NationStates Jolt Archive

The OOC thread was here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=530246), ok?
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Cítta Santo, Nueve Italia

~ 1st Lt. Micci Ferrio had been waiting at the airport for nearly an hour. The new recruits would be here soon, and with them would be a hope to finally stamp out the recent outburst in attacks in his homeland.

Micci was part of a strike group, Coltello nel Buio, devoted to the stopping of terrorist actions within Nueve Italia. In the past few weeks, attacks had gone up by nearly 80% of what they had been, in both frequency and seriousness. The worst of which had been the seizing of a Senatorial building, in which three civilians were mercilessly executed because authorities refused to meet the demands of the group.

He sighed. The government didn’t believe that Coltello nel Buio could handle this recent increase, and had sent out for aid to several nations to form an international counter-terrorism strike team that would find the source of this new outbreak of attacks and eliminate it before anything drastic could happen. Micci was a superb soldier himself, and he trusted in his team, but he was definitely willing to take any help offered or given.

Several nations had answered the call, either sending small groups or individual people of note. In fact, after reviewing some of their transcripts, he was impressed. Very impressed actually. Micci actually worried about whether or not his men and women would be able to stack up against some of them, but still. Nitalians had proven themselves time and time again, and now would be no different.

All he had to do was wait …
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Vendetta, Nueva Argenta

Waiting at the docks, Rafael Corizo knew he need not worry about the police siren he heard wailing away in the night. The police were wrapped around the finger of the monarchy of Nueva Argenta, and in fact, the government personally sponsored his group.

La Notte, the organization that secretly took credit for the terrorist strikes against Nueve Italia, was a black op project by the Nargentan government to destabilize their hated neighbors to the East. After the destruction of Isola D’Argenta, the island that was the original homeland of Nueve Italia, during the Nueve-Bandurian war, the new colony founded by the survivors had an immediate wedge driven between it: those that supported the government stayed on the Eastern half of the island. All those opposed to the men and women who they believed led them to the slaughter migrated West, set up a monarchy (instead of the Senatorial system that had destroyed their homeland), and carried on a hatred of the Nitalians that lasted until this day too.

That was why La Notte existed: the destroy any sense of hope and prosperity that the Nitalians had found in their new home. That was why Rafael Corizo was waiting at the docks in the Capital City of Vendetta. He had contacted several known terrorists and terrorist groups, as well as all sorts of black market dealers, to aid him and his men in the fight against their most hated enemy. Of course, money and power were all promised: no one fought for free these days, or ever for that matter.

All Rafael had to do was wait for the people who said they were coming. They already had the coordinates, they already had their incentive: all they needed to do was come …~

Cítta Santo, Nueve Italia

A Civilian 787 landed at the Airport in Citta Santo it pulled into the terminal and passengers begin to deboard and 2 Angaorian Special forces members step off it was Pvt Wen Jian and 2LT Brittany jones they appoached 1Lt Micci Ferrio and saluted

Hello sir Im 2LT Brittany jones said 2Lt Brittany Jones

and Im Pvt Wen Jian said Pvt Wen Jian

Bump

Hello... Luc was concealed in the rafters of the empty building, nearly a mile from the airport. But it was still the best vantage he had. Not too many buldings in the way.

The spike in terrorist attacks had not gone unnoticed. Hell, thats why he was here. He heard that the Nitalians were putting together an expert team, but his bosses--his real bosses--wanted to know who. Why? There was no why. He peered through the lens again. Two men saluting Micci Ferrio?

>snap<

He zoomed in slightly and snapped several more frames. He zoomed in slightly closer. Who was that woman getting off the plane? He'd have time to stare later. He snapped about a dozen frames of her. There would be time to go over that later. He zoomed in and took several frames of the faces of the others before retreating deeper inside the building.

