Futuristic Starpath: Shadow Contingency

[Viper Actual]

2421

Beta Site, TKBZ-1 System
Southeastern Quadrant

06:34 PM (Local Time)

Hangar B-12

Steps echoed throughout the narrow steel hallway and past the dozens of reinforced bulkhead doors taking turns to open for the lone woman passing through. As she passed one of the doors another, more slender, woman stepped out of the shadows and followed suit.

"Duchess," said Nathalie.

The other woman grinned. "Nat."

Nathalie sighed and glanced up from her datapad at the woman next to her. She didn't care much for the assassin. As far as she cared she was just a traitor that had been forced into service- and armed. Then again she didn't care much for anyone in their unit. They were all 'bad' or 'inherently unique' in one way or another as far as the SSOID was concerned.

"Did you hear about the new guy?"

Nathalie nodded. "I think he's coming in with the next shuttle." She glanced at the digital watch on her wrist. "Which is in twenty minutes, assuming they're not late."

Duchess smirked. "I heard he's some kind of super-soldier from a couple of centuries ago. Apparently they thawed him out like a popsicle after he was found drifting in the Contested Region."

Nathalie grunted and nodded. She had read the reports and for once Duchess wasn't full of it. There had been a surprising small amount of censoring in his file. His early years had been inked up but the reason for him to exist wasn't. By the sound of things he had been created by some now-defunct government on Terra back when there were actual nations around, or at least that's what Nat had managed to piece together.

I hope he's not some old geezer they expect us to lug around during missions.

The doors opened, revealing the large shuttle bay. Several eyes were suddenly on Nat and Duchess as they entered. Stingray, who was standing in front of a quad-legged mobile holoprojector currently displaying the hologram of their handler, Goblin, nodded towards the two women. Nathalie returned the gesture while Duchess largely ignored it as she seated herself on a shipping crate next to the other members of the team. Scattered around the imminent area the members of Taskforce Predator were either seated, standing or lying on the numerous crates inside the hangar.

As for the hangar iteself there wans't much to look at; a couple of automated service vehicles, some dockworkers operating a forklift and a team of SSOID agents waiting for the shuttle. With each shuttle new agents rotated in while others rotated out. Such was the nature of work in the Southeastern Quadrant. Stay too long and you'd be burned. If you were burned then the remnants of either one or all factions that previously waged war against Sol would find you and torture you to death.

In short, not the most friendly of places to work in as a clandestine intelligence operative.

Nathalie approached Stingray and crossed her arms. She nodded towards the hologram of Goblin which was, as always, blurred out to protect his identity.

"...once your latest addition arrives I want you brief the team on their next mission."

Stingray nodded. "What assets do we have?"

"You'll get the Modus Operandi for starters. It just finished its monthly refitting and should be one step ahead of whomever you come across. We stocked some new gear onboard to help you get started though most of it is prototype gear for your newest addition. We're also moving several covert assets into play- just in case."

"Routine precautions?" Asked Stingray.

The hologram's altered voice grunted. "Affirmative. You're not getting special treatment if that's what you think."

Stingray glanced at Nathalie and shook his head. "Would never dream of it, sir."

Just then Wraith spoke up. "There's the shuttle." Everyone turned away from the hologram to look at the jet-black craft slowly approaching outside the hangar shields...

 

[joshuadim]

1962 - Vozrozhdeniya Island, The Aral Sea

​

Vance rushed forward towards the launch platform, kicking a guard off the platform railing and into the waters below as he screamed. There was barely any time left, he needed to get on board and divert the launch or else millions could die. It was the height of the Cold War and both the Soviet Union and the United States were in a nuclear deadlock, and it was in both countries' best interests to stop this rogue launch. Begrudgingly, the Soviets had asked the United States for help in dealing with the issue and thus Astro had been sent in... perhaps a bit too late however. As he continued to make his way forward, dealing a knockout punch to another guard as he sprinted, the audible countdown could be heard from the facility speakers: "1 минута до запуска. 1 минута до запуска."

"Crap," Vance muttered as he jumped up to another platform, "Barely any time." The launch platform was within reach and it didn't take long for him to summit the large holding cranes that kept the rocket in place. As he entered the rocket, the speakers announced there was only 30 seconds left and the walkway had retracted already. No going back now. He quickly made his way to the control room of the rocket and looked around before bringing his radio on: "This is Astro, I'm in the control room. There's barely any time, how do I shut this damn thing off?" The radio crackled to life as a familiar voice to him made a response: "Listen carefully Astro, you need to turn the remote guidance system off with-" was all that Astro could make out from Mary before the rocket thundered to life. Its main engine boosters kicked into action, knocking the man back onto the floor and pinning him as the weight of several g-force pounded onto him. He grunted as he struggled to lift himself back onto his feet as the rocket gained altitude rapidly. "Astro!" Mary's voice cried out from the radio, "Can you hear me!?"

