Chapter I: Pocket Aces
Elysia and a dozen of the best
Blueshift had to offer were buckled into the seats of their Syndicate-brand Atmospheric Shuttle (which is to say, laden with modifications declared illegal by various law enforcement agencies and governments across the system, not that The Syndicate would acknowledge their rules anyway), and on their way to
DRZ-2 off the coast of the Suffolk Territory.
Originally a singular fort left over as a relic from the second world war, DRZ-2 was built up by people seeking to escape the increasingly unstable western European governments. Rough's Tower, the fort itself, became the seat of government as manpower and resources flowed into DRZ-2 and massive construction projects with minimal safety built ever-larger platforms all connected by now-rusting metal. Some satellite platforms exist, including a Penal platform, Blueshift's primary target. This network of platforms eventually gave DRZ-2 the ability to project force across the Channel and into what was Britain, France, Holland, and the Netherlands.
The Syndicate had received a message from the Bates' Boys, a local gang with great influence being oppressed by an MSF-backed "police force" that was little more than a gang with money coming from off-planet. A recent riot on the Penal Platform left the Roughs Defense Group weakened, but placed them and the Bates' Boys in open conflict. Seeking to become a member of The Syndicate anyways, Bates' Boys informed The Syndicate of their need for help as well as the vulnerability of local law enforcement. The RDG had left the rest of DRZ-2 very lightly guarded as their efforts focused on containing the prisoner riots, which included the presence of an elite RDG team guarding their boss as he gave orders on-site. While Bates' Boys were taking on the RDG elsewhere, they didn't have enough firepower to take them on in their fortified section of prison. The Syndicate decided to intervene on the condition that Bates' Boys serve as an extension of their will, and the gang was quick to accept.
Blueshift was dropped off on the shores of East Anglia and boarded a number of rigid hull inflatable boats. The seas were rough but it was dry, although the heavy morning fog was only just starting to burn off. One of the ferrymen spoke to Elysia.
"You're going to want to cover that up!" he shouted over the sound of the motors while pointing at the Queen of Clubs tattooed on the side of her neck, "The RDG control the floating dock to Penal and it's a long way to the top!"
Elysia gazed through him icily, "I'm not here to hide, I'm here to kill the shit your people can't handle. You don't like it? Water's nice and cold, and you can fuck right off. Some bullshit cosplayers pretending to be cops don't scare me
or my people. You don't even look like you've
fucked let alone killed someone. 'Cover that up.' Weak words from a weak man. Hide who I am, ha!"
"Sorry, but-" he tried to speak.
"
Sorry?" Elysia seethed in disgust, "Don't
ever fucking apologize."
She grabbed the ferryman by the collar and pulled him close, jerking the boat slightly though it was almost imperceptible in the choppy waters, "
Own your fucking actions.
Own who the fuck you are. If you can't be proud of yourself, what the
fuck are you still alive for?" Elysia let him go with a shove accompanied by the boat jerking some more. The rest of the ride was made in silence.
Eventually the fog burned away completely and the massive ramshackle titans that made up DRZ-2 proper stood clear in the seas ahead. Separated from the rest of the platforms, and billowing a cloud of black smoke, stood the Penal Platform. Blueshift made their approach and slowed as security on the floating dock signaled them once they were close enough. Blueshift's crafts drifted slowly into earshot.
"IDENTIFY YOURSELVES!" one shouted as the half-dozen other RDG guarding the platform and spiral stairs wrapping around one of the platform's five supports aimed their weapons towards the dingy dinghies.
"RELIEF!" one of the ferryman called out.
"KEEP WEAPONS STOWED UNTIL WE CAN CONFIRM ID! HAVE YOUR IDCHIPS [ID is pronounced as the id of ego and id, or the id in idiot] READY FOR SCAN! STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"
Two of the RDG boarded a craft of their own and moved to intercept the Blueshift craft, one at the controls while the other stood with an ID Scanner in-hand. Once they approached the standing RDG ordered, "Forearms out!"
Elysia watched his face as a dozen Queens of Clubs flashed at him. His eyes practically fell out of their sockets.
"You decide how this goes," Elysia stood and said, "And I suggest you weigh your options with haste."
The guard's Adam's apple hopped in his throat as he tried to swallow his fear. He looked to his partner and mouthed "It's the Queen."
"No way, Queen's been in cryo since the late 21st century," he replied incredulously.
"Not that Queen you fuckin' moron, the Queen of Clubs," the first man hissed.
