Forschungsgemeinschaft Ahnenerbe ...and the Earth will tremble again.
Introduction
None in the American continents remembers the times of the Sixth World War, long before the End. During the second and third centuries of the fourth millennium, the swastika flags flew over New York and Washington, two of the many cities of the east coast reduced to ruins by the onslaught of the war. The soldiers of the Fourth Reich marched westwards, and it took many decades of war to halt their advance, and force them to retreat to the ocean's shore, bunkering down around the captured White House and Manhattan. From around this time, the records of the Old World end, as the End began. Yet, in the midst of the raging chaos, a single signal was sent to Berlin, to be picked up a long, long time later.
A distress call.
In the murky skies of New England and the Mid-Atlantic, the looming, immense figures of the zeppelins appeared out of the clouds, as monoliths towering in the skies. The infantry battalions soon followed, making landfall in swarms and setting up a network of outposts in the region. From here, the heavy tracks of the Panzer Divisions soon began to advance westwards, and the black banners of the Fifth Reich were raised for the first time in Amerika. The flood comes.
Military Forces of the Fifth Reich
Infantry Divisions
Meine Ehre heißt Treue!
Waffen-SS: the main bulk of the Ahnenerbe's infantry forces, these soldiers are harshly trained in order to achieve high standards of discipline and courage. Little armored and equipped with a varied arsenal of weapons (including all kinds of small arms, anti-tank weapons, and grenades), they rarely attack on their own, but rather support the armored divisions in their attack, operating in small squads each led by a Scharführer. Some divisions of the Waffen-SS include the SS-Totenkopfverbande (specialized in guerrilla urban warfare and equipped with heavy flamethrowers), the SS-Karstjäger (a scout division mostly composed of snipers and infiltrators), and the SS-Nibelungen (an assault corp equipped with heavy machineguns and anti-infantry weapons).
Panzersoldaten: as they are initiated into the mysteries of the Ahnenerbe, veterans of the Waffen-SS are welcomed to join the ranks of the Panzersoldaten-Division. Clad in heavy power armor, allowing them to operated even in heavily contaminated or irradiated areas, the Panzersoldaten are the special infantry forces of the Fifth Reich, equipped with heavy weaponry and sent to lead the charge or hold the line in the most heated areas of the battlefield, sometimes advancing deep behind enemy lines or resisting even when surrounded by foes on all sides; they still retain the organization scheme of the Waffen-SS, and operate in squads led by a Sturmführer.
Sturmtruppen: becoming one of the Stormtroopers of the Ahnenerbe is among the highest honors an SS soldier could strive towards. Numbering only a few dozens, the Sturmtrupper are equipped with a state-of-the-art suit of heavy armor, including a set of powerful reactors and wings, allowing them to fly for short distances on the battlefield, landing on the enemy like a furious fist. Armed with the heaviest weapons their armor can carry, such as rocket launchers, chainswords, and gatling guns, the Sturtruppen tend to attack the enemy from a close distance, often engaging in brutal melee. The Sturmtruppen's assault is led by a fearless Sturmbannfuhrer, and all of the members of the divisions are intiated members of the esoteric cults of the Ahnenerbe.
Panzer Units
Es braust unser Panzer im Sturmwind dahin!
Schwerer Panzerspähwagen Sd. Kfz. 622: lightly armored and relatively fast, this vehicle is used by the Ahnenerbe to quickly carry infantry troops to the frontline; it can be equipped with an anti-infantry machinegun or an anti-aircraft gun. Highly versatile, it can climb almost every kind of terrain, but its light armoring makes it a target for heavier weapons.
Panzerkampfwagen IX Tiger: the most iconic tank of the Ahnenerbe Panzerdivisions, the Tiger, an evolution of the omonimous WWII-era vehicle, is characterized by its flat, cylindric turrent and its twin cannons. Offering a good compromise between heavy armor, movement speed and mighty firepower, it is often considered the masterpiece of the Fifth Reich's engineering, and can be seen on most battlefields where the SS are engaged, with Tiger divisions often seen at the forefront, leading the attack. Despite this, like other heavy tanks, it is vulnerable to mines and anti-panzer infantry.