"Yeah..." Astro managed to get out with gritted teeth as he steadied himself over the controls again, "Looks like we need to do this mid-air." Astro desperately searched for the guidance system controls, and managed to find some of the switches that would turn them off. Yet as he did so, nothing happened. Confused, he switched them again still to no avail. And again once more, before slamming the thing with a hand in frustration. "Mary! The guidance system isn't turning off..." he said as he looked around for alternatives. "What? That can't be!" the radio crackled alive again, "Astro, you need to get out of there fast!"

"No chance, if this thing lands in New York there won't be a home to go back to." he stated as he pushed whatever dials and switches he could. Yet nothing was happening as the altitude gauge showed the rocket continuing to rise ever higher. It was all too apparent to the man that he wouldn't be stopping this rocket. But that wouldn't stop him from redirecting it the only place where no-one could be harmed... and so Astro punched through the control panel and ripped out a bunch of wires and cables and did so with the nearby panels as well. The compass on the dashboard was now spinning rapidly as the rocket reoriented itself to go straight up. A rocket of this caliber would be easily capable of launching itself away from Earth... but doing so would mean Astro would go along too.

"The rocket is redirecting itself!" Mary's voice crackled into the radio again, "It's heading... into space...? What... what did you do Astro?"

"The only thing I could've done." Vance said as he sat with his back against one of the walls. "I'm sorry Mary."

"But you'll die!" Mary cried out, "You still have an escape plan right? Please tell me you do..."

"Not this time." Vance replied, shaking his head. "Not this time..."

The mood was quiet as the atmosphere of the Earth ever grew darker and thinner, and although he knew that this was probably the end he accepted it. The world would not die on this day... and he was content with that. But the prospect of leaving Mary like this... it made a tear swell up in his eyes.

"Mary..." he then spoke into the radio, "Don't worry. I'll be home by Christmas. And we'll share that dance I promised..."

"I'll hold you to that Vance." Mary spoke, audibly choking up as she did so. By now the rocket had left the atmosphere and was careening away from the Earth at a rapid pace.

Vance smiled as he watched the Earth begin to start growing smaller: "I know you will."

---

Present Day
​

Getting adjusted to the year he found himself in was... hard to say the least. He was a man out of time and very obviously the odd man out among everyone he found himself among. So much had changed, and there had been so much that Vance had missed out on. And to re-acclimate, or at least to try to, he agreed to join the SSOID. He was lost in his thoughts as the shuttle made its way towards its destination, but snapped out of it when the pilot spoke up: "1 minute until we land. Got it?"

Vance, now wearing jeans, a shirt and a leather jacket, gave a nod as he collected his backpack and stood up. He wasn't entirely sure of what he was getting himself into, but he was confident in doing what was the right thing. The shuttle slowed and eventually came to a full stop as its landing gear buckled and signaled its arrival to its lone occupant. The door opened and Vance stepped out, taking a good look around before seeing a group of operatives looking directly at him. Guess that's the welcoming party. he thought to himself as he walked on over. "Gentlemen. Ladies." he said as he extended his arm for handshakes.

 

[Viper Actual]

"Who the hell wears jeans these days?" Asked Duchess with a low voice as Vance stepped out of the shuttle.
Stryker grunted from behind his visor. "How the fuck should I know? Do I look like a fashion designer to you?"

Duchess smiled and was about to say something when Wraith hushed them both.

Stingray approached Vance and gave him a handshake. "Stingray. Squad leader of Taskforce Predator. It's good to have you."

Next up was Nathalie who was dressed in her casual outfit. She nodded towards Vance and extended her hand as well. "Nathalie Walker, SSOID Counter-Intelligence Division. You'll notice how I'm the only one in the squad without a fancy callsign."

Stingray grunted and gestured towards the rest of the team. "This the squad in its entirety with Duchess, Wraith, Stryker, Wipe and Slam."
The latter weren't the chatty kind with Wipe and Slam offering simple nods towards the newcomer. Stryker remained silent and motionless begging the question if the pilot didn't care about Vance or if he had fallen asleep inside his armor.

Wraith on the other hand greeted Vance with a more tribalistic handshake, grabbing his forearm, with Duchess following closely behind. She gave Vance a kiss on the cheek and winked before stepping off.

Nathalie shook her head. "Be careful with that one," she said with a soft and low voice to Vance.

Before Vance could respond a computerized voice crackled from behind the group followed by a metallic tapping as the quad-legged holographic projector approached Vance.

"SSOID Agent Astro. A pleasure to meet you," said the blurred hologram of a man with its deep and dark voice.

