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Europareich 2057 - A Cyberpunk CYOA
- Thread starter Hellraiser
- Start date
Esquilax
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2010
- Messages
- 4,833
Hellraiser, how good is k3s13r as a hacker compared to our official Euroreich guys? Would it be harder for our target to notice being tracked by a third party rather than by a Euroreich hacker? The way I see it, if k3s13r can't find him or is unlikely to find him without spooking him, we pretty much have to get him ourselves. Also, what would option F entail? Would it mean trying to dig up where the assassin or hacker may have come from?
I believe that the best thing to do for this upcoming choice is to take a bit of a risk in focusing on solving the problem, and if we need to go to Spain, to do so with as much information as we possibly can.
A few chapters ago, our investigation hit its first dead end when we investigated the only eyewitness and Ida was stonewalled by a bunch of lawyers. Now, the most likely group to have hit the implant centre is an anti-implant group. It's not likely a corp because they didn't hit any assembly lines or R&D labs, so I'm guessing that the attackers were motivated by ideology rather than by corporate allegiance:
If we decide to patrol, I'm not sure where we'd go. Not sure how it would tie into our goals:
As a side note, Richter said nothing in this update. I find that somewhat curious - we bring the guy along, yet he offers no input on anything? Wtf? This guy is very fucking shady, and I would hate to find out that he's an inside man for one of the corps or the people that planned this attack. If he is, then he's going to be relaying information back to the spy soon, if he hasn't already.
I believe that the best thing to do for this upcoming choice is to take a bit of a risk in focusing on solving the problem, and if we need to go to Spain, to do so with as much information as we possibly can.
A few chapters ago, our investigation hit its first dead end when we investigated the only eyewitness and Ida was stonewalled by a bunch of lawyers. Now, the most likely group to have hit the implant centre is an anti-implant group. It's not likely a corp because they didn't hit any assembly lines or R&D labs, so I'm guessing that the attackers were motivated by ideology rather than by corporate allegiance:
If we decide to patrol, I'm not sure where we'd go. Not sure how it would tie into our goals:
Not sure about the vote yet.
As a side note, Richter said nothing in this update. I find that somewhat curious - we bring the guy along, yet he offers no input on anything? Wtf? This guy is very fucking shady, and I would hate to find out that he's an inside man for one of the corps or the people that planned this attack. If he is, then he's going to be relaying information back to the spy soon, if he hasn't already.
Hellraiser
Arcane
He's good, whether he is better is debatable but considering that he isn't restricted by red tape as much as the ECK he can be more creative in how he gets the data. The rest you have to figure out on your own.
F) would mean you would ask around if they saw or heard of anyone trying to do any shady things.
As for patrolling, technically if it wasn't for the bombing that's what you would be doing to, you know, keep the peace. I would like to remind you that you never went on patrol in the TSZ and Gotenhafen is locked up as is the other NCO in his squad, so there is one less patrol out in the streets. Whether that is a better choice of spending your time until you get analysis results is up to you.
Hellraiser
Arcane
Well he can but the hackers won't do it if the choices mentioned will occupy them. But if the current trend got flip-flop'd and you wouldn't go to spain or use them to get the data it would count.
The ONLY answer is 3G. 3 because we signed up as gun thugs for the establishment in order to be able to do exactly this kind of ops with impunity and G because, if we're going for 3, our people will need all the training they could get. We won't be able to transform them into SBS/SWCC commandos overnight, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't, at least, try to do that.
Also, if things go tits up in Spain, we do have a Fate point, so we do have an ace in our sleeve. Now, we need to get out shit together if we're going to pull this off and not get our people killed. So, let's take it by the numbers and start with some maps:
A. Hellraiser's political map:
B. Operation map:
1) Approach:
Toledo is smack in the middle of Spain, so we could, theoretically, approach from any direction. It all depends on what assets are available to us. The 3 big alternatives are (Captain Obvious to the rescue!) by land, by air and by sea. Now let's take a closer look at each.
a) by land: in 2057 Spain's only land borders are with France, over the Pyrenees and with the Basque Country (Euskal Republic) to the north. If Europareich has some contacts in the Euskal Republic, we could use that as a base to launch our raid from. However, the Spanish are probably keeping a watchful eye on that border and have the heaviest military presence in the area between the Euskal Republic and Toledo. Not to mention that Madrid is on the way between the Euskal Republic and Toledo, so this idea is a no-go.
b) by air: Europareich definitely has the tools to penetrate the Spanish air defenses (if there are any are left) and air-drop our team (and even some APCs to boot if necessary), but I don't think that we have the people for this kind of operation and that's more of a high-speed, low-drag type of operation where you leave craters in your wake both going in and going out, and we may need to be a little less conspicuous.
c) by sea: there are two sub-choices here, depending on what is available to us:
c.i) how:
c.i.1) deploy over the water, by Zodiac boat launched from a surface vessel
c.i.2) deploy either over the water or completely stealthy, using scuba gear, from a stealthy AIP submarine
c.ii) approach vector:
c.ii.1) from the Mediterranean: Sardinia and Corsica are Europareich territory, so it is safe to assume that Europarech has at least one naval base there and that it runs constant naval drills around the Baleares, so we could use that to launch our team from any vessel available. However, the Spanish will have their assets in the area and their Special Operations forces are stationed in Alicante, which is right across the water from the Baleares. Our team is too green to take on that kind of opposition.