Panzerkampfwagen E-700 Löwe: the Tiger's companion and heavier counterpart, the Löwe, created from the merging of late WWII-era superheavy tank prototypes, is a slow-moving, heavily armored tank, armed with a long-range cannon, giving the panzer an excellent firepower. The Löwe is not unlike a small moving fortress, and is used to obliterate fortified positions or other tanks, or to defend strategic locations. However, its great weight does not allow the Löwe to tread too rough or swampy territory, and its slowness makes it an easy prey for anti-tank infantry and faster vehicles capable of destroying its armor.
Air Forces
Wir sehen uns in Walhalla!
Messerschmitt Me 266 Komet: originating from a WWII-era design, the Komet has become the most prominent fighter and interceptor of the Luftwaffe. Lightweight and fast, propelled by an advanced rocket engine, the Komet is armed to face other fighters and bombers alike, and can use its great speed to avoid anti-aircraft: however, it is unfit to attack armored targets, so it is often sent to escort bombers during their missions. Its small weight and size allows it to be easily transported in great numbers in the hangars of the zeppelins.
Have ye courage, o my brethren? The signs are everywhere. Some did not see it coming, others refused to see. I can feel it in the tingle of the air, in the heartbeat of the Earth. And I can tell that the storm is coming all down on me.
-Capital:
-תְּהוֹם, Tehom of the Deep: Tehom is the city located in the deepest point of the Ossuary, and seat of the Monarch. The greatest of the dead cities of the Ossuary, the monumental architecture of Tehom hosts many of the inhabitants of the realm, and it is here that the Monarch's armies are assembling, ready to march behind their black banners at the conquest of the outside world. Tehom is built in an austere yet grand style, with immense mausoleums and statues looming above, barely illuminated by the few torches of the city.
-Government Type: deathly kingdom, ruled by the Monarch. The Monarch's nature is unknown, but what is known is that it is the sovereign entity which rules from the Veiled Throne of Tehom: some say that it is the collective sum of all the souls that lurk in the Ossuary, others theorize that it was once a human necromancer who ascended far beyond mortality, and others yet say that it is a powerful demons from the nether realms, who came to conquer this world. Perhaps none of them is right, perhaps all of them are.
-Currency: obolos, a small golden coin with a skull on one side. -Population: circa 1,500,000. -Unique Trait #1: With Hearts Toward None
Since the beginning of human history, death has been an immovable force, the grand equalizer of all, the end supreme. Now, death has come alive, and walks the Earth. The Nekroi might be vulnerable and weak when fought one by one, but their resolve is stronger than steel and colder than stone: advancing in compact formations of bone and metal, the legions of death shall know not the meaning of fear, retreat, or surrender.
-Unique Trait #2: Groza
The sight of a seemingly endless legion of the dead marching forth can instill fear even in the hearts of the most battle-hardened veterans, while unexperienced soldiers tremble at the mere thought of the black banners of the Ossuary. Those who stand in the path of the Monarch should soon learn that it is not numbers what will win the war against the Nekroi, or be prepared to pay the price in souls.
-Unique Flaw #1: Mdłości
The dead walking the Earth are not a common event, and indeed one that most people wish to put an end to as quickly as possible. Thus, as most mortals regard the Nekroi as unholy abominations to be eradicated immediately, alliances, diplomacy and pacts are nothing but meaningless words in the ears of the Monarchs.
-Unique Flaw #2: Presence
-Major Towns/Colonies: -בְּאֵר שַׁחַת, Be'er Shachath of the Pit: north of Tehom, Be'er Shachath is located at the bottom of a steep ravine. The city, among the largest of the Ossuary, is composed almost entirely of an intricate network of narrow, dark tunnels and corridors carved into rock. Be'er Shachath is one of the most "lively" cities of the Ossuary, and an important centre of trade for the kingdom: travellers from the others subterranean worlds often arrive here to sell and buy artifacts and other valuable goods.
-טִיט הַיָוֵן, Tit-ha Yaven of the Swamps: Tit-ha Yaven, not far from the surface, stands in the middle of a great chtonian swampland, where the stagnant waters of the above filter and fall down to the depths below. The swamps around the city, composed of structures similar to stilt houses, are ripe with creature best not seen by human eye, but the inhabitants are used to them, and travel within and without the city, hunting for the monstruous things that lurk below the surface.
