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Entry tags:
The Company
Over our last three sessions – which were mostly planning, so I've combined them – 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: Friday, February 16, 2014 (noon).
Place: Bari, Italy.
Last Event: Requisitioning Company support for a daring raid.
During the next week and a half, the Agents stay in daily contact with Chaturvedi via secure phone, hammering out sundry equipment needs and responding to their handler's feedback about what the Company can actually acquire. It soon becomes clear that if the team is willing to use German-made weaponry – particularly Rheinmetall and Heckler & Koch hardware – procurement is unlikely to be a problem. The loadout gradually takes shape, and includes:
• H&K MP7-series submachine guns, with all the accessories, for Jili and Lev.
• An anti-materiel rifle chambered in 12.7×99mm NATO – with a powerful scope – for Wen.
• H&K G36-series assault rifles, with all the accessories, for everybody else.
• Hand grenades, both fragmentation and smoke.
• Explosives suitable for satchel bombs and blowing armored doors.
• Knives, as sharp and as well-balanced as possible, for sentry removal.
• Expendable jammers, for shutting down enemy comms.
• Maps of the island, custom-made using the team's high-resolution imagery.
• Small electronics, particularly secure headset comms, precise GPS units, and tactical wristwatches. Jili also specs out a rugged laptop computer with specialized parts.
• Crowbars, lockpicks, electronic bypasses, and similar break-and-enter tools.
• Medical gear, including plenty of first-aid kits, haemostatic bandages, and M201 antitoxin, plus a complete crash kit for Qoqa.
• Load-bearing vests and patrol slings to help lug as much of this kit as possible.
• Body armor, made to order from Dieter's latest set of measurements of the Agents.
• Ballistic helmets, combat boots, shooting gloves, and so on.
• Camouflage clothing (and face paint) that's as close a match as possible to the terrain in the team's photographs of the island, with at least some anti-infrared capability.
A few special items won't travel with the group for long, but will see use during the early stages of the attack:
• Compound crossbows, with scopes and string silencers, for silently eliminating any enemies watching the beached cargo ship when the team initially disembarks.
• FLY-K "silent" mortars – both standard man-portable units and a bulky, 12-spigot setup – with HE and WP rounds, to be left behind after an initial barrage.
• Dirt bikes suitable for rapid movement once the explosions start and the jig is up.
By Thursday, February 27, Chaturvedi has all of this gear arranged. He tells the team that he can have it delivered to an isolated property in the north of Sweden, where they can train with it in relative isolation. The place will be snowy, cold, and nothing like a Greek island, but the Agents decide to accept the offer. Practice is practice, and secrecy is essential to surprise.
The Agents decide that despite the great distance, they would prefer driving to taking planes, trains, or anything else that might put their faces in view of airport or train-station security personnel and cameras. Paul is an exceptional driver, and both Klas and Lev are quite a bit above average. With three skilled wheel men taking shifts and driving at a leisurely pace, the trip might be long and boring, but not risky. Using clean ID, they rent an SUV and hit the road.
On Monday, March 3, a long-but-uneventful drive delivers the team to the coordinates Chaturvedi provided: some nameless spot in the lonely Swedish countryside, nowhere near a town and only barely near a road. The accommodations prove to be a large-but-rustic "lodge." Out back is a big, lumpy shape under a winter camouflage net. On closer examination, it's apparent that this is a heap of crates which was recently delivered by helicopter. The Agents look it over and find all of the gear they requested – as well as some that they didn't – in bulk lots. At least they won't be hurting for hardware!
After some horsing around involving snowballs and Klas demonstrating that he's the only one who knows how to move in the snow, the Agents check out their digs. The lodge proves to be more than spacious enough for seven people, with heat provided by hearths and electricity courtesy of an old generator. It's well-stocked with food and other basic supplies, and extremely clean. The Company seems to have connections in some strange places . . .
The Agents spend the next few weeks training. The largest part of this consists of Wen teaching Anabel and Jili how to operate the mortars. Fortunately, Wen is a decent drill sergeant, Anabel and Jili are fast learners, and Chaturvedi thought to procure a few crates of training rounds. Other preparations involve adjusting stocks, zeroing scopes, getting a feel for the motorbikes, and generally making sure that everything works. Last but not least comes setting up and adjusting the load-bearing gear to the group's loadouts.