c.ii.2) from Ireland: Ireland is Europareich territory and, given its proximity to Islamic England, it has, most certainly, a heavy military presence. Deployment by surface vessel from Ireland may be more conspicuous than from the Mediterranean and, aside from that, we would face the same challenges as when deploying from the Euskal Republic.
c.ii.3) if we use an AIP sub to launch our raid, we can come from anywhere. If this is the case, then coming from the Atlantic could be an advantage because the Spanish forces are already used to incursions coming from Morocco and France, so they may have the terrain under better surveillance, but there are no jihadis coming from the Atlantic, so that area is, most likely, going to be less protected, even if the travel over land is going to be slightly longer.
2) Plan:
Instead of sending the whole team the same way, we could use a two-pronged or three-pronged approach and some diversionary tactics. We have 12 people available: Feldwebel Westgard, Unteroffizier Muller, 8 enlistees and 2 ECK operatives. Splitting into 2 teams would leave us with 2 6-men teams, which are rather conspicuous. I would split the personell like this:
Team 1:
[leadership,marksman,cqb,guerrilla] Feldwebel Westgard
[ECK] Adam McKay
[demolitions,tech] Laukaitis
[marksman] Borg
Team 2:
[leadership,marksman]{no implants} Unteroffizier Muller
[marksman]{dislikes implants -> make sure she is not in a team with an ECK operative} Mazowiecka
[redshirt] Smith
[redshirt] Bosch
Team 3:
[leadership?] Beauvis
[ECK] Paul Strauss
[redshirt] Osterhagen
[???] Richter
First, Team 2 is going to infiltrate southern France, right over the border, north of Barcelona by Zodiac launched from a Europareich surface vessel doing its regular patrol in the area. They are going to be disguised as jihadis and be equipped with jihadi gear and weapons. From there, they will infiltrate Spain and start some shit in the Barcelona area in order to draw the focus of the Spanish forces to that area, making them believe that the French jihadis are getting bolder and ready to start something major in Spain.
As that is happening, Team 1 is going to infiltrate Spain, coming in an AIP sub, from the Atlantic, going through Portugal and heading straight for Toledo. They are the main push. Westgard has guerrilla experience, Laukaitis seems handy around devices that blow up and Borg is their best marksman. Their job is to take advantage of Team's 2 distraction and get McKay to Toledo in order to do his thing.
Team 3 is the backup. They should come from the south, around Malaga, posing as Moroccan jihadis, get rid of the jihadi outfits after they get inland and try to blend in as much as possible as they make their way north towards Toledo. They need to provide backup to Team 1, if Team 1 gets into trouble and, in the worst case scenario, if Team 1 gets taken out, they need to complete the mission. They will link up with Team 1 after the mission is complete and exfiltrate to the west, the way Team 1 came in.
Also, if things go tits up in Spain, we do have a Fate point, so we do have an ace in our sleeve. Now, we need to get out shit together if we're going to pull this off and not get our people killed. So, let's take it by the numbers and start with some maps:
A. Hellraiser's political map:
B. Operation map:
1) Approach:
Toledo is smack in the middle of Spain, so we could, theoretically, approach from any direction. It all depends on what assets are available to us. The 3 big alternatives are (Captain Obvious to the rescue!) by land, by air and by sea. Now let's take a closer look at each.
a) by land: in 2057 Spain's only land borders are with France, over the Pyrenees and with the Basque Country (Euskal Republic) to the north. If Europareich has some contacts in the Euskal Republic, we could use that as a base to launch our raid from. However, the Spanish are probably keeping a watchful eye on that border and have the heaviest military presence in the area between the Euskal Republic and Toledo. Not to mention that Madrid is on the way between the Euskal Republic and Toledo, so this idea is a no-go.
b) by air: Europareich definitely has the tools to penetrate the Spanish air defenses (if there are any are left) and air-drop our team (and even some APCs to boot if necessary), but I don't think that we have the people for this kind of operation and that's more of a high-speed, low-drag type of operation where you leave craters in your wake both going in and going out, and we may need to be a little less conspicuous.
c) by sea: there are two sub-choices here, depending on what is available to us:
c.i) how:
c.i.1) deploy over the water, by Zodiac boat launched from a surface vessel
c.i.2) deploy either over the water or completely stealthy, using scuba gear, from a stealthy AIP submarine
c.ii) approach vector:
c.ii.1) from the Mediterranean: Sardinia and Corsica are Europareich territory, so it is safe to assume that Europarech has at least one naval base there and that it runs constant naval drills around the Baleares, so we could use that to launch our team from any vessel available. However, the Spanish will have their assets in the area and their Special Operations forces are stationed in Alicante, which is right across the water from the Baleares. Our team is too green to take on that kind of opposition.
c.ii.2) from Ireland: Ireland is Europareich territory and, given its proximity to Islamic England, it has, most certainly, a heavy military presence. Deployment by surface vessel from Ireland may be more conspicuous than from the Mediterranean and, aside from that, we would face the same challenges as when deploying from the Euskal Republic.
c.ii.3) if we use an AIP sub to launch our raid, we can come from anywhere. If this is the case, then coming from the Atlantic could be an advantage because the Spanish forces are already used to incursions coming from Morocco and France, so they may have the terrain under better surveillance, but there are no jihadis coming from the Atlantic, so that area is, most likely, going to be less protected, even if the travel over land is going to be slightly longer.
