Futuristic Ashfall [Setting In a Hanimu]

[Lorsh]

Wosten Urbzone Map

Alec's Body
-Bioplated head
-Bioplated torso
-Augmented right arm
-Augmented right eye
-Targeting implant

Alec's Inventory
-Loyalist beret, civilian jumpsuit, wrist PDA, utility belt, jumper-boots [Worn]
-Sniper boltgun case [4/5, 5/5, 5/5, 5/5] [Carried]
-SL Pistol [12/12, 12/12, 12/12] [Pocket]
-3x medika vials [Utility belt]
-Connection radio [Utility belt]
-Flashlight [Utility belt]
-Fake Citizen ID [Pocket]
-Fake Ration Card [Pocket]
-Your Metro Pass [Pocket]
-$25.00 certs [Pocket]


IC below
Ashfall
Restoration Day celebrations have been starting to wind down in the Wosten Urbzone. Turnout at the speeches and parades was disappointingly low, although the regularly-scheduled holiday remains in effect.

You haven't been to the surface in quite some time, however. You are deep underground within the rebel hideout of the Grotto. It is safely located outside Wosten city limits, but contains secret tunnels leading to the surface in the Waterfront District and Mortshaw Quadrant. Various guards and workers affiliated with the Connection can be seen walking through the corridors of the Grotto.

Recently, you received a briefing from Central Command regarding your first assignment. It is a relatively easy one, mostly intended to prove your worth rather than eliminate a particularly high-value target. A socialite from Wosten's high society, Harton Casby. He is the son of a wealthy Slagfuel plant owner, and has since become a well-known event organizer and impresario for various propagandic theatrical plays. He resides with his family in a guarded estate within the Exurbian section of Wosten. Your commanders have said that they will send you a map of your target's property to your PDA soon.

You have been told to report to the armoury before heading out. It is only a short walk away, and you have been pre-granted permission to enter.

 

[Setting In a Hanimu]

Alec Svante
Alec’s body felt heavy. Different. It almost felt … wrong.

The men and women in the white coats reassured him that, on the contrary, his reaction times had plummeted to inhuman levels. Of course, there was only so much that laboratory tests and examinations could do. Today, it was time to prove himself.

He passed through the entrance of the armoury, the guard granting him access before he could pull out the necessary identification. This wasn’t his first time inside at all -- though this was the first time his superiors let him have free reign of whatever toys he wanted to grab.

Decisions, decisions.

A smirk passed through his lips. Was this all part of growing up, then?

Alec approached the person at the desk, greeting them with a familiar smile and a slight nod. ‘Been a while,’ he said, looking down his wrist to check if he’d received the maps yet. ‘Command just sent me down here after a debrief. I’m going to need a Tower Rifle, an SL, and a small pocket knife.’

 

[Lorsh]

The estate map upload seems to still be in progress.


The armoury master nods. "Tower rifle might be a bit heavy to carry around," the man informs you. "Not sure if you'd be able to make it to your destination without having the police get suspicious, even if I put it in a case. Though, I have a New Guard-pattern boltgun with a scope, as well as a Marksman PDW. Either of those'd be a lot lighter, and I'd be able to disassemble them so that you could carry the parts in a suitcase until you're ready to put them together and use them," he says, briefly scratching his scruffy brown beard.

"Also, I'll give you a fake military service ID in case anybody tries to give you trouble about the pistol. Just pretend to be an off-duty goon from the army." He slides it over to you.

 

[Setting In a Hanimu]

Alec Svante
The old man had a point. Alec nodded, clenching and unclenching his recently modified arm. The weight may not be that much of a problem anymore, but it would be hard to carry it around without looking inconspicuous. 'Here's to hoping I can get to play around with it someday, though.' He chuckled, retrieving the fake ID, and slipping it into his back pocket. 'Still got one of them Loyalist berets?' Anything that would obscure his features -- even by just a little bit -- would be of help. After all, it wasn't like he was about to retire after this.

