Bogotá - IC, Low Intensity Operations, Bogotá Options

[Dakka Fiend]

Better toss me another then.

Brian shakes his head, pays, throws his purchases into a bag and leaves for their barracks building.

OK,I need toilet paper cause A: he's shitting me B: all the food's full of shitty germs C: there's a genuine application.

Probably D: all of the above.

Anyway, la gente esta muy loca. Better go and take the time to check my gear real good.

[Slacker]

Khote had gone with his companions to get a feel for the camp and to back them up if there was any trouble. It quickly became clear that all was in order. The camp was much as he would have expected it to be. When Crispy sent out the invite to the secure comm, Khote absentmindedly subscribed to it registering the added TacNet data in the AR display of his contacts.

After a few minutes chatting with the members of 309 Bravo her recognized from their time in training, he excused himself. It was time to seek the guidance of the Great Spirit in this new land. He stepped out into the open courtyard. Finding an open area that wasn't getting much traffic, he drew a circle within the dirt large enough for him to sit within it. As he sat in meditation, he began speaking in his native tongue:

"O' Tunkasila Wakantanka
Ho naho tuwa mis tate el kin,
Niya tuwa ku wiconi makaowacaga kilyuha kin,
Naho mis. Mis cistila na hokesni.
Mis cin nita wasake na woksape.
Ayusta mis mani el hopa, na kagemita ista
Iho kin luta wimaheliyaya.
Kagemita nape younihan kin wa uskekiya mis yuha
Kage na nugemita pestola naho honita.
Kagamis pksape he ugnasmis okahnige takunlnis ospe kiyemita oyate.
Ayusta ospewakiyemis wouspenis inahme el iyohile canwape na iya.
Nita ola wasake el un isom taka isammita ciyawayasni, tka kize isomtakamita toka-misnala.
Kagamis ohinni winiyela el hi el nita kici sapesni hapena owotala ista.
Ca conj wiconi oiyokpaza, el oiyokpaza wimcheliyaya, woniya wakamita ugnas hi el nis cola istelya. "

[ Spoiler ]

English Translation:
O, Great Spirit
Whose voice I hear in the winds,
And whose breath gives life to all the world,
Hear me.
I am small and weak.
I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things I have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every rock and leaf.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy-myself.
Make me always ready it come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.

Headless of the looks he may or may not be getting from passerbys, he spends the next half hour listening to WakanTanka's answer in the wind. He used his earbuds to filter out all the mundane noises of the camp. He simply listened to the wind for what guidance the Great Spirit would bring him....

At peace, body and spirit, he opened his eyes to the camp when the time felt right. He switched his sound filters off and stood. The Great Spirit told him the time for action would come soon enough. For now though, it was time for rest.

He headed towards his team's barracks with a quick message to the others saying he was catching some sleep before they would be called to duty.

[Dakka Fiend]

Just before entering their barracks, Brian checks his messages again.

Guess I don't really need all that time to prep, better let Khote get his beauty sleep.

He looks around, spots a bunch of unoccupied weather-worn chairs and sofas, walks over, throws his shopping bag into one, slumps down opposite to it and takes what to him feels like the first deep breath in almost eight weeks.

Training, exercise, weapons training, marching, even more training, tactics, a strange mix of information overload and you-don't-need-to-know bullshit; and soon the first time it's all going to be for real.

What's this nervous crap? You spent your first night alone in the forest ages ago.

He lets out a sigh Alone.

Guess that's it. This time there's other people, not those eco-loons - they don't count. A real team, a pack if you will.

Letting out another sigh, he leans back and takes in the view.

The camp, the city, the forest, wonder what Laura and Stephen would say? "Ugh!" and "Wheres the rocket launchers at?", I guess.

Setting up an alarm for 17:00, he takes a first stab at writing a letter to his siblings.

It was a frantic 8 weeks, still should of thought of them sooner.

[phlapjack77]

Crispy said goodbye to Brian as the teammate exits the commissary, TP well in hand. Good to know they had an abundant supply of the stuff - the times on maneuvers where he'd had to use leaves, or worse, rocks...

