Terrans

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

Next post should be Friday. It will most likely start with the DC teams making the initial breach.

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

Field Contract Advisor Samantha Norr
Acheron Recovery Services Bunker
Briefing Room
Silent Mountain, Montana

"Two hundred thousand is generous. I can probably do what is needed with half that amount."

@PatientBean

Sam gave a nod. Making a note of the promise for further review. A measurable best mark to see if Imogen was a boaster or a promiser.

She was about to ask for further questions when she noticed the steadily decreasing population of the room. A glance at the time revealed Daniel's rapidly approaching deadline; not that the Field Research team would leave without her. But the Direct Action shooters would definitely not hesitate to kick out.

"No more questions. Get your kit and prepare to depart." She hoped she didn't sound as frantic as she felt. The subtle thrumming of her heart all to apparent to her. Exiting and hoping to reach Amory #2 in time.

Field Commander Daniel Graves
Acheron Recovery Services Bunker
Armory #2
Silent Mountain, Montana

The Field Research team had trickled in slowly over the course of Daniel's time hack. A wild array of uniforms and equipment pulled from their lockers and their armorer. Quirky choices that Daniel wouldn't really tolerate for his team but they fell under Sam's purview. She could deal with the logistical headache of their calibers and their effectiveness on her side.

Daniel's teams, at least for the moment, wore plain olive drab or tan uniforms. His uniform the sole grey one among the Direct Action teams. Plate carriers and helmets in the ever common OCP pattern; festooned with gear, equipment and ammunition. Balaclavas a standard feature typically but unneeded given the gas masks they were currently sizing to their faces. A precaution for the first wave at least until they could rule out chemical and biological threats.

Their armaments were uniform for the most part. Barring a few specialists and a few of the veterans' he had cherry picked. Mk18's swung in most of the shooters' grips. The usual array of suppressors, laser/light systems and close quarter optics mounted to the user's preferences. Except for the snipers with their large bore custom rifles and the machine gun team lugging their disassembled monstrosity.

Clattering boots preceded Sam's hurried arrival. Panic, visible to Daniel at least, barely suppressed as she hurriedly threw open her locker. As she threw on her gear; Daniel looked over the beast of an IT and the shotgun he was lugging.

"Kind of lot of gun you got there." Daniel said as he sauntered up. His eleven inch barrel even with suppressor nowhere near it's size. "You know you lot are in the second wave right?"

Curiosity as to why the IT guy was kitted out like an action movie hero a welcome distraction at least for the next five minutes.

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

Application:

Kedem Girma

Name: Kedem Girma

Age: 28

Appearance: Kedem

Nationality: Israeli

Branch: Direct Action

Role/Occupation: Tracker/Infantry

Skills: Leadership - Kedem after years with Golem United has developed good leadership skills and knows how to motivate his men and get them to finish their mission. Even when things seem hopeless and despite increasing casualties.

Experience - While he was trained militarily, most of his combat experience comes from when he was in the field with Golem United and is used to dealing with dimensional beings.

Special Vision - After an incident at Golem United's main base. Kedem has developed an ability to see into a different plane. Enabling him to see past walls, identify dimensional and psychic beings, track them down and even see beings that are invisible. Plus, see dimensional and psychic energy.

Multilingual - Due to his upbringing, service in the military and service in Golem United. Kedem knows Hebrew, Amharic, English and Arabic.

Weaknesses: Still learning - Kedem is still learning his new power and has a way to go before he has mastered it. Currently, he still gets confused sometimes when using the sight as the transition from normal vision and his special vision can make things hard to see. Like doors, walls or even certain objects.

Vision Problems - While Kedem's special vision does have benefits, they come with their own problems. If he uses it for too long, he starts getting headaches and it is not a passive ability. He has to turn it on and off and whenever he uses his special vision. His eyes glow a bright blue the entire time, so it's obvious when he uses it. Plus, the stronger the being is either dimensionally or psychically, the brighter the being is to Kedem while using his special vision and so a being powerful enough could blind him.