A Xiscapian 423 military jet landed at the Citta Santo airport, Nueve Italia. The sleek, black plane taxied to a stop and unloaded it's sole passanger and his luggage. Then it took off, leaving the man standing alone. He walked into the airport, a single suitcase rolling behind him. He was a tall man, about 6,3, wearing green pants, black boots, a white shirt with a light black jacket over it. Long, silver hair fell over his back. He was aout 26, with extensive Special Ops training. His gray/blue eyes flashed coldly as he looked around the airport, looking for enemies. Then he strode over to Micci Ferrio, holding out his hand. "Foxfire Rose. I was told to meet you here."

OOC: Xiscapia, please check the OOC thread. Thanks
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Cítta Santo

~ Micci saluted the three people in front of him. He knew who they were before they knew absolutely anything about him, other than that he was the commander of a special squad, and even then they didn't know what the squad did, what branch it was a part of, what it was even called.

That was because Coltello nel Buio was black. It was blacker than black. Nobody except those in high seats of power in the Nitalian government and its members new of its existence. In fact, the last three takedowns that Coltello nel Buio had conducted had been done under the guise of the squad being members of Furia di Giustizia. They had even worn the Special Police Forces' uniforms to ensure total secrecy.

He began in an authoritatize, but friendly voice,

" Private Wen Jian, Second Lietenant Brittany Jones, and Mister Foxfire Rose, welcome to Nueve Italia. My name, as you may already know, is First Lieutenant Micci Ferrio. If you would like, there is a car waiting behind me, as you can see, or you may wait here with me for the others. The choice is yours, but I can tell you that the car will only take you to a discreet, dark location that will not be made known to you until the rest of the team arrives anyway."~

2LT Brittany looked at 1Lt Micco and wondered what is specialty was and wondered what unit he came from and said


I speak for both of us we will stay and wait said 2LT Brittany Jones

Foxfire studied Brittney and Wen out of the corner of his eyes. They looked capabile, Special Force certainly. He woundered who else they would be waiting for.

Rusty Barnes walked across the tarmac, bent double under a ridiculous amount of luggage. He hadn't had the foresight to look up information on this country's economy, and had brought massive amounts of goods for barter, which would have been useful in a Free Tulsan bazaar, but were little more than dead weight now until he found a pawn shop. Over to his right some distance, he noticed four people conversing. They were in civilian clothes, but there was an air about them that stated their profession as clearly as if they had it written on their foreheads, for those who knew what to look for. Military, Rusty thought. He had never been fond of professional soldiers - he had seen combat as a member of the California Resistance as a teenager, before his nation earned its independence, and had never had much faith in the combat potential of an organized military. Not that he particularly cared - he had little interaction with the military in his current job. His train of thought ground to a screeching halt when he stumbled over something - he didn't see what - and fell to the ground, spilling a suitcase full of silverware and other assorted junk all over the floor. "Fuck," he said fervently, attracting a few shocked glares from passing parents. He stood up slowly, and began picking up his mess, swearing under his breath.

Bump

It was a warm day as the sun drenched the tarmac of the air port. A young woman stepped off a civilian plane dressed in civilian attire, with a white blouse and jeans. She walked across the hot tarmac, her sunglasses gave everything a greenish tint. She carried a back pack which was slung over her right shoulder. Casually, she made her way to the meet-up area. Her hair was in a pony tail, the black hair flowed mid way to her back. Lt 2nd Class Erika Davakis was on special orders from the Special Naval Brigade of the Sarmasian Royal Navy to Nueve Italia as part of a special counter terrorism unit which was muti-national in makeup of operatives. She eagerly took the job as Sarmas endured several terrorist attacks from native Cretacians who desired independence for their island but failed. She read the report and was briefed about her role in the unit. Erika smiled as she approached the Nitalian officer and rendered a saluted.
"2nd Lt. Erika Davakis, reporting" she popped to attention, rigid with perfect military bearing.

OOC: Still need the terrorists to post ...

IC:

Cítta Santo, the Airport's Tarmac

~ Micci smiled and saluted as well to the newcomer. It was getting quite hot out: the weather report before Micci Ferrio had left had said that it was going to hit almost 90 degrees in the afternoon, and would continue to rise after that. In fact, the First Lieutenant was starting to break a sweat just from standing around.