"I am Goblin, your handler. Due to security reasons my identity will remain concealed- for all of our sakes. Understand that while we are happy to have you onboard there are high expectations on your performance. Taskforce Predator consists of our greatest adversaries, our best covert operatives and our darkest mistakes. With the exception of Walker and yourself everyone on the team are expected to follow strict security protocols which includes keeping their real identities secret. I trust that, considering your past career, working with military intelligence won't be an issue?"

 

[joshuadim]

As Vance got himself acquainted with the people he was going to be working with, he was taken aback somewhat by Duchess' sudden kiss on the cheek. That, along with Nathalie's warning, made him uncomfortable enough about her, but he'd have to deal with it. She's not my type anyhow. he thought to himself before the hologram spoke up again to introduce itself as his handler by the term Goblin. And when asked Vance confidently answered: "Not at all, sir. Still gettin' used to things around here, but I'm glad to be back in the field." he responded.

 

[Viper Actual]

"Good," said Goblin. The hologram appeared to turn towards Stingray. "You have your orders. Carry them out. I'll see to it that the Modus Operandi stands ready in time for the conclusion. Goblin, out."
Then, before anyone could say anything, the hologram vanished and the quad-legged projector began to make its way back to the closest recharging station. In the back a couple of crates were offloaded from the shuttle while the group agents that had waited patiently were allowed to sign in with the pilot and take their seats.

Stingray looked at the team and nodded towards the corridor door that Duchess and Nathalie had emerged from. "Let's go, squad. After the briefing we'll be gearing up so no monkey business."

* * *
​

The briefing room itself was sparsely decorated with a handful of curved benches facing a small podium and a large wall-mounted screen. It was one out of five identical rooms scattered throughout the SSOID station used for anything between mission briefings, threat assessments, monthly reports and so forth. Currently Stingray was standing near the podium while the rest of the squad were scattered around the benches.

Nathalie was seated next to Astro with her legs crossed and hands resting a top her datapad. Behind them was Duchess, lazily laid out over two seats, flanked on the left by Slam and Wipe and on the right by Wraith. Far off in the corner was Stryker, his choice of seat a clear symbol of how much he loved his colleagues.

Stingray crossed his arms just as the lights began to fade and the screen was turned on. He looked at Stryker and sighed before turning towards the screen.

Displayed on the screen were numerous reports covered with black censor bars, images showing bombed out buildings, hidden weapon caches, bodies of civilians, politicians and soldiers and more. It was a gruesome display though there wasn't really a doubt whether or not that those gathered in the room wouldn't be able to stomach it. Stingray cleared his throat just as the screen zoomed in on a picture detailing a hastily spray-painted emblem on a concrete wall which represented a bird. Soon enough similar designs of other shapes and sizes turned up next to it.

"Hawk's Eye. A 'post-war armed revolutionary group', as the SSOID dossier put it. Unlike other insurgent groups we know surprisingly little of them with conventional SSOID assets having next to zero intel on the group itself, their members and their operations. We have confirmed that they have carried out at least three raids on SDF equipment depots with all three being low-casualty surgical strikes that saw weapons and equipment get stolen from out of storage. They also carried out a daring raid on the Alpha Site, extracting something far above our clearance level while suffering several casualties with all of the deceased having been scrubbed from any known databases- even ours, which suggests a mole."

As Stingray spoke Nathalie took notes on her datapad. Duchess on the other hand simply yawned, earning a look from Wraith.

"Because of the possible mole and the difficulties surrounding the whereabouts of the group the SSOID have sent us in to do the dirty work. We have nothing but vague leads so I won't promise you any solid action. I'll be going over the leads we have after the briefing and we'll start from there and hope we get lucky."

Nathalie spoke up. "What's their motives? Any known leader?"

Stingray shook his head. "We only have a codename. Talon. That's it. As far as motivation goes we have no clue- they are yet to make any sort of official demands or release anything that resembles a manifest."

 

[joshuadim]

That's odd. Vance thought to himself as he listened to the details, No motives. No real leads. What are they after? The images of the bombings , dead civilians, and more made Vance feel a bit angry at what had transpired. They needed to be stopped. Vance then spoke up: "They're well organized, that's for sure." he commented with arms crossed, "Do we have any intel on cell locations?" Vance then asked Stingray.

 

[Viper Actual]

Stingray looked at Vance and frowned. "Nothing solid. As far as we can tell they switch locations frequently with the only ones we've found having been abandoned moments before." His eyes narrowed. "Most likely because of the possible inside-man."

"Or woman," muttered Duchess.

"What are the leads?" Asked Nathalie.