Background/Biography: Kedem was born in Tel Aviv to Einku and Tinsae Girma in 2002. The middle child of three and his parents were Israelis of Ethiopian descent. Life for Kedem was not like most other children due to his parents' connections to an Israeli damage control agency, Golem United. Golem United was run by his uncle, Tarik Girma. A former military man turned businessman who managed to take control of Golem United from his original owners. While his mother and his uncle had a good relationship with each other and Tarik would give gifts to his family as a sign of that bond. Which made Kedem's life easier growing up and he would have a good opinion of his uncle.

Which after Kedem's mandatory military service, his uncle offered him a job at Golem United. Kedem accepted and was in charge of their combat forces. While he did not know he was up to the task, he still tried his best to make his uncle proud. At first it was hard for him but after some time and help. He was starting to get the hang of it. This lasted for five years and Kedem's leadership skills did show and helped the company through some tough contracts. He even went on some missions himself and personally fought with his teams. But, his uncle was growing more ambitious and cutthroat. Putting a strain on their relationship. Then when his uncle accepted a contract that unknown to both men, it would spell the end for the company.

The contract was simple, capture an entity that had escaped from a facility and hold it until a new containment facility could be built. Capturing the entity was not easy and they lost a good number of men to capture the thing even though it was in a weakened state. Once it was secured in the company's vault, Kedem through a aide learned that his uncle's was planning on secretly betraying the client and selling the entity to the highest bidder. When Kedem confronted his uncle over this, an argument broke out, and during it the entity managed to break out of the vault. It causing major destruction and chaos throughout the base. Kedem tried to contain the entity and even tried to kill it before it managed to escape by opening a portal and Kedem was close enough to it that he was exposed to dimensional energy.

In the aftermath of the incident, The Golem United's main base was mostly destroyed with few survivors. Kedem and his uncle being one of them with Kedem waking up in a hospital and learned that his uncle's plans were revealed and now no one wanted to work with Golem United anymore and without contracts. The company soon went under and its rivals soon took over Golem United's former territory.

Kedem after recovering, wanted nothing to do with his uncle and tried to find work with something with his skillset. That was when Acheron learned about him and offered him a job. Though not in a command role, but in a position in their direct action force. As they did not fully trust in a command role and wanted to see if he could be trusted. Kedem accepted and is now using his skills and newfound power for Acheron.

@Theyra

Accepted

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

For the purposes of this RP assume the other branches will have the persons needed to fill out gaps the player characters have: whether that be in skills or numbers.

Lancer [Mechs, Magic, and Intrigue]

Commander Stader Volger
89th LSC CO
Aside With Mika Ganishka

The giggle threw him. A rough sounding amused chortle that came from the captain before her abbreviated history and sector politics lesson. What threw him was how human it sounded; an odd bit of character he could now add to his description of the former pilot. A description that now included a level of swagger and arrogance that he normally associated with strike craft pilots.

A level of arrogance that included a system claim staked at the beginning of this venture. Which while a big claim; Volger could admire for her simplicity. No talking in circles or round about schemes. A simple exchange of titles and powers for service.

But her last statement caused him a brief spell of puzzlement before understanding dawned on him.

'You don't know. He never told you.'

His amusement became obvious. A grin splitting through what had been a mask of annoyance. Granite features crumbling.

" You don't know what I'm here for do you?" His head cocked as he took a step back. He head not having to crane up and his not having to crane down. Though, truthfully, it made no difference in their gazes. "I'm surprised. Truly, it's an open secret of the Imperial Lances."

He wondered whether he should continue. Leave her with that bit of mystery and see what came of it. But, he decided it would be more useful to see her preparations. Easier to counter when you knew what others started with. A jabbed his arm mounted TacPad. A white noise jammer that would wash out most regular listening devices.

"Allow me a bit of history myself. I report to FOSCOM. Which reports to the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, not Imperial Intelligence. A distinct difference but you wouldn't understand unless you took a paycheck from one or the other." A teasing grin as he tapped an emblem on his pauldron. A subdued triangle with a circle. An '89' visible barely among the polychromatic cloaking. "All of which was created back when the Imperium had a nasty bout of civil war around a few century ago."

He threw an arm around, encompassing the room but seeming to gesture past it.

"Back when Imperial Lances were sent into the black on their lonesome. The best pilots of the Imperium. Not the most loyal. Not the most trustworthy. The best pilots. The Achilles, Gilgameshs, and Masamunes of their times. Great warriors and killers suddenly at the edge of the verse. The power of the Empire at their fingertips but none of the burden or the expectations. Ships, ACs and soldiers at their beck and call. Why serve in heaven when you can rule in hell; if even for a minute. I'm sure you get the picture."