I should've never worn this damn shirt he swore to himself as he could feel the cotton slowly compressing around him from the heat.

Still, appearances had to be kept, and he greeted the Sarmaian (OOC: Is it Sarmaian, or something else?).

" Welcome to Nueve Italia, Second Lieutenant Davakis. As I've already told your squad mates here, you may choose to wait out here with me for the rest of the team, or the vehicle behind me will take you to a secure location which will not be made known to you until the team is assembled anyway."
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Cítta Santo, the Airport's Terminal

Having been waiting for sometime, Chinese (pronounced Chin-eh-say) Dominicci saw his charge, Mr. Barnes, out of the corner of his eye as his suitcase decided at that moment to break open. With a half-hearted laugh, the driver and welcomer strode over towards the vacationer and knelt down next to him, helping him gather up his spilt items while he motioned for someone else dressed in the same black suit as he was to get the rest of the man's bags.

" Mister Barnes? My name is Chinese Dominicci, I was hired by the hotel you're staying at to come pick you up."

He took of his driver's cap as he wiped his forehead before gently placing a handful of silverware back into the opened bag.

Dio mio, how much hotter can it get today?~

Erika dropped her salute and relaxed her muscles. The military had been good to her. She improved herself both physically and mentally, especially being a part of the SNB. As the sun's gaze became more intense, Erikae began to sweat a little. But, it didn't bother her that much. Sarmas was along the Aegean Sea and it gets quite hot most of the year.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'll stand out here and wait. I don't like to sit around too much." she replied with a smile and surveyed the area around her.

OOC: Sarmaian sounds just fine

"Thanks," Rusty said, gratefully. "Christ Almighty, it's hot here! Of course, it's hot everywhere this time of year, but that doesn't make it any less unpleasant, right? Oh, and by any chance, would you happen to know where I could find a pawnbroker in this town?"

Damn this heat! Lukas Keppled thought to himself as he occupied a chair at a cafe in Citta Santo. The sun was merciless upon the Kulikovian who had been in the country just shy of a week. He despised the heat, beads of sweat ran down his forhead as he brought his bare arm to wipe his brow. He wore a t-shirt and khaki shorts with flip flops. He tipped down his sunglasses and set a newspaper down on the table. He ordered his glass of water quite some time ago and became annoyed. His employer had yet to contact him on a cell phone he recieved upon coming to the nation.

Foxfire stood in the swealtering heat, sweating mildly. He didn't show it, though. Spending three years out in the Homfur desert for special ops training made this place seem like cold storage. He shifted slightly to distribute the weight of his heavy suitcase. Inside was multiple compartments, with a assualt rifle, pistol, flash-bangs, combat knives, and much more of the like. He carried it like it weighed 10 pounds, but it was really closer to thirty. He bagan to get tired of standing and wondered over to a nearby caf'e to grab a quick bite to eat before he had to leave to
where ever they were going....

Keppler raised his hand and once again requested a glass of water. The aitress smiled and went off dutifully. Finally, she came back with water and Keppled eagerly bolted the ice cold water down his throat. The cold actually hurt his throat, but he didn't mind. It was only a matter of time before his employer finally called. All he had to do was wait.

Pvt Wen Approached Foxfire and asked

So what your Specialty sir said Pvt Wen

Foxfire looked up at Pvt. Wen. "Here, take a seat." he said, kicking a chair out from under the table. "I am trained in all known forms of armed and unarmed combat, but my specialtys are sniping, martial arts, and sword fighting. I have my trustly katana right here in my suitcase." he said, patting the thing. "It comes in handy more than you might think. I am also well versed in shurikens, throwing knives, and other such non-firearm forms of combat. What about you? You got a certain speciality?"

like you im Trained in Martial Arts which is my specialty and im a pretty good shot but i pefer my hands and Blade Weapons said Pvt Wen

tag for later post.....

like you im Trained in Martial Arts which is my specialty and im a pretty good shot but i pefer my hands and Blade Weapons said Pvt Wen
"That's good. You won't believe the amount of trigger-happy losers we get trying to get in."