That left them with the matter of the rifle. He was much more familiar with rifles in general, but he'd need more time to set-up, and have less room for error. Alec rubbed his chin, pondering over his options for a moment. 'Think I'll go with the Bolt, after all. We got a TWS scope handy?' Anyway, what use was a new eye and a steadier arm if he couldn't put it to test?

'I'm off to Exurb today,' he found himself muttering, an arm leaning against the counter, as he waited for the armoury master to retrieve his equipment. 'Never been. Got any advice for the rookie?'

 

[Lorsh]

"Yeah, I got one of those," the armourer tells you when you inquire about the beret. He walks over to the helmet racks and plucks the orange Stalwart League hat from one of the hangers. He then walks back over and hands it over to you. "Don't wear that crap until you get outside," he advises.

"This rifle only comes with the regular flavor of scope, I'm afraid," the man says as he digs out the old New Guard rifle and begins to take it apart. He responds to your request for advice while he does his work. "Well, everybody is a free target Exurb. No ordinary civilians, pretty much everybody is a loyalist there. Nobody will be on your ass about collateral damage," he shrugs. He finishes placing the rifle parts and accessories into a case for you, before sliding it over to you. "You gotta use the tunnels and head up to Mortshaw, and someone in a fancy car will drive you up to the Xurbs and drop you off."

 

[Setting In a Hanimu]

Alec Svante
'You mean it's an entire district full of target practice?' Alec snorted, taking the orange beret and messily shoving it into his pocket. 'Sounds like heaven to me.' He opened the briefcase containing the rifle, wanting to inspect the parts himself before he accepted it. Apparently satisfied, he nodded his head as a gesture of thanks, before turning around, waving goodbye with his free hand. ‘Cheers.’ With any luck, they’d see each other again soon.

In five years, the once-intimidating underground had become a home to him. What was previously an incomprehensible network of tunnels became a straightforward set of directions -- two lefts, two rights, straight ahead, and on, and on. He no longer needed time to think -- only for his feet to guide him.

Similarly, the crowd that greeted him no longer incited a sense of unease, of panic. None were friend or family, but most brought welcome familiarity at least. All of them bore the weathered expression of a life seized and shackled. For Alec, that was enough to bring them some semblance of respect.

As he neared the Mortshaw exit, the crowd began to thin, the garbled chattering reduced to white noise. Alec walked up the familiar stairwell, where step by step the dead silence was once again slowly overshadowed by the muffled sound of music. The steps led to a locked hatch. Alec looked up, knocking against the surface.

‘It’s Svante. Open up.’

 

[Lorsh]

Music

A man pulls open the hatch, and gives you a hand up. He is dressed in a gray chauffeur's uniform, and has a rough, older face. "Good to have you," he says. "I'm Notley. Come with me outside." Assuming you follow behind, you are lead outside of the decrepit building and into a hidden alleyway where you are awaited by a luxury sedan that the rebels managed to get a hold of. Before Notley moves up and takes a seat in the driver's side, he holds open the door for you. "Let's get going, sir." He seems to play the part well.

 

[Setting In a Hanimu]

Alec Svante
Alec greeted Notley with a slight nod before he hauled the heavy briefcase onto the ground. He followed the chauffeur without another word, starting to condition himself for his task. His eyes scanned the area as he they walked, trying to look out for surveillance cameras or figures in the shadows that might be spying on them.

As they exited the building, Alec pulled the beret out of his pocket and put it on. Today was Restoration Day, so it was more likely than not that more Loyalists and Military Dogs were out than were regular civilians. He stopped to admire the vehicle before he proceeded to get inside. The armoury master wasn’t joking about the fancy car.

‘Hello, Notley.’ Alec smiled as he shut the door beside him, although he didn’t bother to look at the old man. Instead, he continued to survey the surroundings through the car’s tinted glasses. ‘Do we have a pre-arranged rendezvous for eventual extraction?’ Alec tore his gaze away from the window for a second, checking his PDA one more time for Casby’s files. He wanted to check if the map had been sent yet, but there was also much to be gained in reviewing the man’s schedule one more time.

This was a last-minute assignment to be sure, but perhaps that was the point.