His grin now turned melancholic.

"So no longer would a Lance embark members of the Imperial Army. Instead, they would use us. The support companies. Specially trained and screened. To support the Lance of course but that's a byproduct sadly." He tapped the sidearm still holstered in a crossdraw. "My objective is to make sure this Lance stays within the bounds."

A meeting of gazes. Understanding, dawning as Volger continued.

"I'm a loyalty officer Captain Mika Ganishka. A capable one for sure. But my goal is not to drag a prince to glory. Nor is it to babysit a Lance And definitely not help a pirate make a play for a title after her side lost a brushfire war." The last part said with a slight bit of venom.

"But don't worry. I need certain criteria for any action. My personal feelings have no say; protocols and rules. So stay in line, do your job, and if you want to use my troopers for anything; you let me know ahead of time so I can plan for it."

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

Field Contract Advisor Samantha Norr
Acheron Recovery Services Bunker
Briefing Room
Silent Mountain, Montana

"Questions, yes." Soraya looked down at the paper she'd been taking notes on, tapping her pen against the page. "Are there other exits? Or can we interdict this news team as they leave the facility?"

@Tesserach

Sam fixed her gaze on Soraya. A slightly more forced smile as she brought up the exterior blueprints.

"The facility should be in a security lockdown. Hence, why the Direct Action teams are breaching their respective entrances. No one, especially the news teams, should be able to exit." She then pointed to some of the symbol's on Daniel's map. Hoping to god that she was pointing out the correct ones. "And the sniper teams and machine gun on the exterior will have clear lines on the exterior. No one will leave without us knowing."

Sam gave a pause. Dark blue eyes meeting Soraya; establishing eye contact as the leadership seminar advised.

"I know you know how to do your job. Just remember that the Direct Action teams don't care about news crews. They care about whatever caused the facility to go dark. We pay you, the concealment teams, lots of money to worry about things like news crews with video evidence. So as long as their evidence remains buried you can sit under an umbrella sipping on Long Islands."

Sam took a breath. Dialing back from what she could tell was becoming hostile. Daniel's little stunt had gotten to her. She had to calm down before she got the reputation as the bad cop.

"I trust you will use your best judgement on this contract. Any other questions?"

Paradise Lost

John Lockman

Ginny bobs her head along "Even better."

@Pragia12

John could admit his curiosity was piqued at what made a test pilot better then a designer. When, the slowly becoming familiar, clumping of an environment suit preceded Fihlyn into the bay.

The Quessir crew member giving an energetic wave that looked at odd with the clunkiness of the suit. John wondered if the clunkiness was inherent to its design or if its user had any effect. A minor detail possibly but one that he might-

“I see that good progress is being made on your shuttle?” Fihlyn inquired, peering curiously at the scattered detritus and tooling that lay around the two humans. “I am glad that you were able to recover it. Attempting to land the ESS thirty-eight-twenty-two, dash-zero-one on a poorly surveyed planetary body would have been…” She paused for a moment, frowning as she tried to think of the right word in the Edenite tongue. “...unfortunate?”

Fumbling briefly with the tablets that she’d brought with her, the Quessir continued excitedly.

“I do not mean to interrupt your work, but I have made progress on an expedited training program for piloting the ESS thirty-eight-twenty-two, dash-zero-one. With so few of the original command crew remaining, it would be prudent to have redundancy for piloting and navigational needs.”

Managing to get her glove-constrained fingers around the top-most tablet, Fihlyn offered it to the pilot.

“I decided that the first chapter of the course should focus on general vocabulary and terms related to piloting this class of vessel. Much of it should be easy review for you, I am sure, but there will still be a test…once I have finished writing it.”

@Bentus

John looked at the tablet with the dawning horror of old memories overshadowing the new.

'Dear stars....I'm back at Flight School.'

The tablet displaying neatly made modules of words and concepts that looked like a home produced textbook. Lacking in budget but not in data or quality of content. Definitely not lacking for content. Rows and rows scrolling past his eyes before he thumbed the pad off and slipped it into his flight suit's thigh pocket.