Tagged for later post as well

yea,i know what you mean quick to shoot up something when with a knife you got a better chance of not getting caught said Pvt Wen

yea,i know what you mean quick to shoot up something when with a knife you got a better chance of not getting caught said Pvt Wen
"That's true. There are quiter, less messy and more efficent ways of killing someone then using guns. Guns are loud and leave alot of signs for someone to easily track you. However, guns have their purpose. Sniper rifles, especially."

yea thats is true too can take down someone from a farther range,what type of martial arts do u use mostly said Pvt Wen

Rusty helped the attendant arrange his luggage in the vehicle's trunk, carefully ensuring that the more fragile barter items were stowed in such a way that they would remain unbroken. He climbed into the vehicle's back seat, and sat entranced by the stream of blissfully cool air issuing from the air conditioner.

yea thats is true too can take down someone from a farther range,what type of martial arts do u use mostly said Pvt Wen

"Mostly I use Tie Quan Do, but I am also a black belt in karate. I use alot of stealth killing moves. What about you?"

OOC: Sorry for no post in a few days, just Graduated and things became hectic.
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Cítta Santo Airport

~ As the new soldiers began to get comfy, Micci saw that Erika was still standing outside, braving the heat along with him. Deciding it best to get to know the people he was soon going to trusting his and his soldiers' lives with, he approached her casually, still standing with a straight back and with his hands locked together in front of him.

" Erika, is it? So, what do you think of Nueve Italia so far? You must've seen some of the coastline on the way in, right?"
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Rusty's Ride

The extremely dark green car sped off towards the nearest pawn shop that Chinese knew of in the area. In fact, weeks before, he had pawned off his wedding ring.

No sense in keeping it now ...

The man had been more than distraught when he found out that his wife of seven years had been cheating on him for two of them, but still: he had managed to settle the divorce claims so that a rather large portion of the wealth went to him, as well as his daughter too. He had not seen Giovanna in some time, but little Contessa Domincci reminded him of his wife so much it was as if he was looking at a mirror image.

Shaking his head, he got such thoughts away, and pulled the car up behind a bus as it took off from its stop. Cítta Santo was busy today, especially the downtown area, but it wasn't as crowded as most people would think a city would be. In fact, the city was pretty clean, and its residents carried a cheery, optimistic aura about them as they made their way towards the many markets in the area.

Chinese got out and opened the door against the sidewalk so that Rusty could get out. In front of the car's doors was a small building, but nonetheless it had an impressive array of strange objects and such in the windows.

" Here you are, Mister Barnes. This is the best place I know of to exchange your wares for contantis. Would you like me to help you?"~
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OOC2: Kulikovia, could you please check the OOC thread?

Erika clasped her hands behind her back and her head wandered from side to side then her eyes settled on Micci.
"Yes, that is my first name" she replied "The weather is nice and the coastline was beautiful. So far, I like it. Of course, a den of terrorists infests this country and things will get ugly" Erika smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I could probably use some help carrying this stuff," he said. "Thanks."

Cítta Santo Airport

~ Micci nodded in agreement to Erika's statement.

" What we have done to make these people do such things ... I do not know. But I do know that we've got no choice but to resist. We won't give in to such things."

He bowed his head slightly. The last few attacks had been handled by him and his men, and so far they were clean, perfect take-downs: no hostages were harmed, none of his soldiers were either, and all the terrorists were killed. Of course, this meant very little information was known about La Notte, but Micci Ferrio had to be pleased that at least no one else was injured. In time, light would be shed upon the organization that attacked Nueve Italia with blatant disregard for ... well, everything. Still, to focus on tragedy only made it more apparent, so the Commander decided to move on to other things while he and the others waited.

" So, is there anything I should know that wouldn't happen to be in your file, Miss Davakis?"