The second man froze as Elysia's eyes bore into his own, "So are you going to let us on the rig or do we have a problem?"
"Right, I don't get paid enough to cover the cost of cremation and I don't want to be fish food. Just,
fuck, just let us go," the first replied.
"Get us on the dock without your friends with the twitchy trigger fingers over there trying to off us and we'll let the two of you take your boat and go. Now make it look like you're scanning us."
A few moments passed before the three watercraft made the rest of the way to the dock. The two RDG had signaled to their people that Blueshift was clear and stayed in their boat as Blueshift threw ropes out and hooked them onto cleats. One of the dockside RDG reached a hand out to a Blueshift closest to him and received a nasty shock as he was pulled into the boat and a bunch of shotguns were suddenly pointed at his comrades, with the end of a pistol pressed hard into his temple. Elysia stood above her men and boarded the dock as the remaining RDG drew on her and began shouting. The boat with the other two RDG had already begun to drift away.
"Sorry, Reg," one of them shouted over their shoulder.
"What the
fuck is this?" one of the RDG with a fancy command stripe yelled over everyone else.
"This is you putting down your fucking guns before I get offended," Elysia suggested firmly, raising her nose and tilting her head slowly to both look down on the guy as well as expose the tattoo on her neck, "And this is us getting an escort to your fucking boss."
The two RDG at their squad leader's sides turned to mush as they were blasted backward in a hail of shotgun fire, sprawling out on the dock with one slipping face-down into the water. The squad leader flinched at the onslaught and had his battle rifle on the floor before Elysia had to ask a second time. His hands were in the air, a NicStick still smoking as it dangled off his lips. Elysia strode face-to-face with him, grabbed the NicStick, and took a deep drag and exhaled a thick cloud of odorous smoke.
"They didn't let us bring smokes on the shuttle," Elysia spoke as if to a friend, "Shame, too. They
really settle my nerves. You know what else settles my nerves?"
Elysia grabbed the RDG's thigh and squeezed, then again on the other leg.
"Ah, there it is," Elysia said as she pushed her hand into the overrated thug's pocket before withdrawing a lighter. He didn't notice the Queen of Clubs she'd palmed and planted on him. The RDG survivor watched as Elysia pulled a bottle of liquid from a satchel and uncapped it, and upended it over him. He spat and spluttered in protest as the strong smell not unlike diesel fuel crossed with paint thinner filled his nose and the taste flooded his mouth.
"This is insurance," Elysia said as two of her men flanked her, "You walk ahead of us, we'll drag your friend here behind us, and if anyone does anything funny, well, we're only really here to kill one guy, but we're obviously not opposed to unexpected increases in body count. Any of your friends inside get smart and you will
definitely suffer for it," Elysia punctuated her statement by casually flicking the cap of the lighter open and closed.
It always amused Elysia to see how much fear the mere mention of her would put into gangers of all stripes. She was, after all, royalty. Her squad formed a protective circle around her, with the RDG officer in front and the hostage being used as a body shield in the rear. Her team was practically escorted by RDG too afraid to open fire but just loyal enough to their cause, boss, pay, or whatever motivations to follow. There wasn't an issue the sight of the Queen of Clubs didn't immediately quash until it came to the corridor outside the Warden's Office and impromptu command center.
"Your name is enough to let us allow you to walk out of here!" one of the guards shouted as the two parties stared one another down. The following crowd had dispersed as they realized they were willingly walking towards what would certainly be a bloodbath. A few had run ahead and more had most certainly radioed in that Blueshift was on the way, as the corridor was blocked off by a couple desks, chairs, and whatever else was nearby and not bolted down (which, being a prison, wasn't much).
"One chance, Queen! Take it or we open fire!" the guard warned.
"Please, man, just let her in for the love of fuck," the fuel-doused officer pleaded, "You think you're gonna get to bag the Queen? Fuck right off, mate, we should be glad she's even
talking rig-"
Flick. Click.In the blink of an eye the fire Elysia had lit at the officer's back erupted, engulfing him as she put a boot on him and hastily shoved him forward. She dropped to a knee, swung her
BS-01 into position, and opened fire. Both sides had already begun to do the same, and one of her boys had brained the hostage as soon as she'd ignited the officer. There was no cover or concealment for Blueshift beyond the burning man flailing and smoking in the corridor, but the sheer volume of fire from Blueshift was absolutely oppressive. Within seconds two of the guards had their arms in the air thrust over the cover of their makeshift barricade. It quickly became evident that anyone else was either dead or writhing in pain - the ricochet from the pellets in the
BS-01 was intense, and even those behind cover completely wound up victims to Blueshift gunfire. Blueshift wasn't without losses though, as three of their own were lying in pools of their own blood and another two were walking wounded.