-גלאצהאב, Golachab of the Flames: Golachab, lying near the magma channels of a subterranean volcano, is the forge of the Ossuary, and its main industrial center. Its pathways and corridor are perennially filled with smoke and ash, and the uncountable sounds of hammers striking down on incandescent metal echo ceaselessly inside its walls. Everything that is made of metal in the Ossuary most likely comes from here, made by the expert hands of undead artisans and the sorrowful toil of the slaves, mining the ores in the suffocating air of Golachab, to produce armors, weapons, artillery and ammunitions.
-Major Castles/Fortresses: -Dakhma of the Towers: outside the Ossuary, many towers and forts exist, forming a network of walls and fortifications, the Towers of Silence, embracing much of the mountain, with its heart in Dakhma. Like most structures on the outer surface of the Ossuary, Dakhma is crumbling, in utter disrepair: yet, it still stands, as a witness of the might of its unknown builders.
-שַׁעֲרֵ֣י מָוֶת, Sha'arei Maveth of the Gates: the main fortress of the Ossuary, Sha'arei Maveth stands at the main entrance of the kingdom. Curiously, the original fortification was not designed to stop outsiders from entering the realm, but actually the contrary: later on, it was repaired and reinforced by its undead inhabitants, which have managed to somewhat preserve it from the decadence which swallowed the other outer castles of the Ossuary. Its massive black gates have been closed for countless millennia, but perhaps this is about to change...
-Buildings of Interest:
The north slope of the Ossuary, during winter
-Geographic Features of Interest: -懸棺, Xuánguān of the Coffins: connecting the outside world to Tehom, the road of Xuánguān is among the most traversed of the Ossuary. Passing through a deep valley, enclosed between two great natural stone walls, Xuánguān gained its name because of the numberless, crumbling coffins hanging from its walls: pieces of them, along with the bones of those once resting within, litter the road, and some can be seen falling even today. Yet, the number of the coffins never seems to decrease.
-Karijia of the Sarcophagi: on the eastern slope of the Ossuary, the small valley of Karijia opens, almost invisible from the outside. It is completely barren and uninhabited, except for the tall standing sarcophagi looming from the valley's slopes, surrounded by shattered bones. Vultures circle endlessly around the valley, almost as thin and skeletal as the dead resting within.
-Territory Description: the Ossuary is a great, immense mountain standing lonely south of the Dragon's Spine separated from the main mountain range. Inside the mountain, unbeknownst to most, a kingdom of the dead lies, and has been for countless aeons: made up of a network of great underground valleys, ravines, tunnels, caverns, caves, and corridors, some man-made, some natural, going deeper and deeper down into the Earth.
Majority Race: Nεκροί, the Dead
The virtues of loss, the hymnes of decay. Dost thou have faith now, o dearest friend?
-Majority Race Appearance: the Nekroi are undead skeletal beings, sometimes with pieces of rotting flesh still attached to their bones, which are sometimes missing or broken; still, the Nekroi march onwards, and when one falls, three rise to take its place. The Nekroi display uncommon physical strenght, but their bodies are still frail and can be destroyed rather easily: thus, when fighting, they clad themselves in heavy armor and use their usually superior numbers to prevail over the enemy.
-Majority Race Characteristics: it is said that the dead speak not, and perhaps this is why so little is known about the Nekroi in the outside world. Few writings mention them, and when they do, they are described as mythical and fantastical creatures living beyond the edges of the known world; still, the only element on which these accounts agree is the fact tath the Nekroi seem as governed by a single mind. This is only partially true. The Nekroi are in fact distinct entities, connected to each other, reasoning together as if they were the parts of a single mind, at the head of which, like a torch illuminating the darkest dephts of the Ossuary, stands the Monarch. For a long time, the Nekroi have been passive, slumbering in their tombs, but slowly, over time, they began to awake.
