One Tin Soldier Rides Away

Roleplay Library Unsorted RP
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41

Clinton’s smile grew wider at the woman’s reaction as he wiped the ash from his suit jacket. Taking another puff of his cigar he blew the smoke into her face. “Ah well, my apologies Miss Henderson I did not mean to offend a woman of your station.” He said with a hint of sarcasm. “As for the portrait, well I will just say that my colleagues back home tell me that I have a tendency to ignore the ‘little’ things about my surroundings. No matter, Do not worry Miss Henderson Concordance intends to treat the local workers with the utmost respect. I do believe that you will be quite pleased with the plans Concordance has in store for the workers…” Clinton was cut off by the sudden announcement of the Chancellor’s entrance by Oswald Hayes.

As Hayes gave his speech a tall man in a suit and sunglasses exited a vehicle outside the Jubilee Society. A faint glow of blue came from behind the sunglasses as he walked under the night sky toward the entrance. He showed his ID to the guard letting him know he was part of the Concordance delegation. The guard let him past and he entered into the bright lights of the gathering. He removed his sunglasses, the faint glow of his augmented eyes now drowned out by the lighting of the room, he glanced around the party as he placed them into his pocket. Spotting Clinton he moved toward him and put a firm, inhuman grip upon his shoulder. “Mr. Clinton, forgive my interruption.” he said as he appeared between Clinton and Lana. “Houseman has need of you back in Drexel, as I am to be overseer of this project your services as Acquisitions Director are no longer needed.” His voice was steely and without emotion.

Clinton had obviously been startled by the man now before him, he stood taller than Clinton by at least a foot. Clinton composed himself as not to stutter when speaking, but his voice betrayed his fear. "Mr. Sears, how lovely to see you again, I was not told Houseman had selected you. How is the good Doctor?

"The man now known as Sears let go of his shoulder. “Frustrated, his work was setback recently but this is for another time. Return to the aircraft and make way to Allegheny, delays will not be tolerated from senior employees such as yourself.”

“Of course!” Clinton said putting out his cigarette and leaving for his car.

42

Rilanon City Detention Facility
Rilanon, Christie Island

Just like with the lawyer, Bing gave the same stonewalling procedure to Detective Inspector Martha Jones; being downright uncooperative in supplying the relevant information whilst remaining true to his environmental cause.

Alec Bing: 'AFFAN militant or a corporate stooge? That Matheson fella is no environmentalist spokesman, he is merely a stooge for the big businesses who don’t give a damn about the environment. He is in bed with FoxTrot and Dannistrian Petroleum!

Lawyers and the environment do not mix. All lawyers don’t give a damn if their water has too much fluorine in it, they only give a damn about the next paycheck that they are going to receive this month. This Matheson man should be arrested not for the alleged terrorism acts that AFFAN are committing but for dodging taxes through loopholes.

Whoever you are, just let me starve and let me fight for my cause. I want nothing to do with these groups or the police. Mother Green Piece will always be independent and will form no alliance with other groups nor will we accept suck ups like AFFAN. You police are assisting these stooges as we speak. You are not the solution to a problem, you are a problems supplementing an existing problem. We don’t trust the law until these greedy pigs learn to respect our only planet that we can breathe in.

I provide you no more further information. P!ss off now."

Alec Bing folded his arms again and faced the most western wall of the cell. Bing is such a hardened individual, Martha Jones would find a hard time trying to crack this man. Using Dirty Harry style tactics do not faze him. In fact, he would appreciate being killed in police custody as it would preserve his environmental image.

43

Hewitt-Michaels Limited Head Office, Langham House, For’af, East Dannistaan
12 Noon EPT
“Sir?”
Matt Swinson, CEO of HML, looked up from his desk. His PA was standing in the door to his office.
“Yes Miriam?”
“Mr. McNeil is here to see you.”
“Ah excellent! Send him in!”

Matt smiled and greeted his friend and colleague, Aidan McNeil, Depute CEO. Aidan reciprocated the gestures.
“Aidan! How lovely to see you! And how is things?”
“Fine Matt! Just great! I tried to get here sooner but…you know…traffic in For’af can be murder. Literally at times!”
“Oh don’t worry about it! Please sit down!”

The two men sat down at the coffee table in the office. A moments pause as Matt fished out a set of faxed messages from Rilanon.
“I heard about what happened,” Aidan said solemnly, “How bad it is?”
“Very,” Matt handed the pile of messages, “See for yourself. Two guards dead. Dee, our best sales manager was literally nabbed from the hotel. And then shortly afterwards, Albert O’Day was spirited away. We have no concrete evidence to say who done it…”
“…but you have suspicions, right?”
“…I have a few yes…”

Matt handed Aidan a newspaper clipping.
“Seems our biggest rivals, East Dannistrian Fuel Systems Limited are linking up with Foxtrot in Bai Lung and DP Group to form the EFD Consortium. EFD will be bidding to take over our probationary camp in Syrene.”
Aidan frowned.
“Aren’t all three of those oil or petroleum companies?”
“They seem to be expanding into the mineral mining trade. HML has been in trouble for some time. But this isn’t going to help us one bit. I wouldn’t be surprised if they orchestrated the whole raid to cause us problems. There is also the possibility of someone else being involved.”
“And that is?”
“The Central Government. Our dealings with the Nahrin Union may have finally caught up with us.”

Aidan paused.
“You aren’t seriously suggesting the Dannistrian Central Government would go into foreign soil just to kidnap one of their own citizens?”
Matt nodded.
“It wouldn’t be the first time in history a Government has done something dodgy. Plus you got to remember that they have Hal’vo knows how many bloody black ops teams around the world at any one time. Regardless, I would like to see Dee back safe and sound.”

Matt looked at the pile of notes on his desk.
“I tried making calls all over the place. Calling in favours in both the State and Central Governments. But haven’t got anywhere. I’m guessing if it is the Government, it will be black ops.”

Matt pointed at the newspaper clipping.
“There is also the possibility that the Central Government may be causing problems for us not because of the Nahrin Union deals we have worked so hard to hide from their prying eyes, but because they are indirectly trying to help the EFD boys get their finger in the pie. Again, it wouldn’t be the first time Governments decided to favour one company over another.”

Matt stood up.
“Call the members of the board up. We’ll have a full meeting tomorrow to discuss what we do next. I’ll be on the phone to the lawyers to see if we can at least block EFD from bidding. We may have pulled out, but we shouldn’t make it easy for others to fill in the gap we left behind.”
“Sure Matt. Let’s do lunch.”
“Sure. Meet you in the cafe later…”[hr]Press Release from the EFD Consortium
19 August 2012, For’af, East Dannistaan, Royal Confederacy of Dannistaan
East Dannistrian Fuel Systems Ltd, Foxtrot Inc and DP Group plc are pleased to announce a new strategic partnership which will be bidding to take over the camp in the Coltan reserves in Syrene vacated by Hewitt-Michaels Limited. The new partnership will be called the EFD Consortium and will be looking forward to working with the Syrene Government in the near future. Foxtrot Inc will be providing most of the management in the partnership while EDFSL and DPGplc will be providing the industrial and technical support for the operation in the camp. Further information can be found by visiting the respective companies websites or contacting the press office of any of the three companies.