2) Plan:
Instead of sending the whole team the same way, we could use a two-pronged or three-pronged approach and some diversionary tactics. We have 12 people available: Feldwebel Westgard, Unteroffizier Muller, 8 enlistees and 2 ECK operatives. Splitting into 2 teams would leave us with 2 6-men teams, which are rather conspicuous. I would split the personell like this:
Team 1:
[leadership,marksman,cqb,guerrilla] Feldwebel Westgard
[ECK] Adam McKay
[demolitions,tech] Laukaitis
[marksman] Borg
Team 2:
[leadership,marksman]{no implants} Unteroffizier Muller
[marksman]{dislikes implants -> make sure she is not in a team with an ECK operative} Mazowiecka
[redshirt] Smith
[redshirt] Bosch
Team 3:
[leadership?] Beauvis
[ECK] Paul Strauss
[redshirt] Osterhagen
[???] Richter
First, Team 2 is going to infiltrate southern France, right over the border, north of Barcelona by Zodiac launched from a Europareich surface vessel doing its regular patrol in the area. They are going to be disguised as jihadis and be equipped with jihadi gear and weapons. From there, they will infiltrate Spain and start some shit in the Barcelona area in order to draw the focus of the Spanish forces to that area, making them believe that the French jihadis are getting bolder and ready to start something major in Spain.
As that is happening, Team 1 is going to infiltrate Spain, coming in an AIP sub, from the Atlantic, going through Portugal and heading straight for Toledo. They are the main push. Westgard has guerrilla experience, Laukaitis seems handy around devices that blow up and Borg is their best marksman. Their job is to take advantage of Team's 2 distraction and get McKay to Toledo in order to do his thing.
Team 3 is the backup. They should come from the south, around Malaga, posing as Moroccan jihadis, get rid of the jihadi outfits after they get inland and try to blend in as much as possible as they make their way north towards Toledo. They need to provide backup to Team 1, if Team 1 gets into trouble and, in the worst case scenario, if Team 1 gets taken out, they need to complete the mission. They will link up with Team 1 after the mission is complete and exfiltrate to the west, the way Team 1 came in.
Hellraiser
Arcane
1) Sending McKay anywhere near the border is a no go, for one his physical presence there isn't required anyway, all he needs is direct access to the local network via an uplink. The other reason is that a transhuman individual like himself tends to draw a lot of attention.
2) This is a black op, a minor black op but a black op. You will be able to take 4 people with you making the total a team of 5 (who you will decide in the next chapter if the Hacker Kidnap choice wins) as your resources will be limited. The General is just barely willing to let you pull this kind of stunt to get a hacker tied into a small terrorist attack (they bombed one clinic and killed maybe 30 people). Which brings me to point 3.
3) You'll get in via sea because:
- the Spanish navy and coast guard in 2057 is a joke and smugglers along withandhairas jihadists manage to evade it easily.
- Spanish Airspace is closely monitored
- getting via land from France, Euskal or Portugal is suicide. Especially France. Portugal is a bit better off than Spain but it kind of turned into a socialist dictatorship paranoid about mujahedin trying to infiltrate it from Spain, France, Morocco or Britain. The Euskal resent the EU and Europareich for labeling their "freedom fighters" as terrorists, and as with Portugal they're not keen on having mujahedin get in.
You will get to choose where you land and how you get to Toledo. The team will also get a quick course on silent swift abductions from an expert before it departs plus some briefing.
2) This is a black op, a minor black op but a black op. You will be able to take 4 people with you making the total a team of 5 (who you will decide in the next chapter if the Hacker Kidnap choice wins) as your resources will be limited. The General is just barely willing to let you pull this kind of stunt to get a hacker tied into a small terrorist attack (they bombed one clinic and killed maybe 30 people). Which brings me to point 3.
3) You'll get in via sea because:
- the Spanish navy and coast guard in 2057 is a joke and smugglers along with
- Spanish Airspace is closely monitored
- getting via land from France, Euskal or Portugal is suicide. Especially France. Portugal is a bit better off than Spain but it kind of turned into a socialist dictatorship paranoid about mujahedin trying to infiltrate it from Spain, France, Morocco or Britain. The Euskal resent the EU and Europareich for labeling their "freedom fighters" as terrorists, and as with Portugal they're not keen on having mujahedin get in.
You will get to choose where you land and how you get to Toledo. The team will also get a quick course on silent swift abductions from an expert before it departs plus some briefing.
laclongquan
Arcane
KISS!!! Keep It Simple, Stupid. keep all together and drop straight on the target. No lengthy waiting time, he might just detect our presence. Or the anarchy groups pick up our presence.
We need to get in/out quick, so airdrop is ON. No leisure time sub/boat then drive to target, no no. Stealthy Airdrop the whole group in, then get a jet wait for us plus target at a local airport, with fake papers to get us up in the air.