The beginning of the Nekroi's history has been lost to the abyss of time. Nobody knows who built the Ossuary, and nobody knows who were the Nekroi before their death: the very oldest tales and fragments hint towards an ancient emperor struck by a curse, long before the beginning of this age, who was forced by destiny to entomb his kingdom and subjects. Records start in an age when the first cities of the Ossuary had already been founded, and the Monarch was already seated upon the Veiled Throne. Immediately, the Nekroi were forced to prove their strenght, as the other Chtonian races, such as the Ephestians and the Jotnar attempted to reap the riches and metals of their land: many wars and battles were fought in the caves, before the borders of the Ossuary were finally estabilished. It was around this time that the Nekroi first started to look outside, recovering the ancient structures and fortifications standing on their mountain, occupying most of them; also, the Nekroi started trading with the other Chtonian kingdoms, exporting the heavy metals and artifacts of their land in exchange for gold, manufactured goods, and manpower: there was a time when the Jotnar could be seen working alongside the Nekroi to repair the castles of the Ossuary. During the centuries, the Nekroi developed a simple form of social organization, with the creation of an aristocracy, a small class of nobles which were assigned positions of power in the various cities of the kingdom: after two or three millennia, the Nekroi began to assemble their host. This cycle is drawing to an end, and this Sun is nearing the end of its life: soon, an imprisoned king shall once again walk the Earth, before letting it fall into darkness.
-Other skeletal races: Among the Nekroi, two subgroups can be found, which form distinct categories within the society of the Ossuary.
Wraiths
I shall erect myself over transience, I shall ascend over flesh.
Wraiths in the Ossuary are few, barely numbering in the hundred, and rarely seen. Before their death, these ancient spirits had great magical talents, and were part of a guild of wizards which was erased long ago from the records, and the secrets of their arts were forgotten by time. Yet, the cabal of magicians still lives on, after death. However, they sacrificed much their sorcerous powers to gain a new, immaterial form, freeing themselves from their bones and becoming spirits. The cabal of the Wraiths has now become something akin to a secret sect with an occult hierarchy, receiving their orders from the Monarch himself: they are among the few Nekroi who often wander the outside world, and scout the territories ahead, acting as spies, assassins and infiltrators for the Veiled Throne. Sometimes, in the darkest corners of the Ossuary, small congregations of Wraiths can be seen, celebrating their ancient rites among the tombs.
Horrors
All hail reapers of hope!
Not everyone in the Ossuary was fortunate enough to have his own tomb. Most were simply thrown into mass graves and left there to rot and decompose: endless pits filled with corpses, slowly devoured by worms and flies. As the millennia passed, the minds and souls of the unburied coalesced into single horrendous beings, thus spawning the abominations known as Horrors. Barely sentient, Horrors are monstruous masses of bones taking various different shapes, and are often used by the Nekroi as workers, battle mounts, and even moving platforms for cannons and other artillery, because of their great size and strenght. When left free, Horrors begin to wander aimlessly, endlessly wailing and begging for someone to end their eternal suffering.
Deathforged
Now, I am become Death, the enemy of man.
The ancient builders of the Ossuary had a great, profound knowledge of magic and anatomy. Although the secrets of their art have been long forgotten, the towering, cloaked figures of the Deathforged are the proof of its might. These fearsome beings were once humans, but their flesh was stripped off, and through magical means their bones were substituted with the heavy metal of the pits of Golachab. Since then, the Deathforged have been silently guarding the Veiled Throne: despite numbering only a few dozens, they are among the mightiest warriors of the Ossuary, and the only thing harder and colder than their metal bodies is the strenght of their will.
Necromancers
Come redemption! As the litany of abandonment rings through ruined temples...
RELIGION & MAGIC -State Religion: (If applicable. Either create your own religion or take on a major religion. If you design your own religion, I will add it to the religion tab above so other players might choose it. More than one religion in a state is ofc very possible) -Religious Information: -Magical Schools and Curriculum: (What forms of magic are common?)
-Military Details:
The main bulk of the armies of the Nekroi is made up of simple soldiers, all clad in heavy armors forged in the pits of the Ossuary, and wielding heavy metal swords, spears, axes and shields, as well as gunpowder weapons such as. Siege weapons and artillery such as cannons, bombards, and falconets are also used by the Nekroi. The army adopts simple tactics based on drowning the enemy in a sea of steel and bones, but some specialized corps also exist within the organization of the hosts of the Ossuary.
Death Knights
Never surrender! Never retreat!