After a few moments had passed where it seemed that Brian had well and truly left the commissary, Crispy turned back to the man behind the counter. A feeling of shame came over the comms expert at having to have such secrets from his teammates. But it was for the best - these things kept Crispy alive, and in good fighting shape. Hell, he wasn't sure why he felt shame in the first place! These things were just a natural result of his condition. He wasn't responsible for the need he had.

"So, I've got this condition. My cyberwear acts up sometimes, I've got Super-Serious-Rejection-Syndrome or something. I need these certain drugs to keep it manageable. What're my chances of you having any Sang Cya? Imuran? Hell, even Deltasone would work."

[Thanee]

"Let's hope things calm down again. Until then, at least we got this place, right?"

Tatjana spends the rest of the evening chatting with the mechanics about this and that, before settling in and getting some rest.

Their shift at the gate is going to begin soon.

[Dak]

time 18:30
location courtyard in front of admin building, Camp Jaguar

---

The S3 (Staff, Director of Operations) is a lanky human fellow named Lancaster. He's grey haired, but looks like he's done his time pulling a trigger. He has a large electronic clipboard, and is watching quietly as personnel assemble in the courtyard. The sun won't set for another hour, and the humidity is so high that it may as well be raining. But Bogotá is cool year round, generally hovering in the 60's, Fahrenheit.

The assembled personnel wear a wide mix of clothing, gear and weaponry. Most tend toward dark colored utility gear. A few in some variety of camouflage, a couple in denim, and one or two in hard armor. About two dozen people stand around, some chatting quietly with their colleagues, when Lancaster speaks up. "Alright, listen up. I'm handing out assignments now. Grab whatever you need and head to your duty assignment. Keep your eyes open. We don't have any specific reports, so here's hoping its a quiet night. Questions?" He pauses. "Get to it." He looks around, "Where's 309 Echo? Come see me." He looks down to the pad in his hands, and types on it. You hear the comlinks of the operators nearby ding or buzz quietly as he sends information to the assembled group.

Lancaster offers a quick handshake to each of you. "I know you're new here. Welcome. You'll be on the inner entrance gate. Your job is simple, keep your eyes out, and make sure that no one gets in that is not supposed to. There are only a few trucks coming in tonight, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal. If you have questions, ask."

Each of you has a message on your comlink that contains some basic information about your assignment. The inner entrance gate - that you all came through earlier in the day - is a heavy, solid metal gate across the entrance into the camp. On the outside of the gate is the entrance lot, a large gravel parking lot, and the outer entrance gate - manned by local contractors who screen traffic before allowing it into the entrance lot. At the inner entrance gate there is a guardpost on the exterior of the wall, and then a squat guard tower on the interior.

You are given the comlink code for the supervisor on the outer gate. His name is Morales. There are a half dozen guys manning the outer gate. Your schedule shows that there are a handful of deliveries expected overnight. One truck load of foodstuffs expected about 9PM, 309 Bravo will be returning from an operations sometime before midnight, an empty tanker is supposed to come in around 1, and there are two possible deliveries after 2am.

Artemis rings in for a quick consult. She's got the same briefing information as you do. She'll be a quick call away if you need her.

116 Echo is packing up their stuff when you all arrive at the gate. There are a few introductions and then they're out of there, eager to get some R&R.

[Slacker]

Khote takes the handshake from Lancaster with a firm grip and silent nod as the team receives their orders.

He double checks the list of deliveries/arrivals in his AR display as they all head towards the inner gate. Appears simple enough. Yet, isn't that always the way of things?

Taking a look at the lay of the land, he makes note of points of cover and the best firing positions should the night go south. Looking to Hammer, "Where you want me?"

[Thanee]

Tatjana is wearing her light armor suit, including a light helmet, all black. Her rifle is back in their quarters, and the only weapon she packs is her sidearm, a heavy pistol. A number of magazines are kept within easy reach in pouches around her belt.

The lithe woman accepts the handshake, Lancaster will note that her grip is a lot stronger than her frame might suggest. This might surprise him, or not, depending on whether he knows about her cyber-replacement, which isn't visible now, fully covered by her light armor suit.

"Well then, let's hope for a calm night! We'll keep our eyes open."