Stingray nodded towards the screen which shifted, showing several reports from SSOID field agents and even one from the SCSMA detailing a suspected smuggling vessel. "A storage facility which has seen some suspicious activity. A ship suspected of smuggling contraband. Office complex on one of the colonies owned by a shell company. Crimelord that sold merchandise to an unknown party. Suspicious radio transmissions coming from an uninhabited planet."

Shrugging, Stingray continued; "All of the leads are like these. Vague, barely actionable and incredibly risky."

"Goblin is working on his end to narrow down the list but his reach is somewhat restricted until we find something solid and while we do have free reign to pick our own mission he wants us to start with the radio transmissions."

 

[joshuadim]

Stingray presented what few leads they had to go off of, and none of them were anything really groundbreaking. And least of all, none of them seemed to connect in any way. But Vance had a gut feeling in regards to one of them. "The money always leads somewhere. I feel like that crimelord might be a good option." Vance spoke up to get his input in.

 

[Viper Actual]

"A valid point," replied Stingray, somewhat sarcastically. Duchess giggled briefly and had Stingray not been talking she would probably have made some flirtatious comment.

Nathalie glanced at Vance and nodded. "Agreed. If these leads are as random as they seem it might be good to start off with something to hamper their economy."

Stingray stopped and stared at Nathalie and Vance for a brief moment before concluding the briefing with one swift press of a button. "I'm glad that our SSOID liasons are so eager to help," said the squad leader with a hint of annoyance. By the sound of things Goblin's suggestions might have been more than just that though time would tell.

Crossing his arms, Stingray nodded towards his team. "I'll let you know where we'll go once I've contacted Goblin. For now, you better head down to the armory and gear up. Dismissed."

"Finally," muttered Duchess as the team stood up from their seats.

While the rest of the team clumsily got out of their seats, with Wraith moving towards the back to wake Stryker up, Stingray practically marched out of the room. Nathalie chuckled and cut Vance a look. "Don't worry about him. Don't worry about any of them as a matter of fact. We're a bit of an outside party in their eyes."

She motioned towards the door. "Let's head on to the armory. I'll lead the way."

* * *
​

It had barely gone thirty minutes since the briefing. Spread out inside the armory were Nathalie, Vance and the rest of their team as well as several soldiers that bore no emblems or identifying markers. While a bit crowded the SSOID had, thankfully, reserved a corner for Nathalie and Vance which contained several lockers and a pair of equipment tables. The corner itself was walled off with glass in an attempt to give the operatives some form of space from the commotion outside.

As Nathalie and Vance stepped into their corner several of the soldiers grunted or muttered to themselves. In the back Stryker made a comment which made Duchess snicker.

Once behind the safety of the glass Nathalie opened one of the lockers which was marked with her name and grabbed a duffel bag which she began to fill with a variety of equipment. Looking at Vance, she motioned towards the lockers. "I''ll bring gear for the two of us. For now though you should consider arming yourself. Maybe grabbing a set of spare clothes."

That said, one of the larger lockers was open and seemed to contain a large collection of attire for male and female agents alike with varying sizes, shapes and colors.

 

[joshuadim]

Nathalie's words didn't help much as Vance couldn't help but feel a bit off. A team that didn't really get along together wasn't really a team at all. Nonetheless, he gave the lady a nod and followed her to the armory. Having a corner all to themselves was nice, but a bit odd considering that they were isolated from who they were working with. He grabbed himself some extra clothes just in case, he didn't really have much else to wear in the first place. He picked up a blue shirt and brown pants for himself as well as some boots. Some things never change. Vance thought to himself as he got himself ready.

 

[Viper Actual]

Once Vance and Nathalie had selected some clothes, packed them and grabbed their bags it was time to head out to the armory. Pushing through the crowd of grizzled veteran soldiers earned them a couple of glances and some angry grunts. Nathalie simply slithered her way through while Vance's large frame and general appearance made the soldiers step aside. Numerous eyes were on him and he could feel it too. Unlike Nathalie his face wasn't as widely known- at least not yet- though at this point there were indeed rumors of the super soldier brought back from space.

Some of the soldiers eyed him with open suspicion or distaste while others looked curious, scared or simply stared at him in a neutral manner. Looking back at them Vance would find that few of the soldiers actually showed their faces. Visors, reinforced helmets with large chin-guards, balaclavas, bandanas and even the odd shadow masked most of their faces.

Their eyes told him everything he needed to know however.

All of these men were killers.

* * *
​

The trip to the armory went relatively quickly. A couple of disgruntled SSOID armorers standing behind a reinforced window in an even more secure room filled with lockers, racks and maintenance benches released a pair of firearms for Nathalie and Vance. Both of them received a compact easy-to-conceal handgun and a short carbine, with both weapons having three magazines each and a optional holographic scope for the carbine.