"I'll definitely give it a gander miss." His smile the forced, easy going one he normally adopted when trying to wheedle some design change out of the brass. "At least after I finish puzzling this out."

He cast a thumb at the engine.

"Debris was a silver bullet. Hit a part that this model exclusively had. New engine design and all that." His tone exasperated as the pilot knelt down. Sorting among the jumble of spares for something he could cobble together or salvage into an amalgamation of a part.

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

Next post I’ll push us to the helo’s enroute unless anyone’s any objections.

After answering the question of course.

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

Apologies but IC post is up. Sorry for any typos but this a rush job. Do as ya'll do and thanks for being a part of Acheron.

In The Black (A Clean-Up Crew RP)

Field Contract Advisor Samantha Norr
Acheron Recovery Services Bunker
Briefing Room
Silent Mountain, Montana

Sam sometimes wondered as to the sanity of Acheron's IT services. In that the newly built complex was already undergoing a tech upgrade; one that had apparently started in the briefing room if the hazardous arrays of wires splaying from the normally neat podium was any indication.

"Why do they keep changing the cables?" She muttered to herself as she finally pulled the correct one from the rats nest and plugged it into her tablet. The screens on the wall beside beginning to boot up with the input of the tablet's contents. As it did so; Sam cast her gaze around the room.

For the most part it was the usual mix of Direct Action and Field Research types. New hires that hadn't yet had the chance to build up their dossiers to rate more then a casual scrutiny from her. Though she recognized enough of the Direct Action guys to realize that Danny, 'Daniel' she chided internally, had cherrypicked some of his old team for the new branch. Though the co-manager's might have had a few personal issues; she trusted his judgement at least when it came to the job.

The issues lay more to the Field Research and as usual; the Concealment Teams.

In the corner, somehow in the shadows despite the brightly lit room, was Stephen Stokes. A man who's un-redacted dossier still had blacked out portions. A few favors cashed in had revealed that it had come down from up top; which meant her father. A personal call had been followed by a more personal rebuke from the head of Acheron. The only tidbit she had summarized had been Stokes had been a trade with Excalibur International. Not an uncommon occurrence but never to the level of secrecy that she had encountered. She would have to ask Daniel if he still had contact with that former SBS captain on Excalibur's payroll.

The thump of something beside her had her look up at Daniel's spot and- Holy Hell!!!

That was the only thought Sam had as she looked up at the guy dropping off Daniel's missing electronics. She had thought Daniel tall but this man dwarfed him by half a foot and looked like he could bench press the bunker's doors. Then he introduced himself; the name Enzo Wagner ringing alarm bells in her head. The dossier she had read had painted the picture of an intelligent man that wasn't satisfied with the normal usage of his background. The man looked and acted like one of Daniel's shooters but with a pun T-shirt and a surfer boy attitude. His mention of personally sourced electronics though caused her to bite back a frown. She would make sure the policy would be posted in full later.

'Speaking of personal devices'

Their field PR rep, Imogen Crestworthy, was just putting away her phone. Such objects not being allowed inside sensitive spaces. But, Sam would cut her slack for now, this being her first posting with Acheron on the Damage Control teams themselves. She held out hope that she would adapt fast; because Sam didn't want the disaster of having to deal with a disgruntled PR rep. Especially one that was working on the branch's Concealment Teams.

That last thought bringing Sam to the dark gaze of one Doctor Soraya Mansour. Another fragmented dossier like Stokes. Though, complete enough to form a picture that had Sam simultaneously worried and impressed. A spy that had been burned after working in the cauldron of Nort Africa and the Middle East. Places she had not been but Daniel had painted enough of a picture for her to get the point. A female spy who could survive there was a breed of ruthless. Her mission profile reflected enough peculiarities that no branch office kept her around for long enough. She had been bounced around the transient security units of Acheron before being more or less sent to Silent Mountain. Not so much an exile as the company trying to find the right place for a cog in the machine.

The tablet finished uploading its contents at that point. The screens around the room now displaying the data of the current contract.

A map of Utah on one. Road maps and a satellite image focusing on the southwestern side of the state. The latter displaying a small complex of structures that sat at the end of a single paved road; the sole feature of the surrounding area and its scorching sands.