The only cavalry force in the ranks of the Ossuary, Death Knights ride on top of artifically created Horrors, made to resemble a horse. Clad in finely crafted, incredibly heavy armor, these riders fall upon their enemy like a massive hammer, delivering a tremendous blow in spite of their small numbers: they appear as towering giants on the battlefield, and their appearance strikes terror in the hearts of the boldest warriors. Still, they are indeed slow even by the standards of heavy cavalry, and their mounts tire easily when made to run too much.
Phalanx He shall distress the weary He shall disgrace the meek He shall rip out the eyes of the lame And he shall cripple the blind.
If the Death Knights are the hammer of the armies of the Ossuary, the Phalanx is the anvil. Marching as one man on the field of battle, these soldiers are the veteran infantry of the Nekroi: numbering in the few hundreds, the Phalanx forms the forefront of the armies of the Ossuary in the most important battles, arranged in a tight shield wall formation. Their heavy armor and long spears makes it almost unbreakable even by the mightiest charge, but being quite slow, faster enemies can outflank it fairly easily; however, many warriors of the Phalanx are veterans of the ancient wars against the other chtonian races, thus making them fearsome and boldened soldiers.
Head of State/Monarch: the Old Monarch And let there come the rain, let there come the rain.
...there was once a holy king, who ruled in peace over his kingdom. Although he was old and very ill, he ruled justly and was a good man, and as he loved his people, so his people did love him. His realm was so prosperous and rich that even the gods came to envy it, and thus, with the help of other human kingdoms, they declared war to the good king, and sought to destroy his throne. For thousands of years the war raged on, and the gods sent upon the monarch's kingdom the horrors of the plague, and the sorrow of fire. In time, despite the heroic resistance of the monarch, it appeared clear that defeat was inevitable. Yet, the good king had foreseen this, and ordered his subjects to create a great shelter under a mountain: as the cities of his kingdom burned and his people were slaughtered by the demons and monsters who were invading his lands, the good king took with him those who remained of his folk, and escaped to the depths below, the only way to save them from the pillars of flame and ash.
Soon, the king stopped appearing in front of his people. Immediately, rumors spread about his death, and his people attempted to escape the dephts of the mountain: yet, the gods had sealed its entrance, to forever imprison the good king and his folk. The people of the Ossuary soon fell into madness, knowing that none would escape the depths: many killed each other or themselves, while the others sooner or later fell to starvation and thirst. In time, under the mountain, all was dead. Yet, the Old Monarch watched, sitting upon his throne, now covered by a deathly shroud, and as his flesh started rotting and his bones were whitened by the centuries, he saw his folk, once proud and loyal, becoming inhuman animals. Far beyond the borders of his mountain he did see, watching what was once his great kingdom become the home of decadent and corrupt polities, mere vermins polluting his ancient home, the home he could not defend. Yet, as the old proverb says, with strange aeons, even death may die.
The king is dead. All hail the king.
-Persons of interest:
...and may it wash away the scum, the cunts, the dogs, the filth, the shit, the whores, the junk, the trash, the worms, the freaks, the rot, the plague, the grime, the smut, the waste, the pigs, the slime, the mud, the vermin of every shape and size.
If you view my crude map above, I do not know if the platform is square, rectangular or some other unconventional shape. I also do not know if the edges are along the cardinal points of the compass or if the platform is angled in such a way that it would appear as a diamond if you were view it from the sky. I made the assumption it was square in shape.
Miller answered your question in the first IC:
A new image appears on the screen, which appears to be a drawing of one hexagon, surrounded by six smaller hexagons.
"This is a crude map of Haolam Haba; as you can see, the facility is composed of one core structure, surrounded by six smaller platforms, connected to each other and to the core with bridges
I considered making a map, but it would have come out kind of shit considering my poor skills at image editing, which is why I tried to keep the structure as simple as possible in shape. In other words, imagine a hexagon, with six other smaller hexagons around it: there are bridges connecting the big hexagon to the small hexagons, as well as other bridges connecting the smaller hexagons, forming an hexagonal ring around the bigger hexagon.
I was surprised to learn that a distance of 10 Kilometers could be achieved by walking from one location in the interior to another location within the interior of the platform. I was expecting a platform that may have been half a kilometer long at its widest point. This sucker is much larger than I anticipated. With that said, I intended for the team to drop in the northwest corner of Delta, rather than the southeast-central region. See this quote below, written based on the principle, that I as an author had no prior knowledge to what the Halaom Haba platforms looked like.