Aside from the weapons themselves the armorers were kind enough to supply Vance and Nathalie with two low-profile duty belts complete with holsters, magazine pouches and smaller pockets for tools and communicators. Each item was easily concealed under a jacket or longer shirt, hinting to the often clandestine nature of the SSOID and its black ops teams such as Taskforce Predator.

As Nathalie packed down the carbines and their respective weapon accessories into their duffel bags she glanced at Vance briefly with narrowed eyes. "I sure hope they put you through some rudimentary firearms training before you got sent all the way out here. There won't be a lot of time to spend on the range once we head out."

She shrugged. "Oh well. I suppose you could just punch your way out of trouble, right?" Added Nathalie with a faint smile.

Then, almost as if on cue, the communications came to life.

"Agent Walker. Agent Astro. Stingray here, we just got word from Goblin. Get to the ship ASAP, out."

Nathalie grunted. "I guess we'll find out soon."

* * *
​

The Modus Operandi was relatively sleek and inconspicuous. Aside from the pop-up gun mounts clearly visible as it rested inside the hangar the overall design of the craft looked more like a larger shuttle or personnel transport than a stealth-gunship. Still, any experienced pirate or ex-military terrorist would most likely catch on to its real purpose fast enough.

As Vance and Nathalie approached the craft a squad of technicians sprinted past them while a small forklift skidded away as well. Standing at the bottom of the ramp was Stingray, arms crossed. He simply nodded towards the two of them as they boarded the ship. Duchess' unmistakable laughter could be heard a short distance behind them and the assassin dragged two of her slender fingers across Vance's right shoulder as she passed him by.

"Didn't think you'd get rid of me, huh?" She said with a smirk and a wink. Nathalie rolled her eyes.

Once the team was all aboard they gathered at the center of the ship which contained a oval briefing room that looked more expensive than the ship itself. Waiting inside was Goblin's blurred holographic appearance as well as another, much smaller, feminine holographic face.

"Team," said Goblin, clearing his throat. "Intelligence resources have been trying to provide you with additional information regarding the leads. As per Agent Astro's suggestion you will undertake the investigation of the crime lord instead of the radio transmissions."

Stingray glanced at Vance briefly as Goblin said this though his gesture would earn him a brief stare from Nathalie who stood next to Vance with her arms behind her back.

"Your mission will be to go to the world of Zalavari II. Despite the amount of time that has since passed since war devastated our colonies Zalavari II is sadly yet to fully recover from it. Scorched land is still being treated in the hopes that it will be used to grow crops in the future but in the meantime the struggling local population has been doing everything to stay afloat- including aiding known criminals."

At this point a hologram showed the planet in its full alongside points of interest and small info-graphic windows detailing history. One of the points of interest was a memorial built above a mass grave which had been the home of at least two hundred locals that hadn't been able to relocate in time as war struck the world.

"Relations with the SCSMA and any other Sol-agency is cold at best and outright hostile at worst. It's not an ideal situation to drop into, luckily we've been able to track our target- Gustav Wallin, a profitable Valhallan with Legkiy ties- to a much more narrow area. Searching for him should prove easy enough as the area is home to only three ranches with all three being suspected of storing criminal funds, laundering money, fencing stolen property and harboring wanted individuals."

"Will the Colonial Sheriffs assist us on this one, sir?" Asked Stingray.

"Negative," replied Goblin, shaking his head. "Understand that this is a black flag operation; We'll be operating on our own for this one. I'm looking into temporarily assuming control of a Navy frigate on patrol in the area but odds are a ship of that size will give the bad guys a heads-up of what's about to come. The only real assistance I can give you is a single unit of SSOID agents that are already on the ground. So far they've been briefed on partaking in a possible drug bust but for now they are blissfully unaware of the connection between our raid and the Hawk's Eye terror group."

Stingray, as well as some of the others, simply nodded. Nathalie glanced briefly at Vance before looking at the holographic projection of the planet.

"Any questions, team?" Asked Goblin.

 

[joshuadim]

Vance was used to being surrounded by soldiers, it was his prerogative back in those days when he was fighting alongside men he knew and trusted. Yet, here it was uneasy since he knew *no one* and yet all eyes seemed to be right on him. The person that even came closest to even as an acquaintance would have to be Nathalie at the moment, and even then they weren't necessarily well acquainted at the moment apart from a few interactions. Yet, she seemed nice enough when compared to the rest of the squad. Especially when compared to Duchess since that woman gave off bad vibes to him. Their trip to the armory was rather brief as well after getting some fresh clothes, as the two quickly got some pieces for use on the field. Although much different than what he had used back in the Cold War, the principles behind them were still the same. Point the barrel at the bad guy. "Sometimes, old fashioned is what's needed." Vance replied to Nathalie with a smile before the call came in for them to report in.