Erika nodded, she read in reports and listened in briefings about the troubles faced by Nueve Italia in the wake of this recent tide of terrorist activities and attacks. La Notte were well organized, well funded, and had no shortage of singled minded individuals bent on the destruction of Nueve Italia. Sarmas, a nation along the Med. Sea shared deep concerns, fearing that terrorism would spread if Italia succumbed. So, funding and eqiupment were secretly being sent. Erika Davakis was the first person in a direct combat role from Sarmas being sent to deal with this threat. The Sarmaian Parliment hoped that she would be the only one.
"My father was a fisherman" she replied with a quiant smile "He loved the sea as do I. There's something calm and peaceful about the sea. Save when there's a storm" she laughed slightly. "He taught me how to fish and that's what I would've done with my life if my parents weren't so bent on sending me to school. Of course, we lacked the money so I joined the Royal Navy." she finished.

~ Micci could not help but laugh a little.

" A fisherman? A life at sea is a peaceful one. Sometimes, I truly wish I had settled into something like that."

Indeed, now with a wife and child, Micci Ferrio wished that he knew for certain that he would be coming home to his family every day. Alas, now that his job had just gotten more ... complicated, he couldn't promise that he would be there to raise his kid, or that he would be able to spend time with Tamara.

It was a hard life, but without people like him, Micci knew that it wouldn't be a life worth it. Every day, something new came out of Nueva Argenta, every day there was another tragedy, every day some other poor man just wanting to get back to his family never made it ...

He was determined that it wouldn't happen. Not anymore, not now that Micci and his soldiers were finally confronting this problem head on. And now, with aid from countries like Sarmas and people like Erika, terrorism would finally be brought to its knees in Nueve Italia: the home Micci had fought for and nearly died for countless times. He had defended her from foreign enemies, from villians spawned inside her, and from truly evil masterminds bent on the complete destruction of the Nitalian life.

" When I was younger, before I got into the military, I always thought I would go into ballistic physics. I really liked science in High School, and I was pretty good at stuff like that. I wanted to design body armor for police forces. When I look back on that, I always thought it was kind of selfish: me wanting to make something to benefit myself,"

He chuckled twice at his little moment, and then got a slight chill. The wind was picking up, and in the distance he could see storm clouds.

It would rain soon ...~

The sun continued its' relentless barrage upon anyone caught outside. Erika sighed and continued to wait for the others to arrive. Her equipment and other things were already taken off the plane and waiting in the vehicle. Righht now she missed the ocean, and her old life. The time spent out on the Mediterranean in her fathers fishing boat, casually floating in the calm warm waters. It was a peaceful existance but Erika knew that it wasn't a life meant for her. Sarmas needed it's youth to answer to call. She did not at all regret her decision to join the Royal Navy, it would keep her at sea, something she loved. The Royal Sarmaian Navy held a proud history of great heroes and victories throughout hundreds of years. She was proud to be a part of the Royal Navy and carry on its' tradition of "Righteous Protection of Democracy". As she evolved both personally and professionally in the RSN, she cross rated to the Special Naval Brigade, the RSN's special forces where she earned the reputation of being a skilled member of the SNB. Now, her motherland called one again, this time in the srvice of others for the greater good. Prime Minister Levantos in an address to Parliment called for "A war against those who would threaten the very values that make us free". In this declaraton, it became obvious that Sarmas entered the war on terrorim.

"Ballistic Physics, eh?" Erkia finally said "A worthy occupation". A smile came across her face as she turned away and folded her arms. In her mind, she wished that Nueve Italia and Sarmas would engage in an open invasion of Nueve Argenta and end the regime. Of course, this was a new era of warfare against a new adversary and such blunt tactics would not suffice.
"When will operations commence? Is there training to be done before we confront La Notte?" Erika inquired.

Cítta Santo, Airport

~ Micci sighed in response to Erika's question.

" Hopefully, operations will never commence. We can't stop La Notte until they strike first."

Such a predicament infuriated both the Commander and his squad. They could only be deployed until after an attack or standoff had begun, making the job even more stressful: every time they went to work, their lives as well as the lives of anyone La Notte had dragged into their schemes, were solely in the hands of Micci Ferrio.