On Monday, March 24, Chaturvedi calls and asks the Agents to pack the gear they want to bring on the operation into a bunch of special crates dropped off for the purpose, separate from anything they won't need. He promises to have it airlifted to Valencia, where their ship awaits, and asks the group to get there themselves as soon as possible. Once again, they decide that a long, anonymous drive is preferable to a short flight that may well see their faces matched to a database. They inform Chaturvedi that their cargo will be ready for pickup that night, and that they'll hit the road right after they've nailed the boxes shut and Qoqa has "cleaned" the lodge.
The drive to Valencia is long and uneventful, and sees the Agents reach their hotel by the night of Saturday, March 29. Chaturvedi calls on Sunday and informs the group that their freighter – the Maria Angeliu II – is in port, and has a clean registration that should complicate any research into its history. He confirms that the promised tools are also in place, and that the cargo from Sweden is aboard, cleverly labeled as "machine parts." He adds that a package containing legitimate passes to the dry-dock facility should arrive at the front desk of the hotel by morning.
Sure enough, the Agents find a package waiting for them on Monday morning. The passes within identify them as electricians, engineering aids, mechanics, welders, and so on. These work just fine at the gates to the port, where the team is met by Vinnie, who's rejoining them temporarily as their captain and general vehicles expert. As for the Maria Angeliu II, it looks seaworthy, but barely so – a perfect match for the group's intended mission, which involves the vessel running aground thanks to apparent mechanical difficulties.
Over the next few weeks, the Agents see to several crucial modifications:
• With Qoqa directing and Jili, Paul, and Vinnie welding, the team creates a well-hidden (and fairly comfortable!) secret compartment to hold them and their gear.
• Jili installs a small-but-powerful camera turret high up on the radar mast, and Klas works with her to conceal it as well as possible.
• Once Vinnie is done working on the compartment, he turns his energies to making the rudder appear as though it has a serious technical glitch. While this won't pass close inspection, it looks plenty convincing at a glance!
• Wen uses most of this time rigging the ship's fuel tanks with a massive bomb, to be detonated when the group is far away, hopefully distracting the enemy and drawing attention to their secret base.
• Lev, not being the technical type, keeps watch and makes sure that nobody is spying on his allies' efforts.
Work proceeds well and the ship is in the water on Thursday, April 17. By then, the group's gear is stowed in the hidden compartment and Vinnie has one of the lifeboats replaced with a speedy motor launch. The same day, Chaturvedi has a legitimate cargo of farm machinery hoisted aboard, so that the vessel will appear laden and check out if anybody starts asking questions. In an inspired moment, the Agents also manage to smuggle aboard a good-sized load of marijuana. They reason that if their enemies on the island search the vessel and find drugs, they'll be a whole lot less likely to wonder why the crew bailed out . . .
The Agents put to sea the next morning, and start steaming for Athens with Vinnie as ship's master and Anabel, Jili, Klas, and Lev standing watch as needed. Vinnie spends more time looking after the engines than manning the helm, but all told, things go well. The morning of Thursday, April 24, the Maria Angeliu II is within radar range of the island. As soon as Jili warns of this, Vinnie starts jinking the vessel around irregularly, in the manner of a ship with a damaged rudder. To add to the impression of distress, he dumps some oil into the engine, producing thick smoke.
Once it's clear that the ship is on a collision course with one end of the island, and there's no question that it's on radar, Vinnie lowers his fast launch, wishes the others luck, and roars out of the danger zone. About an hour later, the Maria Angeliu II ploughs onto the beach exactly as planned. Using the concealed camera, Jili gives her associates a good view of the grounding. The Agents aren't surprised to see that some 30 stern-faced men with guns – and several HMMWVs with heavy weapons mounted – are waiting on the shore. Needless to say, these guys had plenty of warning and aren't the kind to ignore a potential threat!
As soon as the ship has come to a stop, it's boarded. The armed men are thorough, and swarm all over the place. Over the next eight hours, they shut down systems, pound on bulkheads, lower cameras into the water, and otherwise search the vessel. They're very good, but not as good as the Agents; they find nothing they weren't supposed to find. By 17:00, they seem convinced that they've witnessed a genuine accident, and start pulling out.