As the two made their way over to the Modus Operandi, a brief encounter with Duchess once more got Vance's distaste for her to grow more as they made their way over to the briefing at hand. A different region, unfriendly locals, and a dark-op overview. Sounded just like one of his drops into Korea or Kazakhstan. As he listened to the details he grew more and more comfortable as his soldier mindset took over and analyzed the situation. The biggest question that popped up into his head would be the potential for unwanted civilians in the AO. When Goblin asked, Vance replied: "Are there any civilians in the area we need to be aware of?"

 

[Viper Actual]

"Affirmative. Local civilian population within the Area of Operation amounts to something between twenty to thirty adult men and women with an unknown number of children. One of the ranches also has something between two to three dogs to help guide their cattle," replied Goblin.

"Beyond that there should be no additional civilians in the area. Please keep in mind that most of these civilians are able-bodied and have rudimentary training and knowledge in regards to operating weapons. They might not be able to set up ambushes or make use of any sort of military tactics but they can and will surely try to take a shot at you if you give them the chance."

"They can try," muttered Duchess. Wraith glared at her companion while Stingray simply nodded in response to Goblin.

"We will try to minimize civilian casualties. With any luck we'll be in and out before they even know what happened."

Nathalie on the other hand crossed her arms. "What about enemy combatants? Strength? Equipment?"

"Wallin is to be considered armed and dangerous. Last time he was within law's reach he took pot-shots at a couple of Colonial Marshals trying to arrest him. Gustav is also known to travel with a small contingent of bodyguards. No less than two but no more than five, assuming intelligence is correct. At least one or two of them have previous experience as local militiamen from one of the colonies but the others aren't much more than mere thugs. Expect light resistance initially but fierce and outright suicidal tactics once they are cornered."

"Any means of escape?" Asked Wraith, remaining almost as solid as a statue while her piercing blue eyes locked to the hologram.

Goblin shook his head. "Negative. There's a couple of land-based vehicles registered to all three ranches but nothing that can outrun the Modus. Local air-traffic is restricted to the trade-port as to not disturb the automated crop dusters and watering drones. Only way for them to flee would be to knock you all out and disable the ship- obviously that's not going to happen."

That said Goblin turned and nodded towards the smaller feminine hologram. "To aid you in the field and to better coordinate operations the Modus has been installed with its very own AI. She's fresh out of the Alpha Site and has been specifically designed to assist with tactical operations. Ava, introduce yourself."

On cue the AI nodded, its projected face smiling. The way the face was simulated was eerily realistic as her mouth, eyes, cheeks, eyebrows and whatnot moved naturally just as they would with any other person as they spoke. Whatever emotions she displayed looked very genuine.

"Hello, I am Ava. I will be your tactical assistant and operations coordinator, as well as a direct link to the SSOID HQ for our onboard agents. My databanks allows me to assist with, to name a few, infiltration, tactical decision-making, hostage-rescue, negotiations, translation, military tactics, electronic warfare and enhanced interrogation."

 

[joshuadim]

Vance listened intently at the continued flow of intel about the operation, discerning on what exactly he was to expect down there. Obviously, he wanted to avoid hurting or killing civilians... but could he trust the others to do the same? He didn't know the answer to that as he stayed silent and continued to listen as Goblin introduced everyone to their ship AI, Ava. A curious thing to Vance as he wasn't exactly familiar with such things. It certainly spoke and acted human, but it was all an imitation in order to interact with its intended users to properly convey information. What was impressive however was how much information this AI seemed to be capable of transmitting and aiding with for operations. Seems as though the group was getting the highest aid.

 

[Viper Actual]

"I sure hope you don't expect me to share my job with her," muttered Stryker as Ava finished. Stingray tilted his head and glared at the pilot who shrugged while Duchess giggled.

Goblin on the other hand simply cleared his throat. "Now that all of that is out of the way I'd like to summarize your objectives; Confirm the whereabouts of Gustav Wallin, neutralize his bodyguards, terminate or apprehend him and verify if he has any additional intel or mission-related items on-site. Your Rules of Engagement are simple: Pacify anything and anyone that is armed or otherwise pose in a threatening and/or hostile manner. Minimize civilian casualties. Refrain from identifying yourselves as SSOID agents and assets."

The hologram seemed to pause and move slightly as if it was studying everyone seated at the table. "Are we clear?"

"Yes sir," replied Stingray, followed by identical confirmations from some of the other team members.

* * *
​

Following the briefing it was time for the team to locate to the onboard quarters. The Modus Operandi wasn't very spacious for a ship but considering the fact that it was of a military design the little privacy and room it did offer was considered luxurious. Aside from the six original members of Taskforce Predator's primary unit and their two SSOID liasons- Nathalie and Vance- there was a small compliment of automated crew members onboard.

