Scarface gestures toward the lounge door.
With that the thugs move away from the door, positioning themselves to maintain watch and optimal firing angles, making for easy kill shots should someone try to enter without permission.
Quote:
---ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATION: SC-XVJ63DF6HSCV2378
---SECURE SOURCE: IDENTIFIED AND CONFIRMED
---COMMUNICATION: RECEIVED IN FULL AND SECURE
TO: VEIL PIERCER, (8TH SPECIAL OPERATIONS)
FROM: SHADOW HAND
RE: CLASSIFIED MISSION: OPERATION 'DARK THRALL'
Greetings, 8th Special Operations, aka
Veil Piercer:
You will refer to me as
Shadow Hand, Sith Military secrecy protocol and all that rot being supposedly vital to success. I'll be your handler at STRAT-COM for the duration of this mission, if not longer. Naturally, that will depend on whether or not you accomplish your objectives, much less survive. Your chances of success will be vastly increased by adhering to the orders and protocol within this document, as will your chances of avoiding death... or worse. Given that your success in the field will likely keep you breathing, not to mention reflect well upon me, do us all a favor and keep it smart out there. You're the tip of the spear in the coming war, so don't be dull about things when you're out and about ensuring future Sith supremacy in the galaxy.
Below you'll find what you need to get your feet on the ground. May Akrulta smile upon you. Or something like that. More importantly,
don't fail Veil Piercer. I won't have it, STRAT-COM won't have it, and I doubt Emperor Qray Akrulta wouild have it either.
Contact me only if absolutely necessary for strategic assessment.
SITUATION.
What little intelligence we have is provided by your contact already in the field, a Covert Ops agent using the false identity ‘Abev Nartano’. Agent ‘Nartano’ has been performing reconnaissance for our Intelligence Department for just over a year, which has, in turn, been coordinating with Strategic Command (STRAT-COM).
Yes, we've had access to Veil piercing navigation and astrogation tech for a lot longer than the public would believe. Beyond that, how long is classified.
AREA OF OPERATION
Your squad will be operating in the Kraspen District, on the planet of Bonadan, in the Bonadan system, within the governance of the Corporate Sector Authority (CSA), which rules the domain of the galaxy known as the Corporate Sector. The entire planet is a highly industrialized and heavily populated hub for travel and distribution within the Corporate Sector, almost entirely devoid of plant and animal life, except for the massive population centers that tower from the planet’s surface toward the atmosphere.
Overwhelming pollution and harsh living conditions permeate the entire planet.
Breath masks are advised outdoors due to lack of air filtration; you can breathe the air on a good day, but it will adversely affect your ability in the field and long term health. The planet’s surface is barren and dry, stripped entirely of its resources by generations upon generations of extraction operations. The remaining surface is covered with residential zones, factories, refineries, docks, and shipbuilding facilities in ten spaceports, the largest being Bonadan Spaceport Southeast II. The planet’s weather is limited to variable winds and the occasional highly dangerous wind storm, with wind speeds up to and occasionally exceeding 300 km/hour.
ENEMY FORCES
Oppositional forces on Bonadan are suspected to be comprised entirely of the CSA’s ‘Espos’. The Espos serve as the security police and military force for the CSA, and are responsible for law enforcement and the defense of the CSA's territories. The Espos have enough strength in force to make a full planetary assault by our forces a slight risk; victory would be assured for us, but there would be casualties and collateral damage. The primary risk of engaging in full force military actions with the CSA lies in the risk presented by its
combined might, spread across a vast multitude of stat systems. If threatened, this combined might would pose a far more serious threat to our military operations and overall strategic goal (supreme rule of the galaxy).
Further complicating operations is the CSA’s supreme governance and control of their planets and systems: the CSA is truly a corporation, and governs as such, creating the laws and enforcing them as they see fit. It is very much an aristocracy of sorts, ruled by an elite group of board members, executives, chairpersons, and the like, all members of an Executive Board that have absolute control over every aspect of the CSA. The Executive Board is comprised of many members across the Corporate Sector.
Security is highly regulated within the CSA, and Bonadan is no exception.