44

Jubilee Society
Garden District, AFT

Lana couldn’t say she was surprised by the Alleghenian’s display. It was par for the course for an Afro-Syrener woman to be treated that way in her country, and abroad as well, apparently. She turned to the Laitanese and East Malaysian that walked up.

“So, I presume that you’re more of the… err… foreign contingent,” she mused with a raised eyebrow at the lobos and East Malaysians.

OOC: You’re welcome to have a site if you want, EM. We’ll just call it Camp Foxtrot! :smiley:

“Ladies and gentlemen, please continue to enjoy the banquet, but I’m going to talk logistics for a moment,” Hayes announced after the guests had had a little more time to mingle. “The first executive convoy will be flying up to Ft. Prospect and driving to Friendship Village. From there you are welcome to begin preparations at your respective sites.”

Hayes then walked over to one of his executives and pulled him aside with a furrowed brow. “Where the hell is O’Day? It isn’t like him not to check in,” Hayes said. “Call up our friends in Ansley Park and tell them to step on it. With all my campaign contributions to the PLF government, the feds owe me a little private security work.”

Grand Orient Hotel
Rilanon, Christie Island

Upon leaving the jail after a fruitless interrogation session with Bing, Detective Inspector Martha Jones received a call from Ansley Park: she was to abandon the present investigation and turn her energies to tracking down missing ASA project manager Albert O’Day. He was last seen with a female exec from Hewitt-Michaels, which gave Jones the sneaking suspicion that she would end up going door-to-door at every hourly hotel in the capital district until she showed up at the Grand Orient and saw the police line.

She flashed her Interpol credential and hopped over the yellow tape. The staff at the hotel described dark-skinned men who came in and abducted O’Day’s companion. They had no clue as to the whereabouts of the ASA exec himself. Jones’ first suspicion was a Syrene drug gang, as kidnapping was an ordinary part of their modus operandi. God knows ASA wasn’t making friends by encroaching on traditional marijuana cultivation areas up north. But this was a question for contact at Federal Intelligence Services.

Permanent Mission of the Syrene Federation
Rilanon, Christie Island

“Now, what would a Freetown drug gang be doing way out here?” laughed Agent Cal Murdoch, a stocky Afro-Syrener man in his early thirties.

“Well, they haven’t issued a ransom note, but we know that the kingpins are operating their own intelligence services in their growing mini-empires, so maybe they’re not after the money so much as information these days,” Jones retorted.

“Good thinking, but it’s got to be a lot simpler than that. Who knows what kind of shit Hewitt-Michaels have got themselves into back home. Those Dannistrian psy-ops are nasty buggers”

“Oh yeah?”

“So, the federation is officially a nuclear and bioweapons free zone. But let’s be honest, the world isn’t a safe place out there for hippie pacifists like us. So FIS had been out here getting the 1-1-3 on various weapons programs. We’ve got OK reads on a lot of countries, but those Dannistrian bastards took out the mole that was giving most everyone their intel. They literally took him behind some shed and shot him.”

“It’s a mad world, eh?”

“Pfft, and you thought those means streets of ‘Xandra were bad back in the day,” mused Murdoch in Alexandra Krio.

“Speak for yourself. I knew how to toss around with the best of them,” Jones replied with a chortle.

“Some things never change, do they, Marty?”

Undisclosed Location
Christie Island?

“I’ll presume that I don’t have to introduce myself,” said O’Day blandly to his captors. “But I will say that my company is prepared to negotiate whatever price is needed to secure my release. I assure you I’m worth more dead than alive; we also have the full force of the Syrene state behind us. Your bribes are no good when ASA business is concerned.”

Gold Rush Memorial Highway
Fort Prospect, Auramont

Large military-style transport vehicles bearing the ASA logo rumbled along the dusty mountain highway like latter-day Conestoga wagons. Scores of families, along with all of their worldly possessions, had hitched themselves to the dream of coltan riches buried among the headwaters of Auramont. Three caravans from Gemini, Augusta, and Freetown, respectively, were converging on the road through Fort Prospect on their way to the mining site.

Fort Prospect was a dingy frontier town with little to recommend it. The valley in which it was located caused a dim haze to hang in the air over the low-rise 1970’s downtown and small, Old West-style historic district. Just east of the first toll plaza after Philip Masoraka International Airport* was one of the state’s “tolerance zones” where sex work could be practiced openly.

Unlike some of the nicer, union-run red light districts down south, Amnesty City was a gritty, windswept stockyard where forlorn men and women trod the streets under the watchful eye of semi-legal brothel owners and their beef-necked security guards. A herd of dirty-faced aboriginal children stared blankly at the passing trucks through the chain link fence along the highway until an elderly woman tasked herself with watching over the children of the workers and corralled them to a sand lot with a rusted swing set.

  • The foreign execs will drive through the “tolerance zone” on their way north.
45

Undisclosed Location
Christie Island?
One of O’Day’s captors looked at what seemed to be the leader. All were wearing black balaclavas. The supposed leader nodded. The first captor in turn nodded at a second captor who spoke through an Electrolarynx.
“We are not interested in money. Mr. O’Day. Nor are we interested in harming you. We merely want some information. Information relating to Dee Ma’niddahs, the sales executive from Hewitt-Michaels who you were speaking to earlier.”

As if on cue, there was a loud scream from next door.
“Excuse us.”
One half of the group, including the Electrolarynx equipped gentleman, exited through a door in the far side of the small room O’Day was in. The only thing visible was darkness outside. The door slammed shut. There followed some gunfire, some more shouting and the sound of bodies hitting the floor. The group of men returned to their colleagues in the room.
“As we were saying,” the Electrolarynx man continued, “We want some information on Ms. Ma’niddahs. If you know nothing, that is fine. We will let you go and we won’t be bothering you again. However, be advised we have seen you with Ms. Ma’niddahs and we suspect you may know something…”

The gentleman was interrupted by loud gunfire followed by some shouting. The seeming leader nodded and all the men suddenly dashed out the door…

Camp Echo Foreman’s Office, Camp Echo, Fort Prospect, Auramont
Early Morning EPT
Adrian Wiley and Johann Poors-Leh’kanna stood outside the temporary building that would serve as the foreman’s office of Camp Echo at Fort Prospect. Due to the sudden nature of the EFD Consortium taking over Hewitt-Michaels place in the coltan reserves. They were waiting for their fellow site manager from the Bai Lungese company Foxtrot Inc. to arrive. The three companies agreed that in light of possible problems such as retalitory sabotage by HML agents and moles, they decided to take their own transport to the site at Fort Prospect rather than risk taking any transport laid on for them by ASA. As they examined detailed maps of the site and the equipment that had been transported in the night before, Johann started chatting to Adrian.
“So, you heard that HML are on the war path,” Johann spoke through a mouthful of chewing tobacco.
Adrian looked up from the map.
“How so? They still upset we took over their patch here?”
“That and more. They think that EDFSL, Foxtrot and DP are ganging up on them. And that we have Government backing. Swinson junior is pissed at us and wants revenge. And he blames us for Dee’s disappearance.”