 

[Lorsh]

Notley the chauffeur starts up the car and pulls out of the alley. Although the Xurbs are quite some distance away, traffic is not very bad due to the fact that not many people actually own cars. It's mostly bureaucrats and the wealthy that have access to automotives.

Your PDA beeps. You've finally received the info. The picture isn't that good... some of it may be guesswork. The image itself also isn't of high quality, although it's mainly due to the fact that Digital Rig technology is still mainly in development. Technology had rapidly advanced in the few decades, although most of the soldiers you see marching outside of your window still carry traditional boltguns, although recent innovations such as the assault rifle and railgun seem to be slowly supplementing and replacing them.

According to the estimated schedule, Harton should be returning home right about now to eat supper.


DATA RECEIVED: 'ROUGH MAP'

> RESIDENCE SURROUNDED BY IRON GARDEN FENCE & HEDGES
> FRONT ENTRANCE & BACK ENTRANCE
> GUARDS AT FRONT ENTRANCE

 

[Setting In a Hanimu]

Alec Svante
Studying the map, Alec furrowed his brows, frowning. This was going to be trickier than he thought. ‘Notley, I’ll just forward you my coordinates when I’m ready for extraction.’ He rubbed his chin, mouth quirking at the mention of edges and iron fences. He would need to find a vantage point from a higher building, then. Perhaps a rooftop? If there was one. ‘If I don’t report by 0:00, return to base. I’ll take the metro.’ Without another word, Alec exited the vehicle.

Alec tried to find a safe spot where he could watch the patrol movements from afar; more importantly, he wanted to see how many guards were currently stationed at the estate. After all, if he couldn’t find sufficient high ground anywhere and had to force a direct confrontation, he didn’t enough bullets for everyone.

He should be able to locate Harton -- or his vehicle -- entering the estate any moment now.

 

[Lorsh]

"Got it," Notley replies. "If you blow your cover, head into the Bloom forest and hide out there. We'll try to find a way to extract you from there," he whispers. Once you've shut the door, he drives off to lay in wait in a secure area.

In the Xurbs, there is a car parked in the driveway of every house. The trees and bushes planted in the yards and along the streets are all genuine pieces of greenery, as opposed to the fake plants and artificial grass turf that is present city proper. The air seems crisper, and there are more birds and insects active here. The houses appear to be in better condition than those present in the rest of the city, although they are still built in the same brutalist style. Harton's estate, however, stands out and is larger than most of the other residences in the Xurbs, with a rather large fenced off-yard. You can see a single security officer standing guard near the gate, where his car is already parked in the driveway. The guard is wearing a lighter uniform than the one used by regular constables, marking him as a member of the Exurb Authority.

There is a two-storey house across from the Harton estate, and there doesn't appear to be a car in the driveway.

 

[Setting In a Hanimu]

Alec SvanteAlec proceeded to the seemingly unoccupied house, first checking for lit windows or the red dots of surveillance cameras around the property. In order to free both of his hands, he hid the briefcase underneath some thick bushes in the front yard. If the perimeter was clear, and he was sure that he was not in the lone security guard’s line of sight, he decided to proceed to the front door, inspecting the locking mechanism should he need to get around it.

 

[Lorsh]

Closed-circuit television cameras (commonly referred to as "Monitors") have been a relatively recent development. Not many private residences have them, as they are mostly used to provide surveillance of city streets and important facilities. Most versions are rather large and hard to hide as well.

The security guard appears to be typing on his PDA at the moment, and is not currently paying attention to his surroundings. As you look down at the door's lock, you see that it is not in place. You are free to enter this house; the Xurbs probably have the lowest crime rate in the city, so perhaps these people didn't feel the need to lock their doors.

 

[Setting In a Hanimu]

Alec Svante
After retrieving his briefcase from the bushes, Alec entered the house without much trouble. He looked at his PDA, noting the time, and how he probably didn’t have long until he either lost a good shot on Harton, or the residents of this house came home. On instinct, his eyes did a quick scan of the furnishings, looking beyond the countless Sanctan paraphernalia to search for picture frames or certificates that indicated just exactly what kind of bureaucrat lived here.