The technical difficulty will be the way in, as we dont want to leave telltale trace. Get in very fast, by a stealth B2 we got cheap from the Yanks? pressurized stealth material combat suits to drop us from atmospheric height level like a couple of very expensive bricks? Within drive-dsitance to target? Nab him within 12 hours of our arrival?
Meanwhile our local liason will hire a transport ship, preferably a jet? Prepare fake papers to allow us to fly unimpeded? Then we just leisure carted our target to a local, less use, airport and fly out.
Why complicated when simple plan will do?
EDIT: Damn! In that case, go by smuggling route, by sea. Smuggle 4 guys in by boat, get a local liason to hire a car for you, a local guide will be most helpful. Drive there, nab him, back out to sea, smuggle out. Our cover is a muscled group to smuggle in some expensive tech stuff. No one will bat an eye over a smuggling group with good guards.
We need to get in/out quick, so airdrop is ON. No leisure time sub/boat then drive to target, no no. Stealthy Airdrop the whole group in, then get a jet wait for us plus target at a local airport, with fake papers to get us up in the air.
The technical difficulty will be the way in, as we dont want to leave telltale trace. Get in very fast, by a stealth B2 we got cheap from the Yanks? pressurized stealth material combat suits to drop us from atmospheric height level like a couple of very expensive bricks? Within drive-dsitance to target? Nab him within 12 hours of our arrival?
Meanwhile our local liason will hire a transport ship, preferably a jet? Prepare fake papers to allow us to fly unimpeded? Then we just leisure carted our target to a local, less use, airport and fly out.
Why complicated when simple plan will do?
EDIT: Damn! In that case, go by smuggling route, by sea. Smuggle 4 guys in by boat, get a local liason to hire a car for you, a local guide will be most helpful. Drive there, nab him, back out to sea, smuggle out. Our cover is a muscled group to smuggle in some expensive tech stuff. No one will bat an eye over a smuggling group with good guards.
Hellraiser
Arcane
This is the future, fake papers need fake data on GovServers. Hacking GovServers is politically unwise. Spain is in borderline anarchy outside of the main cities, as long as you stay low nobody will bother you. That's what the various paramilitary groups already present there do. Just don't draw anyones attention and don't run into a military checkpoint.
Also you don't need a guide, you have a Navigational HUD in your skull updated with the latest Military EuroSat Maps. Oh and in case you need outside help, the quantum entanglement link in your brain connecting to the Europa Bundeswehr Military Intranet is untraceable, unless the Spanish made extreme breakthroughs in quantum physics overnight (that's pretty much as likely as modern day Zimbabwe building an economical portable cold fusion reactor). Adam McKay will for instance help you with finding a good place to plug in the uplink into Toledo's Network.
You're packing all the food you need with you, you'll buy fuel with a credit card linked to a fake account (that is to say the bank thinks that the person who made it exists and there is cash on it). That's pretty much the only interaction with the locals you will do until Toledo, unless you get unlucky. Estimated time from landing to sailing away is 3-5 days depending on how long you'll stay in Toledo or what route you will choose.
As mentioned in the character sheet Ida's implants aren't immediately noticeable and can be concealed. So don't worry about her drawing attention.
Also you don't need a guide, you have a Navigational HUD in your skull updated with the latest Military EuroSat Maps. Oh and in case you need outside help, the quantum entanglement link in your brain connecting to the Europa Bundeswehr Military Intranet is untraceable, unless the Spanish made extreme breakthroughs in quantum physics overnight (that's pretty much as likely as modern day Zimbabwe building an economical portable cold fusion reactor). Adam McKay will for instance help you with finding a good place to plug in the uplink into Toledo's Network.
You're packing all the food you need with you, you'll buy fuel with a credit card linked to a fake account (that is to say the bank thinks that the person who made it exists and there is cash on it). That's pretty much the only interaction with the locals you will do until Toledo, unless you get unlucky. Estimated time from landing to sailing away is 3-5 days depending on how long you'll stay in Toledo or what route you will choose.
As mentioned in the character sheet Ida's implants aren't immediately noticeable and can be concealed. So don't worry about her drawing attention.
laclongquan
Arcane
Fine, the smuggling route is more reliable anyway, though not as quick as airdrop.
Monty
Arcane
3A
Esquilax
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2010
- Messages
- 4,833
skuphundaku, while I appreciate how well thought out that plan is, it is way too early to start thinking about that stuff. Also, take this into account:
Nothing ever goes completely smoothly, so there's a good chance that we'll have to engage in a firefight whether we like it or not, but it's important to remember that we should strive to make things as quick, clean and discrete as possible. This means taking the hacker and getting the fuck out so that our government avoids a political shitstorm.
With this in mind, we should pick a choice that would best supplement the mission. Instead of preparing for a firefight with G, let's try to seek information. F might be a good idea based on this.
Another big issue is that if we leave, patrols will be stretched extremely thin. We managed to diffuse a potential riot in Heibuden, but once we're gone, the only squad in the entire area is going to be Skorzeny's. I could totally see some savvy individuals trying to take advantage of the situation while there are few men to patrol the area. The nationalist group that Robert Wis is part of seems like they would definitely see an opportunity here.
I'm voting 3A right now, but I could flop to 3F based on a decent argument.