Johann snorted and spat out the tobacco onto the ground.
“Heh! Swinson junior is like his old man. A paranoid schizo with delusions of grandeur. HML and their stupid rent-a-cops HSG are nothing more than a glorified old boys club. They’ll collapse soon enough. If we had that much backing from the Dannistrian Central Government, we wouldn’t need to constantly fight off their taxmen. Besides, everyone knows Dee is Swinson’s Mistress and has been for some time. She did not climb the executive ladder without some help. And it’s no secret Swinson junior’s wife has been living apart from him for 11 months in the year, only showing up at the company get together at Christmas.”

Johann pointed at the mine.
“Screw the Syreners. Sod them all for a game of soldiers. We have our own workforce. Once all the Foxtrot manpower from Bai Lung rolls in, we will have the entire site to ourselves. More bloody men than even ASA, HML and the whole bloody EPTO peacekeeping force combined. Fort Prospect will be a second BL-Town when we are done. And we will have enough coltan to corner the worlds electronics market. Those idiots back in Dannistaan will be sorry they tried to stop us. HML, the Government. All of them.”

Johann took a bite off his block of chewing tobacco just as several large trucks marked “Foxtrot Inc.” rolled in.
“Want some?” Johann offered his tobacco to Adrian. Adrian declined.
“I only smoke cigarettes. I prefer my tobacco hit in smaller, more refined doses,” he said with a wink, much to Johann’s amusement.

46

“Move move! Take 'em down!”
Several Nahrinese spec ops soldiers immediately charged into the small sheltered field, shooting at anything that moved. They ran towards the hut were several men were standing. A large scale gunfight broke out, resulting in several injuries on both sides, eventually the balaclava wearing group pulled back, radioing for back up as the Nahrinese troops moved in.
“GOGOGO!” one of them shouted as they kicked in the door and found a startled man with his hands tied sitting on the floor.
“Mr. O’Day I presume?” the soldier said, his gasmask muffling his words, “Come with us.”
The soldier lifted him to his feet and dragged him out the door into the open field. It was dark and little could be made out in the distance. Another group of soldiers raided a second hut in the field and dragged out a bloodied and bruised Dee Ma’niddahs out the door. Both were immediately placed into a waiting truck before it roared away through the gun fire.[hr]The teams commanding officer looked angrily at both Dee and O’Day, confirming both their identities via blurry facsimiled photographs.
“I hope you can both appreciate what we have done. We went to a lot of lengths to find you both and take you from the clutches of Dannistrian Intelligence agents. We normally wouldn’t do anything like this were it not for explicit orders from the top and the fact we would prefer you both said nothing of our Government’s deals with HML. Now. We are going to a safe house away from Rilanon. It is now too dangerous to be there as it will be crawling with those morons from Section 9, F Command. DISOC. Whatever the hell they call themselves these days. Can’t trust anyone. Not even the mole we put in to spy on their moles. He turned out to be a double agent and was shot by the Dannistrian mob anyway.”

The truck rattled through more undergrowth and various trees before coming to a stop at the makeshift camp. The commander signalled to O’Day and Dee to leave the truck.
“We’ll rest here for a bit before moving on. In the meantime, please explain to us what the hell those Dann morons wanted. Otherwise we will not be able to help you.”

47

OOC: Okay where are we now? I lost track, sorry about that. If you want I could just have my characters at their mining site.

48

OOC: Syrene, I think at this point, Alec Bing would probably be released from detention due to lack of evidence. He would however, pay a fine for misdemeanour crimes.

IC: Camp Echo Foreman’s Office, Camp Echo, Fort Prospect, Auramont
Early Morning EPT

As Adrian Wiley and Johann Poors-Leh’kanna were socialising about their FoxTrot, speak of the devil! A 6 foot, straightly combed hair individual bounced onto Camp Echo itself. Wearing a yellow fluorescent jacket resting on top of the purple snazzy business suit. Sitting on his right wrist was an extremely expensive designer’s silver wrist watch. On his immediate left and right are his favourite entourage, both female. He was laughing alongside them as he was typing in something onto his smartphone whilst chewing the mammoth sized cigar hanging between his lips. Meet the CEO of FoxTrot, Mr Terry Chen Jia Jun.

Terry Chen: ‘How’s progress hitting the mines, boys?’

Johann Poors-Leh’kanna: ‘Terry, how’s it going? The FoxTrot trucks are already making its way to the mines as we speak. There is one of them. Say hi to them, Terry!’

Terry waves at one of the truckers crawling by to the right.

Terry Chen: 'I love the fast progress of this operation. It is happening sooner than I have previously anticipated! I love it man! It was a wise choice not to hire the locals 'round here because they’ll whinge about the working conditions and the lack of pay. They will also moan about the high number of hours they are given. If you are in financial trouble and you gotta work 'til midnight to make ends meet, then I would do it. These powerful trade union bosses want less hours for more pay. Not one single employee in FoxTrot is a member of a trade union of any kind.

My people have the best work ethic in the whole freakin’ world! They can work 100 hours a week and they would never complain about the hours. Look at the Syreners, they would balk at the idea of working more than 30 hours a weeks, not with our people! We can also pay any amount of money we like and they would not complain either!

Of course, we never talk to the media about paying workers at any rate we like, instead, we talk about paying workers at a competitive rate to make it sound positive.

Now, Mr Wiley. Care for a cigar?’

Opening up his humidor box, reveals a set of hand made cigars from some unknown country in the EP.

49

Camp Echo Foreman’s Office
Uluvu Rivyanjariya Municipality, Auramont

Union representative Lana Henderson had come to inspect the work sites thinking she’d just find the regular run-of-the-mill management shenanigans. What she didn’t expect to find was an army of Bai Lungese scabs. She marched up to Wiley, Poors-Leh’kanna, and Chen with nostrils flared.

“I’m not sure what shithead at the border paroled these workers into the country without an official job offer,” Lana Henderson raved. “And why, in God’s name, would you would pay the http://theeastpacific.com/index.php?showtopic=9904&view=findpost&p=22003329 when we have scores of unskilled workers? Or did you just blatantly flout the law to bring in your scab labor? In any case, no one can work here without a union credential or a job offer. CoSoMU has an industry-wide contract, and this mining site is an emphatically closed shop.”

OOC: The mining site is technically in Uluvu Rivanjariya Municipality, which is a few hours north of Fort Prospect. Vulshain, you’re welcome to send in your people. I was just wrapping up the dinner and sending people along.

Undisclosed Location
Christie Island?