[Mach_Ten]

Hammer checks his comm for the new data and accepts the handshake from Lancaster

"Muy Bueno Senor, a calm night for us all, Ci!"

With his gear strapped and readied he ambles with the team to the gate house, sharing another legendary piece of humour
about Crispy taking so long at the Med Centre being directly proportional to the number of male nurses on duty.

After the brief passing of duties from 116 Echo and a shouted "buenas noches Amigos, hey next time maybe bring some air freshener, Ci ?!"

He turns to his team,

"Okay Senoritas, we do guard duty, is no trouble not like military bullshit hokay"

"Crispy, keep that weather ballon hidden up there okay, you get your big gun up in the tower Amigo, cover our asses Tatjana too princesa, keep your eyes peeled for trouble out there, take turns resting up but no hanky panky okay"

"Tonto, TP and me, we take turns on the gate and in the bunker down here, if the muchachos on the outside have someone coming in we are all up and alert Ci ?"

"Bueno, we got twelve hours of this, no need to wear ourselves out over a gate, but we are the new guys so we do proper job, Comprender?"

[Thanee]

Tatjana, not entirely sure, whether Hammer meant Crispy or her or both with the tower, so she asks: "So, should I get my rifle to that tower?"

"Either way, I will summon us some help to watch out for magical threats, once the sun sets."

When the sergeant confirms, Tatjana heads back to the barracks to get her rifle and a spare clip or two, just in case.

She climbs up to the tower and settles in, looking for a place where she can put her rifle on the ground, using its bipod. The beast of a sniper rifle is far too heavy to be fired without a stable position.

Tatjana also spends some time working her magic, the effects of her spells and chants, however, aren't obvious. It is clear that she has summoned a spirit, which must be hovering in astral space somewhere and hasn't materialized, yet. The whole effort seems to have strained her a bit, but nothing too exhausting.

[ Spoiler ]

- Urban Explorer Jumpsuit ("Light Armor Suit")
- Urban Explorer Helmet
- Form-Fitting Full-Body Suit
- SecureTech Forearm Guards
- SecureTech Shin Guards
- SecureTech Leg and Arm Casings
- SecureTech Vitals Protector
- Barrett Model 121 (Regular Ammo)
- Spare Clip (Regular Ammo)
- Spare Clip (EX-Explosive Ammo)
- Ruger Thunderbolt (Regular Ammo)
- 3 Spare Clips (Regular Ammo)
- 2 Spare Clips (EX-Explosive Ammo)
- Shock Glove
- Commlink (Node and Signal actively encrypted)
- Micro-Transceiver
- Contact Lenses
- Glasses
- Earbuds
- Flashlight
- GPS
- Medkit
- Survival Kit
- Stealth Tags
- Detection Fetish
- Healing Fetish
- Sustaining Focus 5 (Health) with Increase Intuition (5 hits)
- Sustaining Focus 5 (Health) with Increase Reflexes (5 hits)
- Sleeping Bag

- Force 6 Plant Spirit (2 services)

Currently 2 boxes of physical damage

[phlapjack77]

"Nova's trying to act like she doesn't want to spend hours alone with me in that there tower. Don't be embarrassed, many women would kill for the opportunity to be all alone with me and my big gun!"

Crispy responds to the Sarge's commands with the alacrity of someone used to following orders, even if he does it with that last wise-crack thrown over his shoulder as he heads to the barracks. He had ignored Hammerson's jokes about the male nurses at the time. Memories of prison came too close to the surface for comfort. But soon...Crispy was already dreaming up ways to get even with Hammerson as the comms expert gathered his gear. Rocks in his rucksack? Some disgusting ingredient added to his food during chow-time? The possibilities were endless.

Having everything in place, Crispy walked outside. With a quick mental command the bag inflated on the high-flying drone and it took to the skies. As the chameleon coating on the drone's surface kicked in, the watery, wavery outline in the cloudy sky was the only slight indication that there was something up there. Imagery data immediately flooded Crispy's PAN, providing a clear high-altitude image of the surrounding landscape, with radar and visual data superimposed. Satisfied that the drone was in position, he headed towards the waiting team. His armored jacket bulked him out even more than the loads of gear he was carrying, while the all-black wrap-around goggles gave him a slightly insectoid look. He carried his MMG propped up on one shoulder, the tripod legs folded back along the body of the gun. The other shoulder had an iBall drone perched on it. Nodding to the team as he walked up, he gave them all a quick burst over the tacnet.