Haolam Haba is very, very big. As for the Northwest-southeast, for some bloody reason my brain can't remember cardinal directions. Sorry, a few days passed between me reading your post and writing the second IC, so I genuinely thought you dropped in the southeastern corner. My mistake, I should have checked again. By the way, the map is pretty close to what I had in mind, and thanks for doing it. If this was a tabletop RP group, I would anoint you as co-GM with the highest honors.
Also, as a long time GM, I would like to thank you for being players who can actually discuss with each other and decide things without me having to give you input on literally everything. That's a surprisingly rare but much appreciated quality.
A few seconds after you touch land, Miller's voice buzzes into your ears.
"Greyhound, this is Khan, can you hear me?"
Chapter 1: Peace
After the explosion, the whole area seems immersed in an eerie silence, with the only noises being occasional distant gunfire and Khan's voice. The Sun has fully set, with light being provided by the numerous streelights of Haolam Haba; clouds cover most of the sky, with the full Moon being visible behind them, staring down. "According to our satellite you landed in the middle of a residential zone, near the southeastern corner of platform Delta. The building you are standing on is an administration office, while the platform to your southeast is a half constructed heliport." Looking down below, you can see what resembles a city district, with perpendicular roads intersecting between each building, all fitted with sidewalks, streetlights, and signs written in English, French and Arabic. The building themselves are squarish and tall, all identical to each other in their vaguely cubical shape, painted in various colours: the bottom floor of these buildings appear to be housing shops, offices, and most of the commodities offered by any ordinary city. The roads are cluttered with a few abandoned cars, some fallen streelights and signs, and other such debris; pieces of paper glide across the air, moved by gusts of wind. No living thing appears to be moving. "The area has been evacuated by the HH authorities immediately after the terrorist attack, but there might be some civilians still around. Stay sharp."
Scanning the area around you, you see some buildings that stand out among the others, having a different shape or being larger than the others. "Most of the southern part of the Delta platform is made up of residential districts: most you'll find there are houses, with the occasional police or firefighter stations, churches and mosques, and so on; there's a hospital near the centre of the platform and a military base near the northern corner, while the rest of the place, the northern half of Delta, is made up of factories and other industrial buildings. All around the platform there's a ring of manutention walkways and passages, that lead to Delta's subterranean level: here you can find most of the platform's infrastructure, including power plants, a subway, and the sewer network. Seth's last known position is approximately ten kilometers to your northwest, in a building of the industrial zone."
To the west of your position, you can see many columns of smoke rising from buildings, as well as occasional explosions. "According to our intel, the fighting is most intense near the southern and southwestern corners of the platform. One viable strategy would be to sneak through this area, hoping that the HH soldiers are too busy getting shot at to notice you. Otherwise you can try moving through the eastern zone, which is more firmly under HH control: perhaps they'll be too busy paying attention to the western zone, and you'll get through undetected. You might also try moving through the subterranean level, but we'll probably lose radio contact, and orienting yourself will be way harder. The choice is yours. We don't have a fix on the strenght of the unknown attackers or their goals, but we have no interest in fighting them right now: only shoot if they shoot you first."
Suddendly, you see movement ahead of you, approximately three hundred metres away. Two IFVs, colored khaki, moving towards the western part of the platforms. Zooming on them with your binoculars, you see they are adorned with the black cross, symbol of Haolam Haba. "Huh, those look like LAV III. Wonder where they've got those toys from. They don't seem to have spotted you, but watch out for more reinforcements. Haolam Haba soldiers aren't your average illiterate, rag-head goat herders; they've got military training, and they're probably pretty jumpy right now, so they're likely to shoot on sight. Be careful. Out."
Good posts, folks! I like the way this is going so far. I'll wait until @thecircus posts his stuff, then we'll continue.
Just a couple of heads up for @cpldingo: the aircraft you're launching out of is an Airbus A400M Atlas, as described in the Weapons and Vehicles of the OOC, should have made it clearer in the first IC. Secondly, you are not performing a HALO, but a HAHO jump.