Nothing ever goes completely smoothly, so there's a good chance that we'll have to engage in a firefight whether we like it or not, but it's important to remember that we should strive to make things as quick, clean and discrete as possible. This means taking the hacker and getting the fuck out so that our government avoids a political shitstorm.
With this in mind, we should pick a choice that would best supplement the mission. Instead of preparing for a firefight with G, let's try to seek information. F might be a good idea based on this.
Another big issue is that if we leave, patrols will be stretched extremely thin. We managed to diffuse a potential riot in Heibuden, but once we're gone, the only squad in the entire area is going to be Skorzeny's. I could totally see some savvy individuals trying to take advantage of the situation while there are few men to patrol the area. The nationalist group that Robert Wis is part of seems like they would definitely see an opportunity here.
I'm voting 3A right now, but I could flop to 3F based on a decent argument.
laclongquan
Arcane
If you head to action, training is more useful. G is a more logical option.
Monty
Arcane
Agree in general, but surely this is only valid if the training is relevant to the action? Training on an armoured vehicle we will not be using on this mission doesn't seem to be the highest priority use of our time.
I understand the reason why he doesn't need to go in the field. That makes sense, as well as the brass not wanting to allow him to go for fear that if he goes AWOL, major shit can happen. What I do not get is the "a transhuman individual like himself tends to draw a lot of attention" part. Unless there is a requirement to dress like a gay biker and wear sleeveless jackets or he explodes, there is no reason to him not being able to easily hide his augmentations.
They have awesome control of the airspace but the marine borders are porous like a paper tissue? That's highly unlikely situation to be in for a state. Especially for Spain which has a long and rich naval history and little to no aerospace history. I postulate that if Spain gets in a position where their Navy and Coast Guard are the laughing stock of smugglers, then they're already on par with Somalia for all intents and purposes, which, implicitly, means that there is no airspace control or monitoring whatsoever, the most they could muster being MANPADS here and there.
As for France, from what I understand, they're in the middle of a civil war, which would make them really busy fighting jihadis and with little time on their hands to guard their borders. Am I missing something?
laclongquan
Arcane
Training for combat driving is not revelant to our interest ahead of a long drive across potential hostile terrains?
Hellraiser
Arcane
skuphundaku
The guy has a pair of cybernetic goggles permanently attached into his skull and hiding his eyes, very expensive goggles at that. Stuff like that is rarely seen in Madrid.
As for airspace the issue here is simple, their air-force does suck but they still have enough SAMs and radars to detect all but the most top of the line stealth aircraft and shoot them down. Well alright the second part might be trickier, but if they'll have a radar signature matching Europareich aircraft it's going to get nasty on the diplomatic front. Using any aircraft is very risky politically.
Thus the Luftwaffe won't let you have one, that and they rather have them bombing vital Russian positions in Siberia or terrorists in Dagestan. If you had a much higher standing in the army you might ask for a Baumgartner Insertion using a suborbital plane, but that would also most likely get detected. That's the other issue here, Command doesn't believe this mission is worth using major military assets. As far as they see it you are expendable, so if something goes wrong they'll just lose 2 NCOs and a bunch of rookies at best along with one Entanglement Uplink (which is probably worth more than training and equipping most of your squad). That and if you don't fuck up you should be able to do it with what they give you.
France is essentially entirely under islamist control, the French government in exile is chilling in Berlin until the Islamists get kicked out (unlikely until the Russians are dealt with, or their oil is mostly in European control). There is still major fighting along the border and getting behind enemy lines would be very difficult. The whole place is more or less an Andhaira-style paradise, close to Afghanistan in the 90s.
The guy has a pair of cybernetic goggles permanently attached into his skull and hiding his eyes, very expensive goggles at that. Stuff like that is rarely seen in Madrid.
As for airspace the issue here is simple, their air-force does suck but they still have enough SAMs and radars to detect all but the most top of the line stealth aircraft and shoot them down. Well alright the second part might be trickier, but if they'll have a radar signature matching Europareich aircraft it's going to get nasty on the diplomatic front. Using any aircraft is very risky politically.
Thus the Luftwaffe won't let you have one, that and they rather have them bombing vital Russian positions in Siberia or terrorists in Dagestan. If you had a much higher standing in the army you might ask for a Baumgartner Insertion using a suborbital plane, but that would also most likely get detected. That's the other issue here, Command doesn't believe this mission is worth using major military assets. As far as they see it you are expendable, so if something goes wrong they'll just lose 2 NCOs and a bunch of rookies at best along with one Entanglement Uplink (which is probably worth more than training and equipping most of your squad). That and if you don't fuck up you should be able to do it with what they give you.
France is essentially entirely under islamist control, the French government in exile is chilling in Berlin until the Islamists get kicked out (unlikely until the Russians are dealt with, or their oil is mostly in European control). There is still major fighting along the border and getting behind enemy lines would be very difficult. The whole place is more or less an Andhaira-style paradise, close to Afghanistan in the 90s.
He must be really careful when going to sleep. I broke a diver's watch sleeping with it on, I don't even want to imagine how that might go with goggles.
What are they going to do? Wag their finger at us? We'll just send them a "¡Chinga tu madre, cabrón!" and get on with our business. Bro, you have to be assertive to be in the empire business. Stop caring so much about the feelings of thirld-worlders!
