Neil looks over the list, "Semtex rather than lockpicks? You've got more fire in you than I thought Ma'am. It sure looks like Sam and you are going get us some interesting work."
Land Rover Defender 130 SUV (Quantity: 2)
The military version of the 20th century British 4x4 offroad safari jeep. An extended version of the common 110 series, with a four person crew cab and a relatively small bed. Powered by a 111hp 300 TDI engine on a manual transmission. A vehicle snorkel and waterproof wiring allow for adventurous attempts at river fording. Prominently features a hood mounted spare tire, a roof rack for fuel jerry cans, and a brush guard front bumper with a recovery winch. Notably devoid of any modern luxuries such as airbags. An inauspicious utilitarian workhorse from before Land Rover became a luxury brand in the 21st century.
FLIR Recon BN6 Thermal Binoculars (Quantity: 2)
The world's first set of "true" thermal binoculars in terms of both capability and size. Outputs "white hot" images at 640x480 resolution and can operate for two hours on a pair of recyclable 3V CR123A tactical flashlight batteries. A 4lb set of aluminum binos, with 100mm lenses that otherwise isn't conspicuously distiguishable from large field binoculars. An uncommon item in its day that had to be custom ordered by US military and law enforcement personnel.
AS Val SP-6 Sound Suppressed Carbine (Quantity: 6)
In Russian, "Avtomat Special'nyj Val," literally "Special Automatic Rifle Shaft," or more precisely "Special Assault Rifle, Codename 'Shaft'" The AS Val is a late 20th century integrally suppressed assault rifle, designed specifically for Soviet Spetsnaz operators. Fires the custom SP-6 9x39mm subsonic round. Revised off the infamous 7.62x39mm intermediate rifle cartridge, SP-6 has roughly twice the muzzle energy of the 9mm pistol cartridges commonly used in Western SMGs. Fires in semi or auto from a 20 round magazine and effective to 300 meters. Externally, very similar to an AK-series carbine with a folding stock, except for its prominent namesake "shaft" suppressor barrel. Weighs 6lbs loaded without optics and is two feet long with the stock folded. Even into the 21st century, it only saw limited production and was never legally exported out of Russia.
1kg Semtex Plastic Explosives Brick (Quantity: 4)
Ever try to handle nitroglycerin? It's the kind of thing you get to try exactly once. Plastic explosives stabilize extremely volatile high explosives into a ruggedize piece of hardware suitable for battlefield conditions and handling. Waterproof up to 100m, pliable from -40C to 60C, can take a bullet and still not detonate. Can be incinerated as dry firewood in an emergency situation. Roughly the same performance as similar plastic explosives, actual effectiveness is highly based on the skill of the user in terms of placing, molding, tamping, and overall charge size. Physically looks and feels exactly like red modeling clay. Blasting caps, command wire, and manual clacker included.
After hours of Neil haggling in Mandarin over the phone and the Armory nearly empty, you make rent just barely, and are locked in for a month in FTL travel to the Thiel Planetary System. You fall asleep peacefully know that no one from Paramour will be able to reach you for the next 27 months at least.
***
The next morning, you meet again with Sam and Neil.
Sam breaks the ice, "Well the good news is that were safe within the Mother Leviatian for the next nine months."
Neil snorts, "The bad news is that we're broke and barely functional as a PMC. Our armory is gutted, and we have zippo for operators."
You interject, "Surely we've taken casualties before?"
"Not a full ten ma'am. Plus without Danny, our waitlist just bailed on us. Vets don't want to touch us anymore. If we're going to train up an effective company by the time we hit Thiel, we're going to have to take whatever greenhorns and wannabes we can find."
***
Neil does manage to scrape together seven men and three women who met his basic standards. Competent enough, but eager, it was now up to Sam to give them new identities. In a process that Daniel Ocean himself pioneered, once signed on to the company, an operator has a legal name change and identity built to protect their planetside friends and family. Even to this day, you never learned your husband's birthname. "Daniel Ocean" also started the trend of using "nostalgia" names, something this particular batch of new hires has taken to rather enthusiastically.
Redrick "Red" Batiste
Anna Chapman
Erik Heller
James "Hoxton" Hoxworth
Ethan Hunt
Angus MacGyver
Evelyn Salt
Nikita Taylor
Simon Templar
Victor "Mr. Blonde" Vega
***
Specialist Training Phase."Ma'am, it's Chief McCauley. So I'd like to talk to you about Specialists. I think we've trained up a decent crew, but each month I'd like to really focus on developing a particular operator. Slowly but surely, we'll build Ocean's Ten back into the kind of crew that could to anything from a bank robbery to a hostage rescue."
"Now I can name a dozen different specialties we should have. But I think we should start with a Wheelman. You're the boss though, so let me know if you'd like to prioritize something else."
Specialist: WheelmanManual or automatic, off-road or on, if it's got wheels the Wheelman can drive it. Whether you need a getaway driver or a high speed interception with a PIT manuever, the Wheelman is your guy. Familiar with a wide variety of vehicles, he makes a helluva hijacker as long as you can get him to the driver's seat.
Erik Heller should be trained as the Wheelman.
(1) Wheelman: OpsChief
***
Sam also calls to remind you that the Memorial Service is tonight, and hopes your eulogy is going well.