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The Company
On January 7, we had Bonnie ("Xiang Wen," a.k.a. "Wu Xie Zhi" and "Dot"), Marc ("Anabel Windsor," a.k.a. "Abigail Wilson" and "Vicky"), and Torsten ("Qoqa Ramazanova," a.k.a. "Zoya Petrovna Sidorova").
Time: Monday, August 26, 2013 (afternoon).
Place: Outside Nice, France.
Last Event: Committing Asuka to the loony bin.
After Chaturvedi and Ben depart, the Agents drive off in the opposite direction to plan their downtime. As the goal is to stay off the radar while Mr. Gae takes care of the special "phones," everyone agrees that it would be prudent not to do anything that might draw attention, such as train with firearms or explosives. A genuine vacation seems like the best bet! A few hours of discussion over a meal ends with a decision to spend some time on and around Santorini, hopping from location to location by boat like ordinary – if wealthy – tourists.
The Agents check in at a local hotel for a few days while Anabel makes the necessary preparations, including travel arrangements and hiring a yacht with a competent crew. Given all the money the team has secured for the Company – not to mention their back pay – cost isn't really an issue. By the weekend, the group is on its way to Greece. After that, it's vacation time! In keeping with the goal of not standing out, everybody finds something relaxing to do:
• Anabel gets back up to speed on the lifestyles of the rich and beautiful, hobnobbing with the wealthy at every destination. In the process, she picks up a fair bit of Greek.
• Jili and Paul take a lot of side trips together, boating off to spend time away from the others.
• Klas and Lev putter around on the yacht, tirelessly pestering the hired crew with questions about the boat and the region.
• Qoqa swims, hikes, and generally takes in the outdoors – and in the process, cuts back on her smoking. She also makes an effort to pick up a little Greek.
• Wen explores the local cuisine in depth, and even learns to cook for herself. The most obvious result is a little weight gain!
Four months fly by, and everybody is well rested when Chaturvedi gets back in touch on Monday, January 6, 2014. He informs the Agents that he has heard from Mr. Gae's people: the special telephones are ready. Marketing plans are made, and the product will go on sale – bringing the NSA's portable SIGINT tech to the world – in three weeks' time. Chaturvedi has made arrangements for the group to receive its own units by courier in a couple of days. The team agrees to stay put until then.
When the subject turns to "What's next?", Chaturvedi's tone grows more serious. He explains that Company analysts feel that Emerson Tactical Solutions is the sharp end of a shadowy group comparable to the Company, but with a different agenda. This concerns the Directors greatly, and they would like the team to learn more. Analysis suggests that certain actions in Syria (and the Middle East at large) might be the work of these rivals, and put the most probable bases of operation in Israel or Turkey.
The Agents are unimpressed with the vagueness of these orders. "Check out two entire countries for signs of a secretive group" doesn't give much to go on. When they express this concern, Chaturvedi adds another tidbit: Emerson Tactical Solutions operates out of the U.S.A., which suggests that the intelligence services of nations unaligned with the U.S.A. may well be keeping tabs on it. In light of this, the Directors have agreed to let the group reestablish communications with "V," their former FSB contact.
With that revealed, the Agents plan their strategy. Offering V something useful seems like the best way to obtain FSB cooperation, and a good start would be details about the new telephones, along with several of the preproduction units; the Company's information about and antidote to M201; and a full dossier on Emerson Tactical Solutions, including names, locations, maps, photos, and other records. Anabel gets started on that last item, composing a report in Russian that includes everything she can dredge up. Once the team gets its delivery from Mr. Gae, the intent is to program one of the phones with a single phone number for contacting the group – along with Anabel's codename, "Pole Dancer" – and make sure that V receives it.
Time: Monday, August 26, 2013 (afternoon).
Place: Outside Nice, France.
Last Event: Committing Asuka to the loony bin.
After Chaturvedi and Ben depart, the Agents drive off in the opposite direction to plan their downtime. As the goal is to stay off the radar while Mr. Gae takes care of the special "phones," everyone agrees that it would be prudent not to do anything that might draw attention, such as train with firearms or explosives. A genuine vacation seems like the best bet! A few hours of discussion over a meal ends with a decision to spend some time on and around Santorini, hopping from location to location by boat like ordinary – if wealthy – tourists.
The Agents check in at a local hotel for a few days while Anabel makes the necessary preparations, including travel arrangements and hiring a yacht with a competent crew. Given all the money the team has secured for the Company – not to mention their back pay – cost isn't really an issue. By the weekend, the group is on its way to Greece. After that, it's vacation time! In keeping with the goal of not standing out, everybody finds something relaxing to do:
• Anabel gets back up to speed on the lifestyles of the rich and beautiful, hobnobbing with the wealthy at every destination. In the process, she picks up a fair bit of Greek.
• Jili and Paul take a lot of side trips together, boating off to spend time away from the others.
• Klas and Lev putter around on the yacht, tirelessly pestering the hired crew with questions about the boat and the region.
• Qoqa swims, hikes, and generally takes in the outdoors – and in the process, cuts back on her smoking. She also makes an effort to pick up a little Greek.
• Wen explores the local cuisine in depth, and even learns to cook for herself. The most obvious result is a little weight gain!
Four months fly by, and everybody is well rested when Chaturvedi gets back in touch on Monday, January 6, 2014. He informs the Agents that he has heard from Mr. Gae's people: the special telephones are ready. Marketing plans are made, and the product will go on sale – bringing the NSA's portable SIGINT tech to the world – in three weeks' time. Chaturvedi has made arrangements for the group to receive its own units by courier in a couple of days. The team agrees to stay put until then.
When the subject turns to "What's next?", Chaturvedi's tone grows more serious. He explains that Company analysts feel that Emerson Tactical Solutions is the sharp end of a shadowy group comparable to the Company, but with a different agenda. This concerns the Directors greatly, and they would like the team to learn more. Analysis suggests that certain actions in Syria (and the Middle East at large) might be the work of these rivals, and put the most probable bases of operation in Israel or Turkey.
The Agents are unimpressed with the vagueness of these orders. "Check out two entire countries for signs of a secretive group" doesn't give much to go on. When they express this concern, Chaturvedi adds another tidbit: Emerson Tactical Solutions operates out of the U.S.A., which suggests that the intelligence services of nations unaligned with the U.S.A. may well be keeping tabs on it. In light of this, the Directors have agreed to let the group reestablish communications with "V," their former FSB contact.
With that revealed, the Agents plan their strategy. Offering V something useful seems like the best way to obtain FSB cooperation, and a good start would be details about the new telephones, along with several of the preproduction units; the Company's information about and antidote to M201; and a full dossier on Emerson Tactical Solutions, including names, locations, maps, photos, and other records. Anabel gets started on that last item, composing a report in Russian that includes everything she can dredge up. Once the team gets its delivery from Mr. Gae, the intent is to program one of the phones with a single phone number for contacting the group – along with Anabel's codename, "Pole Dancer" – and make sure that V receives it.