“I must confess that I don’t know what government you’re talking about since you didn’t give me the courtesy of a proper introduction,” O’Day said in a flat tone, even though, by process of elimination, he had a feeling they were Nahrinese.

As the Nahrinese were taking Dee and him away, O’Day had the chance to grab his mobile and make a phone call to Hayes. Unfortunately, he couldn’t take the phone with him and no message could be transmitted. DFP triangulated the signal and Detective Inspector Jones arrived at the scene of the melee to find O’Day gone, but she picked up a few clues on the way.

“I’ve got some shell casings that are pretty much standard-issue for the Dannistrian military,” Jones said to her Intelligence Service colleague over the phone as she held one of the casings in her hand. “I think this supports your theory that the Dannistrians were after the HML exec and took our guy along for the ride. Yes, yes, I know, you win this round”

“So, after you’ve finished gloating, do you think you could tell me where you got the double agent the Dannistrians took out?” she asked in an exasperated tone. “Just kidding, I found more casings. A lot of people use these, but I think the most likely candidates are the Nahrinese, eh?”

Permanent Mission of the Syrene Federation
Rilanon, Christie Island

— Begin quote from ____

Esteemed Ambassador,

It has come to our attention that agents of the Dannistrian government are likely responsible for the unlawful abduction of Mr. Albert O’Day, a national of the Syrene Federation. The security of our people is the paramount concern of the Federation Government. If you do not deliver us Mr. O’Day and provide a satisfactory explanation for his disappearance, we will be forced to issue a public condemnation and bring our grievances to the appropriate regional bodies.

— End quote

50

OOC: Added the situation at Camp Echo on the end.

Embassy of the Royal Confederacy of Dannistaan, Rilanon, Christie Island
12 Noon EPT
Ambassador Jeremy Felix Willis was not in a good mood. He was already trying to fend off angry accusations of Dannistrian Naval Forces violating the sovereignty of the Nahrin Union with respect to the Nah’varreh Isles territorial dispute. To add to his problems, an annoyed cable arrived from the Syrene Mission demanding to know why Dannistrian agents were kidnapping one of their own citizens. He wasn’t amused and certainly had no time for more errors.

“Cancel all my meetings for today!” he shouted at his secretary as he stormed into his office and sank into the chair in his office. After face planting himself against the desk several times, he picked up the phone and called the Foreign Office back in Dannistra Onn.
“Yes. It’s Felix. Get me the bloody Foreign Secretary now! I have angry Nahrinese on one side and potentially angry Syreners on the other.”

After a lengthy conference call with the Foreign Secretary and his staff, Jeremy sighed and hung up in exasperation.
“They don’t know!” he muttered to himself as he drafted a reply to the Syrener mission. He hoped that a more concrete answer other than what he was told would be made available.

— Begin quote from ____

Fellow Ambassador

As far as we are aware, the Dannistrian Central Government has no knowledge and no responsibility of the disappearance of Mr. O’Day. The Dannistrian Central Government respects the sovereignty of all other nations and has no interest in causing harm to any citizens of other nations and are saddened to hear of the disappearance of one of your citizens.

However, as a gesture of goodwill and to avoid further embarrassment, we are inviting any representative from the Syrene Federal Intelligence Services to come to the Dannistrian Mission here in Rilanon to discuss the matter further and render as much assistance as practically possible to help locate Mr. O’Day.

Yours Faithfully,
Ambassador Willis
Ambassador of the Royal Confederacy of Dannistaan

— End quote

Undisclosed Location
Christie Island?
The remaining agents scrambled around to regroup and evade local authorities after the surprise raid. Several of the agents blamed one another for the falling apart of the mission until the leader called for calm.
“It’s alright guys. We found out what had happened. One of the guys we were working with was a Double Agent for the Nahrinese.”
One of the agents swore, distressed at what had happened.
“So now what? What the frig do we do now? That stupid HML lackey and that moron O’Day have been taken from us.”
“Already got a back up plan. Just need the top brass to approve.”

One of the agents looked on suspiciously.
“Hang on. Why did we even bother with O’Day anyway? He wasn’t the main target and we could’ve got away scott free if it weren’t for the change of plan. What is his angle on all this anyway?”
The leader frowned.
“You doubting me already, soldier? These orders came from the top! They wanted O’Day in for questioning.”
The agent protested but eventually relented. As the group disappeared into the forest, he voiced his concerns quietly to a colleague.
“Come to think of it, when was the last time we spoke to the top brass?”
The colleague shrugged.
“Last week I think.”
“We are supposed to keep in touch with them every day…I wonder…”

Somewhere in Dannistaan…
EXACT LOCATION CLASSIFIED
12:30PM EPT

“Operative Kokoro, please report to Conference room November Five. Operative Kokoro, please report to Conference room November Five.”

Kokoro got up from her desk and walked down the long corridor to room N-5. She knew this meant there was something seriously wrong if someone is meeting in that room as it was reserved for emergency ad-hoc meetings. She knocked on the door. It opened to reveal it was shrouded in darkness as usual. Four figures were sat around the table.
Kokoro entered the room and quickly sat down, greeting everyone.
“Commander C? It is rare we have the privilege to speak to you directly.”
“Indeed, Operative Kokoro. However we wish the meeting was in more pleasant circumstances. We have a situation the Central Government wishes for us to deal with as a matter of urgency and delicacy.”

Kokoro leaned slightly forward.
“You are aware of the ongoing situation with ‘Operation Lirot’, the ongoing operation to bring certain members of Hewitt-Michaels Limited to justice?”
Kokoro nodded.
“I am aware of certain elements of that operation, given that there is some crossover in my department.”
“Well, it would appear we have run into some issues with that.”

The commander pushed over a small file folder over to Kokoro. Inside was a lengthy report as well as dossiers on several of the personnel involved.
“It would appear GOS and TACOP operatives Alpha-219, Alpha-277, Alpha-285, Bravo-1123, Bravo-1228, Bravo-1333 and Bravo-1441 have gone rogue. They have overstepped the boundaries of their mission and have attempted to acquire Albert O’Day, one of the senior staff at ASA, a large Syrener mining company, using procedure Uniform X-ray procedure Eight-Four-One.”

Kokoro nodded.
“Any ideas why?”
“We have no idea. We lost contact with them about a week ago shortly after the monitoring pre-mission on Dee Ma’niddahs. We tried sending several deep cover contingency agents to Rilanon to keep tabs on them, however they were either terminated or missing, presumed terminated. Shortly afterwards, as of 21 hundred hours EPT, we heard of a raid on safehouse Romeo 2448 on Christie Island. Apparently a double agent working for the Nahrin Union’s Special Government Services Office leaked the location to their own Blue Eagles Spec Ops Team. The Blue Eagles Team, specifically Group 44 raided the compound and freed Ms. Ma’niddahs and Mr. O’Day. We suspect it is an attempted by them to cover their tracks with regards to the deals with HML.”