<<@Team {Crispy} : Tacnet is verified working condition. Sub your links to the node for the data feed. This little guy on my shoulder here can hide himself by the gate and scan all incoming vehicles. Ready to rock guys.>>

This said, Crispy heads to the tower and ascends to the top while the iBall drone rolls to the outer entryway and secures itself in a good hiding position. Setting up the MMG takes but a moment in the soldier's practiced hands.

[ Spoiler ]

goggles, respirator, earbuds, commlink, medkit, grenades, heavy pistol(2 clips ammo), MMG (100 rounds belted ammo), shock glove, armor, tool kit (armorer), iBall drone (thermographic, ultrawideband radar)

[Dakka Fiend]

Waiting with the others in the courtyard, Brian lets his gaze wander. If you thought we were a motley crew, you'd better not look around. The heavily armored group catches his eye.
...
Nice to meet you."
Okay, some deliveries, some guys coming home, guess we can handle that.
...

Bueno, we got twelve hours of this, no need to wear ourselves out over a gate, but we are the new guys so we do proper job, Comprender?

Brian nods and does a quick tour of the parking lot while Crispy and Nova get set up.
Now look at that wreck, nothing but holes and tape.
Back at the bunker, he nods at its door and asks in a mock serious tone So, who's the first to dare enter the foul beast's lair and ascertain what treasure she hoarded? ... And whether there's a fragging coffee maker in there.

[phlapjack77]

Crispy peered down the sights of his machine gun for what seemed the hundredth time. If only he had had the time to get the smartlink set up on this rig. He sighed. No help for it now, iron sights would have to do until he could get some new gear to install on Bertha. Imagery data from his eye-in-the-sky caused him to absently bat at his commlink with a free hand, the action unconscious and routine. He'd been having problems with the feed from his drone for awhile, low-res images showing up where he should have been seeing high-fi-trid-quality topo maps of the area. After the shift tonight maybe he'd have time to delve into why this was happening.

He noted the sleeping bag as Nova hauled her gear up into the tower. His mouth was open and full of an improper comment before being snapped shut again. No time for that now. The zeroing in of the sights for the machine gun continued.

[Dak]

The sun sets and the temperature goes from cool to chilly.

A twelve hour guard shift is largely a battle against boredom and fatigue. It's one reason that comlink games are hotly traded.

There is a highway that runs nearby, a few hundred meters away to the south, close enough that there's a constant hum of traffic, and the vehicle lights can be glimpsed A somewhat heavily trafficked two lane road that feeds the highway runs nearby, and from that road, a street angles off to Camp Jaguar. Around 8PM there is a loud boom from the south, beyond the highway, in the direction of the airport. It is followed by the distant chatter of light weapons, and then joined by the heavier tat-tat-tat-tat-tat of a 20mm cannon. There is another boom to the south, then more small arms fire, which tapers off after a few minute, and the night grows quiet once more. Gunfire is not uncommon though, and it seems you can hear a few shots every once in awhile from this direction or that.

9PM comes and goes with no sign of a delivery truck. The guards at the outer gate seem to have a card game going on, and judging by the swearing in Spanish, there's some wagers being placed on the game.

About 20 minutes after 9, headlights turn down the road to Jaguar. Its about a hundred meters, and its quickly clear that it is a semi truck with a trailer behind it. The guards at the outer gate leave their cards on the table and go out to have a look at the vehicle. You can just make out one of them talking to the driver, as a pair of guards circle the truck, inspecting it.