Radar antennae are not really omnidirectional, meaning that their coverage is not really a sphere, but a torus. Unless you know exactly where and when to look up at something dropping from orbit, you're going to miss it. Unless massive technological advances happened until 2057, regular air traffic surveillance radars would completely miss an orbital drop. Hell, they would miss even a HALO jump, let alone an orbital drop.
Hellraiser
Arcane
I can tell you that pissing off the Spaniards is politically inconvenient as the Chancellor wants to get their help during a retaking of France. Not giving them more reasons to hate the Europareich would go a long way to ensuring their butthurt doesn't last for another 40 years.
laclongquan
Arcane
This is a MINOR op, not of huge importance. No way the diplomats will let us endanger diplomacy for such little gain. The sea route will be longer and slower but a smuggling disguise can get us through with no problem, I amsure.
3A 
3D as well... With some lack this martyrdom operation will be canceled by another terrorist attack or maybe Russian offensive, but there is no reason to to say NO to our superiors.... Not to mention it could be fun.
Hellraiser
Arcane
The tally:
4
3333333333
dd
aaa
gggggg
There was one vote for y and one for z, considering that the ECK needs to prepare for the op on their side, those votes don't change a thing.
Update coming soon.
4
3333333333
dd
aaa
gggggg
There was one vote for y and one for z, considering that the ECK needs to prepare for the op on their side, those votes don't change a thing.
Update coming soon.
Hellraiser
Arcane
Chapter VIII
Smoke fills the air as the autocannon of the Neinmask fires. Its booming sound scares away all the birds from nearby trees. The projectile hits a tree, the force of the impact makes it snap in half and it falls to the ground.
“Gefreiter Smith that’s a miss! The target is two meters to the right.” You tell her.
“This targeting system is rather, how should I put it, awkward.”
“This isn’t a video game Gefreiter, there is no aiming aid, apart from distance and wind correction. You point and shoot, if you pull the trigger when the gun isn’t pointed at the target you’ll miss it. Keep your hand stead and aim carefully next time.”
“I will Frau Feldwebel!” She answers enthusiastically.
“Frau Feldwebel, does the system take vehicle velocity and the targets relative velocity into account? Can we use the automatic turret tracking function to do that?” Otto asks.
“Assuming you have the time to tag a target and get a distance reading it does.” You tell him. “However it would have to really stand out on the passive sensors, the software responsible for identifying a target isn’t as good as you would want it to be.”
“What if you have radar data Frau Feldwebel? Say a gunship gets picked up by a nearby station, we would have its vector and velocity. Would we be able to shoot it down?” He inquires further.
“Assuming it wouldn’t blast us before it would get in range, maybe we could. But the better automated Gyro-drones would ID our vehicle, determine the threat we pose and start doing evasive maneuvers.”
“So how do we fight drones then?”
“We hope there’s a well placed EMP team nearby which will fry them before they get near. Otherwise we try to hide or hope that their software mistakes us for a garbage truck, school bus or SUV if we’re out in the open.”
The recruits stare at you hopelessly, they don’t like the concept of driving around in a giant drone-magnet.
“Don’t worry,” the Unteroffizier cuts in, “Russian drones can barely fly on auto-pilot, let alone see the difference between a cow and a tank. But the role of the Neinmask is not to shoot down drones, it’s supposed to get you to the battlefield and provide fire support when you storm an enemy position.”
You spend the better part of the day seeing how your “drivers” handle the Neinmask. The simulator in Basic was too forgiving it seems, both when it comes to driving and shooting. Either way they’re now better at it than they were before. Apart from you and the Unteroffizier, only Beauvis, Smith, Laukaitis and Bosch are permitted to drive it.
*
Back at the base you decide to check your second email account, just before heading out to the briefing room to discuss the final plan for “Operation Aurora”. Outside of the obvious spam you have one message.
“Next time you want me to do anything for you, I’m not doing it even if you pay me 100 times as much. You’ll find all I dug up in the attachment. Don’t contact me ever again.”
Well, it looks like the Italian hacker got spooked. All he found was a lot of signs of professional thorough cleaning, Otto Richter is definitely hiding something, but you have no idea what. The hacker mentioned he encountered certain *obstacles*, he gave up on trying to overcome them. He just wrote you that this is more trouble than it is worth.
You log out and walk to the briefing room, the Major is waiting for you there.
*
“We’re nearly ready to go, you can start packing first thing tomorrow morning.” The Major says as you walk into the briefing room. “We’ll send your team off to be trained by a *specialist* while we arrange transport to and inside of Spain.”
“What’s the best way to get to Toledo Herr Major?”
“There is no best way, however.” He says before he presses a button on the remote he’s holding, a holographic map of Spain appears above the table just in front of you.
“You will get aboard a fishing boat, it will take you near Spain’s territorial waters. From there you will get on a small powered raft which will carry the four of you to shore. An agent will be waiting for you at the designated coordinates with a vehicle you will use to get to Toledo. As for the exact road you’ll take, well you have five options Frau Westgard, the *specialists* helped in finding them.”
“Who are these specialists?”
“I am not at liberty to say, all I can tell is that you will be on a need to know basis with them.”