"Get the
fuck up and get the
fuck over here," Elysia shouted at the surrendering RDG. The pair cautiously came forward and stood, fingers interlaced behind their heads, in front of Elysia.
"How many?" she demanded more than asked. There was a moment with no response, then again, "HOW FUCKING MANY!?"
Both RDG flinched but one piped up, "Four! Four including the twins!"
Elysia tilted her head not unlike a curious dog, "Twins?"
"Payne a-and Abel."
Elysia grabbed the complying RDG's arm, pulled it out toward her, and forced her air pistol into his palm.
"You've got one shot. You
could shoot me and martyr yourself. You
could blow your own brains out. Or you can shoot your friend and walk away unha-"
The relatively quiet pop of air cut Elysia off as the RDG thug shot their friend in the side of the head without any hesitation, not even enough time for their friend to protest. The gun clattered to his feet as his friend crumpled.
"Easy enough. Fuck off."
The traitor ran off past Blueshift. Elysia reached into her pocket and produced another card before striding to the solid wood door to the warden's office, stepping over the smouldering body in the hall and throwing furniture aside as she went. When she got to the door she knelt down, slid the card underneath, knocked, and waited. Voices carried through the cracks in the pellet-pocked and somewhat damaged though impressively sturdy door, but Elysia couldn't make them out. She stood patiently for a few long moments before there was an audible
click and the door slowly pulled inward. Elysia pushed it open the rest of the way and saw two figures being held at gunpoint. And she recognized one of them.
"Carlo!?" Elysia laughed, "I'd recognize my handiwork anywhere. I thought I left you for dead in the NIZ [Nevada Inhospitable Zone, which is pretty much just Nevada anyways]."
"We don't want any trouble, ma'am," the RDG who opened the door said.
"You did good opening the door, don't fuck up my good-will with an interruption," Elysia spat without breaking eye contact with Carlo through the openings in his metal face-shaped mask.
"So, the self-proclaimed Ace of Clubs has a twin brother, eh? I would have never guessed. Spitting image. But I guess it can be hard to work alone when you've been flayed alive. Guess you're 'Payne' then. I
really want to know how you're even standing here now. Speak."
A raspy voice pushed from beneath the mask, "Fuck you, Spacer Reject."
"Dude, what the fuck is going on?" Carlo's brother turned and asked. The RDG behind him struck the back of his head with the butt of his rifle and the twin faced Elysia once more. The surviving members of her team had already entered and begun to encircle the twins.
"Right, the two spares get to leave. But Carlo, and," Elysia gazed with pity at the twin as the two RDG made a hasty exit, "Carlo's brother, I'm going to be making an example of you two. It's a shame you didn't learn your lesson, Carlo. The universe gave you a second chance and instead of taking it you just went and got family involved. I feel bad for your mother."
"
FUCK YOU!" Carlo shouted and charged at Elysia, or tried to, but whatever treatments he'd had left him slow to move, and
definitely too slow to avoid the air pistol one of the Blueshift fired into his side. He fell to the ground clutching the wound, writhing and moaning in pain.
"Please, look. I don't know what he's done-"
"Oh that's bullshit," Elysia said, stepping in the brother's face, grabbing him by the throat, and twisting his head so she could look behind his right ear, "Yeah, thought so, you let your fucking brother brand you with his mark. You're a ganger, and you sure as fuck know who I am."
She threw the brother to the ground where he was grabbed by a pair of Blueshift. He struggled to break from their grip but wasn't able to fight his way free.
"As I was saying," she kicked Carlo in his shot side, "You two have the distinct pleasure of being examples of what happens to those who sell out to our gracious spaceborne overlords.
Unfortunately the original plan needs to be scrapped since your asshole brother went and got himself shot. But..." Elysia looked out the set of floor-to-ceiling windows on the wall opposite the door and out to the concrete yard a good thirty meters below. A yard full of criminals, gangers, and all sorts of unsavory types that would fit right in with the Syndicate, fighting against handfuls of cornered stragglers from the Roughs Defense Group, "I think this will be better. Smash the windows," Elysia ordered her men.