After a few minutes, a voice comes over the local channel. "Hey hombre, camión [truck] coming your way. Looks okay. Rice and beans, eh?" he laughs. The outer gate cranks open. It takes it almost fifteen seconds to open. The truck shifts into gear and drives into the lot, and the gate closes behind it. The driver rounds the bend and heads toward the gate that your team is on. It's a fairly banged up truck. Looks like its probably been hauling loads for a long, long while. There's a driver-human- in the cab, who switches the interior light on. Next to him there's a human woman with a Colt Cobra SMG on her lap. They pull up to the gate and stop the truck, shifting it into neutral and putting on the brake, letting the engine idle.

[phlapjack77]

As the night trails on, Crispy finds himself increasingly bored. His baby all set up and ready to rock at a moment's notice, he has nothing left to do but stew in the monotony that is guard duty and try to stay awake. He considers popping the LongHaul located in the autoinjector in his armor, but decides he's not that desperate just yet. A cup of coffee would go down better, but none's to be had. Strange, he'd always thought this part of the world would be swimming in the rich fragrance of freshly brewed java. With a sigh, he glances over at Nova, who seems glued to her rifle, moving so little as to appear frozen in time. Crispy'd never been cut out for this kind of duty - he was too jittery to sit still for so long.

<<@Team {Crispy} : Anyone got any good multiplayer games to share? I'm bored as shit up here, and I...>>

Crispy's comm chatter is cut off short at the approach of the truck. He takes up a firing position on his MMG, iron sights lined up squarely on the truck's cab.

[phlapjack77]

Following the relay of information from the iBall drone, Crispy passes the intel along over the tacnet.

<<@Team {Crispy} Got 3 in the cab. 2 up front, 1 in the back. Sarge, what's the listed number of passengers supposed to be in the truck for this delivery?>>

[Thanee]

<< @309ECHO [Nova] In the meantime, I will fly over and check the truck astrally. I will be unavailable via comm for a moment. >>

Tatjana rests her body in a comfortable way before switching to the astral plane. Her astral body superimposed over her own, but invisible to physical means. Next to her, the spirit hovers, waiting for her commands to fulfill the services he owes her. It is a large, vaguely humanoid shaped plant, resembling the local flora. Several feet taller than her own small body, standing there in calm tranquility.

The mage then zips over to the truck, checking for signs of life and magic in there, and verifying, that there are the three persons, that Crispy picked up with his sensors.

She also takes the time to assense each of them, seeing whether there is anything noteworthy or out-of-place about them. Best gotta be extra thorough on her first assignment.

It's probably just a normal truck with normal people... but you never know.

[Mach_Ten]

<<@FRONT-GATE {HAMMER} "Rice and Beans, hey Ese.. Glad we got the last of the TP from the Commissary heh, Bueno for the heads up!">>

Hammer's lenses darken as the full beams swiftly pass over his direction, He strolls forward a few steps with left hand in the air in the "HALT" signal.

Right hand on the rifles pistol grip, casual but ready in case.

"señor buenas noches, por favor espere un momento," he asks the driver to wait while they get the gates working for them in an amicable and non threatening manner.

<<@Team {Crispy} Got 3 in the cab. 2 up front, 1 in the back. Sarge, what's the listed number of passengers supposed to be in the truck for this delivery?>>

A quick glance at the AR comm details, he checks the faces he can see against the list he got earlier from admin
and motions for Brian and Khote to circle the vehicle to check for obvious threats.

<<@Team {Hammer} Checking it out now Crispy, Do me a favour and 'don't shoot dinner' okay Ese, I take beans over Chunky Salsa anyday >>
<<@Team {Hammer} Report in asap Nova, taking no chances but we don't wanna start a war, Ci >>

He steps up to the drivers side of the vehicle about two metres back and asks to double check ID and licences while the guys work.

"Is a good night huh Amigo, you see what went down over at the aeropuerto ?"

[Dakka Fiend]

Hands resting on his AR, Brian waits for the truck to stop, then starts his inspection of the truck.

Walking along the driver side, he remembers his joke about mirrors on sticks from before.

<<@Team {TP} Crispy, think you can take your eyes off the girl for a second and send the iBall to check out the bottom of the rig?>>

After finishing his round, he takes up a position on the passenger side about a foot outside the door's swing.