Still, that would remain a mere passing interest. As soon as the stairwell appeared in his periphery, he made a move towards the upper level. Alec went from one to room to another until he found the one with the view to the Harton estate.

He made sure to keep his silhouette away from the window, at least as he opened the briefcase and assembled the parts of the boltgun. His next step was to find a stable surface on which he could mount the rifle.

 

[Lorsh]

You see a framed set of military service papers, dating back to before the Invasion of Dominion. It probably belongs to a relative of some kind. Other than a Sanctan flag and a few picture frames hanging on the wall, you do not see much in the way of identification. You head upstairs and find a bedroom with a clear view inside the Casby residence through a window near the dining room in the latter building's lower floor. You can see your target sitting at the table with his son nearby, while his wife brings over some food. Special-grade rations, probably grown in this Bloom patch.

 

[Setting In a Hanimu]

Alec Svante
Alec unlatched the window, allowing himself the slightest opening for the muzzle to come through. After seeing the three figures in the other residence, he inspected it more closely through the rifle’s scope. The mark was laughing with a young boy -- his son, most likely -- and Alec let the crosshair rest on the latter’s head just for the tiniest moment.

He tore himself away from the scope, looking through his PDA once more. He’d wasted enough time. Alec squeezed his hand through the narrow slit in the window, trying to approximate wind speed and direction. The ghost of a smile made its way to his face. Everything was going well today.

Once more, he looked into the scope, head processing the variables needed for the perfect shot -- the distance of the trajectory, the thickness of the glass wall separating his bullet from Harton’s head, and on and on and on. These things had been ingrained since his time in the Syndicate. He really had nothing to worry about …

His crosshair was pointed at the child once more. Alec let out a soft sigh, before he pointed it at the right target. Alec’s finger wrapped around the trigger. Once he steadied his breathing and shot right between his slowed heartbeats, the bullet should go right through the mark’s frontal lobe. If he was lucky, it would lodge itself right in the brainstem -- and he’d be killed in an instant. Should the bullet find itself exiting elsewhere, and should the mark survive the shock, he’d live the rest of his life as a vegetable.

Good enough.

Bang!

Alec heard the sound of glass breaking, and on reflex, his shoulders stiffened, bracing themselves for the recoil.

 

[Lorsh]

The round flies out of the barrel of your rifle, piercing the window and blowing out Harton Casby's brains all over his family dinner.

His wife and child erupt in screams that you can hear all the way from your sniper's nest. The security guard at the front of the estate is startled, but hi chooses to investigate the sound of breaking glass and screaming rather than the sound of the gunshot from the nearby building. You can see him pull out his radio as he enters the house, likely to call for backup.

You have successfully eliminated your target, but that's only the first half of the mission. You'll still have to get out of here alive, and it appears that the Exurb Authority will soon be alerted to the disturbance you've caused. However, it doesn't appear that they have managed to pinpoint your location just yet, although the guard no doubt knows the direction that the shot originated from.

 

[Setting In a Hanimu]

Alec Svante
As soon as he saw the blood splatter, Alec moved out of sight. He began disassembling the bolt gun, and returned the parts to the briefcase. He felt adrenaline kick in. The kill was never the exciting part. It was the chase that came after.

Time to move.

Pulling his beret to the front, Alec made his way downstairs, this time deciding to go through the back door rather than the front. As he moved, he turned on the Connection radio on his belt. Static reverberated from the device. ‘This is Svante reporting in. Mark has been terminated. Requesting extraction. Will forward coordinates soon. Over.’ He clicked the radio off. Tapping away at his PDA, he pulled up a map of the Xurbs, trying to decide the best route to avoid the authorities.

 

[Lorsh]

"Roger, currently at the Southwest Park," comes the reply from your radio. You know where it is located, as this place was discussed during the briefing. You pull up the map of the Exurbs, but the streets are mostly identical. Sticking to the alleys may be the best course of action. You hear a few distant sirens, but nothing appears to be close yet. The important thing is that you have not been identified as the shooter.