These simplistic robots manned their stations 24/7 and made sure to keep the ship running even while the team was resting or in the event that they were out on a mission and while they weren't expected to take the Modus into an intense dogfight they would at the very least be able to keep the engine running and monitor the radar for hostile activity.

As far as layout went the Modus was very compact and spartan; the cockpit/bridge doubled as a tactical ops center which was adjacent to the briefing room and a smaller, much more private, briefing room for the commanding officer. There was a small armory, a trio of cells that made up the brig, four toilets with showers, a pair of cargo holds and four bunk-bed rooms for the team.

Stingray took the liberty of deciding on who was gonna share room with who, using his authority to prevent a potential disaster after Duchess offered to share room with the 'hunk-agent'.

Duchess would find herself sharing her room with Wraith who was expected to not cause any ruckus while Slam and Wipe shared the second room. Stryker and Stingray would end up sharing the third room- mostly because no one else was expected to tolerate Stryker's intense snoring- while Nathalie and Vance were, despite the difference in gender, were expected to share a room as well.

After a brief tour around the ship Ava alerted the team to inform them that they would be able to get at least eight hours of sleep before the ship would even be remotely close to Zalavari II, thus prompting Stingray to order everyone to sleep or at the very least rest for a while.

Nathalie, still dressed in her casual outfit but without the jacket, rummaged through one of the duffel bags inside hers and Vance's room. She had locked the door to prevent anyone (read: Duchess) from breaking in and was currently standing next to the only table inside the room. As far as decorations go onboard military vessels the personal quarters looked relatively sleek. The bunk beds looked expensive.
The table and its two chairs would pop in and out of the wall and floor while the personal equipment lockers looked spacious and very reinforced, making them perfect for storing every piece of expensive gear one didn't want to share with everyone else inside the armory.

In Nathalie's case that would include her handgun, its related accessories, half a wardrobe of disguises and some other SSOID equipment that she had brought along. She glanced over her shoulder at Vance. "I know it's not optimal but it's just temporary. We'll be staying on-planet most of the time either way."

She looked back down at the gear in front of her and continued to sort through it. "Then again you don't strike me as the type to get easily offended."

Nathalie folded a couple of shirts and placed them inside the locker while looking at her colleague. "Anything on your mind so far? Questions? Worries? Thoughts?"

 

[joshuadim]

Vance started to get himself settled in within the room assigned to him and Nathalie as he started to unpack what few things he had along with him. Some basic clothes and apparel took up most of his items along with an old metal pocketwatch with a flip cover. A personal memento that had managed to travel with him in the rocket that got him into this mess in the first place, and he made sure to safely store it in the remaining free locker in one of its compartments. Personally, he didn't mind sharing quarters with Nathalie as back in the day he had to share sleeping quarters with people in his old squad. Good men, the lot of them. He always did wonder how they turned out after he went MIA, and deep down hoped that they lived happily after service.

"It usually takes too much effort to be offended by something." Vance replied with a smile as he kept unpacking his sparse belongings, "I find it easier to live and let live from my experience." It didn't take long to finish moving out his belongings from his bag as he looked back to Nathalie as she asked her question. "Well... I just hope that I can count on people to have my back out in the field. How about you?"

 

[Viper Actual]

"To live and let live sounds like a noble way of handling life and its many challenges," said Nathalie, chuckling. "I wish I could share that sentiment. I guess I'm just too cynical because of the job."
She turned and looked at Vance. "I know we just met but I gotta ask; What's it like? Coming back from the dead and all?"

Nathalie shrugged. "I don't think I can imagine it let alone comprehend it all. At least you can count on me, eh?"

 

[joshuadim]

"Well, being frozen for a few hundred years does make my joints a bit stiff." Vance said with a chuckle as he sat on his bunk, "But truth be told... it's all so strange. What seems normal to you would've been magic for us back in the day. And now here I am..." Vance's eyes then drifted down to the floor as he remembered those he left behind as well, downing the mood for a moment before bringing back his usual upbeat self as a front. Nathalie's assurance made him nod: "Yeah. I suppose I can. It's nice to talk to someone."

 

[Viper Actual]

"You look healthy enough," said Nathalie with a smirk. "For an old dinosaur like yourself, that is."

As Vance spoke about the modern-day technology and it's magic-like appearance Nathalie could only nod. She couldn't really fathom a world without all the current inventions, devices and gadgets, let alone spaceships. Sure, she'd been on a couple of primitive worlds in her time but usually the people she was tracking down carried something high-tech with them.

She crossed her arms. "I'm sorry if I killed the mood. We could talk about something else if you want. I'm all-ears."