Floor plans dominated another two screens. Blueprints with information blacked out but keeping the general labels of the layout.

The remainder of the screens held a series of pictures. Photographs that looked like they were being taken for security badges.

Sam, satisfied, picked up the second lapel mic and synced it to the rooms speakers.

"Good Morning Team." She had the tone of voice she had perfected from her HR stint. The happy but not exhaustingly so one. "We have just received the first assignment for the Silent Mount branch of Acheron. A lot of pressure I know but I feel that we will perform as well here as any other of the established locations."

She left out that she had wrangled this contract away from the Salt Lake branch at the last minute.

"The contract is with Obsidian Dynamics. They have recently had a panic button pressed at their research center in Utah." A gesture at the screen with the map. " The company has has no contact with the facility for the last sixteen hours. Their security systems are air gapped so they have no idea what occurred. Obsidian has elected to pay the non-disclosure premium so we have no idea the nature of the complex's research."

A grumbling from the Direct Action section. Most of it from Daniel's handpicked shooters. Sam resisted the urge to send Daniel a reproaching look and instead carried.

"The contract is simple. Acheron will re-secure the facility for continued research by Obsidian. While safeing the complex; we will have to locate and extract two individuals. Research Director Yosef Vizer and Head of Security Ava Wiberg." She jabbed a button on the tablet and highlighted the photos of the pair. The former a squat looking man with a receding hairline and bushy eyebrows turning gray. A lab coat barely visible in frame. The Head of Security had a piercing gaze of hazel eyes and fair hair pulled into a severe bun. No makeup adorned her in the photo and images of a crisply pressed suit collar blended in with her sharp angular features.

Sam let the team gaze on their photos before carrying on.

"Obsidian has stated all other personal are to be protected at our convenience. They will carry out vetting at their own expense and time." A corporate way of stating Acheron didn't have to protect or clean up the employees this time. The contract holder wanted to figure out their own house. "Though they did elect to pay the wet work fee. Concealment teams..."

Sam highlighted three photos. They looked different from the other photos. Like they had been pulled from a social media page.

"... the company will handle its own data and security drives this time. Your main concern will be these three. The company was touring a news team for a public relations piece when the facility went dark. Your goal will be to find the news team and erase any evidence they may have obtained. If they are still alive; Acheron will allow any option needed for this contract. Our black site in Oregon is still open. A fund of two hundred thousand will be allocated for bribery, blackmail or discrediting as needed...."

Sam cut a subtle glance at Soraya.

"...in case of those options failing or not being feasible. Termination is authorized."

The pictures showed a stereotypical news crew. A photogenic reporter with dark curly hair and a wide smile. A grizzled camera man with a salt and pepper beard. A slight blonde intern with glasses and a stylish short cut the girl must have picked up in college. Sam tried to ignore the faces and instead began to swipe for the deployment plan she had put together.

"Now as for deployment-"

"We will land in two waves." Daniel cut in then. As if she had been leaving him an opening Striding onto to the room's center after clicking something on his new laptop. A new satellite image superimposed er the old. Emblems and scrawled symbols now decorated the area around the complex.

'How did he?'

"First wave will be me, Kilo and Juliet and the Concealment team. We will land here, here and here. Snipers and a machine gun posted here and here. Entry will be through the front door and the loading bay here. As we proof the initial clearings; the second wave will land. This will consist of Lima and the Field Research section. Ms. Norr will be with the second wave so each wave has leadership. I will establish a command post to coordinate the clearing once we have a handle on the situation. We leave for the airfield at 1100. Kit up, full combat loads, dismissed."

Daniel's presentation was curt. Pointing out the appropriate spots with the confidence of someone who was definitely not as asking. His stance the swagger she had called his "Operator Walk" to his face. He gathered up the laptop, outside devices and all, and left the room.

Realization dawning on Sam as the door swung close behind him.

Not only had he undercut her deployment plan before she could even outline it. He did it in a way that had made it seem as if she had introduced it. Now if she was to put hers up it would look like confusion at the top. Confidence in both of them would waver. And he had left her behind to deal with any questions.

'Bastard'

Not that it was obvious as she adopted a slight smile on her face. Internalizing it for now and debating how to get him back for the slight. The office and the cowboy coded computer obviously not being enough.

"Are there any questions?"