FRIENDLY FORCES
Non-Locallized
Distribution of Sith Military forces external to your mission are highly classified, and will only be revealed to your squad on a need to know basis.
Localized
Agent Abev Nartano is your only friendly asset available on this mission;
he will act in a support capacity only. He has been planet side for over a year, acting in a low-rsik passive observer role to ensure excellent reconnaissance as part of your mission success. His directives allow him to expose himself and break cover
only if your mission is threatened beyond your squad’s capacity to overcome said threat. Otherwise, he is to maintain his cover at
any cost, providing additional intel for your squad and STRAT-COM as available.
Be advised that your operation is of an
extremely covert nature. Full-scale military intervention and support (ground assault, bombardment, etc) on your behalf is
extremely undesirable per STRAT-COM, and will only be granted in the
most dire and extreme of circumstances,
if at all, pending grand strategy evaluation relative to objective priorities.
Requests for full-scale intervention or support will be considered a mission failure.
MISSION OPERATIONS
Mission Protocol
Your mission is a Shroud Class covert operation. Your contact at STRAT-COM and handler: SHADOW HAND. Secrecy and remaining undetected in your mission is vital to success. Null-Witness protocol is granted to your squad for this mission: any persons, people, or organizations that observe or detect your squad in a way that threatens secrecy, or the mission, are to be silenced or exterminated at your discretion. Any evidence of your existence or involvement removed and/or destroyed. Communication with SHADOW HAND prior to mission completion, if necessary, is to be effected via your starhip’s holo-terminal. At your discretion, you may use other communications methods capable of galactic scale range, destroying said device when practical to remove all traces of communication with STRAT-COM, as per Null-Witness protocol.
Recently, for reasons unknown, there has been 'legislative' upheaval across the CSA and security has been downgraded to an extent. Whereas weapons used to be entirely illegal within CSA jurisdictions, recent governance by the Executive Board has allowed for weapon regulation to become more privatized, giving local governance, authorities, and businesses ‘legislative’ power, assuming they can afford the necessary fees to have said authority over weapon regulation. This relatively new policy on weapon regulation is, without a doubt, a benefit to your squad, lessening the threat of detection via carrying concealed weapons.
Maintain awareness: weapon regulation has been
privatized to business owners and local organizations, as such, weapon possession may, at times, be an obstacle in your endeavors. Regarding CSA law and order, punishments are severe, with expedited processes. STRAT-COM advises heightened situational awareness and precision planning to avoid confrontation with local authorities, who, according to Agent Nartano’s reports, are
"extremely organized and
ruthlessly brutal and efficient."
Grand Strategy
Covert operations will be vital to facilitating Sith control and absolute rule of the galaxy, even more so in the early stages. Preliminary reports suggest that, despite our great military strength, there are two major powers in the galaxy, The Galactic Empire and the New Republic. At war with one another, their power and influence exceeds ours greatly. As such, gaining a foothold in the galaxy via more subtle means will serve our purposes exceedingly well, allowing us to establish a power base that brings us closer to their level. Using covert methods will allow us to do so with minimal loss of military resources, manpower or otherwise, while reserving a powerful element of surprise to be used in the future, at our discretion. From this new base of power, Sith forces will be able to simultaneously commence a diversity of operations, taking an unaware galaxy by storm.
Your mission is an integral part of this grand strategy designed to establish an
immediate and powerful galactic presence for the Sith in a
very short time. Based on reports from multiple operatives in the Corporate Sector and beyond, the CSA is governed via an
exact business model, ruled by an Executive Board from the top down. As such, given the degree of power possessed by the elite aristocratic board members, STRAT-COM is
extremely confident that the CSA would be open to a ‘business’ partnership, in which both sides would mutually benefit from one another (the alternative to a partnership, should they refuse, is the unforgiving and unrelenting wrath of the Sith Military).
In this ‘business partnership’, the Sith Empire would provide the military might necessary for the CSA to rapidly expand, and profit heavily as a result, whereas the CSA would, in turn, provide a
massive pool of diverse resources for the Sith Military to draw upon, in addition to a fully developed base of operations and governmental infrastructure from which to conquer the rest of the galaxy.