“Understood, so what are our options here Herr Major?”
“Path 1, you leave from Ireland and make it to the northern coast near hopefully avoiding Spanish patrols. Their navy should be focused on guarding the south coast. However there is the risk of running into an overzealous Euskal patrol outside their territorial waters. Or Islamic Corsairs from France or England, hopefully they won’t stray that far in fear of Euskal patrols. The Basques may be small but they don’t fool around, not with all the jihadists at their border.”
“Once you land,” he continues, “the roads should be fairly safe but probably guarded. We’re keeping track of checkpoints on the roads using satellites, but the Spaniards may have hidden some from view. There may also be patrols. However you are unlikely to encounter paramilitary types there, the road is the longest though.”
“What about Path 2 and 3?”
“You’ll leave from Corsica, we have a strong grip on the waters there until about halfway to your target. After that you’re at risk of running into corsairs or the bulk of the Spanish fleet. Path 2 makes you set foot in Catalonia, the roads there are good and fairly safe so it’s the fastest way to Toledo. But they’re safe for a reason, they’re patrolled often. There is the risk of being pulled over even if you avoid checkpoints. Path 3 is pretty similar, however there is a key difference. The patrols there are very paranoid about Islamists, so they pull over people a lot more often.”
“What about the south?”
“Neo-Berbers.”
“Pardon?”
“Where as in the north you would deal with French Jihadists on boats, in the south you have Moroccans and other North African pirates. The key difference is that the French will ask you to convert to Islam at gunpoint, probably kill somebody to show you they’re not joking. The Neo-Berbers as I called them rather steal whatever is valuable, implants, boats, jewelry, women. They’re not very picky, they may even let you go if you give them tribute to a specified account.”
“Doesn’t sound very appealing Major.”
“Pretty much, but odds are they’ll miss your boat at night. Path 4 has more Spanish patrols, but smugglers still get past them. Path 5 is a major smuggling corridor, too few patrols but probably more Berbers. After all it’s closer to the strait and occasionally they seize smaller corp vessels for random.”
“What about the roads?”
“The roads are full of holes which will slow you down, also Islamic militias often clash with Spanish troops in the area. Odds are that whatever patrols they have there will be diverted to fight in one such skirmish. Path 5 is going through a hotter combat zone. Path 4 is a bit better, but that just means you’re more likely to encounter a manned checkpoint or get pulled over.”
“What about weapons?”
“You get 2 assault rifles and 2 SMGs, everyone gets a pistol. Hopefully you won’t have to use them.”
“Unless we encounter mujahedin. At the very least we can shoot them and not worry about the Spanish complaining.”
“True Frau Westgard, they’ll figure it was vigilantes most likely. Shooting mujahedin is preferable to getting caught by a Spanish patrol.”
You will get to Toledo using…
1)…Path 1.
2)…Path 2.
3)…Path 3.
4)…Path 4.
5)…Path 5.
Pick 3 people out of those below to go with you on this mission:
Unteroffizier Muller, Beauvis, Mazowiecka, Osterhagen, Smith, Borg, Laukaitis, Bosch, Richter.
Smoke fills the air as the autocannon of the Neinmask fires. Its booming sound scares away all the birds from nearby trees. The projectile hits a tree, the force of the impact makes it snap in half and it falls to the ground.
“Gefreiter Smith that’s a miss! The target is two meters to the right.” You tell her.
“This targeting system is rather, how should I put it, awkward.”
“This isn’t a video game Gefreiter, there is no aiming aid, apart from distance and wind correction. You point and shoot, if you pull the trigger when the gun isn’t pointed at the target you’ll miss it. Keep your hand stead and aim carefully next time.”
“I will Frau Feldwebel!” She answers enthusiastically.
“Frau Feldwebel, does the system take vehicle velocity and the targets relative velocity into account? Can we use the automatic turret tracking function to do that?” Otto asks.
“Assuming you have the time to tag a target and get a distance reading it does.” You tell him. “However it would have to really stand out on the passive sensors, the software responsible for identifying a target isn’t as good as you would want it to be.”
“What if you have radar data Frau Feldwebel? Say a gunship gets picked up by a nearby station, we would have its vector and velocity. Would we be able to shoot it down?” He inquires further.
“Assuming it wouldn’t blast us before it would get in range, maybe we could. But the better automated Gyro-drones would ID our vehicle, determine the threat we pose and start doing evasive maneuvers.”
“So how do we fight drones then?”
“We hope there’s a well placed EMP team nearby which will fry them before they get near. Otherwise we try to hide or hope that their software mistakes us for a garbage truck, school bus or SUV if we’re out in the open.”
The recruits stare at you hopelessly, they don’t like the concept of driving around in a giant drone-magnet.
“Don’t worry,” the Unteroffizier cuts in, “Russian drones can barely fly on auto-pilot, let alone see the difference between a cow and a tank. But the role of the Neinmask is not to shoot down drones, it’s supposed to get you to the battlefield and provide fire support when you storm an enemy position.”
You spend the better part of the day seeing how your “drivers” handle the Neinmask. The simulator in Basic was too forgiving it seems, both when it comes to driving and shooting. Either way they’re now better at it than they were before. Apart from you and the Unteroffizier, only Beauvis, Smith, Laukaitis and Bosch are permitted to drive it.