Those remaining members of Blueshift who weren't occupied set to smashing the reinforced windows with everything they could. The place didn't have a great budget, so the windows gave pretty easily and rained glass on the ground, and a few people, below. Elysia grabbed the microphone off the desk that hooked to the prison's PA system and turned it on. She gripped the metal frame between windows and leaned out, ignoring the glass biting into her palm and the blood running down her arm.
"I know a lot of you are excited!" Elysia started as her voice carried throughout the complex and beyond, "But you should give pause for a moment! Those of you in the yard with a keen eye might be able to identify me, but for those who do not know, I am the Queen of Clubs, and I come here to liberate you Roughsnecks from the oppressive yoke of Malach Point! I have here the twins you know as Payne and Abel! Bring them forward!"
Her squaddies pulled the twins up to the broken windows on either side of Elysia, "These two have wronged many! They have betrayed even more! Look at them! Are they fucking
Spacers? Then why the
fuck are they on their payroll! Today we will witness justice as the Syndicate demands! Justice for you, and soon, justice for all Earthbound!"
Elysia stepped back from the window and motioned to her men holding 'Abel' to bring him forward. He struggled in vain as they brought him to the window and kicked the back of his knees to force him to kneel.
"For being a traitor to your people, upholding the laws of an oppressive regime, and by your own orders and actions oppressing and assaulting the people of this fine DRZ, the Syndicate demands a payment of blood!"
Her air pistol, freshly reloaded, went off and left a neat hole from the back of 'Abel's' head out between his eyes. The two Blueshifters holding him unceremoniously dumped the body out the window, where it landed in the yard full of enraptured gangers.
"The other one," she motioned to the two holding Carlo.
"You bitch, you fucking bitch," he struggled to say as he was placed in the same spot his brother had just been executed at, "You're going to fucking burn."
"What a coincidence," Elysia uttered as she took her bloodied hand and pulled the mask from Carlo's face. His right eye was a milky white, surrounded by a circular scar with a jagged line coming from the eye at an ange - the Q that Elysia had carved into his face before she had his skin peeled from his body in the blistering sun on the sands of the Nevada desert. They'd left him relatively whole from the neck up to make him presentable and identifiable in the photos they took of his apparently not actually dead body. Elysia passed the bloodied mask to one of her men, "I want to keep this to remember him by. Call me sentimental."
Elysia then addressed the penal platform once more, "And Payne, Carlo, Ace of Clubs, whatever fucking name you decide to go by, for betraying the people of Earth, supporting the overreach of Malach Point, selling out to the MSF, and causing irreparable damage to the families of this DRZ through your own actions or inactions, the Syndicate demands you surrender your life!"
Instead of putting a bullet in his head, she put a boot in Carlo's back and kicked him over. He fell to the yard, landing next to his brother with a thud, twitching. Elysia motioned to one of her Blueshifters who handed her a Firebottle. She lit the rag and dropped it down, splashing both of the twins with liquid fire.
"You need not fear my show of force if you are truly an Earther! The Earthbound are strong of will and body! I do not bring this fight to you to show you what will come if you don't accept the Syndicate. No, I bring this fight to you to show you what we plan on doing to these assholes elsewhere. With your aid!"
----------------
With DRZ-2 under control of Syndicate loyalists, more goods are actively being diverted to Syndicate causes. A number of old rigs along the English coast in the North Sea fall within DRZ-2 control, and these rusty but running facilities give the Syndicate access to
2 Liquid, with
1 Solid as a byproduct of the drilling and extracting processes.
While the Syndicate made progress in liberating DRZ-2, we detected Malachian Security Forces enter DRZ atmosphere over South Africa. Rumors coming from the region point to them taking control of DRZ-6 and the 2 Solid and 1 Gas it offers after some intense urban street-fighting. Our inability to contact our local affiliates, the Lost Hope, further cements these rumors.
Tensions are rising between the Malachians and Earthbound. They're showing a clear disregard for DRZ independence and so we must redouble our efforts to secure our own planet.
We will be designing two pieces of Overt Equipment this turn. Remember, while it will not be restricted to Overt use only, the designation identifies what gets hit with penalties first. For an easy example, a gun designed for overt use could see it be very loud on a less than desired roll, whereas if it was Covert it could keep it's noise down but lose stopping power instead.
You can also choose an official name for DRZ-2! Don't feel obligated to use anything specifically, like DRZ-Sealand or something.
Also something to note, now that you have a taste of the sectors you'll be taking, while not all territories produce the same stuff (this is to create a level of possible scarcity without outright having one side have a resource snowball) because there's no inherent reason to attack DRZ zones other than saying "fuck you" to the other guys, which
is a good reason, all territories
will have at least 1 Solid since I'm not
completely braindead yet and know that's going to be the resource in highest demand - unless people try to subvert my expectations, which you're more than able to try. I'd be curious to see it.