Of course, this partnership will preferably begin as one wherein the CSA
perceives itself as equal to, or greater, than the Sith Empire in the power dynamic of the relationship. However, at a future point yet to be determined, the Sith Empire will seize
absolute and total control from the CSA, consuming and assimilating it into the Sith Empire entirely.
VEIL PIERCER: Bonadan is a high value target within the grand strategy, which is why your squad, 8th Special Operations, was chosen for the task.
Failure is unacceptable, will not be tolerated, and is grounds for punishment by execution, or worse.
Local Mission Objectives
Your initial objective is to meet with Agent Nartano (code name: FLESH CRAWLER) and utilize his knowledge base as a platform from which to identify the most powerful Executive Board member(s) (code name: DARK THRALL) on planet Bonadan. Based on intel reports, STRAT-COM strongly advises your squad to consider the potential complexity of politics and power dynamics when navigating Bonadan’s social structure.
Having identified your target(s), your next objective is to manipulate them into forming an alliance or partnership with the Sith, shifting their motivations and allegiance, via any means you deem necessary. Termination (death) of DARK THRALL via any means (violence, inaction, accidental, etc ) is unacceptable and will be considered mission failure. When your squad is satisfied that DARK THRALL has been securely aligned with the Sith Empire, and your mission objectives have been fulfilled, report to your STRAT-COM handler via encrypted comms on your ship’s holo-terminal.
Insertion and Establishing Contact
Your squad will dock the
Spear of Akrulta on planet in Bonadan Spaceport Southeast II, under the guise of a transponder code recovered from one of the many ships orbiting Akrultos in the Graveyard. Agent Nartano has established ownership of a residential docking bay, number 1294-K, and has granted full docking privileges to the
Spear of Akrulta. Upon entering Bonadan’s orbit, you are to immediately dock in 1294-K, clearing your doing so with spaceport customs.
Upon successful insertion via dock 1294-K, you will contact Agent Nartano via your ship’s encrypted holo-terminal and arrange an in-person meeting. Use your squad’s code name, VEIL PIERCER when establishing contact and making introductions, satisfying covert ops security protocol; Nartano would identify himself as FLESH CRAWLER during the process. If the recipient of your attempted contact does not identify as FLESH CRAWLER, terminate communication
immediately, elevate awareness and readiness, and contact STRAT-COM for advisement.
Assuming successful contact of Nartano, STRAT-COM would clarify that you are ordered to follow Nartano’s lead, given his level of knowledge and familiarity with the local environment, until you have identified a viable path leading to DARK THRALL. With a path to DARK THRALL clearly identified, VEIL PIERCER will be self-reliant until mission completion. As such, Nartano should be considered an emergency contact at that point, as part of his maintaining cover.
---END ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATION: SC-XVJ63DF6HSCV2378
interest. Occasionally you see the raising of an eyebrow, the tap of a finger near the console. He shifts, at times leaning in, hands resting on the table, at times standing straight, crossing his arms. A few times, he stops reading and glances at you, only for a moment, then goes back to reading. When he finishes, he's staring at you. Moments pass. He addresses his lackeys.
With a grunt or a nod, the two of them move to the chamber outside the lounge without delay, closing the door behind them.
Scarface looks directly at you.
He exits through the lounge, and one of his men comes in, watching you. Minutes later, Scarface returns, tells his men to wait in the hall again, then approaches you as the lounge door closes behind him.
His eyes are reading you again, only for a moment, and then he steps toward you.
He pauses, almost surprised again by his own words. The disbelief fades from his expression, replaced again by the stoic cool. Carefully, he removes the binders, first from your ankles, then from your wrists, tossing them on the lounge table next to the computer console as if they were garbage.
He looks you directly in the eyes, a new measure of respect in to be seen in his, coupled with confidence in you, replacing
doubt or ill-will that may have existed there since you met him. Extending his hand, he offers to shake yours, as if you had both just met for the first time and introductions were in order.
An ambitious, confident smile crept across his face.