Klas and Wen watch the camera intently as their enemies board their vehicles and drive off. By their count, six men have been left behind to watch the ship. Panning the camera around, they spot a two-man team on the hillside overlooking the beach. That suggests a patrol of four left aboard the vessel. With that knowledge, the Agents double-check the peephole to make sure that nobody is lurking outside their compartment, and then sneak out into the cargo hold.
Leaving Jili to watch the camera and Paul to mind Jili and the gear, the other five stalk forth to deal with enemy sentries. Rather than bring heavy, noisy weapons, the hunters go as lightly as possible, Klas and Wen bearing crossbows while Anabel, Lev, and Qoqa carry knives at the ready. Slow, careful investigation reveals that there are indeed four men aboard, all on the bridge at the moment. Staying out of sight amidst the deck clutter, Klas and Wen get ready to shoot the watchers on the hillside, while the other three Agents prepare to rush the men guarding the ship.
Wen and Klas take all the time in the world to adjust their scopes and aim. Then Wen mutters "Go!" and both Agents shoot. The crossbow shots are flawless, striking the shore sentries in the face at nearly the same instant. While the hits aren't instant takedowns, neither victim can do much talking with a steel bolt through his mug – really, it's a grim picture.
As soon the others hear Klas and Wen over their headsets, hissing that they've hit their targets, they charge the four men on the bridge. Lev takes the lead, with Anabel and Qoqa fanning out to either side. All three manage to grab and stab, aiming up under the helmet, into the base of the skull. The result is a brief-and-bloody struggle, with Lev hastily launching himself at the fourth enemy while Anabel and Qoqa finish silencing the other three. However, the results are all that matters – when the screaming stops, there are four sentries bleeding out on the deck and three Agents standing over them.
With the immediate danger ashore and aboard neutralized, the Agents get to work unloading all their kit. Qoqa supervises, and everybody but Anabel pitches in. Anabel spends this time searching the downed sentries. She discovers that they're quite well equipped, and armed with SCAR-H rifles. She removes one of their headsets and listens in; as far as she can tell, nobody on the island's comms net has raised the alarm as yet.
Moving quickly and quietly, the Agents hustle their mountain of gear ashore. As soon as everything is stacked up on the beach, Qoqa grabs the big C4 bomb Wen made for her and starts sneaking up the hill toward the large helipad at the top. Meanwhile, Anabel, Jili, and Wen set up the 52mm mortars and use their GPS units and maps to zero them in on what they suspect are concentrations of armed enemies. The three portable mortars are aimed at (1) the secondary helipad and nearby fuel tanks, (2) the SAM battery and adjoining antenna farm, and (3) the docks. The 12-spigot unit is set to bombard what the group suspects is the barracks and motor pool.
Qoqa's progress up the hill is swift and silent. As she gets closer, she discerns eight men milling around, mostly carrying out routine helicopter maintenance. There are some touch-and-go moments as she sneaks around, checking out the site, but nobody sees through her camouflage. After assessing the situation, Qoqa decides that the best place to leave her bomb would be on the well of the big fuel tank nearest the helicopter. That ought to douse the entire area with flaming fuel, and may well generate enough fragments to disable the chopper and a few of its crew.
Qoqa belly-crawls around the helipad and then slips down the hill behind the fuel tank, which is supported atop metal trestles. She slides underneath and inches her way through the darkness until she can reach up and tuck the bomb under the front edge of the tank. With this done, she sneaks back out and stealthily rejoins her associates, who by now have the mortars set up and aimed at grid coordinates. The bomb's remote detonator in one hand and the trigger for the 12-spigot mortar box in the other, Qoqa nods that she's ready to rock.
Lev gives the order to unleash hell, and his team responds. The top of the hill explodes in a huge, greasy fireball. Simultaneously, a dozen mortar bombs arc high over the rise, headed for the barracks. Meanwhile, Anabel, Jili, and Wen – with Lev, Paul, and Klas handing them ammo – drop round after round on their targets. A deadly mix of HE and WP bombs detonate all over the island, formally announcing the Agents' arrival with a quadruple serving of shake 'n' bake.