Commander C paused.
“What we do not understand is why the GOS and TACOPs agents mentioned went rogue. We suspect several hypothetical scenarios, but the most likely ones so far seem to be either this is a deliberate false flag operation being set up by the Nahrin Unions SGSO designed to undermine the Dannistrian position, especially with regards to our current territorial dispute. The other scenario is that the agents went rogue due to some attempt at personal political or financial gain. What we would like to know is which one of these scenarios is likely and to clean up whatever political fallout has occurred because of this.”

Kokoro nodded.
“I’ll arrange for some SID field operatives to go to Rilanon and deal with the situation.”
“Can we ask you use some decorum. Things are on a knife edge as it stands and the Dannistrian Prime Minister is very upset at what is happening.”
“Does he know what we know?”
“Not yet. But he will shortly in a special cabinet briefing. However he is concerned at the high amount of autonomy we have and may well be cracking down on us soon if we do not correct the actions of those rogue agents ourselves.”

Kokoro nodded.
“I’ll get my best men on it and instruct them to tread carefully.”
“Please do, Operative Kokoro…and thank you…”

Embassy of the Royal Confederacy of Dannistaan, Rilanon, Christie Island
On receipt of the new information, Willis drafted a new reply to the Syrener embassy.

— Begin quote from ____

Fellow Ambassador

Some new information has come to light that the disappearance of Mr. O’Day may be linked to rogue elements within the Dannistrian Intelligence and Special Operations Commission. The Dannistrian Central Government has no prior knowledge of their attempts to abduct Mr. O’Day. We have informed the regional delegate of the situation and will be taking corrective measures to apprehend and/or otherwise deal with the rogue agents in Rilanon.

We offer our humblest apologies for any distress the rogue agents actions may have caused. The Syrene Federal Intelligence Services are still more than welcome to come to speak to us and the new DISOC field agents dispatched to deal with the situation.

Yours Faithfully,
Ambassador Willis
Ambassador of the Royal Confederacy of Dannistaan

— End quote

Undisclosed Location
Christie Island?
Dee was pretty upset at this point. She didn’t know what was going on and had enough of soldiers everywhere.
“Yeah, they are Nahrinese,” she said to O’Day, “And although I’ve dealt with your Government before, I sure as hell was not expecting this nonsense. Is this your doing, Mr. O’Day? Because I’ll have you know that if it is, I will be lodging a formal complaint with ASA and the Syrener Government…!”

Camp Echo Foreman’s Office, Camp Echo, Fort Prospect, Auramont
Terry, Johann and Adrian all looked at each other with conspiratorial light smirks before Johann replied to Lana, “We’ll see about that. Adrian! Get the paperwork for Miss Henderson here.”
“Of course, Johann.”
Adrian took one of the cigars offered by Terry and lit it as he walked over to the office. After a few minutes he emerged with a large pile of papers and made it a point to drop them into Lana’s arms, blowing a few puffs of cigar smoke in contempt as he did so.
“As you can see, Miss Henderson, we have paid up the head tax. And there are the appropriate work visas and job offers in that pile of papers I’ve given you,” Adrian said inbetween puffs of smoke.

In the folder was a seemingly proper receipt for headtax for several hundred Bai Lungese workers, along with work permits for each one.

Terry, Johann and Adrian again exchanged conspiratorial grins. What Lana didn’t know was the “enhanced” fee, what would be called a bribe elsewhere, paid to the Director of Immigration along with several “enhanced incentives”, again what would amount to bribery, to several senior officials to allow the imported labour into the area.
“And I should point out,” Johann interjected, “That under this deal, any local labour would be utilised under our plans as the external security for the site. They would benefit from enhanced pay and working conditions. None of them would need to step foot in the mines on site.”

Johann leaned forward.
“Or would you rather see your fellow members toil in pretty harsh conditions. We are offering to do the heavy lifting here! All your members would need to do is reap the rewards of our labour.”
Johann returned to his original stance as he took another lump of chewing tobacco.
“Besides, the original bidders of this site HML wouldn’t have been any better. Did you see their plans? They wouldn’t have used any local labour at all. And I’d like to see you try to take them on. Their security division HSG isn’t known for taking prisoners and have gotten away with things most despots could only dream of. At least our plans are giving your guys some much more favourable conditions. So what do you say? Go against your own Government? Or take up our more generous offer. I hope you make the right choice, Miss Henderson.”

Lana looked through the files. Despite what Johann said, the details in the plans implied, on the face of it, that the number of locals to be hired as external site security would be fairly minute compared to the number of imported workers and would seemingly not be worth the unions time or resources to consider.

51

Undisclosed Location
Christie Island?
“Ms. Ma’niddahs, Mr. O’Day has nothing to do with this operation. We are preforming this task under the auspices of the Nahrin Government. We are aware your company is exporting minerals to us in violation of the sanctions that the Dannistrian Central Government has put in place to prevent HML from doing so, but our remit is only to secure your and Mr. O’Day’s release. Having said that, he is not part of the original plan. We will say however that we can offer you asylum from Dannistaan if you so wish to take up the offer. As for you, Mr. O’Day,” the soldier turned to Albert, “We suggest that you return to Syrene immediately. We do not suggest remaining in Christie Island due to the potential for counter operations against you by Dannistrian Intelligence agents…”

The soldier was interrupted by several loud gunfire shots, followed by a loud explosion. Everyone ducked, then started shouting in panic.
“IT’S AN AMBUSH! GET BACK INTO THE TRUCKS!” someone shouted as more gunfire filled the air. Dee and Albert were quickly ushered into a waiting truck and it sped off down the dirt road. More explosions rocked the truck before a direct hit flipped it over.
“Urgh…” one of the soldiers groaned, “Anyone alright?”

“You won’t be,” said a voice and there was a loud shot as a bullet went through his helmet. Several balaclava wearing faces peered into the overturned truck.
“You Nahrin boys are so naive!” shouted one of the attackers, “Now give up and hand over Ms. Ma’niddahs and Mr. O’Day before we kill you all.”

One of the Nahrinese soldiers struggled to get into position to shoot the attackers, only to be gunned down himself in a violent manner. More gunfire started and just as quickly faded.
“Alright! Any one else there? Give yourselves up now!”

52

Concordance Tower
Drexel City, Parker, Union Republic of Allegheny

Concordance Tower rose above the gleaming city of Drexel, it was by far the largest man made structure in all of Allegheny and it was purposefully built this way to remind people how much control Concordance exerted over the country. The building itself served several purposes, containing a full fledged hospital, medical university, company offices and several labs that worked on Concordance’s publicly known projects. In the sub levels were the heavily fortified private labs that worked on the top secret projects and at the very top was Doctor Houseman’s penthouse and private laboratory.

The company itself was so important to the city’s economy that the city government built Concordance it’s own separate subway line for employees and students that connected the tower with the major boroughs of Drexel, including the nearby airport where a small portion of the airport had been dedicated to Concordance operations only, but despite all this power Concordance had little sway outside Allegheny, a problem they were attempting to rectify.

