TOPIC: Covert Ops - Discussion

Not so much. I was just going to give you each a wetsuit and a speargun and let you get on with it.

OPERATION BUSTER SQUID

Location: Mediterranian Sea.

Caruso's contacts have located 'The Third Knight led by Brunnhilde' on the bottom of the Mediterranian. While laying cable along the seabed off Tripoli, french telecom company 'Globecast' stumbled upon the sunken wreckage of lost Nazi u-boat 'U-977'. The crew of 'U-977' were on a secret mission to smuggle the painting out of Germany when she disappeared without trace. The co-ordinates of the wreck are stored on the server in the 'Globecast' headquarters in Marseille, France. The first part of your mission is to infiltrate the 'Globecast' building and extract those co-ordinates from their database.
As an additional complication, SECTOR's European branch have requested that you install a virus onto the personal computer of 'Globecast' CEO Philippe Bernard. This program will create a backdoor into all of 'Globecast's' telecom services and better enable them to identify and monitor subjects of interest.



The second part of the mission is to dive to the sunken Nazi u-boat and recover the painting 'The Third Knight led by Brunnhilde' from the wreckage. Obviousy, we have no idea what condition the painting will be in, but hopefully the Nazi's had the forsight to store it in a watertight container. Your contact in Tripoli is a freelancer called Amina Bakkar, daughter of the so-called 'Pirate King' Akram Bakkar. Akram Bakkar has been tied to CITADEL operations in Libya and Amina is gathering operational intelligence in order for SECTOR to formulate a counter strategy. Her cover must not be blown, if Akram realises that she has betrayed him, her life will be forfeit, regardless of their close blood ties.

AMINA BAKKAR


AKRAM BAKKAR


OBJECTIVES

PRIMARY: Recover 'The Third Knight led by Brunnhilde' from U-977 and deliver it for analysis at Atlantic Base [3DP].

SECONDARY: Install SECTOR virus onto the personal laptop of 'Globecast' CEO [2DP].

OPTIONAL: Do not blow Amina's cover [1DP] / Acquire intel of CITADEL operations in the Mediterranian area [1DP]

Also, new skill - NEGOTIATOR (Will/2).

1. TRUCE: Roll under skill level to cause everyone in hearing range to cease fighting for one round - or until someone does something to break the truce. Will only work once per combat.
2. SURRENDER: When all seems lost, roll under skill level to negotiate the terms of your surrender.
3. FAST TALK: Roll under skill level to persuade someone to provide you with an item, service or piece of information that they might not ordinarily volunteer.
4. DISTRACT: Keep someone engaged in conversation and reduce the chance of them noticing something going on nearby.

Thoughts?

I like FAST TALK and DISTRACT, not so sure about TRUCE - I've rarely known a combat in an RPG end before one side was on the floor. Similarly, I can't see SURRENDER getting much use - negotiating terms implies that one or both sides are trustworthy.

I'd like to add an extended version of FAST TALK to represent interactions where you are trying to get NPCs to provide something major - such as betraying their employer, changing their point of view, sleeping with the PC (!). This might need several stages of success, with increasingly difficult rolls. Modifiers could include how the NPC feels about the PC, bribes, intimidation, or other leverage

Richard, do you not trust my NPCs?

Your suggestions sound good, we'll fine tune this new skill as we go, since it is completely homebrewed.

Covert Ops – Session Three/Part One (16/03/2017)

• Andy C – Alek Trevelyan
• Andy S – Aubrey Shatners-Basoon
• Steve – Noel Bradley

ATLANTIC BASE, 0300 HOURS: While the rest of the team are debriefed on their last mission, Stig is whisked off to the medical bay to receive treatment for his busted ribs. The business card he was given by Zoya Balalaika triggers the security sensors and Professor Pearce discovers it has been coated with a transparent nanogel tracker. The card is destroyed and the team work with Mia to create a composite sketch of Balalaika and her hulking bodyguard. Running the image through SECTOR’s facial recognition database produces no hits on Balalaika, but Boris turns up as former KGB, presumed KIA. It is assumed that both culprits are now high ranking agents of CITADEL.

For their next mission, the team are heading to Libya to recover the first painting from the wreckage of U-977, a sunken Nazi u-boat on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. This will be the team’s first underwater mission and they are given a crash course in advanced sub-aquatic combat by legendary SECTOR agent Damon Welch (one of the Rank 3 pre-made operatives from the book). Mia (accompanied by recruits Cooper & Madsen) also dives, tasked with calibrating the sonar array suspended beneath the rig. Stig does not participate in the training due to his injuries and Stanley feigns illness because his WoW guild are raiding the Magma Core.

MARSEILLE, FRANCE, 1700 HOURS: Before the team can dive to the wreck of U-977, they need to learn where it sank. A French telecom company stumbled upon the submarine while laying cable along the seabed off Tripoli; the co-ordinates of the find are stored on their secure server at Globecast HQ in Marseille. Additionally, the team have been given a virus to install onto the personal laptop of CEO Philippe Bernard, granting SECTOR backdoor access to Globecast’s worldwide telecom infrastructure.

To lay hands on a building pass, Alek & Aubrey waylay a group of Globecast employees leaving the office.

“Pardon moi,” Aubrey said, in broken French, “Can you direct us to the… how you say, train station?”

While Aubrey distracts the suits with an unwieldy map (of Spain), Alek utilizes his new thief skills to liberate a pair of pass’. Masquerading as visitors from the UK branch, they negotiate a ten minute window to speak with Philippe Bernard. The CEO turns out to be a stocky, silver haired patriarch in his mid-fifties. He was clearly readying to leave the office and his manner is a little harried as Alek and Aubrey are ushered into his presence.

“Ah, gentlemen. My receptionist tells me you are from the UK branch. Where is that again?”

“Er…” said Aubrey, as Noel frantically googles that information from the van, “Milton Keynes, of course.”

“Unfortunately, nobody seems to have known that you were coming and I have a pressing engagement elsewhere. Perhaps we can reschedule this meeting for tomorrow?”

“We understand that your time is valuable Monsieur Bernard, this will only take a moment,” Aubrey said, steering the CEO away from his desk, “We wanted to talk to you about our vision for the Globecast business strategy in 2017. A company is like a big…”

“Flower?” suggested Noel over the S-com.

“…flower. It may not need water or sunlight to survive, like an actual plant, but it stills needs a nurturing hand to encourage growth. Allow me to elaborate…”

Bernard seems to be buying into Aubrey’s weird metaphor, so Alek seizes the chance to stealthily extract the CEO’s personal computer from its carry-case and insert the infected memory stick. The SECTOR virus is successfully transferred and Alek slips the laptop back into its case then clears his throat noisily.

“Is that the time?!” Aubrey exclaimed, “We wouldn’t want you to miss your engagement on our account. We’ll reschedule with your secretary and continue this another day.”

Bernard grabs his laptop and rushes toward the elevator. Now the team just need to access the server and retrieve the co-ordinates for the wreck of U-977. Aubrey convinces Bernard’s secretary to give them a tour of the building. They are guided through a series of interchangeable offices until Aubrey spots a sign for the server room.

“Ooh, what’s in there?”

The tour detours to the server room, where a middle-aged technician launches into a sixty minute presentation on the company’s digital objectives. Halfway through the Power Point, it dawns on Aubrey that the virus they just installed onto Bernard’s laptop should theoretically give them remote access to the server. NPC Stanley confirms this to be true and downloads the submarine co-ordinates from the van. Aubrey is about to leave when Alek starts asking questions about how Brexit will affect the Globecast business strategy and they get stuck there for another 45 minutes.