateningly over the button.

"W . . . . . What else do you want to know? You've got the wrong guy if you want exact details on every department."

Johann winced as he saw his captors finger close on the switch . . . .

"If you know it, I want to know it. If you suspect it, I want to know it. If there are rumors, I want to know it. But first, I want to know who you report to, and how to get in contact with him. You have fifteen seconds to reply."

With his other hand, Faris starts a countdown, while with the hand on the switch, he programs it for a higher level of pain.

Johann wiped sweat from his brow as he tried to speak quickly.

"Well, I'm the leader of the cell in the capital so people report to me other than that. Marnus or the weapons dealer, er . . . Chan Keats, we lived only blocks away from each other. We lived in a dodgy area where the SLF ruled by terror so meeting wasn't a problem because we were both members. I spoke through a secure inter-space channel with Marnus the signal was scrambled by a simple security device that Keats got hold of from the government."

Faris looked unimpressed as his hand descended closer toward the button.

Johann saw the look he was afforded at panicked slightly.

"Look I haven't spoken to him since the station job but if I remember the hailing device is activated as if you were going to talk to a friend or relative, but then you would hack into the government information network and activate the scrambler from there. You typed in the password from your device you were using and it zeroed into it and scrambled the signal coming from the device operated by the password, i.e. yours.
The password was Melissa003, an associate of his in the past i believe. . . "

'Tom' walked back into the room at that point, two cups of coffee in his hands,"Harry, I got you a drink... what have you learned from our friend here?"

'Harry' was finishing writing what he'd just been told, and he ripped the paper off the pad and handed it to 'Tom,' then took the coffee.

"This only, that was revelant."

He browsed across it,"Interesting... care to tell us where this off-world place was, Johann?"

"I told you, Tiravano City, but i don't know where that is. It's a big place, you must be able to find it?"

"Don't get smart Johann.... Tiravano City is huge. Where on Tiravano is he?"

A mild jolt of pain ran through Johann's system to remind him just where he was.