<<@Team {TP} Checks out from here.>>

[phlapjack77]

<<@Team {Crispy} That's right, don't bend over to check for yourself. Hammerson wouldn't be able to control himself. Elves, you know...>>

Crispy sends a quick mental command and the drone detaches from the wall and rolls out to the idling semi.

[Dak]

time: 21:22:19

Brian and Khote complete a walk around the rig. Its dirty, and someone has written Mamadas gratis [Free blowjobs] in the dirt on the back of the trailer. There are a dozen bullet holes near the top rear of the right side of the trailer. Something small caliber like a rifle.

The drone rolls underneath. Nothing out of the ordinary.

The driver looks down at Hammer nod nods his head. "Si, amigo. Que pasa?" He rests his hand familiarly on the steering wheel and waits. He responds to the question about the airport, shrugging and saying "Misma cagada. Diferente día." [same shit, different day]



time: 21:24:58


edit: added time

[Dak]

time: 21:24:58

crack! crack! crack! At that moment, a few gunshots can be heard from the two lane road that feeds the highway. Small caliber, a rifle. There's a moderate amount of traffic on the road - its not bumper to bumper, but its a somewhat busy thoroughfare.

Then the blare of a car's horn. "Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep" Another gunshot, crack! There's a traffic snarl now, near the entrance of the road leading to Jaguar. A truck, a couple of cars, and an SUV are stopped. One of the cars puts it in reverse and starts backing away from the snarl. The SUV guns the engine, accelerating around the car, and onto the road toward Jaguar, picking up speed as it goes. Your comlinks beep. Artemis. There's a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Some contractors from 309 Bravo should be heading your way any minute now. I just got the word."

The SUV barrels toward the outer gate, and applies the breaks heavily, skidding to a stop before the external gate.

time: 21:26:11

edit: fixed
edit2: time added

[Thanee]

Tatjana has only just returned to her body when the trouble begins.

<< @309ECHO [Nova] The three in the semi look valid. Light cyber, light drugs, nothing special. Gonna try to get a visual on the people in the SUV. >>

After sending her message, Tatjana begins to focus on a spell of hers. She closes her eyes and concentrates to let her eyes wander towards the car.

[Mach_Ten]

"Si, amigo. Que pasa?" He rests his hand familiarly on the steering wheel and waits.

"no hay problema, You are later than we thought Hombre. you have trouble ?"

Hammers line of questioning is interrupted by the commotion at the gate and the abrupt message from Artemis <Mierda! nothings simple >

<< @TEAM {Hammer} HEADS UP ! in the tower .. get me eyes on that shit storm out there, Nova can you see friendlies ? Crispy get me Tactical data are they our boys and what the Frack is goin' on? >>

He waves at the truck Driver with his free hand "Wait here Amigo, we'll get the gate sorted uno momenta!"

<< @TEAM {Hammer} I hear ya Muchachos, MY call get the gate cleared and shift the civilians, >>

" TONTO , TP .. tactical cover NOW! let's see what the frack happens !"
"One of yous drop a call to Lancaster that there's trouble following, we followed procedure so it's their deal now! "

Hammer uses the corner of the small building as cover so he can still see the outer gate, while the guys raise the inner gate to allow the truck access.

<< @ Morales {Hammer} Amigos, SITREP .. The beans aren't cooked yet Muchacho, no need for the rush Ese! >>

**edit formatting**

[Dakka Fiend]

"Some contractors from 309 Bravo should be heading your way any minute now. I just got the word."

Brian shakes his head.

Any minute? No shit, Sherlock. Got company too from the sounds of it.

"TONTO , TP .. tactical cover NOW! let's see what the frack happens ! One of yous drop a call to Lancaster that there's trouble following, we followed procedure so it's their deal now!"

Brian looks at Khote, nods and "Let's spread out!"

As his cybernetically enhanced reflexes kick in, he has the strange feeling of running both at full tilt yet only moving at half speed for a moment.

I'll never get used to the first half second.

He takes cover behind a car and trains his assault rifle at the outer gate.

<< @Team {TP} Ready, contacting Lancaster>>

<< @Lancaster {Brian Marks, 309 Echo} [Gate, URGENT] 309 Bravo coming in, gunshots heard, situation unclear, recon in progress>>