December 14th, 2016, 17:43 Circa 160 km SW of the coast of Cyprus, Eastern Mediterranean
The roar of the airplane's engines and propellers is barely audible inside the cargo box, almost like a hum, the only sound breaking the silence. The doors leading to the cockpit are sealed shut, painted with the Cygnus logo, a stylized swan opening its wings, and the words: "Cygnus Military Solutions Air Force". Next to the doors, a white screen had been set up, with a mini projector on a table a few metres from it, a chair on its side. Suddendly, the door slams open, and sergeant Leonard Miller steps out of it into the cargo box, a grin barely visible on his lips. "Good evening, gentlemen."
Miller's deep voice echoes in the cargo box. "Stand down soldiers. I didn't become a hired gun for more pointless ceremonies." The man wears a pair of aviator shades concealing his eyes; Miller's mullet is also partially hidden by his black beret, adorned with the Cygnus logo with two crossed bones beneath it. Khan's clothes consist of a pair of dark green trousers and an olive green blouse, the sleeves rolled up above the elbows, unbuttoned and with a black shirt underneath it; the blouse's right shoulder is adorned with three black chevrons, surmounted by the pirate flag symbol of the Blackbeards unit, while on the left there's an oval patch you don't recognize, depicting a stylized fox facing left. Miller walks toward the table, the crutch he holds in his right hand rythmically stomping against the metallic floor, as he hums a song you don't recognize, and sits down on the chair besides the table, facing you, with his crutch resting against the side of the chair. Miller produces a small leather pouch from one of his pockets, and takes a pinch of tobacco out of the pouch. While rolling a cigarette, Khan says: "Now, I think you have already been throughly briefed about your mission. But a bit of revising has never hurt anybody, right?" As Miller puts the cigarette between his lips and lights it with a gray metal Zippo, the projector flickers to life, and an image appears on the white screen, depicting what could be described as an offshore plant, only much, much bigger.
"This is Haolam Haba, the Nation of Refugees." A puff of smoke exits Miller's mouth as he starts speaking, putting away the tobacco pouch and the lighter in his blouse. "Unless you spent the last few years living in a cave, you probably know most of the stuff you have to know about it already, and probably more. You also probably know these guys are not as good and saintly as they seem." The projector flickers and shows more pictures, taken from battlefields across the world, depicting soldiers fighting, crates of guns and ammunitions, prisoners of war, trucks full of migrants, cocaine and opium plantations, as Miller uses his crutch, held in his right hand, as a pointer, moving it towards different pictures. "Eritrea. Iraq. Lybia. Rwanda. Venezuela. Syria. These folks have been everywhere, acting as mercenaries for those who could not afford it: militias, rebel groups, cartels, insurgents, terrorists. Normally, only sovereign countries could deploy PMCs: not anymore, thanks to Haolam Haba. And that's not all: HH has been implied to be massively involved in worldwide illegal weapons trade, as well as drug and human trafficking. Thanks to their consistent military and intelligence forces they have been able to move guns everywhere, and drugs from countries like Afghanistan and Colombia into the whole wide world, opening up new markets for themselves in places like Africa and India, and let's not even get into their slave and prostitution trafficking."
"Nobody really gave too much of a damn about all this in the international opinion, because according to the United Nations HH are literally Jesus incarnate, because they offer a good and permanent solution to the migrant crisis: they actively help and shelter migrants from the whole world, offering them a safe haven at no price, and hell, they give 'em a job too. The whole thing is three times the size of Manhattan and was created specifically for housing as many people as possible: I have no idea how many are there, but it's probably above two millions and counting. Also, these people are damn good at keeping secrets and also seem to have comptent lawyers, since no international court could rule that they were guilty of any major crime." Miller lets some ash from his cigarette fall into the ashtray, then puts it back in his mouth. "Still, as you can imagine, HH attracted attention. And I'll let you guess, who's the most curious cat out there in the world?" The projector flickers again, showing a picture displaying information about CIA operations in Haolam Haba, as Miller grins and points down his crutch, resting both his hands on it. "Too late, you lose."