Another sigh, and then, " You and anyone else arriving will begin training with my squad tomorrow, after you are settled into your new homes just outside of this city. You'll be staying at a secure military base, alongside everyone else who is a part of Coltello nel Buio. You'll be training there, eating there, sleeping there, and so on."

The dark clouds in the distance were moving in faster now. Micci could see bright flashes arching between the nimbus, and gave a quick shudder. He hated thunder, and he hated lightning even more. Still, he continued talking.

" We'll get you all to base as soon as we can, and we'll get you outfitted with your new gear: weapons, armor, uniforms, and so on."
_____

Cítta Santo, Pawn Shop

Chinese grabbed what he could from Rusty's luggage and made his way into the pawn shop. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by a short, squat man with a boisterous voice.

"Domincci!Com-se-va?"

His words jumbled together as he spewed them forth, making it almost impossible to understand the man unless you knew him.

" Gregorio, this is mister Rusty Barnes," he set some of the bags on the floor and motioned towards his charge, " he would like to do business with you. And ditch the Nitalian, per favore, the poor man won't be able to understand you!"

As requested, Gergorio Aolo settled on English, the trade language, and greeted his customer. The effect on his speech was apparent immediately: his tounge, though accustomed to his vernacular, stumbled slowly over any other language he knew.

" Good morning, mister Barnes," he said at a turtle's pace, " How may I help you?"~

Foxfire watched the dark clouds in the distance with a smile. He loved darkness, and rain. The cover it provided was an added bonus. He picked up his suitcase and walked over to where Micci was. "So when are we going to go?" he asked.

OOC: sorry for no real movement, can't do much until the terrorists are involved too

Cítta Santo, Airport

~ Micci turned to acknowledge Foxfire Rose with a polite nod as he came alongside Erika and him.

" As I was just telling Second Lieutenant Davakis, we'll be leaving soon for the base we will be staying at and training at. Please, just bear with me for just a bit longer, mister Rose."

Thunder cracked through the middle of his speech, and a gentle rain began to fall slowly onto the tarmac. Micci swore he heard a hissing sound, as if steam were seeping from somewhere, as the cold drops struck the boiling asphalt.

" Well, shall we carry this inside while we wait for the rest of the team?"~

OOC: You might want to consider getting new terrorists, I don't think the others are going to show up.
Foxfire nodded. "Sure, why not?" He strode inside, shaking water off himself like a dog.

The clouds began to loom off in the distance as Erika sighed. It was frustrating to be a merely reactionary force, only acting once La Notte made their move. That would mean possible casualties and hostages before they even arrive. Such manners of operation seemed ineffective to her. The SNB as well as law enforcement agencies in Sarmas rarely waitd for terrorists to strike, they were always hunted mercilessly.
"Why is it that we aren't working with Nitalian intelligence agencies and other law enforcement groups to hunt down the terrorists? If they pass on information on the location of one or several La Notte members, then we should be given authorization to move in and apprehend or neutralize them. Being solely reactionary is a major flaw in tactis. W must go on the offensive" Erika rambled on, feeling heated about the whole subject.

OOC: My character, Lukas Keppler is waiting to be contacted by La Notte. He's a mercenary/assasin who's interested in working with them.

OOC:So desu! Kulikovia, my apologies, I entirely forgot.
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IC:

Cítta Santo, Airport

~ "Why is it that we aren't working with Nitalian intelligence agencies and other law enforcement groups to hunt down the terrorists? If they pass on information on the location of one or several La Notte members, then we should be given authorization to move in and apprehend or neutralize them. Being solely reactionary is a major flaw in tactis. We must go on the offensive."

Micci nodded in reaction to Erika's statement.

" De acuerdo," he concurred in a somber tone, " and yet we do work with Nueve Italian Special Operations Command, as well as the Furia di Giustizia Police Force Special Operations Team. However, the trouble is not that we cannot hunt these people down: we have, and we have succeeded greatly, but there's also the problem of international law. A majority of the terrorists are Nargentan, our neighbors to the West. If we capture one, they immediately throw down their weapons, knowing that if we shoot them, defenseless, it will start the war."