Time: Friday, February 16, 2014 (noon).
Place: Bari, Italy.
Last Event: Requisitioning Company support for a daring raid.
During the next week and a half, the Agents stay in daily contact with Chaturvedi via secure phone, hammering out sundry equipment needs and responding to their handler's feedback about what the Company can actually acquire. It soon becomes clear that if the team is willing to use German-made weaponry – particularly Rheinmetall and Heckler & Koch hardware – procurement is unlikely to be a problem. The loadout gradually takes shape, and includes:
• H&K MP7-series submachine guns, with all the accessories, for Jili and Lev.
• An anti-materiel rifle chambered in 12.7×99mm NATO – with a powerful scope – for Wen.
• H&K G36-series assault rifles, with all the accessories, for everybody else.
• Hand grenades, both fragmentation and smoke.
• Explosives suitable for satchel bombs and blowing armored doors.
• Knives, as sharp and as well-balanced as possible, for sentry removal.
• Expendable jammers, for shutting down enemy comms.
• Maps of the island, custom-made using the team's high-resolution imagery.
• Small electronics, particularly secure headset comms, precise GPS units, and tactical wristwatches. Jili also specs out a rugged laptop computer with specialized parts.
• Crowbars, lockpicks, electronic bypasses, and similar break-and-enter tools.
• Medical gear, including plenty of first-aid kits, haemostatic bandages, and M201 antitoxin, plus a complete crash kit for Qoqa.
• Load-bearing vests and patrol slings to help lug as much of this kit as possible.
• Body armor, made to order from Dieter's latest set of measurements of the Agents.
• Ballistic helmets, combat boots, shooting gloves, and so on.
• Camouflage clothing (and face paint) that's as close a match as possible to the terrain in the team's photographs of the island, with at least some anti-infrared capability.
A few special items won't travel with the group for long, but will see use during the early stages of the attack:
• Compound crossbows, with scopes and string silencers, for silently eliminating any enemies watching the beached cargo ship when the team initially disembarks.
• FLY-K "silent" mortars – both standard man-portable units and a bulky, 12-spigot setup – with HE and WP rounds, to be left behind after an initial barrage.
• Dirt bikes suitable for rapid movement once the explosions start and the jig is up.
By Thursday, February 27, Chaturvedi has all of this gear arranged. He tells the team that he can have it delivered to an isolated property in the north of Sweden, where they can train with it in relative isolation. The place will be snowy, cold, and nothing like a Greek island, but the Agents decide to accept the offer. Practice is practice, and secrecy is essential to surprise.
The Agents decide that despite the great distance, they would prefer driving to taking planes, trains, or anything else that might put their faces in view of airport or train-station security personnel and cameras. Paul is an exceptional driver, and both Klas and Lev are quite a bit above average. With three skilled wheel men taking shifts and driving at a leisurely pace, the trip might be long and boring, but not risky. Using clean ID, they rent an SUV and hit the road.
On Monday, March 3, a long-but-uneventful drive delivers the team to the coordinates Chaturvedi provided: some nameless spot in the lonely Swedish countryside, nowhere near a town and only barely near a road. The accommodations prove to be a large-but-rustic "lodge." Out back is a big, lumpy shape under a winter camouflage net. On closer examination, it's apparent that this is a heap of crates which was recently delivered by helicopter. The Agents look it over and find all of the gear they requested – as well as some that they didn't – in bulk lots. At least they won't be hurting for hardware!
After some horsing around involving snowballs and Klas demonstrating that he's the only one who knows how to move in the snow, the Agents check out their digs. The lodge proves to be more than spacious enough for seven people, with heat provided by hearths and electricity courtesy of an old generator. It's well-stocked with food and other basic supplies, and extremely clean. The Company seems to have connections in some strange places . . .
The Agents spend the next few weeks training. The largest part of this consists of Wen teaching Anabel and Jili how to operate the mortars. Fortunately, Wen is a decent drill sergeant, Anabel and Jili are fast learners, and Chaturvedi thought to procure a few crates of training rounds. Other preparations involve adjusting stocks, zeroing scopes, getting a feel for the motorbikes, and generally making sure that everything works. Last but not least comes setting up and adjusting the load-bearing gear to the group's loadouts.