*
Back at the base you decide to check your second email account, just before heading out to the briefing room to discuss the final plan for “Operation Aurora”. Outside of the obvious spam you have one message.
“Next time you want me to do anything for you, I’m not doing it even if you pay me 100 times as much. You’ll find all I dug up in the attachment. Don’t contact me ever again.”
Well, it looks like the Italian hacker got spooked. All he found was a lot of signs of professional thorough cleaning, Otto Richter is definitely hiding something, but you have no idea what. The hacker mentioned he encountered certain *obstacles*, he gave up on trying to overcome them. He just wrote you that this is more trouble than it is worth.
You log out and walk to the briefing room, the Major is waiting for you there.
*
“We’re nearly ready to go, you can start packing first thing tomorrow morning.” The Major says as you walk into the briefing room. “We’ll send your team off to be trained by a *specialist* while we arrange transport to and inside of Spain.”
“What’s the best way to get to Toledo Herr Major?”
“There is no best way, however.” He says before he presses a button on the remote he’s holding, a holographic map of Spain appears above the table just in front of you.
“You will get aboard a fishing boat, it will take you near Spain’s territorial waters. From there you will get on a small powered raft which will carry the four of you to shore. An agent will be waiting for you at the designated coordinates with a vehicle you will use to get to Toledo. As for the exact road you’ll take, well you have five options Frau Westgard, the *specialists* helped in finding them.”
“Who are these specialists?”
“I am not at liberty to say, all I can tell is that you will be on a need to know basis with them.”
“Understood, so what are our options here Herr Major?”
“Path 1, you leave from Ireland and make it to the northern coast near hopefully avoiding Spanish patrols. Their navy should be focused on guarding the south coast. However there is the risk of running into an overzealous Euskal patrol outside their territorial waters. Or Islamic Corsairs from France or England, hopefully they won’t stray that far in fear of Euskal patrols. The Basques may be small but they don’t fool around, not with all the jihadists at their border.”
“Once you land,” he continues, “the roads should be fairly safe but probably guarded. We’re keeping track of checkpoints on the roads using satellites, but the Spaniards may have hidden some from view. There may also be patrols. However you are unlikely to encounter paramilitary types there, the road is the longest though.”
“What about Path 2 and 3?”
“You’ll leave from Corsica, we have a strong grip on the waters there until about halfway to your target. After that you’re at risk of running into corsairs or the bulk of the Spanish fleet. Path 2 makes you set foot in Catalonia, the roads there are good and fairly safe so it’s the fastest way to Toledo. But they’re safe for a reason, they’re patrolled often. There is the risk of being pulled over even if you avoid checkpoints. Path 3 is pretty similar, however there is a key difference. The patrols there are very paranoid about Islamists, so they pull over people a lot more often.”
“What about the south?”
“Neo-Berbers.”
“Pardon?”
“Where as in the north you would deal with French Jihadists on boats, in the south you have Moroccans and other North African pirates. The key difference is that the French will ask you to convert to Islam at gunpoint, probably kill somebody to show you they’re not joking. The Neo-Berbers as I called them rather steal whatever is valuable, implants, boats, jewelry, women. They’re not very picky, they may even let you go if you give them tribute to a specified account.”
“Doesn’t sound very appealing Major.”
“Pretty much, but odds are they’ll miss your boat at night. Path 4 has more Spanish patrols, but smugglers still get past them. Path 5 is a major smuggling corridor, too few patrols but probably more Berbers. After all it’s closer to the strait and occasionally they seize smaller corp vessels for random.”
“What about the roads?”
“The roads are full of holes which will slow you down, also Islamic militias often clash with Spanish troops in the area. Odds are that whatever patrols they have there will be diverted to fight in one such skirmish. Path 5 is going through a hotter combat zone. Path 4 is a bit better, but that just means you’re more likely to encounter a manned checkpoint or get pulled over.”
“What about weapons?”
“You get 2 assault rifles and 2 SMGs, everyone gets a pistol. Hopefully you won’t have to use them.”
“Unless we encounter mujahedin. At the very least we can shoot them and not worry about the Spanish complaining.”
“True Frau Westgard, they’ll figure it was vigilantes most likely. Shooting mujahedin is preferable to getting caught by a Spanish patrol.”
You will get to Toledo using…
1)…Path 1.
2)…Path 2.
3)…Path 3.
4)…Path 4.
5)…Path 5.
Pick 3 people out of those below to go with you on this mission:
Unteroffizier Muller, Beauvis, Mazowiecka, Osterhagen, Smith, Borg, Laukaitis, Bosch, Richter.
Monty
Arcane
So for diplomatic reasons it's better to shoot mujahedin than the Spanish. Has to be Path 5 then, less chance of Spanish patrols on both the sea and land parts of the route. It is a hotter combat zone on the road, but the Spanish troops are likely to be tied up in action. And we can take out the Berbers we encounter without annoying our superiors. All routes sound difficult but this seems like the best of the bunch.
Laukaitis, Borg, Mazowiecka. - Muller should stay with the remainder of the squad to keep up the training or patrols.
Laukaitis, Borg, Mazowiecka. - Muller should stay with the remainder of the squad to keep up the training or patrols.
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