Nathalie nodded towards him. "Your dossier. It's mostly blacked out and only really entails what you are. If it's not too much to ask I'd like to hear your story- the real story, not the one covered in ink. Who were you before all of this? What did you do?"

 

[joshuadim]

"Well... it's not as interesting as you might expect. My parents were farmers, I was a country boy before joining the army. Fought in Korea... got a Medal of Honor for saving most of my friends in my platoon. When I came home, I was approached with an opportunity to serve my country further. And... well, the rest is history." Vance stated rather concisely. "A lot of things you see in war... they tend to stick with you. We compromised, sometimes in ways that made us not sleep so well at night. But we did it so that people could be free."

He sounded rather confident in his belief of that last statement, with an undying knowledge of whatever it was he had done back then it was for a better cause. "But in the end... it was all for naught it seems." he then said solemnly, "I'm still brushing up on history, but I've read enough to know that the chaotic world I left remained chaotic long after. The Gene Wars, a third world war... I wish I had been there to stop it all."

 

[Viper Actual]

Korea? Gene Wars? Third World War? Nathalie tried- and failed- to mask her surprise. She knew that Vance was old but not that old. She crossed her arms and tilted her head. "If you're that old I'd say you're nothing short of a medical miracle. Still, I wouldn't mind having that kind of upbringing. Wars or not it sounds nice and genuine."

She sighed. "You don't get that alot anymore these days. Always an ulterior motive." Nathalie chuckled. "At least that's how it feels."

"As for your service I'd like to believe you helped bring change back then. It's not your fault that we fall back to our habit of wreaking havoc every decade or so."

Nathalie nodded towards him. "We should all be so lucky to feel like we've brought some kind of change to the world. I can tell you that I don't, not with the things I've done."

 

[joshuadim]

"As for your service I'd like to believe you helped bring change back then. It's not your fault that we fall back to our habit of wreaking havoc every decade or so."

"Doesn't feel like it, I can tell you that." Vance replied with a dry humor as he listened to Natalie. When she spoke of her own actions Vance tilted his head towards her: "I don't think you ought to judge yourself for such decisions. We're tasked to make the tough choices so that other's don't have to." he said, offering his insight to the lady as he sat.

 

[Viper Actual]

"I suppose there's some truth to that," said Nathalie.

* * *​

Zalavari II, Zalavari System
Southeastern Quadrant

04:30 AM (Local Time)

New Yain Grasslands

Upon reaching the still-scorched planet of Zalavari II the team had been poised to move quickly. Down on the ground the day was still in its early hours, something that would offer a substantial advantage when conducting the raid as the majority of suspects were expected to be sound asleep or find themselves waiting out the final hours of any possible night shift.

That said Stingray had deployed his forces straight away. Well-rested and geared for combat the team had been dropped off at an SSOID safehouse in the middle of nowhere. From there they had split up into three teams with each team being accompanied by a handful of local agents and operatives.

After a quick secondary briefing mid-air the stage was set and all of the pieces were in play. Stingray, Wraith and Duchess were assigned to team one, Wipe and Slam to team two and Nathalie and Vance to team three.
Out of the entire team only Stryker had been left behind- having been ordered to stay onboard the Modus with Ava.

Now, as the three jet-black unmarked dropships barreled through the cloudy sky on their way to the target area the situation was growing more tense by the second.

Seated in the back of the dropship with nothing but a single red light to illuminate the compartment were Nathalie, Vance and five SSOID agents.

The agents were dressed in softshell jackets and black combat pants, old-school leather jackets and jeans or a combination of the aforementioned clothing.
Nathalie on the other hand was dressed in a black bomber with tights of the same color. All of the agents- and Nathalie- wore low-profile plate armor with tactical holsters and pouches on their thighs.

There were no insignias or markings to identify what organization they operated under. Some of the agents even used balaclavas to mask their faces.

As the dropship rumbled slightly Nathalie looked up at Vance. She had just finished loading a compact carbine in her lap.

"Ready for your trial by fire?"

 

[joshuadim]

Vance, now wearing a graphene-titanium nanoweave suit along with several hip pouches attached to his sides, sat across from Nathalie in the near dark of the aircraft as they ventured to the operation zone. Nathalie's words, while true since this was his first mission since being brought back, got a chuckle out of him as he sat with hands locked together. "Ma'am, I was made for this. I can handle a bit of heat." he replied in jest and with a smile.

 

[Viper Actual]

"Good," said Nathalie, nodding. She adjusted the carbine in her lap and exhaled deeply. "Let's hope this goes as planned."

One of the agents grunted while another chuckled. Meanwhile a masked third agent who was wearing a olive drab baseball cap elbowed Vance and nodded towards him. "You guys from narcotics too?"

At the same time the pilot muttered something which prompted the co-pilot to glance over his shoulder. "One minute. Get ready."