On Monday, March 24, Chaturvedi calls and asks the Agents to pack the gear they want to bring on the operation into a bunch of special crates dropped off for the purpose, separate from anything they won't need. He promises to have it airlifted to Valencia, where their ship awaits, and asks the group to get there themselves as soon as possible. Once again, they decide that a long, anonymous drive is preferable to a short flight that may well see their faces matched to a database. They inform Chaturvedi that their cargo will be ready for pickup that night, and that they'll hit the road right after they've nailed the boxes shut and Qoqa has "cleaned" the lodge.
The drive to Valencia is long and uneventful, and sees the Agents reach their hotel by the night of Saturday, March 29. Chaturvedi calls on Sunday and informs the group that their freighter – the Maria Angeliu II – is in port, and has a clean registration that should complicate any research into its history. He confirms that the promised tools are also in place, and that the cargo from Sweden is aboard, cleverly labeled as "machine parts." He adds that a package containing legitimate passes to the dry-dock facility should arrive at the front desk of the hotel by morning.
Sure enough, the Agents find a package waiting for them on Monday morning. The passes within identify them as electricians, engineering aids, mechanics, welders, and so on. These work just fine at the gates to the port, where the team is met by Vinnie, who's rejoining them temporarily as their captain and general vehicles expert. As for the Maria Angeliu II, it looks seaworthy, but barely so – a perfect match for the group's intended mission, which involves the vessel running aground thanks to apparent mechanical difficulties.
Over the next few weeks, the Agents see to several crucial modifications:
• With Qoqa directing and Jili, Paul, and Vinnie welding, the team creates a well-hidden (and fairly comfortable!) secret compartment to hold them and their gear.
• Jili installs a small-but-powerful camera turret high up on the radar mast, and Klas works with her to conceal it as well as possible.
• Once Vinnie is done working on the compartment, he turns his energies to making the rudder appear as though it has a serious technical glitch. While this won't pass close inspection, it looks plenty convincing at a glance!
• Wen uses most of this time rigging the ship's fuel tanks with a massive bomb, to be detonated when the group is far away, hopefully distracting the enemy and drawing attention to their secret base.
• Lev, not being the technical type, keeps watch and makes sure that nobody is spying on his allies' efforts.
Work proceeds well and the ship is in the water on Thursday, April 17. By then, the group's gear is stowed in the hidden compartment and Vinnie has one of the lifeboats replaced with a speedy motor launch. The same day, Chaturvedi has a legitimate cargo of farm machinery hoisted aboard, so that the vessel will appear laden and check out if anybody starts asking questions. In an inspired moment, the Agents also manage to smuggle aboard a good-sized load of marijuana. They reason that if their enemies on the island search the vessel and find drugs, they'll be a whole lot less likely to wonder why the crew bailed out . . .
The Agents put to sea the next morning, and start steaming for Athens with Vinnie as ship's master and Anabel, Jili, Klas, and Lev standing watch as needed. Vinnie spends more time looking after the engines than manning the helm, but all told, things go well. The morning of Thursday, April 24, the Maria Angeliu II is within radar range of the island. As soon as Jili warns of this, Vinnie starts jinking the vessel around irregularly, in the manner of a ship with a damaged rudder. To add to the impression of distress, he dumps some oil into the engine, producing thick smoke.
Once it's clear that the ship is on a collision course with one end of the island, and there's no question that it's on radar, Vinnie lowers his fast launch, wishes the others luck, and roars out of the danger zone. About an hour later, the Maria Angeliu II ploughs onto the beach exactly as planned. Using the concealed camera, Jili gives her associates a good view of the grounding. The Agents aren't surprised to see that some 30 stern-faced men with guns – and several HMMWVs with heavy weapons mounted – are waiting on the shore. Needless to say, these guys had plenty of warning and aren't the kind to ignore a potential threat!
As soon as the ship has come to a stop, it's boarded. The armed men are thorough, and swarm all over the place. Over the next eight hours, they shut down systems, pound on bulkheads, lower cameras into the water, and otherwise search the vessel. They're very good, but not as good as the Agents; they find nothing they weren't supposed to find. By 17:00, they seem convinced that they've witnessed a genuine accident, and start pulling out.