This knowledge swirled through Kurt Clinton’s head as he rode the subway train into the company station to meet with Doctor Houseman. He had seen the equipment for the ‘Syrene Project,’ as it was now dubbed, being loaded into re-purposed military airlift transports purchased by the Company for it’s international expansion plans. All twelve of them would be en-route to Auramont soon loaded with the now absorbed Ashley Extraction Corporation’s repainted equipment. Upon exiting the station and taking the elevator to the main lobby, Clinton was greeted by a cacophony of people traveling in and out of the building. Holographic images advertised the great achievements the company had made as well as current news related to the Company’s operations.

Clinton took a second to take it all in but was disturbed by a secretary calling his name. “Mr. Clinton, Doctor Houseman is meeting with the A.E.C. executives right now, you can join the meeting on the 122nd floor.”

“Of course, thank you.” He replied, nervously.

Another elevator took him to his desired floor and he entered conference room where the discussion was being held. He quietly spoke as the disembodied voice of Doctor Houseman spoke over an audio conferencing system. “Typical,” he thought to himself as he listened in. Houseman could not be bothered to show his physical self in public anymore. Clinton’s thoughts turned to why he had hidden himself away for almost the entire year. What could he be working on.

“The inclusion of A.E.C. into the Concordance family is critical to the success of our efforts to expand internationally, the added revenue of ore sales is paramount to funding the vision of the future we have all been mandated to pursue as a company. Our focus is now on Syrene as we are now in direct competition for the securing of cheap Coltan needed for the advanced semiconductors our Augmentation line of products requires for both the civilian and military sectors. As the heads of our new mining division you will be in direct oversight of our operations there and I have provided you with the people needed for the firm handed control over the project that will be needed to keep these unwashed masses of foreign workers in line. Along with these overseers and your expert advisers we should be able to beat out other international efforts to secure the Coltan contract. I don’t think I need to stress how important this is gentlemen. This meeting is adjourned for now, I will require weekly reports on the progress of the Syrene Project.”

The diagrams on the board disappeared with but Houseman’s voice did not. “Clinton please stay behind, we must discuss certain matters.”

Clinton did not respond, he simply waited for the A.E.C. execs to leave him alone in the room. The door softly shut behind them and he waited in the silence of the dimly lit conference room.

“Clinton, you have disappointed me for the last time, your failure has put us in a precarious position. Along with your failure, Sears has informed me of your embarrassing behavior in Augusta. As director of acquisitions you are no use to me, but do not fear, I will find a use for you.” The passively angry voice of Houseman rattled Clinton and before he could explain the door opened revealing a heavily augmented security officer.

Houseman sighed as he entered. “Take Mr Clinton to the restricted labs, I’ll have the surgeons ready by the time you arrive.”

A simple ‘Yes Sir’ was the only words the officer uttered as he grabbed Clinton by the neck and choked him till he was unconscious." The muffled struggle of Clinton echoed throughout the room as the officer gazed at Clinton’s frantic eyes with his own, cybernetic counterpart.

One day later.
Philip Masoraka International Airport
Fort Prospect, Auramont

The aircraft containing the materials and men required to get Concordance’s operation in Syrene off the ground touched down, an entire ramp had been appropriated for the twelve aircraft that had just flown in from Allegheny. The noses of the transports opened as the men, comprised of advisers and security, began to exit their respective craft. Sears spoke with the Director of Customs for the airport as customs began their inspection. His shirt revealed his flesh colored Cyberarm Prosthetics and he had garnered many strange looks from many of the Syrener’s he had come across during his time at the airport.

“May I review the manifests of these aircraft?” The Customs agent asked cautiously.

“Of course,” Sears said as he handed the papers over to him, “as I said before, it is mining equipment for the most part, as well as prefab construction materials and miscellaneous supplies. Nothing out of the ordinary. Oh! I did forget, there are medical supplies as well, we have brought in a few of our physicians. We plan on having an onsite clinic.”

“Right.” The Customs director replied.

“Yes indeed, perhaps you would care to see a brochure.” Sears handed him a thicker than usual brochure. “The medical equipment is quite sensitive, I wouldn’t want it to be damaged by an inspection.”

The Customs director opened the brochure to reveal a substantially large wad of Syrener bills. “Of course sir, I can personally inspect the cargo if you like?”

“That would be most agreeable.” Sears said smiling.

Eventually the inspection was complete, with the Customs Director paid to not ‘see’ the Assault rifles and small arms buried under the mass of medical equipment and supplies, the Convoy of cargo trucks and mining equipment left the airport for Camp Bravo. The convoy hit the Gold Rush Memorial Highway in a rush to get the equipment to the site for construction. Sears rode in the passenger seat of a cargo truck, his eyes scanning the horizon as if he was expecting something to happen.

Many of the men were augmented in some way, it had become common place in the mining industry, the mercenaries who called themselves ‘advisers’ were also heavily augmented, most were ex-soldiers. For many of them this was their first foreign excursion outside of Allegheny, everything was different about Syrene, it reminded some of them of their lives in the heavily industrialized East of Allegheny, a stark contrast to the lush landscapes and towering mega-cities of the west.

Upon entering Fort Prospect a stench had hit Sears nose that displeased him, many of the people here were poor and these ‘Tolerance Zones’ seemed to be havens for crime. Sears would not tolerate visits to these areas by Concordance personnel and he made sure to make a note to make visiting the zones against the rules.

Camp Bravo was not far from the other competition’s camps and they had already begun construction on their sites. The first objective was to being assembling the Prefab office that would serve as a center for the hiring and the clinic. As well as a camp to be built for Concordance employees and security. Over the course of the morning small village of tents was erected for the 200 men, by the afternoon a small trailer had also been erected for Overseer Sears who had begun meeting with his advisers over the construction of a shaft.

Meanwhile a van and two mercenaries drove into the Friendship village with a bullhorn promising to pay one Syrener dollars more than the competition for strong able bodied men. Before an hour had passed a line had formed outside Camp Bravo as four Concordance doctors scrutinized the ability of each man that came for work, the weak were turned away and the strong were given shovels and told to dig. The Syrener workers began digging, under the watchful eye of Concordance Advisers, an area to pour a concrete foundation for the upcoming prefab structure. Other workers began to put up a fence around the perimeter of Camp Bravo. In a few days the facilities would be erected and then shaft construction would surely begin.

53

The Pax had arrived on the shores of Syrene with a massive ship carrying the bulk of the mining equipment and personnel to be used in the mines. The dock workers were visibly shaken at the arrival of the Pax, especially when the overlord of the new Pax mining colony stepped foot from the ship. The Arkane were normally an unthinking species, but a few were gifted with sentience. He was here to monitor his unthinking hive of mining insects that would soon swarm around a Pax borehole. He skittered down the ramp and presented the paperwork and permits allowing a land convoy to be formed to transport the goods to the provided camp.