He jumped slightly as a lightning bolt crackled through the sky, the thunder piercing his ears and beating their drums violently. Micci continued,

" As such, if we arrest a Nargentan terrorist, the government of Nueva Argenta insists that they be sent back to their home country for punishment, where they are instead rewarded for their efforts, admonished for being caught, and then merely sent back to cause more damage. Normally, this would be an absolute cause for war, but that's exactly what they want: these people want our nations at war, so that they can carry their destruction all across this landscape. Our Senate and Emperor have decreed that there is to be no spark that will light the fuse that is Nueva Argenta, so that makes us unable to do anything except take these bastards down where we can."

He knew it sounded stupid, but there was no choice: his duty was to protect Nueve Italia to the best of his ability, and he would fulfill that duty until he was finally placed in the ground. Micci Ferrio grinned slightly.

" Plus, you haven't even met my team yet. I assure you, we are quite self-sustaining. Techies, shooters, snipers, recon specialists, a vast knowledge of every known Nargentan terrorist, schematics and blueprints on every major building in Nueve Italia ... we're more than ready for anything they can throw at us."
_____

Cítta Santo, Undisclosed Location

The cell phone emitted a series of beeps and then a confirmatory tone as Rodrigo Verale carefully dialed the number instructed to him. The alleyway was dark, more so now that the sun was hidden behind the storm clouds lolling across the city. A small ledge on the building above him offered some reprive from the rain, and he inched out carefully to spy upon the man at the outdoor cafe. Lukas Keppler, the name ran through his mind as he looked again at his cell phone.

Knowing that if it was somehow traced, he and this new man were dead, Rodrgio fearlessly pushed the SEND button.

Across the street, he saw the man pick up the phone, slightly startled by it ringing, and answered it. In a hushed tone, Rodrgio said quickly, in English,

" Leave the cafe in five minutes. Take the south-bound road in front of you to the corner of Fifty-seventh and Third. Look for a dark green, striped suit."

And with that, he hung up and began to move ...~

Keppler gulped down the icy cold water, a welcomed relief from the horrid temperature. Suddenly, the phone sittin gon the table rang, startling him. He had all but given up on hos mysterious employer, feeling that it was a wild goose chase he was just about to leave and go back to his home. He picked up the phone and listened, not saying a word. The instructions are simple enough. The other end went dead and Keppler lingered in his seat for the perscribed five minutes then stood up, tossed some change on the table and took the path laid out by his contact. As he moved down the street he watched for any signs of surveillance, there was none he could detect. Finally, amoungst the crowd he saw a dark green striped suit. He moved closer but not too close and made it possible for the man to see him.

Cítta Santo, Corner of Fifty-seventh and Third

~ As soon as the pair made eye contact, Rodrigo Verale eased his way through the crowd over to Lukas, gently tugging his shoulder as he walked by, indicating that he was to follow him. In a low voice, audible enough for the foreigner to hear but still quiet so that those around him would mind their own business, he talked quickly, using vague words so that any eavesdroppers couldn't hope to get any information.

" We're heading towards a building a few blocks away. My boss will go over the details of your contract there. We're glad you're working for us."~

The situation was frustrating, the story a sad one. State sponsored terrorists being sent back to their country only to be released back upon the innocent civilian populations. Erika's began to think for a moment, ignoring the thunder but concentrated on a possible solution.
"There are ways to make them disappear without being noticed by the New Argenta authorities." she said coldly.

Keppler saw the man but made no facial expression which would lead to him ackowledging the contact. He barely moved his ehad as the man whispered something to him and melted away into the crowd. Keppler did not look around or act upon this but simply began walking in the same direction of the contact, fully aware of his surroundings at all times. He sighed briefly, about damn time.

"I concur." said Foxfire, who had been leaning against a wall, watching the clouds. "Not every kill needs to be, ah, well known. If some terrorists simply go MIA for a while, no one's going to complain. This should stop. Now. I, too, do not like simply waiting around for these terrorists to come and kill people. Let's strike first."