Klas and Wen watch the camera intently as their enemies board their vehicles and drive off. By their count, six men have been left behind to watch the ship. Panning the camera around, they spot a two-man team on the hillside overlooking the beach. That suggests a patrol of four left aboard the vessel. With that knowledge, the Agents double-check the peephole to make sure that nobody is lurking outside their compartment, and then sneak out into the cargo hold.
Leaving Jili to watch the camera and Paul to mind Jili and the gear, the other five stalk forth to deal with enemy sentries. Rather than bring heavy, noisy weapons, the hunters go as lightly as possible, Klas and Wen bearing crossbows while Anabel, Lev, and Qoqa carry knives at the ready. Slow, careful investigation reveals that there are indeed four men aboard, all on the bridge at the moment. Staying out of sight amidst the deck clutter, Klas and Wen get ready to shoot the watchers on the hillside, while the other three Agents prepare to rush the men guarding the ship.
Wen and Klas take all the time in the world to adjust their scopes and aim. Then Wen mutters "Go!" and both Agents shoot. The crossbow shots are flawless, striking the shore sentries in the face at nearly the same instant. While the hits aren't instant takedowns, neither victim can do much talking with a steel bolt through his mug – really, it's a grim picture.
As soon the others hear Klas and Wen over their headsets, hissing that they've hit their targets, they charge the four men on the bridge. Lev takes the lead, with Anabel and Qoqa fanning out to either side. All three manage to grab and stab, aiming up under the helmet, into the base of the skull. The result is a brief-and-bloody struggle, with Lev hastily launching himself at the fourth enemy while Anabel and Qoqa finish silencing the other three. However, the results are all that matters – when the screaming stops, there are four sentries bleeding out on the deck and three Agents standing over them.
With the immediate danger ashore and aboard neutralized, the Agents get to work unloading all their kit. Qoqa supervises, and everybody but Anabel pitches in. Anabel spends this time searching the downed sentries. She discovers that they're quite well equipped, and armed with SCAR-H rifles. She removes one of their headsets and listens in; as far as she can tell, nobody on the island's comms net has raised the alarm as yet.
Moving quickly and quietly, the Agents hustle their mountain of gear ashore. As soon as everything is stacked up on the beach, Qoqa grabs the big C4 bomb Wen made for her and starts sneaking up the hill toward the large helipad at the top. Meanwhile, Anabel, Jili, and Wen set up the 52mm mortars and use their GPS units and maps to zero them in on what they suspect are concentrations of armed enemies. The three portable mortars are aimed at (1) the secondary helipad and nearby fuel tanks, (2) the SAM battery and adjoining antenna farm, and (3) the docks. The 12-spigot unit is set to bombard what the group suspects is the barracks and motor pool.
Qoqa's progress up the hill is swift and silent. As she gets closer, she discerns eight men milling around, mostly carrying out routine helicopter maintenance. There are some touch-and-go moments as she sneaks around, checking out the site, but nobody sees through her camouflage. After assessing the situation, Qoqa decides that the best place to leave her bomb would be on the well of the big fuel tank nearest the helicopter. That ought to douse the entire area with flaming fuel, and may well generate enough fragments to disable the chopper and a few of its crew.
Qoqa belly-crawls around the helipad and then slips down the hill behind the fuel tank, which is supported atop metal trestles. She slides underneath and inches her way through the darkness until she can reach up and tuck the bomb under the front edge of the tank. With this done, she sneaks back out and stealthily rejoins her associates, who by now have the mortars set up and aimed at grid coordinates. The bomb's remote detonator in one hand and the trigger for the 12-spigot mortar box in the other, Qoqa nods that she's ready to rock.
Lev gives the order to unleash hell, and his team responds. The top of the hill explodes in a huge, greasy fireball. Simultaneously, a dozen mortar bombs arc high over the rise, headed for the barracks. Meanwhile, Anabel, Jili, and Wen – with Lev, Paul, and Klas handing them ammo – drop round after round on their targets. A deadly mix of HE and WP bombs detonate all over the island, formally announcing the Agents' arrival with a quadruple serving of shake 'n' bake.
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