The convoy took a full day to reach the camp, pulling in around midnight local time. The site of the Arkane insects, and the multitude of cyberneticaly enhanced species swarming out of the convoy vehicles was something to see. Almost immediately the overlord gave the order for barracks to be dug into the earth surrounding what was to become the borehole. Immense mining machines were hauled into the open air, and the Pax soldiers went forward to secure the perimeter of the camp. It looked like an ant swarm from the air.

Skr’ll looked over the area as the work started, even as they had just arrived. The hospital was being built over the barracks, larger than normal, to accommodate the expected worker rush from the locals. Being the overlord, he had a direct control over the layout of the camp. He had always loved design. The hospital reflected that in the days following as it neared completion.

*Pax Recruitment Flyer

Turned down by the other employers in the area?
Maimed or sick?
Elderly?
Family commitments?
Tired of discrimination?

The Hive wants you! All are welcome!

Housing provided for you and your immediate family.
Access to the free Pax hospital.
Vouchers for use in the Pax requisition program.
Free augmentations!
Dual citizenship to the Hive on request!

Simply show yourself at the perimeter of the mines, and express your intent to work. We will take care of the rest!

54

Camp Echo Foreman’s Office, Camp Echo, Fort Prospect, Auramont

Terry Chen carefully examined the papers, detailing the plans. With enough satisfaction pumped through his ego, he expressed nothing but immense pleasure. Continuing with his conspiratorial attitude, he waded into the argument.

Terry Chen: ‘Of course we are going to hire ‘locals’ as the Syrener government would put it. Just not doing the jobs which our boys are currently conducting. Hueing the energy from the bowels of the earth and so on…’

55

Vulshain’s Mining Site

“Is itready?”

“Yes, sir,” the chief engineer answered Ivan’s question.

The Golem exited the newly constructed hangar and loading bay. “Amazing,” Ivan smiled. The ten foot tall Golem mech would most certainly speed things up, as long as he gave the local workers plenty of work so there would be a labor dispute. He had requested an additional five more Golems, but it depended on how he handled any labor problems. He could try to convince the local workers that the Golems were there to help with any dangerous work.

Safety was always a good way to convince people to let someone else handle the heavy lifting. Three Heimdals hovered nearby. One of them transformed from jet mode to mech mode. Ivan had a few additional surprises just in case of angry villagers or competitors. He stared at the back of the hangar as several red robotic eyes stared back at him. He smiled.

The Laiataneses and Vulshianian guards were already patrolling the area. “Remember no smoking on the site,” Ivan reminded everyone. He was greeted with a good many groans and curses under people’s breaths. He wasn’t fazed by this, though.

He grinned as the Golem got to work. He made a mental note to order additional ones to the ones he had already ordered.

56

E.A.N.S.T. South Eastrovia River
Bridge/Command Center

“Mr. Barrett and Miss Fredrick will meet us at Camp Foxtrot, with our contract we are only allowed to fly this ship to our camp and land it. That’s why We are flying high and landing directly down, so we don’t disturb the locals. We are not allowed to come and go as we please until we are ready to leave. We have plenty of supplies to last us, for as long as we need. SASI has provided us with the vehicles and Raven District Mining will provide the training of mining and possibly operating the vehicles,” Captain John Frakes was explaining in the rear command center of the bridge to his staff, whom were all civilians, just like himself.

“Also, I have to regretfully announce, that leaving the camp will have to be basically prohibited for the moment per Miss Fredrick,” he raised his hand before anyone could complain, “She is the personnel officer and what she says: goes. Period.”

Meanwhile…On the way to their mining site, Eric and Sarah were discussing business matters to the mining operations

“I’m only glad we were able to get our equipment in the way we wanted to. The only thing that we are going to have to get use to is the CoSoMU. It is not everyday we have to deal with organized labor but business is business,” Sarah said as she shuffled through some paper and PADDs reviewing information.

Eric chuckled, “With your new position, you are going to be dealing with it a lot more if it is required depending on the country. Organized labor may be antiquated in our eyes… possibly it is needed in more modern technological countries.”

“I suppose you are right,” Sarah said with a sigh looking at her watch, “It looks like we will arrive around the same time our transport, which will be a good thing. I need to organize the camp and I want our ship camouflaged and secured completely.”

OOC: E.A.N.S.T. = East Malaysia Aerospace Navy Support Transport; SASI: Sava Automotive Sales International, largest EM exporting car company

57

Camp Echo, Fort Prospect, Auramont

In another part of the Camp Echo was the makeshift office of CEO Terry Chen, he reclined into the black, high class leather office chair made for an exec like him. However, he sat right back up after his most favourite rags of a paper gave him some really, really bad news. Jim Hong, the senior manager of FoxTrot is dead.

FOXTROT SENIOR DEAD AFTER SUSPECTED COCAINE ABUSE!!!

SENIOR FOXTROT MANAGER JIM HONG, DIES HOSPITAL!!! COCAINE USAGE MIGHT BE THE CAUSE!!!

FOXTROT MANAGER DIES IN HOSPITAL ONE DAY AFTER COCAINE AND PROSTITUTE SCANDAL!

Terry Chen: ‘Oh no, oh no, oh no…’

He picks up his custom made gold telephone sitting directly to his right.

Terry Chen: ‘Shen, it’s Terry. Get me a plane ready back to the mainland!’

Shen: ‘Right away, Terry…’

58

Friendship Village
Uluvu Rivanjariya Municipality, Auramont

The worker dormitory camp had begun to take shape as a veritable boomtown. The tent dwellings gave way to more sophisticated cabins with tin roofs. The dusty side streets were strung with street lamps. A neon-lit shopping strip and an open-air market where aboriginal traders hawked their wares cropped up on Gold Rush Memorial Highway.

Freddie Hayes, the slight, mild-mannered teenage son of Oswald Hayes IV, discreetly meandered down the main row. He perched on a stool in one of the canteens and watched as the market traffic careened past. A young aboriginal man with clear Olive skin and an ivory smile sat down next to him.

“This seat taken, cap’n?” he asked with a glint in his bright green eyes.

The Cheshire Cat Gentleman’s Club
Fort Prospect, Auramont

The Cheshire Cat was an infamous strip club and pool hall in downtown Fort Prospect. It had been the site of many a gangland murder before the Freetown & Alexandra Cartels signed their “Blood Truce.”

Enoch Cairns, a rising star in the Freetown Cartel, was reclining in the back room as a coterie of sycophants and kept women hovered around him. One of his minions scurried into the smoke-filled den and apprised him of the situation at the mines, which were very close to the national park where the cartel cultivated cannabis.

“Make sure our foreign guests know on whose land they’re treading,” Cairns slithered mischeviously in a crooning Freetown Krio. “They’re kidding themselves if they think they’re going to come on our turf without a little sweetener.”