DRZ-1: Uncontested
DRZ-2: Syndicate Control
DRZ-3: Uncontested
DRZ-4: Uncontested
DRZ-5: Uncontested
DRZ-6: MSF Occupation
DRZ-7: Uncontested
DRZ-8: Uncontested
DRZ-Cascadia: Syndicate Control
Research and Development: 0/5
Engineering/Maintenance: 0/5
Medical: 0/5
Cargo: 0/5
Manufacturing: 0/5
Residential: 0/5
Recreation: 0/5
Security: 0/5
Command: 0/5
Blueshift
Race Makeup: Earthbound
Commander: Elysia Seyfert, Queen of Clubs
Preferred Tactics: Overt, Offensive, Assault
Traits:
-Bloodlust: If a problem can be solved with murder, then that's how the problem is going to get solved. While this means the squad tends to take initiative in engagements, they tend not to care much about performance outside of combat.
-Ex-MSF Commander: Elysia's background gives her an intimate familiarity with MSF operations, though she doesn't have the appropriate mindset to properly put all the pieces of training together. Her studies scratched the surface of MSF tactics and provide a very small bonus to direct engagements with MSF forces.
-Killer Queen: Blueshift will leave their calling card anywhere they are active. While flashing the card means locals and civilians are much more likely to avoid or comply with Blueshift activities, it also may make it easier to trace repeated operations.
Tartan Misfits
Race Makeup: Earthbound
Commander: Imogen Gemma Wallace (Aliases: Schoolgirl, Tartan)
Preferred Tactics: Covert, Offensive, Digital
Traits:
-Interconnected Network: When deployed in a department on Malach Point, the Tartan Misfits can uncover enemy operations in the area and will act to interfere with those alongside accomplishing their original objective.
-Integrated Agents: If engaged in combat with an enemy squad alongside another friendly squad, the other squad will be provided with a large boost in combat efficiency as Tartan Misfits work directly alongside them and provide intel on their enemies.
-They May Take Our Lives...: More people work for Imogen and the Tartan Misfits than the Misfits themselves. Civilians are often recruited by The Tartan Misfits to both aid Syndicate Operations and hamper MSF Opererations where The Tartan Misfits are deployed. This includes overall increased efficacy for The Tartan Misfits themselves.
BS-01 Automatic Shotgun: A 12-gauge shotgun that uses a helical tube magazine to store up to sixteen shells at a time. Accuracy is abysmal and shot velocity is low, but it can throw up a cloud of shot in close range thanks to the automatic firing mechanism. Comes with a flashlight attached to a side rail. 2 Solid
Firebottles: Easy-to make, cheap bottles of flammable liquid with a rag stuffed into the top. Comes with lighter. 1 Liquid
Custom-Printed Air Pistol: A single-shot top-loaded 3D-printed plastic pistol that uses compressed air to fire it's rounds. Each is made according to the user's preferences, but are generally very easy to conceal. 1 Gas
Wired HackTool: A handheld HackTool that provides quick and easy access to digital systems so long as a physical connection can be maintained. 1 Solid
Mag-Ink QoC Tattoo: A tattoo in semi-permanent Mag-Ink of a Queen of Clubs stylized in a manner approved by Elysia. Knowing the fear it inspires, she allows the image to be used by the Syndicate as a whole. Mag-Ink can be removed with a quick, practically painless procedure.1 Liquid
Audio Bug: A complex device shaped similarly to a stick of gum that can adhere to most surfaces. The device picks up nearby audio and transmits it live to Syndicate operatives. They're very effective, but do not have an unlimited lifespan. A squad equipped with these will place them automatically, providing a bonus for Operations in the same area for the following turn, or providing detailed information on enemy actions in the area should a friendly squad not be deployed there. 2 Solid
Off-Map Resources: 2 Solid/2 Liquid/2 Gas
DRZ-2: 1 Solid/2 Liquid
Total Cost Limit/Squad: 3 Solid/4 Liquid/2 Gas
Blueshift
-BS-01 Automatic Shotgun (2S)
-Firebottles (1L)
-Mag-Ink QoC Tattoo (1L)
-Custom-Printed Air Pistol (1G)
Total Cost: 2/3S-2/4L-1/2G
Tartan Misfits
-Empty
Total Cost: 0/3S-0/4L-0/2G