"According to the intel they gave us, Langley had a SAD SOG team undercover in HH, codename Gray Fox. They told us they were there to monitor HH activities and they got caught, but I think you can smell the bullshit from here as well. The CIA knows better than send guys on top secret assignments just to keep an eye on things, and most of all, they usually don't get caught in missions as simple as this. They had a task, something went wrong, and now they're probably all dead, since contacts stopped around a month ago. Of course, since the CIA doesn't want us to smell their dirty laundry, they fed us a fake story: and we don't ask questions. Your mission is very simple, and has barely anything to do with the CIA's task." Another picture is displayed on the screen, depicting a bald caucasian man in his forties, from the front and from the side; with his right hand, Miller smacks the bottom of his crutch right between the man's eyes. "This handsome gentleman is Seth, one of the Gray Fox members. No idea if that's a codename or his real name. Anyway, one week ago, the CIA received a radio transmission from Haolam Haba: apparently, it was Seth, who claimed he had been taken hostage and needed immediate rescue, and also gave out his location. Yes, I know, it's a trap. That's also one of the reasons Langley sent us instead of their own guys to investigate. Your orders are to infiltrate Haolam Haba, locate Seth, and free him if necessary; you'll get more orders once that is done." Miller blows out a stream of smoke from his nostrils, once again resting his hands on his crutch. "You think that's all? Well, you think wrong." New images appears on the screen, depicting what looks like a well-manned and equipped military base in the middle of the desert.
"These photographs were taken by one of our spy drones in Syria. Five days ago, we noticed a spike in activity in Soviet bases in the region. This is the Khmeimim base, south-east of Latakia. Lots of trucks, cargo airplanes and choppers, tanks, gunships, troop movements...they're planning on something big. And then, three days ago we get this." Another picture appears on the screen, resembling the Haolam Haba photos at the beginning; only, there are evident signs of fighting, with fires and smoke rising from the structures. "The authorities of Haolam Haba announced that a terrorist attack, led by unknown forces, had taken place in one of their platforms. And guess what, it's in the same area where our CIA guy, Seth, was located when he sent his call for rescue. We have no idea if the Reds have any involvement in this: our spy drone was spotted and shot down before it could get any closer, and we couldn't risk send another or our operation could have been compromised." A new image appears on the screen, which appears to be a drawing of one hexagon, surrounded by six smaller hexagons.
"This is a crude map of Haolam Haba; as you can see, the facility is composed of one core structure, surrounded by six smaller platforms, connected to each other and to the core with bridges. The platforms are named from Alpha to Zeta, clockwise, starting from the northernmost one: so the northern platform is named Alpha, the north-eastern one is Beta, the south-eastern is Gamma, and so on. Seth last made contact in Delta, the soutern platform, and that's where the recent attack took place too. You will perform a HAHO jump landing in this platform, reach Seth's last known location, and report back. There's probably fighting going on down there, so watch out, and shoot only if someone shoots at you. The microcameras mounted in your helmet will send me a live feed of your mission, and I will keep contact with you through the transceivers headsets you are equipped with, as your mission control, from the Cygnus air base of Halfaya, Egypt. My codename for this mission will be Khan. Your codename as a squad is Greyhound; private Morse will be the squad leader. In case communications with mission control is interrupted, he's the one who gives orders." Miller's cigarette, or what remains of it, flies into the ashtray, thrown with a swift movement of his fingers. Khan stands up, holding his crutch. "Remember, this is a top secret infiltration mission. Don't expect any official support from Cygnus. If you run out of ammo or supplies, all replacement gear must be procured on-site. Once you're out there, you're on your own." The projector shuts itself off, and Miller stands up and begins to walk towards the door he entered through. Openining it, he turns towards you. "Good luck, soldiers."
Circa 30 minutes later
The airplane speakers buzz to life, as Miller's voice echoes inside the cargo box. "Gentlemen, this is your stop. Thank you for flying with Cygnus Airlines, we hope you had a pleasant flight. Don't forget to grab your free parachute on the way out. Ramp opening in 3...2...1..." The cargo ramp slowly begins to open with a loud hiss, allowing the roar of the engines to be fully heard inside the plane, and letting a blade of light cut through the dim inside of the cargo box. Soon, the clouds and the sea below are visible on the outside of the plane; the Sun is setting on the horizon, bathing the sky in a deep orange hue, reflecting on the clouds, of a bright pastel colour, and the sea, shining below. "Begin Operation Dog Shelter."