East Malaysian Mining Site
Uluvu Rivanjariya Municipality, Auramont

As the East Malaysian crew rolled up to the center of their camp, they fell upon a gruesome sight. A black horse was staked on the pylon whinnying its dying breaths with a bloody note dripping into the dusty earth.

WELCOME TO OUR FAIR COUNTRY. WE EXPECT TO SEE YOU AT MIDNIGHT IN PROSPECTOR SQUARE

Vulshainian Mining Site
Uluvu Rivanjariya Municipality, Auramont

The Vulshainians were having troubles of their own. Just as work got underway at the mines, hordes of aboriginal militants poured out of the forest. They began beating many of the robots with hatchets and set fire to the mine shift before retreating into the forest.

A masked one, none other than Miriam Herlilalaina of the Armed Freedom Front of the Aramasy Nation (AFFAN), made a statement through a bullhorn.

“Our people will not tolerate this indignity. These lands are our sacred homeland, not a place for you foreign mongrels to rape and pillage. Be warned, this is only a taste of our fury!”

Pax Mining Site
Uluvu Rivanjariya Municipality, Auramont

Healthcare in out in the sticks of Auramont was like something out of the third world. Back in the 1950’s the white minority government of Andrew McBride deported countless aboriginal families out here to “independent homelands” in the most desolate parts of Auramont and Marthana to divest them of their economic and political power.

These nominally sovereign nations didn’t really have any source of revenue except for the “foreign aid” from Augusta. The state and federal governments were doing there best to counteract these iniquities, but the public hospitals were completely overwhelmed.

The local population, most of whom weren’t eligible for the union mining jobs, nevertheless huddled outside of the gates of the Pax compound with the promise of free medical care.

Alleghenian Mining Site
Uluvu Rivanjariya Municipality, Auramont

At the perimeter of the Alleghenian site were a row of white farmers and their family. Although the Rivanjariya Headwaters promised plentiful mining, it was abysmal farmland. The farmers, all Syrener White Armed Patriotic Organization (SWAPO) members, were in deep arrears and the bank had already given them notice to leave the property. But they had already fought for their land when the govenrment cleared out the aboriginals to make way for their homestead in the 1970’s; there was no way they were giving up without a fight.

“You foreign sons of bitches can kiss my white ass,” one of the farmers heckled as he cocked his rifle. A raggedly little boy tugged at his wife’s apron as she stood stoically behind him in their dowdy ranch house.

Meanwhile, SWAPO Field Marshal Ian Smith was conferring with his comrades in a bunker deep in the Auramont highlands.

“These ASA bastards are a stain on the white race,” he opined. “We’ve got to stand up for what’s ours or the [ethnic slur] government in Augusta will send us all to the salt mines. Let’s follow this situation down at the camps and see what those Alleghenians have to say about our Anglo-Syrener spirit. And make sure those bombs are ready if they don’t back down.”

EFD Consortium Mining Site
Uluvu Rivanjariya Municipality, Auramont

Lana was so livid from her meeting with Wiley, Chen, and Poors-Leh’kanna that she had difficulty mashing the keys on her satellite phone.

"Hello, Mr. Hayes, this is Ms. Henderson of CoSoMU. I don’t know who the fuck you think I am, but I’m not going to stand for any scabbing on this property. My next call will be to the Labor Secretary and just you wait ‘til he… oh shit…”

Lana put down her phone as a phalanx of CoSoMU miners marched up to the Dannistrian mining site and began rattling the chainlink fence and chanting.

Embassy of the Royal Confederacy of Dannistaan
Rilanon, Christie Island

“I appreciate you agreeing to meet with us, Ambassador,” said Syrene Ambassador Herman Reed who was sitting next to Detective Inspector Martha Jones and FIS Agent Cal Murdoch.

“Forgive us for our lack of faith, but we need regain some sense of trust after the disturbing things we have learned of these past few days. What will you do to assure us that our man will be back safe and sound? We certainly do not want to have to bring this to the public’s attention.”

Undisclosed Location
Christie Island?

“I don’t know what the hell you’re getting on about,” grumbled O’Day, who was starting to get visibly agitated. “It’s your people that have got us holed up in here.” O’Day started scanning his surroundings for a weapon of some sort.

59

Eric and Sarah had met up with their ship and began the unloading process and started to camouflaged the ship by making it look like part of the complex. The structures surrounding the ship would be buildings themselves but not as big as they look; solar panels were also being set up to serve as a roof and emergency power supply if needed.

Another part of the crew headed towards the center of the camp to start building structures for the workers, Sarah was in the group so she could show the map of how the complex should look and to supervise everything would be set up by tomorrow so they can have registration to start and medical examinations. She heard a commotion ahead of her and she swiftly moved through the crowd and seen a horrific site of a horse staked to a pallet and one of the doctors scanning it, “anything we can do for it?”

The doctor closed his scanner and shook his head, “no sadly… and whoever did this obviously was heartless,” he pulled out a hypospray and set the setting to maximum and injected it and rubbed its head, “it’s okay now,” and he stayed with the horse until it fell to sleep one last time.

Disturbed by what she has just seen, she pulled her camp security officer and pointed at the horse, which crew members had started to move the body to be buried. “I don’t like that, someone did that on purpose. Double the security on all sides of the camp and get the gates up now.”

60

The area surrounding the Pax camp was beginning to look like a refuge camp. The promise of healthcare and jobs, even ones paying with Pax chits, lured many to the Pax compound. The hospital had just been finished that day, and the Pax guards did what they could to calm the mass of cripples, sick, and generally disillusioned. It was a magnificent structure. It was composed of simple earth and wood, fashioned by the Arkane of the Hive. At first glance, it appeared to be a large termite mound.

At the gate

The reptilian guard looked out and raised a bullhorn.

“The hospital is now finished.” He paused to let the crowd die down. “The Hive will make good on its promise to each of you. Starting in a short while, you will see Pax drones making their way through the crowds, assigning order numbers and beginning short medical examinations. This WILL take awhile, along with actual treatment itself. Please allow the most extreme cases to take the first slots.” He paused for a moment. “Commissary drones will begin making the rounds in about 3 hours to pass out food and drink. Please do not hesitate to take what you need.”

With that, he turned and walked back through the gates. A medical team exited immediately after and began dispersing through the crowds.

Later that evening. Pax hospital.
Arlenian is basically a winged human

The first assimilation from Syrene was o begin shortly. The Arlenian doctor looked over the patient and began ticking off the obvious replacements. The man in the bed had been put under and was stripped bare. He had obviously been crippled in one leg, and had suffered from prolonged malnutrition. One eye had reduced function. The machines brought in to scan showed a failing liver, and reduced heart function that should be normal for one in his fourties. She marked everything off on a req-chit and sent it off to be filled.

“Might as well begin” she said as she turned the man over.

She began by cutting into his upper back, and installing a temporary nervous system disruptor. That should kill the pain from what was about to begin. When the pieces of metal and machine that would become the man’s new body parts were wheeled in, she began the amputations and augmentations. It would take most of the night to finish.